Category: Baseball

Imagine that you are hanging out with friends on a nice summer day and your friend says that you guys should go do something, and immediately you look to the corner of your room and see your baseball glove. Why not go play ball? Baseball teaches you adversity in tough situations, baseball is the most competitive and team-oriented sport. Whether it comes to watching or playing a sport, baseball is bound to give you a better time than all the other options.

There are many arguments for why I believe baseball is the best sport, but I am only going to be focusing on three reasons. From the unforgettable bongs, friends, and memories you will make. Take this quote for example, “a lifelong friendship can start with a simple game of catch”. Baseball has created many friendships for me that I believe will last a lifetime, and I already have so many great memories playing the great game of baseball. Also, baseball has considerably fewer injuries than all other sports. For example, 110,000 baseball injuries were treated in emergency rooms, about 105,000 less than football and 60,000 less than basketball. Finally, baseball has a ton of stand-up guys like Clayton Kershaw, Derek Jeter, Joe Mauer, etc, who put tons of their time not only into baseball but their communities too. Many baseball players start up their charities, for example, the “David Ortiz Children’s Fund”, and other players give back to their communities like Javier Beaz helped out the people of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma and Maria. For example, Baez said. “But my mind has been over there, trying to find out about family, how they’re doing.”

Some people might argue my point by saying that baseball isn’t the only sport that you have to continue to play with a lead at the end of the game, but that’s just not the case, for example, “every other sport allows the team that is winning to basically ‘ice’ the game. In football, a team can take a knee. In basketball, a team can dribble out the clock. In hockey, a team can just skate around with the puck.” They will also say that baseball doesn’t have the best athletes either, but Bartolo Colon is 45 years old and still pitching lights out in the big leagues.

Baseball is the best sport to play or watch. Whether it’s staying safe, forming bonds, or giving back to your community. Baseball has had many players come and go. The great game has been around for ages and isn’t leaving anytime soon. There is a reason why it is called America’s Pastime.

Most times, when the word “sports” is brought up, what comes to mind is a thought full of excitement and fun. However, the fact that it’s not as commonly associated with participating in sports of any kind. The hazard of a potential injury, whether it be small or large, should always be accounted for. Injuries can occur anywhere, but by playing sports, these injuries increase. All sports, contact or not, individual or team, can bring the possibility of an injury. A lot of factors play a role in sports-related injuries such as age group, weather conditions, and the type of sport. Sports injuries can be prevented with proper knowledge of each sport as well as a good diet.

Additionally, the most physical sport is Football. It involves a lot of physical contact from play to play. In Football, it is required for each player to wear a helmet, mouth guard, shoulder pads, and lower pads such as hip pads. The sport is split into age groups: PeeWee (ages 13 and under), high school (ages 14-18), college (ages 18-22), and pro (adults). Each level gets progressively harder and more physical. Frankly, Football is either played on a grass field or a turf field meaning fake grass. Due to this, many injuries could potentially occur while playing football, depending on where the individual plays.

Football is typically an all-year sport, like many, that requires off-season workouts. A mandatory of those workouts comes in the summer with summer camp and practice. The weather tends to be dangerously hot and humid. To increase the danger, most football fields are outdoors with no shade or protection from the sun. A study done by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine explains, “Heat injuries are a major concern for youth football players, especially at the start of training camp. This usually occurs in August when some of the highest temperatures and humidity of the year occur” (cite). This type of injury can be fatal with running around and sweating in the hot weather; it can potentially lead to the player losing a lot of fluid. This is common in younger players because he or she does not know better and has not been given any knowledge of it. This can easily be prevented with frequent water breaks and the coach telling the players the importance of staying hydrated throughout the day while eating properly as well.

As the players get older, the bigger and more physical they may get. This means these players are bringing more power when they make contact with another player on the field. Thus, increasing the chance of injury in the sport. However, the sport is becoming more physical each year at all age levels. Because of this, injuries are occurring more often in all ages. The football community is coming together and coming up with ways to help prevent these injuries from happening. Christopher C. Dodson writes, “Players, coaches, and families can take steps to help reduce the chances of an injury on the gridiron. Three categories to focus on are equipment, fitness, and wellness” (cite). The coaches are ultimately responsible for providing good conditions for the players and making sure these players stay healthy. They can also increase the knowledge of players in health and nutrition. Prevention of injury can start with the coach providing proper equipment for players. As for the families of the players, they must prepare proper meals for the players. Most importantly, it is crucial the player takes upon his or her responsibilities and makes healthy decisions.

Not only is Football a dangerous, injury-filled sport, but so is Baseball. This sport has no time limits involved and can keep going on. Baseball consists of nine players on defense and one player at a time up to bat for the offense. The fielder’s uniform does not consist of much, just a regular uniform with a hat, baseball glove, and cleats. The fielders do not have much protection when playing defense. The catcher is protected with a mask, chest plate, and shin guards. The batter wears a helmet and has a choice to wear guards to protect their arms, elbows, and legs. They also have an option to wear a helmet with a full face protector similar to those in Softball.

Baseball is split up into various age groups similar to football. It consists of little league, high school, college, single A, double A, triple A, and lastly, the major league. The season length varies from group to group, as the season is not too long for most, besides the major league (professionals). The major league plays 162 games in a regular season, not including if the team makes it to the playoffs. The higher the level gets, the more work an athlete has to put in. The average major league season starts around March and ends in September. If the team goes into playoffs, the season can be extended another two months. All these different groups and various lengths of seasons, bring a lot more injuries. Interestingly enough, a pitcher in a regular game is more prone to injuries than an average batter. These injuries can include, but are not limited to: damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, elbow, and shoulder. An ulnar collateral ligament helps stabilize the elbow for the motion of pitching. Within Stop Sport Injuries article states, “If a young athlete is throwing too hard, too much, too early, and without rest, a serious elbow or shoulder injury may be on the horizon” (cite). Although the article only mentions a young athlete, this injury can happen at every level of Baseball. The injury usually occurs when a pitcher throws over their limit of pitches for the game, throwing too hard, or a lack of rest. The pitcher is more naturally inclined to throw hard while pitching and if he goes over the limit of pitches, injury is more likely to happen.

