162 things to be excited about now that a new baseball season is upon us
A new baseball season is getting underway on Sunday afternoon. No more Spring Training. No more waiting. It's all back. Your favorite players are ready.
There are plenty of reasons for everybody -- no matter which team you root for -- to feel pretty pumped-up that another season is upon us. With that in mind, here are 162 specific things that are now returning to our lives that should make us all smile.
162, because that's how many games teams play in a season ... get it? Good. Enjoy, and play ball!
1. The smells: Hot dogs, warm spring air, freshly cut grass, kettle corn, the grill, etc.
2. The quiet murmur of the crowd suddenly erupting in excitement over a big hit
3. Fans making amazing catches
4. Fans not making amazing catches, despite trying hard
5. Fans with intimidating facial hair situations
- Wild ballpark food concoctions
7. Hearing familiar music at the ballpark that immediately reminds you of baseball
8. The Cubs celebrating their World Series win one last time at Wrigley Field
9. Mascot hijinks (andJason Kipnis ' antics, too)
10. The Astros mascot Orbit and his pranks (after last season's display he has a lot to live up to)
11. Peanuts
12. Cracker Jack
13. The D-backs' pool at Chase Field
14. Kids meeting their heroes and having their dreams come true
- Players playing catch with kids in the stands
16. Opportunities for great baseball souvenirs
17. A chance to catch a fireworks display on a night other than July 4
18. Feeling palpable tension when the game is close -- and then the cathartic rush when things go well
19. A chance to show others where you stand regarding the wave: Are you for or against?
20. Bark at the Park
- Making your phone's step counter app happy with all that walking at the stadium
22. Listening to the game on the radio/AtBat app while doing chores, walking down the street, etc.
23. Having something to watch at any moment of the day, seven days a week
24. Letting the soothing sounds of late-night baseball drown out the sounds of your noisy neighbors
25. Players pranking each other
26. Fans and their creative signs at the game
27. Huge dingers that go really far
28. Inside-the-park home runs and raucous celebrations
- Bat flips, a true art form
30.John Jaso and his hair
- Hair flips, as there are some good ones on display these days
32. No-hitters
33. Near no-hitters broken up in the late innings
34. Jaw-dropping catches
- Mind-bending double plays
37. Outrageous triple plays
38. Would-be errors that turn into great defensive plays
39. Rundowns with the runner winning
40. Rundowns in general
41. Plays that need to be Statcasted to be believed
42.Adrián Beltré , a true entertainer
- Nolan Arenado doing
Nolan Arenado things
44. The Padres on the basepaths, swiping home plate like it's no big deal
45.Paul Goldschmidt breaking phones and fans' food
Andrew McCutchen andStarling Marte in the Pirates outfield
47.Carlos Martínez fastballs andAdam Wainwright curveballs (not to mention his prodigious power)
