Terry: I'm a fan of baseball, just not on TV

Baseball was always very good to me — I just never could really stand to watch it on TV.

Growing up, from April to October I didn’t go anywhere without a baseball and glove. You could play a game of catch waiting on irrigation water or while dad cut a load of grain.

Occasionally you might even stop somewhere where a pickup game would break out and it was always better to have your own glove than a loaner.

Karl Terry

I put in a lot of hours at the ballpark, all the way up into my late 30s. But just couldn’t watch it on TV for very long, even when I was playing myself.

I can watch football for hours but baseball just seems to move too slow. I got into watching on TV back in the early WTBS Super Station days when they broadcast nearly all the Braves games. But even watching Hammerin’ Hank Aaron’s swan song didn’t get me hooked.

I know lots of folks who are addicted to baseball on TV and never miss their favorite team’s games. For me I have only gotten interested at World Series time and even then only about once a decade.

So when the novelty of two teams that hadn’t won a championship in my lifetime together in one series came up I couldn’t resist. Maybe just the historical significance part of it was what pulled me in and got me pulling for the Cubs.

Not having watched baseball on TV in a long time I noticed a few new things. Like that nifty little score box in the bottom right of the screen. It was easy to keep up with things at a glance after I figured it all out. Then I found out they’re reviewing instant replays now (seems like I read about that somewhere). I didn’t like that idea at first but after watching a few super slo-mo tags I decided it was interesting.

But the thing I noticed that hadn’t changed was really stupid commentary and at times the dang games just dragged on. I gave up a couple of nights and turned it off.

Finally, it came down to Game 7 and Chicago’s chance to shake the “Curse of the Billy Goat.” Even though I was out of town that day I watched the first part at the motel, went to supper and came back and prepared to watch to the end.

Figures as soon as I get interested a rain delay and extra innings would rear its ugly head. I stuck it out though — almost. Somehow I missed that last out. I woke to Cubs jumping up and down and people chanting and cheering and slinging their beer all over their neighbors.

It was fun to watch that series and that Game 7 on TV but I think I might be good for another 108 years.

Karl Terry writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

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