It is up to the athlete to tell their coach if they are feeling pain, as this is the only way to tell if an injury has occured. This injury will cause discomfort and can affect the pitching. It is relatively easy to treat the injury if it is minor, as it consists of icing and rest. However, if the injury is major it may require surgery. Prevention is key, as there are many ways to keep the injury from happening. For example: staying loose and stretching every day. It is important to stretch because it will help loosen the muscles and tearing a muscle can be less common after stretching. Another way is for the coach to have pitchers on a rotation so that they are allowed to rest. As for younger athletes, they should learn the basic pitches first, such as the fastball and change-up, to advance with much harder pitches. Advanced pitches require more power behind them. This would affect the younger players for they’re not fully developed and shouldn’t be throwing advanced pitches. The young athlete can injure himself more easily, as he should learn the basic pitches fully first. As for the older athletes, they can begin to learn the more efficient pitches. This leads pitchers to get enough rest especially when they start throwing more complex pitches that generate more power.

On the contrary, injuries in batters are not as common, but they can strain a muscle. This usually occurs from swinging the bat too hard. It is appropriate for the batter to use a proper bat that best suits them because bats come in different sizes. To prevent injury from swinging the bat, the athlete must do research for their personal best fit for a bat and continue practicing on their swing. Batters are prone to getting hit by a ball every once in a while when a pitcher makes a mistake. Which results in an occasional bruise that would just need some ice. As for the baserunners, they are prone to jamming their finger or two while sliding into a base. Unlike football, the weather does not affect baseball; when it rains, the game gets delayed and/or canceled. Thus not making baseball players in the mud. Where playing in the rain increases the chances of injury due to the wetness. For the baseball game is delayed and a tarp is put over the field to keep the dirt dry. As if it stops raining the tarp comes off, with the dirt still being dry making it safe to play.

It is also important for baseball players to stay well-hydrated in the summer. Since baseball is a long season, diet is very important for the athletes. A proper diet will go a long way and benefit the athlete throughout the season. A bad diet will only hurt the athlete’s body. Maria Scinto from LiveStrong writes, “Be sure to eat a balanced diet, including plenty of lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, and complex carbohydrates” (cite). For athletes eating a balanced, it can only help them not hurt them. Baseball athletes must keep a good diet to perform well during the season. Eating poorly signifies that the athlete is not taking care of their body. Having a bad diet can cause the athlete to perform poorly and make mistakes. Additionally, the athlete may not feel so good from eating the wrong things. With the baseball season being long the athletes need to maintain a good balanced diet to stay healthy and perform well.

Coincidentally, basketball is another sport that has injury precautions. Similar to the previous sports, basketball is split up into different groups. It consists of development league/little league, high school, college, and the professionals. Basketball is mainly an indoor sport, unlike football or baseball. However, basketball leagues do exist outdoors. It is a fast-paced game unlike baseball, and consists of four quarters. The quarter lengths depend on the level of play. High school games are at least eight to ten-minute quarters. However, college basketball games have two-quarters of around fifteen to twenty-minute quarters.

The uniform does not have much, similar to baseball, but the opposite of football. The requirements are shorts, sneakers, and a shirt or tank top. Some basketball athletes wear compression sleeves or pants under the shorts. The compression sleeves and pants come with a built-in pad option for the athlete for protection. The athlete’s main concern is the sneakers. Many athletes choose the “hightop look” as it produces more support on the ankles. The sneaker can also allow the athlete to show off a little bit as they are free to choose their style. Some athletes choose to wear wristbands or headbands mainly for the style and flash, but it also helps catch the sweat from the athletes. Similar to shoes, socks have different styles with different feel. Some athletes like a tighter sock, and some like a more loose sock while they play. The sock gives the feel of there being more support for the athlete as they perform on the court.

Just like every other sport basketball comes with injuries as well. Since basketball is a fast-paced game, injury can happen more rapidly. Injuries such as ankle sprains, Anterior Cruciate Ligament tears (ACL), and patellar tendonitis. An ankle sprain is a tear in the ligaments of the ankle. These usually occur when the athlete lands funny while jumping for a ball, or just wearing the wrong type of sneaker. Surgery is not required for this type of injury, just stay off of the foot and ice it. When it comes to this type of injury, the athlete has little control to prevent it as they are jumping for the ball or making a jump shot. The only thing the athlete can do is make sure they have the sneaker that best supports them. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL tear is common in this kind of sport. The ACL ligament controls the movement of the shinbone and the femur. UPMC Sports Medicine states, “When the ACL tears and that restraint disappears, your knee can become unstable and may buckle or give away.” With basketball, there are a lot of fast sudden movements that can cause the tear. The injury usually requires surgery to repair the ACL and a nine to twelve-month recovery time. Unfortunately, there is nothing the athlete can do to prevent the injury from happening. Due to the fact of frequent movements and always changing direction, there is a higher risk of the tear occurring. That is the main cause of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear, as basketball has a sudden change of direction the whole game. Another injury is patellar tendonitis or jumper’s knee. The injury occurs when there the athlete puts too much stress on the patellar tendon and overuses it. The patellar tendon allows the straightening of the knee, it connects the kneecap to the shinbone. Athletes playing basketball are at high risk for injury. Usually with just rest the body takes care of the injury. To help prevent athletes can work more on conditioning properly, and always stretching before, during, and after the game. Diet is a big part of any athlete, especially basketball athletes. Jill Corleone writes “ A basketball player’s diet is high in carbs and low in fat. Most carbs should come from healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk to maximize vitamin and mineral intake.” This is important for the athlete as the sport involves a lot of running, which means a lot of calories being burned. Thus the diet makes sure the athlete has plenty of energy to perform to the greatest of their ability.

In conclusion, playing any type of sport can increase the chances of an injury occurring to a person or athlete. Sports are full of excitement for the sports fans. However not always fun for the athlete as they are putting their body on the line. As most athletes play for the love of the sport, but doing so comes with a high risk. That risk is an increased chance of getting hurt. The sport can be contact like football or noncontact like baseball. The athlete can still get injured no matter the sport. There are a lot of factors that play a role in sports injuries such as age group, weather conditions, and the type of sport. These can be prevented with proper knowledge of the sport and a good diet as well.

Bonds smashed his way into the record books. Barry Bonds was a former professional baseball player that played at the highest level. Barry Bonds was born on July 24, 1964. He played baseball all four years of highschool and graduated in 1982. Bonds was a standout highschool player that was drafted out of highschool. Barry Bonds has been one of the most impactful players in the MLB because of his impressive career, the steroid era, and the way he changed the game.

