Lonnie asked a very interesting question: "How has baseball, a game that has more in common with a marathon than a sprint, survived in a culture of immediate gratification?"

Certainly, the MTV generation does not revere baseball the way our fathers and grandfathers did. The game, compared to the other two major sports, football and basketball, is obviously comparitively sedate. Many, (including my best friend), consider it vastly less entertaining than an afternoon nap. The pace of the game almost certainly hurts it in terms of attracting fans from the modern American world.

But, the American psyche has many layers. Yes, we love flash. We have been raised on Hollywood blockbusters. But, we also have been raised with a fairly unique concentration on INDIVIDUAL achievement. America is the place where anyone can be President, which has taken on even stronger meaning after the most recent election results. Baseball clearly has an extreme focus on individual achievement. Have you ever noticed that the only sports that truly revere their stars of that past do so primarily by INDIVIDUAL - not team achievements?

In football, unless you're a major, major fan, you probably have little idea of who Sammy Baugh or "The Galloping Ghost" were. But there is hardly a person around - sports fan or otherwise - who doesn't recognize the name Babe Ruth - or know that he's famous for hitting homeruns in baseball, (even if they don't know the specific number). Golf and Tennis stars of the past seem to have longer legs than many of the football and NBA stars. But, even when the greats of yesteryear are spoken of, it is the individual achievements that bring awe and wonder. Scoring 100 points in a game makes Wilt unique -- though few could tell you who he played for. TEAMS only get remembered when they win a bunch of titles in a row, (or lose them). Single titles dissolve into one another over time. There are a few dynasties that remain in memory. But, the great individual players - they stick around much stronger.

That focus on individual achievement is almost certainly one of the things that keeps baseball alive. But, America has many layers, and another layer is the love of the underdog. Baseball is almost certainly the most balanced sport around. The worst team still wins 1/3 of its games - while the best loses a third. The uncertainty of who is going to win on any given day is no higher than on the diamond. The other sports are working hard to "create" parity - and level the playing field. Baseball seems to go out of its way to try and make it as unbalanced as possible - and STILL the Tampa Rays go to the series, while the Yankees sit home.

But, the one thing that I believe makes baseball truly unique -- and where that particular unique trait is a silent pull on the psyches of the masses is this. EVERYONE gets a chance. America is the ultimate land of opportunity. And baseball is unique among the major sports in that ANY player can find himself in the spotlight at crunchtime. I recently saw a reply of the 1992 Braves/Pirates NLCS -- the "Sid Slid!" series. The hero of the day was Franciso Cabrerra. This was a kid who had managed a total of 10 at bats in 1992. Yet, the fate of the Braves entire season boiled down to this 25-year-old kid with the bases loaded, two out, down by one run, in the bottom of the ninth. THIS is the hero.

In football, the hero is the QB -- because the game puts the ball in his hands every play in crunch time. In basketball, when you're down by a point in the last seconds, you give the ball to Jordan, or Kobe or Lebron. Baseball is the one and only sport that allows that "nobody" scrub the *CHANCE* to become the big hero in the end. That double-edged sword of individual achievement and love for the underdog cannot be reproduced with such wonderful randomness by any other sport.

What if you could only throw a pass to Steve Smith every 4th or 5th attempt? What if you had to alternate handoffs between your halfback and fullback? What if your starting 5 on the basketball court each had to take a shot before your star could shoot again? The concepts are preposterous. But, that is the reality with baseball - and we *LIKE* it. Not because such a system is superior to handing the ball to the star -- but for the very fact that it is different.

Millions tune in each March for the NCAA tourney and will watch Centenary or Ball State get their one shot at the Goliaths of UNC or Duke. We love to see that underdog get that shot from time to time. And in baseball, that time is actually pretty regular. The long, slow baseball season - the marathon - is interesting, because it can take strange twists and turns, (and often does).

America is both brilliant and flawed in many ways. We applaud the individual who raises themselves up by their own bootstraps to greatness. But, America's freedom also allows the rich and powerful incredible opportunity to abuse that power. We've watched giants like Enron fall. We have groaned under the weight of a banking system gone completely bonkers, as the filthy rich were able to game the system and rewrite its rules to their advantage in order to simply scoop money in truckloads into their vault -- leaving the American people behind to pick up the tab for their decade-long bender of greed.

In every sport, the best players are all millionaires. But, being a millionaire doesn't allow AROD a trip to the plate any time he wants it. He has to wait his turn. Oh, we love our stars. But, we also love to see the success stories of the guy not as blessed with talent, who perseveres through unwavering effort. Players like Francisco Cabrera will never reach the hall of fame. But, that unique trait of baseball to give a CHANCE to the unheralded bench players has a duel impact. It can make Mark Lemke a hero for a day - or Don Larsen - or Bobby Thompson. But, because the truly great players only get a shot to be the hero some of the time -- it also amplifies THOSE moments.

In the NBA, you knew that Jordan would get the ball at the end. And he came through more often than not. But, when he failed, there was a shrug. Nobody wins all the time. And he'll get another shot tomorrow. But baseball's unique nature to dole out chances to everyone on the club equally means that Kirk Gibson's shot to hit his game winning homer was only possible BECAUSE he was hurt and sitting on the bench all game.

Oh, there are greats in all sports who never really get their shot. Those that never reach the penultimate game, because we are talking about team sports. Dan Fouts could not pass the Chargers to the SuperBowl, and Barry Sanders couldn't run the Lions there -- because neither played defense. But, even when you manage to reach the ultimate stage of a Championship game or series, you cannot know if Sid Bream is going to be key to the moment.

America is a country and culture that exalts individual effort - hard work and talent. But we believe that everyone should get a fair chance, too. Baseball is unique among sports in that it demands that everyone get a chance. And though a sport that allows the stars to shine all the time may create more exciting plays more often -- baseball is unique in creating DRAMA. This aspect is so rare in sports like football and baseketball that movies were made to trumpet those moments -- "Rudi" in football and "Hoosiers" in basketball. Baseball doesn't need to make a movie trumpeting the triumph of the unknown hero -- because we get to see those heroes on a regular basis. Remember that the next time Joe Schmo is the guy at the plate with 2 out in the 9th. It is something the other sports refuse to give us.