The difference between a baseball and a hockey puck might seem simple – one’s round, while the other is disc-shaped – but the similarities end there. In one sport, only the hands can be used, while the hands can’t be used for skaters in the other.
Baseball has been called “America’s Pastime” in the past, but people call baseball boring, slow, and relatively unexciting. I’ve heard people say that the same thing happens in baseball – a pitch is thrown, its hit and maybe fielded, and then they start over. Hockey is a little different. It’s not unusual in today’s game to see scores of 4, 5, or even 6 goals or more as a final score. If scoring and excitement aren’t what gets you going, then what sport do you choose? Do you take another?
When I was growing up, I played both hockey and baseball whenever I could. I didn’t like football because of the roughness associated with it and I never could get soccer. Hockey was just as rough, so I played goalie. I played outfield in baseball, and while I wasn’t good there, I could really hit. I had some good times in both sports, bur for me, its hockey all the way.
There can be little debate that hockey is much more exciting than baseball. Did you know that some of the best hockey players in the world can shoot a slap shot at over 100 MPH? Pitchers can do the same thing, but not much happens with their throw – it depends on the batter. Maybe he or she smacks the ball into the rear yard for a walk-off homerun or gives the sacrifice fly that ties the game. Hockey is different because anyone can contribute to the game and change it faster than you can blink. Even a few goalies have been able to score, including the likes of Martin Brodeur and Chris Osgood, whom Penguins fans will remember from the 2007 Stanley Cup loss.
Another thing hockey has going for it is the fighting. Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky has lobbied for putting an end to fighting in a magnitude the NFL had on helmet-to-helmet contact. The game still has fighting on occasion, especially between the two team’s toughest, most-hotheaded players. This can happen at any time and be as destructive as players walking away with torn jerseys and bloodied. Baseball has the clearing of the benches and a shouting match between managers and umpires.
However, one thing that baseball definitely has over hockey is the anticipation factor. With hockey, you know that someone is going to score at some point. It may take a shootout to end a 0-0 score, but somebody is going to end the tie. In baseball, they’ll play as many innings as it takes. I saw a 20-inning game played once, with the longest game occurring in 1981 at 33 innings. That’s over 8 hours of play time. You can sit there and only wonder when the next great play is going to come. The hero of the night can always be someone different, maybe even someone you haven’t heard of. This can happen in hockey, but it’s mostly the same people – Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and the like.
Choosing America’s Pastime over one of its most popular spectator sports is a tough decision, but it all depends on your interests. For me, that choice is tougher than it seems.