Bonds was a really high prospect that many teams liked and wanted on their team. Bonds was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the amateur draft, but decided to play college ball at Arizona State University. After his four years of ball at Arizona State he has tremendous stats that shot him even higher on the draft board. Bonds had a total .347 batting average with 45 home runs and 175 runs batted in throughout his college career. After college Bonds draft stock was very high, he was a great ball player with a lot of pressure on him to be good. Barry Bonds was the son of All-Star outfielder Bobby Bonds (1946–2003) and godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays. He had a lot of pressure and had some big shoes to fill after his father. Bonds ended up being a first-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1985, he was the fifth overall pick in the draft. In the following year he led all National League rookies in homers, RBIs, walks, and stolen bases. In the following three years he had an average of .264, had a total of 440 hits and 68 home runs. Bonds was a 1990s superstar. Just five years after him being drafted he had his first breakout season in 1990. He slammed 33 home runs, 114 RBI’s, batted .301, and stole 52 bases. His efforts earned him his first MVP of many. After the 1992 season, when he won his second MVP award as a Pirate, Bonds became a free agent and signed a six-year, $43.75 million deal that brought him back to the Bay Area to play outfield with the Giants. He won his third MVP Award in 1993, after a season in which he had a league-leading 46 home runs and 123 RBIs (Lamar).

In his next few years he was still playing amazing ball. From 1993 to 1998 he was voted to the all star game every year. In 1999 his game depleted just a bit. He wasn’t an all star or anywhere close. This was how he ended his terror of the 90’s. In 2000 he had a rebound year making the all star game again. Instead of his career declining because of his age, Bonds did the exact opposite. Bonds bulked up before the 2001 season and had a monster of a year. Bonds went on to have arguably the best year in baseball history smashing his way into the record books. Bonds hit an astounding 73 home runs in one season. On October 4, 2001, during a game in Houston, Tex., Bonds hit his 70th home run of the season, tying a record set by McGwire in 1998. The next night, back at San Francisco’s Pacific Bell Park, he broke it, hitting number 71 in the first inning, then adding number 72, again. He hit one more on the last day of the season to end up with 73 (Lamar). This season Bonds had put him into the category of some of the best players to ever play the game. The next few seasons Bonds continued his torrid pace during the next three seasons, winning his fifth, sixth, and seventh MVP trophies. He hit at least 45 homers in each year, despite the fact that opponents often elected to pitch around him; he drew 198 walks in 2002, 148 in 2003, and 232 (a new record) in 2004, when he struck out only 41 times and set a single-season mark for on-base average (.609). He hit his 600th home run in 2002, making him only the fourth player to reach that plateau (Lamar). Bonds finished the 2007 season,his last with the Giants.He ended with the career totals of 762 home runs, 2227 runs scored, 1996 RBIs, a .298 batting average, and a slugging average of .607(Baseball Reference). Bond’s career was one to remember and should be in the Hall of Fame, right?

In 2001 rumors that Bonds and other players around the league were using PEDs and the league targeted Bonds with his late resurgence in 01. Bonds publicly denied that he used performance-enhancing drugs. In 2011, a jury found Bonds guilty of obstruction of justice in connection with the steroids investigation. Later that year, a judge sentenced Bonds to two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine, and 30 days of home confinement. Bonds appealed the conviction. On March 17, 2005, the Steroid Era crisis hit critical mass as a handful of players sat before the House Government Reform Committee to answer questions about drug use in professional baseball(Corzine). Lots of players were there. These players included Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling, Jose Canseco, and Frank Thomas. One of the biggest names that was surprising left out of the conversation for a little bit was Barry Bonds. With Bonds out of the picture, most of the attention that day was focused on Mark McGwire with a searing intensity for which the retired slugger was clearly not prepared. McGwire had been out of the limelight since his 2001 retirement but remained in the conversation(Corzine). McGwire was questioned very heavily by the press from these acquisitions. He was the very first player in the MLB to be accused of using steroids. When William Clay, the representative from St. Louis, asked McGwire if he could assure his fans that he had played the game with “honesty and integrity,” the slugger visibly shrank. McGwire knew he couldn’t hide the fact that he had used the steroids and had cheated to get that physical advantage against his competition. Each time McGwire was asked to respond to allegations of steroid use, he retreated behind the increasingly bizarre and embarrassing defense that, while he wanted to help, he was not going to talk about the past(Corzine). Mark McGwire states. “I’m not going to go into the past or talk about my past. I’m here to make a positive influence on this.” This is just proving that McGwire knows he is in the wrong and is trying to hide the fact that he used steroids. As McGwire admitted his use of not only Andro but also the muscle-builder creatine, he also insisted that “everybody I know in the game of baseball uses the same stuff I use.” Sammy Sosa admitted to using creatine. This shows that there has been steroid use in the game.

Barry Bonds has changed the game that we know and love today. Before Bonds there weren’t as many homeruns as there are today. Bonds spiked the interest of baseball by hitting the long ball. He had given people the interest to watch the games with all of the homeruns he had hit. Nowadays in the game it is hit a homerun or strikeout. Before Bonds everyone was worried about the base hit or to get on base. When Bonds had his amazing season he had all of these homeruns and people loved to watch it. In many of the young audiences you have to hit a homerun to be good at the game, this isn’t the case but because the people he is watching on tv are always hitting them they think that is what you need to do. After Bond’s massive season he was known as one of the best players to ever play the game.

Another reason why Bonds had changed the game is with the aspect of him cheating and using steroids to propel his stats and to make him a better player. Going back to the young audience, when kids found out that their idol of a player had used PEDs and cheated to get good at the game it made them want to do the same. Some studies tenuously suggested increased steroid use in that demographic. “Kids are dying from the use of steroids. They’re looking up to these major league leaders in terms of the enhancements that they’re using. And we have to stop it,” exclaimed Waxman on Meet the Press. They ended up stopping it. All of the players that were accused of using steroids in the MLB were never inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, even though they were deserving of the honor.

