by Sean Poliakoff

Created on: May 06, 2008

"PLAY BALL!" For some of us this sparks childhood memories of running around bases, for others it is a way of life that we never gave up.

Baseball, hotdogs, and apple pie are the American traditions that have been handed down from generations before us. While baseball's popularity has been dying in recent years accumulating to the controversial decision to keep baseball out of the 2012 Summer Olympics, some people still have an abiding love for the game.

According to Alan Kreisel, a graduating student at the Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ), the reason for the demise of baseball is the lack of understanding in the public. "I enjoy the game, I think that it is an enjoyable game to watch if you understand the rules. People don't understand the rules so they don't enjoy the game. Also there is zero physical contact, for the most part, and that is why it is losing fans to more violent sports."

On April 17th at FCCJ, over a dozen students showed their love for America's great traditions as they spent the day playing a game of softball. With the speakers playing, the sun glistening, and the bats ringing as the softball was hit, Kriesel and other students gathered together to play a softball game that lasted from 1-4 pm. The game even went into multiple extra innings as neither team wanted to stop playing. The game brought many memories of movies such as Sandlot, Bull Durham, For Love of the Game, and Rookie of the Year. Quite simply, the only possible explanation for over a dozen grown men and women to play a game in the middle of a hot day is for love of the game.

Craig Sutton, a sophomore finance major, said that the reason he loves the game with such vigor the aspect and mentality of a team in baseball. "Baseball is such a team game. Not one person stands out, instead it takes a team effort," said Sutton.

Jimbo Sanders, a freshman student, attributes his love for baseball to his older brother. "It started out with my admiration for my brother and since he was playing it, I decided to begin playing. The rest is history as I fell in love with the game and became entrapped with watching and playing the game."

Even full-time student athletes still love the game in the same way that they always have. Lydon Lewis, a medical redshirt relief pitcher for the FCCJ Stars baseball team, said that his experiences with the baseball team for the past two years have been unforgettable. "I have had a lot of fun, met a lot of cool people, and watched a lot of baseball. The team has a lot of fun together even during practice, a lot of it is camaraderie. We literally live together in the same apartments and we often take the same classes."

Lewis, along with his teammates, have been willing to adhere to rules and regulations all as sacrifices for the game. Some of these rules include restrictions on facial hair, dress codes, social time, and academics. However, Lewis along with the rest of the baseball team have willingly made these sacrifices in order to play the sport that they love. Along the way, they have made invaluable friendships and learned a lot about life and baseball.

Whether our love for baseball doesn't exist beyond watching baseball movies or if our love extends to making sacrifices in our college life so that we can play the sport, either way all of us are united by the great American tradition that surrounds this baseball diamond.

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