48. The Brewers' sausage race
49. The Nats' Presidents Race and its occasional mishaps
Maikel Franco ,Freddy Galvis and their infield trickery
51.Rich Hill 's delivery and its many applications
52. Another season ofJosé Bautista andJosh Donaldson making Rogers Centre look small
53.Yadier Molina 's intensity and extracurricular activities at the plate
54. Star Wars Night!
55. Extra innings: a great excuse to stay up late
56. Mid-week day games: a good reason to call in sick
57. Mid-July and pushing 100 outside? Just stay in, blast the A/C and turn on the game.
58. Game of Thrones tie-ins
59. More art-inspiring thievery byKevin Kiermaier
- Making new friends at the ballpark
61. Saying hello to friends you haven't seen since last season ended
62. Stadium proposals and their delightful awkwardness
63. Having your first date at the ballpark
64.Clayton Kershaw 's video-game curveball
Max Scherzer 's fastball
66.José Abreu , hitting machine
67. Another season for Hawk Harrelson
68. Dancing lessons with the Red Sox outfield
- The Mets' collective hair and mustaches
70. Mike Napoli back in Texas
71.Ichiro Suzuki , the league's oldest position player, who says he wants to play until 50
Yoenis Céspedes being himself -- throwing, hitting and bat-flipping
73.Bartolo Colon , a free agent signing so big it had its own trailer
74.Miguel Cabrera 's commitment to having a good time
Miguel Sanó destroying baseballs and scraping the roof
76.Edwin Encarnacion with the Indians
77. More chances for Royals (likeBrandon Moss ) to hit it to the fountain
78. Players wearing the wrong caps on accident
79. John Adams and his Progressive Field drums
80. Walk-up music
81. Wild caroms off walls
Billy Hamilton running circles around the league
83.Hunter Pence being Hunter Pence
- Kris Bryant coming off his NL MVP Award
85.Bryce Harper continuing to do Bryce Harper things
Mike Trout (too bad he can't play for every team for maximum Trout Effect)
87.Kyle Schwarber in general
88. Inspirational ceremonial first pitches
89. The AT&T Park seagulls -- they're coming for you
- Amazing ballpark sunset photos
We see you, Philly. pic.twitter.com/7tEBF4YBtj
— MLB (@MLB) August 30, 2016
- Popups getting lost in the sun
92.Yasiel Puig being #PuigYourEntertainer
93.Alex Rodriguez , full-time baseball analyst
94.José Altuve and the quest for an even more untouchable stat line
95. The "dugout silent treatment"
Noah Syndergaard 's fastball
97. Bold maneuvers on the basepaths
98.Gary Sánchez and the #BabyBombers -- they're going to make Yankee Stadium look small
99.Joey Votto trolling fans -- or just being nice to them
100. New bobbleheads
101. Other can't-miss new team giveaways
102. Seeing howAdam Jones follows up his Team USA heroics
- Minor League theme nights and zany promotions
104. Position players pitching
105. More T-Rex sightings in the stands
106. Chances to see baseball legends on any given night
107. Fans taking selfies with players
108. Bill Murray sightings at Wrigley Field
109.Giancarlo Stanton moonshots
Kevin Pillar 's magic with the glove
111. All-Star voting
112. The Home Run Derby
113. The All-Star Game
114.Yu Darvish 's offspeed pitches
115. Pitchers "hitting"
116. Pitchers actually hitting
Albert Pujols going for homer No. 600 (he has 591)
118.Curtis Granderson going for homer No. 300 (he has 293)
119.Ryan Braun also going for homer No. 300 (he has 295)
120.Nelson Cruz going for homer No. 300 (he has 284)
121.Robinson Canó going for homer No. 300, too (he has 278)
122. Adrian Beltre going for 3,000 hits (he has 2,942)
123. Albert Pujols going for 3,000 hits (he has 2,825)
124. Bartolo Colon going for 2,500 strikeouts (he enters the year with 2,365)
125. Out-of-nowhere surprise stars
126. More endless debate about hot dogs and their status as maybe sandwiches
127. Coordinated team outfits for road trips
128. Clubhouse antics
129.Kenta Maeda pranks
130. Defensive miscues (they illustrate the game's intricate balance)
131. Being a total glutton for ballpark food
132.Félix Hernández 's changeup
Matt Shoemaker 's splitter
134. Photos of Clayton Kershaw's face
135. Squeeze plays
136. Failed squeeze plays
137.Fernando Rodney 's hat -- since you know it's crooked right now, somewhere
138.Edwin Díaz throwing fireballs
139.Javier Báez slides
- The rest of Javier Baez's tools
141.Chris Archer 's hair and its trap
142. Displays of emotion -- from players and fans alike
143. Breakout rookies that none of us expected
144. Potential sleepers
145. Top prospects being called up
146. Literally hitting the cover off the ball
147.Craig Kimbrel 's arm angle before he throws a pitch
- The understated brilliance of scoreboard usage
149. Players doing weird stuff during rain delays
150. Having conversations about baseball while in line for coffee/the bank/and so on
151. Hitting the ball more than once with one swing
152.Carlos Gómez going all-out all the time
153. Pitch faces
154. In-game alerts on the At Bat app
155.Francisco Lindor ranging deep into the hole
- Postgame interviews
157. Arguments over in-game decisions
158. Watching top athletes make unthinkable displays of effort
159. Flip-up sunglasses in the outfield
160. Players wearing stirrups
161. Players (unintentionally) taking your food while you're near the field in your seats
And finally ...
162. The fact that for the next 6-7 months, baseball is a part of your life again.
Young Mariners fan, we know the feeling.