This is why Barry Bonds was one of the most impactful baseball players in the history of the MLB. He was a great player that should have easily been abducted into the Hall of Fame. He was never involved in the steroid era, he was never proved guilty. He changed the game that we know and love. Do you think Bonds should be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Works Cited

1. “Bonds, Barry Lamar.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p. 1; EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,geo,url,ip&geocustid=s8475741&db=funk&AN=bo133950&site=eds-live&scope=site.
2. “Barry Bonds Stats.” Baseball, www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml.
3. “7Th Inning Stretch.” Baseball Digest, vol. 75, no. 3, May 2016, pp. 58–60. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,geo,url,ip&geocustid=s8475741&db=f6h&AN=114676332&site=eds-live&scope=site.
4. By The Associated Press -. “A Timeline in the Career of Barry Bonds.” AP Regional State Report – California, Associated Press DBA Press Association, 23 Apr. 2015. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,geo,url,ip&geocustid=s8475741&db=n5h&AN=AP682d43dfeb5d4f8c9c854c578947702a&site=eds-live&scope=site.
5. Nathan Michael Corzine. Team Chemistry : The History of Drugs and Alcohol in Major League Baseball. University of Illinois Press, 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,geo,url,ip&geocustid=s8475741&db=nlebk&AN=1163510&site=eds-live&scope=site.
6. Junger, James, and Patrick Garcia. “Juicing with Friends: Compliance Lessons from Baseball’s Steroid Era: One Bad Apple Can Spoil the Bunch.” Journal of Health Care Compliance, vol. 21, no. 6, Nov. 2019, pp. 47–56. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,geo,url,ip&geocustid=s8475741&db=bth&AN=140949499&site=eds-live&scope=site.
7. Stephanie Sammartino McPherson. Doping in Sports : Winning at Any Cost? Twenty-First Century Books ™, 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,geo,url,ip&geocustid=s8475741&db=nlebk&AN=1162803&site=eds-live&scope=site.
8. Auerbach, Michael. “Steroids in Baseball.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,geo,url,ip&geocustid=s8475741&db=ers&AN=89139037&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Living in El Salvador my whole life revolved around baseball. Baseball defined my life. All I would talk and think about was baseball. Winning ‘Player of the tournament’ for the 6 years and under category was everything for a short coal haired baseball fanatic like me. Every time a coach would tell me that I had a good game, or practice I thought that I was going to go to the Pros and I would be the star for my dad’s favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles. But being one of the best players on the teamwas a double-edged sword, sure I was playing well but I thought that my game was perfect and I wasn’t open to criticism, to growth.

One of the most important attributes that we should have is being open to growth because we are never perfect. Sure we may be better than average when we start a new sport or subject, but at one point we are going to challenges that we cannot overcome and we need to be willing to use criticism and be open to growth to overcome these challenges. I didn’t realize this when I was playing baseball, and I thought “I’m better than this” whenever my coaches offered some criticism. Eventually, I started to miss balls, and my teammates began to hit my pitches, but I kept on ignoring criticism and that was the beginning of the end for my baseball career. After a couple years of being one of the better players I never broke out as my coaches expected me to, and I never fulfilled my potential.

Looking back at it now I should have practiced the Jesuit value that I see in my day to day life, being open to growth. Being open to growth does not just mean practicing and putting in the effort, but it also means being willing to receive criticism from our coaches, or our teachers and using it as an instrument to improve and

Living in El Salvador my whole life revolved around baseball. Baseball defined my life. All I would talk and think about was baseball. Winning ‘Player of the tournament’ for the 6 years and under category was everything for a short coal haired baseball fanatic like me. Every time a coach would tell me that I had a good game, or practice I thought that I was going to go to the Pros and I would be the star for my dad’s favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles. But being one of the best players on the team was a double-edged sword, sure I was playing well but I thought that my game was perfect and I wasn’t open to criticism, to growth.

One of the most important attributes that we should have is being open to growth because we are never perfect. Sure we may be better than average when we start a new sport or subject, but at one point we are going to challenges that we cannot overcome and we need to be willing to use criticism and be open to growth to overcome these challenges. I didn’t realize this when I was playing baseball, and I thought “I’m better than this” whenever my coaches offered some criticism. Eventually, I started to miss balls, and my teammates began to hit my pitches, but I kept on ignoring criticism and that was the beginning of the end for my baseball career. After a couple years of being one of the better players I never broke out as my coaches expected me to, and I never fulfilled my potential.

Looking back at it now I should have practiced the Jesuit value that I see in my day to day life, being open to growth. Being open to growth does not just mean practicing and putting in the effort, but it also means being willing to receive criticism from our coaches, or our teachers and using it as an instrument to improve and to be the best that we can be. I should have used all the criticism from my coaches because of this refusal to take criticism to lead to not even playing baseball let alone being one of the best players on my team. But being open to growth means so much more to listen to criticism it means working day and night and putting blood sweat and tears into fixing problems that we didn’t know we had. This value also extends to our day to day lives, it is the way that we can get straight A’s or we can nail our SATs by being open to growth and using all the resources that we are given and be open to improving ourselves, and being the best version of ourselves that we can be until we breathe our final breath.

Being open to Growth is like what my dad says when I fail a test, “I don’t care about your failures, I care about how you come back from them.”

The movie ‘42’ starts off in 1945, when America comes back from war. Nazi Germany was defeated, and Imperial Japan surrendered. The United States had gotten their freedom, yet African Americans still had it rough. They served their country the same way the white men did but returned to racism, segregation, and Jim Crow law. The only difference between these people was their color. The color of their skin was such a big issue that it decided which restroom a person could use. After the war, Americans were excited baseball players were coming back home and everyone could enjoy the games again, but only white men could be on the team. They had 16 major league baseball teams with 400 white players. This number changed to 399 white players in c, when Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, decided to bring in an African American ballplayer. Rickey knew what he was getting himself into, but he had his mind set on this being a risk he would have to take.

