APRIL. The snow has melted (we hope), the birds are chirping. Bears are coming out of hibernation, the smell of spring is in the air. April is such an exciting month, winter may finally be over, spring break may be happening or in the horizon, college is almost over, and it’s the official start of baseball season.
I grew up absolutely obsessed with baseball and softball, and to tell you the truth, not too much has changed. People always thought it was strange, that a girl would be so in love with what they considered a “man’s” sport, but I didn’t and I don’t care. I love baseball, and there is not a thing that could change that.
So, how do you tell if you’re a true baseball fan, especially if you’re a woman? Well here are some ideas:
1. You know the exact date of your team's opening home game, and have it recording.
2. Baseball stats are common knowledge for you, and you brag about it.
3. When you hear someone talking smack about your team, you nicely provide true, legitimate facts as to why they are the best (I’m a Red Sox fan in New York, this has become almost second nature for me).
4. Jerseys and baseball attire the entirety of your weekend wardrobe, and your casual wardrobe if work allows it.
5. You check team updates at least once a day, hoping that maybe that really terrible pitcher that you don’t like isn’t starting that day’s game.
6. You can talk to guys about the sport, including who the top players are for homeruns, RBIs, stolen bases, and even ERAs.
7. You get beyond annoyed when your team loses, and go to bed angry.
8. You rather watch a good game of baseball rather than The Bachelor, or Shameless, or even American Horror Story.
9. You daydream about the BEAUTIFUL outfielder.
10. You can call the ball before the umpire does, and be right.
11. You always make plans to attend at least one game a year, even if it isn’t your favorite team.
12. Watching the minor leagues is almost as exciting as the majors, just more errors.
13. You just love the sport so much, that you constantly defend its existence because there are some people out there that are lame and don’t appreciate baseball like you do.
Whether you do these things or not doesn't really determine if you're a true fan. Ultimately, it's up to you to determine if you really love a group of men standing around hitting balls, not some silly list made by a die hard baseball lover. Maybe you do half of these things, maybe just one or two. Either way, we can all love baseball, or at least appreciate it.
