Oh heyyyy, Kasey at the Bat readers! I’m Allison and I blog at The Ponytail Diaries, where I write about running, reading, my dog, and whatever else I feel like. Kasey awesomely let me take up space on her blog while she’s off gallivanting around Europe. Since what first attracted me to her blog is her baseball fandom, I thought I’d share a few tried-and-true tips for fellow baseball fans to get through the awful part of the year known as “the offseason.”
Baseball is the greatest partly because it’s played during the best parts of the year. Spring training rolls around just when you’re starting to despair and believe that winter will never end, bringing hope along with the heady smells of fresh-cut Arizona grass. You spend summer lounging in bleacher seats, short-and-tank-clad, beers and peanuts in hand, lazily observing those endlessly sunny days as you cheer for homers and no-hitters and perfect double plays. Then as September hits you’re either still enjoying summer (if you’re in Southern California like me, at least) or starting to hunker down for “serious baseball,” AKA the play-offs.
Then the offseason hits and you’re cold and miserable and stuck inside and just not sure what to do with yourself until mid-February.
I’ve been there. I mean, I’m “there” right now, since it’s the smack-dab middle of the offseason and I have no idea what to do with myself beside scroll through trade rumors on Twitter (not recommended). So what is a baseball fan to do from October/November-ish until that magical day known as “pitchers and catchers report”?
Catch up on sleep
Damn, games end late now. And despite all of MLB’s efforts to “speed up the game” (most of which are BS, pardon my language), most nights during the summer, I’m up until 10:30 or later, waiting for that last pitch. Now’s the time to snuggle in early without panicking that you’re going to miss something crazy like an unassisted triple play or your team coming back from a 10-run deficit.
Catch up with your family and friends
If you’re like me, you have “baseball friends” and “other friends.” Luckily my husband and most of my family are baseball fans too, so they understand, but I have this whole group of friends that can’t really talk to me that much during the season because they don’t understand me when I’m ranting about “hits with runners in scoring position” or “bone chips in elbows” or “bullpens that make me want to crawl under my bed and never come out.” So here’s your chance to go hang out with those people and have normal conversations!
Find another sport to follow
Now, I’ll watch football with my husband and I actually love basketball (Go Warriors!) but for me, this isn’t really an option because after six or seven months of spending 3+ hours a day focusing on a group of grown men playing a game for obscene amounts of money, I need a mental break. But if you have the energy to rabidly follow football or basketball or the English Premiere League or something, more power to you.
Follow people like Ken Rosenthal on Twitter to keep up on trade rumors
Except don’t. You’ll just drive yourself crazy and get sucked into wormholes of “did he sign or didn’t he?” Seriously don’t. Scroll through Bleacher Report or Deadspin once a day or follow your team’s beat reporters but have some self-control. DON’T CHECK TWITTER NOW. STOP IT. DON’T.
Watch postseason highlight reels over and over
Actually, I guess this only works if you’re happy with the result of the postseason, which I am GIANTS DYNASTY SUCKAAAAS!
Find another hobby
Something like knitting’s good, because it’s cold now so you can make scarves and stuff. Or start a blog. Learn a language. Cook or bake stuff. Play a sport yourself. Take up homebrewing. Get a dog or cat (you know, if that’s a good idea for you)
Watch movies like Field of Dreams, A League of the Their Own, Bull Durham, and The Sandlot while wistfully counting down the days until spring training
My personal top choice.
I hope this helps you, baseball fans! Remember, during the season we may not always get along, but right now, we’re united!
Follow me at The Ponytail Diaries, or on Twitter or Instagram! Thanks, Kasey, for letting me take over your blog!
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