Jackie Robinson was a strong, educated man. His education from the University of California, Los Angeles helped him stand out from the rest of the men that could have been picked because education was rare at this time. After college, he entered the still-segregated Army during World War II, and from there he decided to play in the Negro league. Robinson’s diversity proved to Rickey that he would be the right guy for the job. When Robinson joined, he had to deal with very tough times with racism, which meant having to stay at different hotels from the rest of the team, finding different transportation, having a petition against him, getting threats about losing his family, being booed at every game, and never getting recognition for the hard work he was putting in. He got taunted at every game but didn’t let that get to him. He was not seen as a member of the team, he was seen as a black man playing with white men. At one point his teammates were even against him. As the movie went on, his teammates’ attitude toward Robinson changed when they realized that the small problems they face are the problems Robinson deals with daily. For example, when Pee Wee Reese received one hate letter and went to go to the coach to talk about it, and the coach told Reese that Robinson gets thousands of those, that was the moment Reese realized that he had been taking it too far and felt sympathy toward Robinson. There was a scene in the movie where Robinson is going up to bat and the crowd starts booing him and calling him the ‘N’ word. There was this little boy in the crowd that didn’t like what was going on, but soon he started chanting with the crowd. This is a big part of history because people have done things they are not comfortable with just to fit in. Even with all this negativity thrown at Robinson, this man still did what he enjoyed when it felt like the whole world was against him. He never thought about giving up, which showed how much he loved this sport. He put his life in constant danger to play ball.

The time period and the historical events during this movie are very accurate because Robinson’s wife and children made sure of it. It took them 30 years to get this movie the way it all happened. His wife had offered suggestions to the filmmakers to improve the script “because I wanted to be sure they had an authentic picture”, she said. When choosing the characters, fame was not a factor because when famous actors are cast, people are more focused on the actor and not the character being played. They even cleared up what little parts were added on just for the fun of the movie. The audience can watch this movie from many points of view, but what does not change is what the characters had to deal with throughout the movie. In the beginning, it shows all the white families happy after the war, while the African Americans are struggling. Even though African American were serving, they were still treated differently because of discrimination and segregation. Having someone who has such a big impact on this world as Jackie Robinson helps show a better understanding of the time period and helps the audience feel the terrible things people had to go through to get where they wanted to be.

Robinson left, making this world a better place, and no one was left behind. The civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s opposed segregation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 opened public facilities to all races. The movement against segregation after World War II really began in 1947 with Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. Robinson won the Rookie of the Year award in 1947 and helped lead the Dodgers to seven pennants in the 10 years he played for them. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962. He is the reason the Negro leagues ended and the sport baseball became for anyone of interest. Robinson proved color didn’t matter and it was all about talent. He pioneered other African Americans to reach professional levels in not only baseball but in any field they had an interest. His hard work helped change the nation’s way of thinking.

Hey, my name is Aaron and I live with my Dad, mom, brother, and my sister. A few days ago we lost our home due to a fire, so now we live in Hooverville. I only brought my baseball, my baseball bat, and my glove with me. In Hooverville, it’s not that bad, even though the great depression is going on right now. We play tag, hide and seek, and many more games, so far I have made lots of friends in Hooverville. Sometimes I really miss home, I miss my old neighborhood I feel bad for my parents, they work so hard and we are still in poverty.

One day I came inside from playing with my friends and I saw my dad watching baseball, so I sat next to him and watched the game. Hey, I’m not the biggest fan of baseball but after I watched the game for a few minutes I started to love baseball, then I ended up watching the whole game with my dad. Then he told me “I had a feeling that you would like baseball . Isn’t it pretty interesting, right?”.Then I said, “Yeah I like baseball, can you teach me how to play tomorrow?”

Then he said “Sure” Then I said “Thanks Dad “and then I went to bed.

Alright so today he starts teaching me how to play baseball, so first he taught me how to pitch the ball, he taught me to have a straight arm and then release the ball not too soft, not too hard, just right. Pitching was really easy for me, Then he taught me how to bat, first, he told me to keep my eyes on the ball and focus, at first it was hard but then I got the hang of it. Now it was time to learn how to catch, he threw me the ball and then after a few tries I learned how to catch the ball. Then as we walked back home we saw a poster for a baseball tournament, so me and my dad talked and then I signed up for the competition. I was so happy but I was nervous I didn’t wanna disappoint my dad.

So I played my first game of baseball with my team the Cyclones, it was my team against the los angeles dodgers at first, and out of the series of 3 games we won the first, but then we lost the second, then in the last minute of the game my teammate scored a grand slam home run for us to win the series then we advanced to the finals. It was us, the Cyclones vs the kansas city royals. We lost the first game and then we won the second, then as my pocket watch showed, there was one minute left in the game, and somebody on the royals was at bat, he missed the first two times then he hit the ball the third time, the ball was up and it was going to me, it was my job to catch the ball and I jumped higher than I ever did before and then I caught the ball.

Then that was and we won the game and my team won the competition and we celebrated in the locker room, and then each one of us was paid $3,000,000, so I bought my family a very nice house and we still have lots of money. With this money I made my parents so proud, I will always remember what my dad said: “You did it champ, you had one sport and one dream”.

My favorite team sport is baseball because it is the only sport that forces the team to win to continue to play out the game no matter their lead. I believe the sport can strengthen the muscles of the body and improve hand-eye coordination from the need for quick reflexes in the sport. Moreover, the excitement and adrenaline running through everyone on opening day have the ballpark become a sold-out crowd with the fans being rowdier than usual. Baseball fans are amazingly loyal and I find that to be commendable because there are teams that have never won anything, but their fans remain loyal to them. For example, before the Boston Red Sox started to win anything, their fans were still out there cheering and praying for them every year.

The rule of baseball is to have two teams of nine players and the fielding team’s positions are made up of a pitcher, catcher, three outfielders at left field, center field, and right field, and a first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman. The games usually last for nine innings where both teams get to bat once. If the game is a tie after nine innings then the game will require an extra inning to be added until there is a winner. Furthermore, a batter receives up to three strikes before having to get out. A strike is when a batter swings for a ball and then misses it. If the batter manages to hit the ball from the pitcher, the batter must make the effort to at least get to first base. Last but not least, once a batting order is picked, then it cannot be changed throughout the game.

I’m a beginner with the sport, but I know the objective of baseball is for the player on your team to score more runs than your opponent, and the idea is to hit the ball thrown at you as far as you can before running around four bases to complete the run. When a player manages to complete the run-around on the four bases without getting tagged out, then another batter steps in. The game usually lasts for nine innings for me with each team alternating between batting and fielding in each inning. The scores at the end of the innings are added to a cumulative score and the team with the most points wins. Each team has three outs per inning before they then swap roles.

A baseball helmet could be bought and worn by a batter to protect their head and ear from the ball. Many players also wear a baseball cap to shade their eyes from the sun while the catcher’s helmet is used to protect both their head and face. Baseball cleats can be bought for players to have better traction. The bat and ball are a necessity in the sport because they’re the center objected needed. A catcher’s mitt and a first baseman’s mitt are needed to catch the ball easily.

The history of baseball can be traced back to the popular legend of a young man named Abner Doubleday, who is said to have invented the game in 1839 in Cooperstown, New York. The first recorded baseball contest took place in 1846, with these amateur games becoming more frequent and more popular. In 1857, a convention of amateur teams occurred to discuss rules and other issues. In the following year, these people formed the National Association of Base Ball Players which is the first organized baseball league. And when the league grew, so did the expenses of playing. Charging admission to games started to become more prevalent, and the teams had to often seek out donations or sponsors to make certain trips.

Baseball is America’s pastime. The sport we all know and love goes way back in time. August Wilson saw how baseball played a huge factor in breaking down the color barrier and he used baseball to send that message in his play, Fences. August Wilson wrote ten plays about African-American history during the twentieth century and Fences was the sixth in the ten-part cycle. Fences were shown during the nineteen fifties. The play builds on the theme of Race and change in society and incorporates baseball as a metaphor and an important key plot. The play mainly focuses on, Troy Maxson and his family. Troy Maxson grew up in a segregated period without a family and he was a baseball player. Troy has two sons one is named Lyons and was born when Troy was nineteen and he had a son named Cory with his wife named Rose. Baseball is the most meaningful metaphor in August Wilson’s play, Fences because baseball represents Troy’s problems.

Baseball was a key factor in Troy’s life and he uses baseball as an excuse to cover up his mistakes. When Troy was at the height of his baseball career, the color barrier wasn’t broken yet so he was denied playing professionally. According to Troy, the only reason he got denied playing was because of his race, not his age. When Rose states that Troy was too old to play professionally, he retaliates saying, “What do you mean too old? Don’t come telling me I was too old. I just wasn’t the right color. Hell, I’m fifty-three years old and can do better than Selkirk’s .269 right now! (Wilson 39). Troy feels the need to use race as an excuse instead of admitting to himself the truth. His comparison to George Selkirk, a New York Yankees player, demonstrates that he wants to show everyone that he is good enough to play professionally. Troy still stuck on the past starts comparing major league pitching and the negro league pitching to Cory. Troy states, “We had better pitching in the Negro Leagues. I hit seven home runs off of Satchel Paige. You can’t get any better than that! (Wilson 34). Since baseball was such a big influence on Troy’s life, he still talks about his missed opportunity to play professional baseball. Troy uses his race so he doesn’t listen to the truth.

Before the play is over Troy starts to use baseball metaphors for death and to justify his actions. When Troy broke the news of his affair to Rose, he used his baseball terms to excuse his behavior. During the argument Troy states, “And I got to thinking that if I tried … I just might be able to steal a second. Do you understand after eighteen years I wanted to steal a second… I stood on first base for eighteen years and I thought… well, goddamn it… go on for it! (Wilson 70). Troy uses this baseball metaphor to demonstrate how safe he has been the past eighteen years and he should “steal second” by doing something wild. Troy uses “first base” to explain how he is stuck and that the only way out is to “go on for it” and abandon the first base. Troy refuses to admit he was in the wrong so he uses baseball to cover his actions. This plays into Troy’s personality of ignorance and refusal to admit defeat. During the play, Troy makes references to death and how he wins against death every time he faces it. While talking about being faced with death Troy states, “That’s all death is to me. A fastball on the outside corner” (Wilson 9). Troy resembles death as a pitch he can easily score a home run. In Troy’s mind, death is something he is not afraid of and he can overcome it. Even though Troy doesn’t play baseball anymore, he still approaches life as if he was still playing.

Some may say a fence is the most meaningful metaphor but they are wrong, a baseball is the most meaningful because Baseball is more than a sport, it is a way of life. Baseball was the biggest influence in Troy’s life and it was the base of his personality. When Cory told Troy about how he could play football in college, this led to a major argument between the pair. Cory stands up to his father by using the jealousy card and how Troy did not have a chance. Troy using a baseball metaphor then says, “That’s strike one. See, you in the batter’s box now. You swung and you missed. That’s strike one. Don’t you strike out” (Wilson 58). Troy connects baseball with pain and so when Cory brought up how He didn’t succeed it provoked an emotional response in Troy. Since Cory is on “strike one” that symbolizes that Troy saw him mess up but is still giving him chances to reclaim himself. When Troy says, “Don‘t you strike out” to Cory it shows that there are consequences for his actions. As the play continues, the relationship between Troy and Cory decreases and it is very rocky. During a fight between Troy and Rose, Cory senses the tension and grabs Troy to protect his mother. As Troy is exiting the yard he says, “Alright. That’s strike two. You stay away from around me, boy. Don’t you strike out. You living with a full count. Don’t you strike out” (Wilson 72). August Wilson uses the phrase “you living with a full count” to portray how Cory is barely hanging on and when he “strikes out” he will be punished. The use of “strikes” shows how Troy’s parenting decisions were based on his past by using baseball.

Baseball best represents Troy’s problems in fences and proves it is the most meaningful metaphor. A baseball can be used to represent more than just a sport to someone it can be a force that builds their character. In Troy’s life baseball was the driving factor in his personality and he uses baseball as an excuse as to why his life is never changing. Troy does not like change and in the end, everyone has changed and Troy is left behind. Troy was so focused on the past and never accepted that times had changed and his child could play sports or go to college.

My essay is about George Herman Ruth Jr., or mainly known as Babe Ruth. Ruth was a famous baseball player from the 1900s. He had a troublesome childhood, but when he started to play baseball, he learned some discipline. As many people know Babe Ruth was the best baseball player of his time. He set all kinds of records, like his home run record, which he held for almost forty years until it was broken on April 8, 1974, by Hank Aaron. He played for the minor league the Baltimore Orioles and for the major league teams Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Ruth played in twenty-two seasons, ten World Series, and hit 714 home runs. He was one of the first five players to be inducted into the hall of fame and remains the most famous player in the game’s history. Many young baseball players still look up to Babe Ruth as a role model today. In this paper, I will talk about his childhood, his baseball career, his family, and some fun facts about him.

George Herman Ruth Jr., also known as Babe Ruth, was born on February 6, 1895. He was born in Baltimore. His parents were Katherine Schamberger and George Herman Ruth. They were German-American immigrants. Ruth was one of eight children, but six of his siblings died during infancy. His sister was Mamie Ruth. To make money his parents owned a tavern where they worked long hours. The Ruths were known as hard workers, but his father was known as a heavy drinker. They lived in a rough neighborhood where there were often many street fights. His father died in a fight with a family member in August 1918. He was tending a bar when 2 of his brothers-in-law broke out into a fight. Ruth got into an argument with a relative and walked with him outside. George fell and hit the back of his head. He died of a skull fracture. Ruth’s mother died on August 12, 1912.

What kids did in their free time was a lot different than what kids do today. Back then kids spent a lot more time outside and exploring the world instead of sitting inside and being on electronics. Parents usually had to work longer hours to earn money to support their families. Since Babe’s parents were never home a lot, he became a very troublesome child at age seven. He roamed around the bad parts of his neighborhood. George Jr. was caught multiple times chewing tobacco and drinking. It was hard for his parents to keep an eye on him because they were both working at their saloon. He often got into small street fights. It was found that Babe suffered from ADHD, which contributed to his actions. ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It’s a medical condition. People with ADHD have differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control. Even though this condition made Babe more of a troublesome child, it was also said that his ADHD was a factor in his baseball skills.

George Jr. was becoming too much for his mother and father to handle. So, his family sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys because of his behavior. It was a Catholic orphanage run by monks of the Xaverian Brothers. The orphanage was known for its strictness and discipline. He learned many different skills while he was there like shirt-making and carpentry. This became his home for twelve years, before he went to this school he took care of himself. While Ruth was at the Catholic school he looked up to and gained respect for a monk’s older brother named Matthias. Matthias started to bring discipline to Babe Ruth’s life and was the first person to introduce him to baseball. Ruth became very interested in playing and practicing baseball. At age fifteen Ruth started to show skills as a strong hitter and pitcher. He pitched and threw left-handed and batted left-handed. The more he played the better he got. At one of his games with the St. Mary’s Industrial team the scout from the minor league Baltimore Orioles team, Jack Dunn, liked the skills and potential Babe Ruth had. It was particularly Ruth’s pitching that caught his attention. Ruth needed to be twenty-one to sign his baseball contract with the Orioles, but he was only nineteen. So, Dunn became his legal guardian. When he joined the team, he got the nickname ‘Jack’s Newest Babe’ and from then on was known as Babe Ruth.

Babe played his first professional game with the Baltimore Orioles on March 7, 1914. He pitched two innings of the game. He continued playing and became a star pitcher. His team, the Orioles, became the top team of 1914 and had two-thirds of their games. Dunn began to suffer financial losses and had to sell off his best players to major-league teams. Babe was only with Dunn for five months until he was sold to the Red Sox. Ruth did very well on the team. He hit his first career home run with the Red Sox against the Yankees. While he was with the Red Sox, he became an amazing left-handed pitcher. Between 1915 and 1919 Ruth and his team won eighty-seven games and won three World Series. Ruth pitched a total of twenty-nine and two-thirds scoreless World Series innings, setting a new league record that would not be broken for forty-three years. While Babe Ruth mainly pitched for the Red Sox, when he wasn’t pitching his coach, Ed Barrow, would play him in the outfield or on first base. With Babe Ruth’s performance and skills, he surpassed the great Ty Cobb as the biggest baseball attraction in history. In 1919, despite Ruth’s performance, his team ended the season with being sixth in the league. He played six seasons with the Red Sox before he was traded. In 1920, the Red Sox owner Harry Frazee needed more money for his theater productions, so he sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for 125,000 dollars.

Ruth signed a two-year contract with the Yankees where he would receive ten-thousand dollars a year. After Ruth found out how much he was worth he asked for a salary raise. The Yankees agreed to negotiate a new contract with their new star player. When Babe Ruth joined the Yankees, he grew even better. When he first joined the Yankees in April, things started out slow for him. He didn’t have any home runs until May he had twelve. As he started bringing in more and more money for the team because of his performance, they built Yankee Stadium. It became known as ‘the house that Ruth built’. He didn’t pitch much with the Yankees, he only pitched in twenty games. Instead, Ruth became an outstanding outfielder. He was also the best hitter at the time. As his hitting career progressed sports, writers started to refer to him as the ‘Sultan of Swat’. Babe Ruth had a slugging average of 0.847 which would not be broken for many decades (the average was between .260 to .275). He became the star of baseball. Babe Ruth hit fifty-four home runs in 1920. Then the next year he hit an outstanding fifty-nine home runs and drove in 170 runs, this was Ruth’s best year. His batting average was .378 (the average was in between .260 to .275), and his slugging average was .846.

In 1922 Babe Ruth became the highest-paid player with a salary of 52,000 dollars. He became the Yankees on-field captain in 1922 but soon lost this position when he threw dirt on an umpire. That season his home runs dropped to only thirty-five, and he only played in 101 games. That was a very disappointing season for him. During the next season, he hit forty-one home runs and had a batting average of .393. Also in 1923, he led the Yankees to their first World Series title with his performance. He had a very successful career all through the 1920s and led the Yankees to a win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1928 World Series by hitting .625. In the third game against the Cubs in the 1932 World Series, Babe hit a ball 500 feet into the stands in center field. It was the longest home run ever hit at Wrigley Field. Although Ruth had a very successful career in the 1920s, it started to decline in the 1930s. Even though he played well on the field his performance was much worse than in his earlier days. Babe Ruth retired in 1935 with fifty-six major league records and 714 home runs. He retired at the age of forty-one. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 receiving 91.53% of the votes. Thirteen years after he retired, the Yankees retired Babe Ruth’s number three in the 1948 season.

Although Ruth had a very successful career, after his career he could never successfully gain a managerial job. Babe wanted to manage a major league team, but no one was interested in giving him the job. He was offered a job to manage the minor league team, the Yankee farm team in Newark, but turned it down. He spent his last thirteen years giving his time to charitable events and fishing. Ruth also enjoyed hunting, bowling, and golfing in his free time. He actually turned out to be a pretty decent bowler with a 117 average. Still keeping his love for baseball, he would attend many games still. In 1938, he was offered his last official baseball job as the coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He still had hoped to become the manager of the team, but at the end of the season, his position was given to Leo Durocher. He made his last appearance at the Yankee Stadium on June 13, 1948, to celebrate the building’s 25th anniversary. In 1946, Ruth was diagnosed with a tumor on his neck. The tumor on his neck turned out to be throat cancer and is what caused his death. For the last twenty-one months, he lived in pain. His daughter Dorothy said that he threatened to kill himself. He spent his last few days in the hospital. Babe Ruth died on August 16, 1948, at age fifty-three.

Babe Ruth won many different awards during his life and after his life. He was a two-time all-star selection in 1933 and 1934. He was a seven-time World Series champion from 1915 through 1932. Babe Ruth was a member of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He was voted Athlete of the Century by the Associated Press and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His STATS were: a batting average of .342, 714 home runs, 2,783 hits, and 2,213 RBIs.

Babe Ruth had two wives his first wife was Helen Woodford Ruth. Helen was born on October 20, 1897, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents were Michael C. Woodford and Joanna Breen Woodford. Babe Ruth and Helen got married on October 17, 1914. Babe and Helen Woodford Ruth adopted Babe’s daughter Dorothy Helen Ruth Pirone. Dorothy Helen Ruth Pirone was the biological daughter of Babe Ruth and his girlfriend Juanita Jennings. Ruth fell in love with another girl named Claire and legally divorced Helen in 1925. Helen died on January 11, 1929, from a house fire. Claire Merritt Ruth was Babe Ruth’s second wife. She was born on September 11, 1897. Claire was an actress. Claire’s first husband Frank Hodgson died on February 16, 1921. This left her alone with her daughter Julia until she met Ruth in 1923. Ruth fell in love with Claire but was still married to Helen at the time. After Helen died in 1929, Ruth and Claire then got married on April 17, of that same year. They then adopted Dorothy who was Babe’s daughter and Babe adopted Claire’s daughter Julia. Claire lived to see two of Ruth’s records broken. His single-season record of sixty home runs and his career record of 714 home runs. After Babe Ruth’s death, she attended some of Hank Aaron’s games and watched him break Ruth’s record in 1974. She died on October 25, 1976, and was buried beside Babe at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.

Here are some extra facts that you might not know about Babe Ruth. He was only one of two people who ever hit three home runs in a World Series game. He served jail time for being a reckless driver. On June 8, 1921, Ruth was arrested in Manhattan for speeding. Babe Ruth had twelve nicknames. Some of his nicknames were ‘the Great Bambino’, ‘Babe’, ‘the Caliph of Clout’, and ‘the Big Bam’. George Herman Ruth Jr., or Babe Ruth, was 6ft 2in tall and weighed 215 pounds. In 1998, Ruth was ranked number one on the list of ‘Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players’ by The Sporting News. Babe Ruth’s favorite color is blue and his favorite superhero is Batman. He was signed to the major leagues at age nineteen. In a game at Griffith Stadium, Ruth was knocked unconscious when he hit a concrete wall trying to catch a foul ball. Even though Ruth was a great outfielder, he gained most of his fame as a pitcher. He was also one of baseball’s best left-handed pitchers in the 1910s. Babe Ruth appeared as himself in many different movies. Some of the movies were ‘The Sandlot’, ‘Speedy’, ‘The Pride of the Yankees’, ‘Home Run on the Keys’ and ‘Ways to Strength and Beauty’. These are six of Babe Ruth’s most famous quotes: “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run”, “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way”, “It’s hard to beat the person who never gives up”, “Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world”, “A ballplayer should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill”, and “I only have one superstition: I make sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run”.

George Herman Ruth Jr., Babe Ruth, came down to be one of the greatest baseball players in history. Through his troublesome childhood, he changed to become the star player he was. His baseball career was the main part of his life because after it was over, he had enough money that he did not to need to get a job. After he retired, he still wanted to manage a major league team but never had the opportunity. He won many different awards and set many different records which weren’t broken for decades. One of his awards was being put in the top 100 of greatest baseball players of all time. One of his major accomplishments was being selected to be in the Hall of Fame. Overall, Babe Ruth was an amazing baseball player and became a huge role model to younger baseball players.

108 long years of pain and sorrow. Erased with the flick of a wrist from third baseman, Kris Bryant to capture the final out on November 2nd 2016. The Chicago Cubs World Series drought was an amazing feat, with curses, riots and everything else above. It tore and brought the city of Chicago together countless times. 108 years, lifelong die-hard fans were going their entire lives without seeing their team get that ring, baseball is a huge thing in Chicago, you won’t go down any street without seeing W flags and different advertisements and promotions involving the Cubs. The Cubs are often the people of Chicago’s entire life and passion, they truly bleed blue and red. 108 years, two different world wars, the moon landing, Vietnam, 9/11, MLK’s entire civil rights movement, generations of family, presidents, and even new states were events, just to name a few of the things that went on while Cubs fans had to wait. The 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series is undoubtedly a true example of triumph and tragedy for these Cubs fans, not only even in Chicago, but everywhere. Even non-Cubs fans were affected by this drought, the Cubs were branded the lovable losers throughout the country and baseball community as well. It is very safe to say as well, that a very large part of the United States was affected by the Cubs’ misfortune and ultimate success.

You may be asking how a Major League Baseball team could possibly be written on the same list of ‘triumph and tragedy’ examples in Chicago such as the Great Chicago fire, or the Illinois Black Panther party. It is simple, triumph and tragedy are quite literally defined by dictionary.com as “the act, fact, or condition of being victorious or triumphant; victory; conquest. a significant success or noteworthy achievement; instance or occasion of victory. exultation resulting from victory; joy over success. Often comes from tragedy, and/or results in another’s tragedy” (Dictionary, 2019)

These Cubs were a prime example of triumph that comes from years of tragedy, but first I want to discuss the Chicago Cubs history, and the tragedies they came from over the 108-year span building up to. The start of the Cubs began all the way back in 1876, when the Chicago White Stockings premiered as one of the 8 official teams and founders in the National League led by their president William A. Hulbert (Cubs, 2016). Years later in 1902 lead by their new manager Frank Selee, this still young team in a developing new league, was first printed the name ‘Cubs’ by a little old newspaper company called the ‘Chicago Tribune’ (ESPN, 2016). The alias was then finally adopted in 1907, and is one of the longest running and beloved. And of course, just as they adopted the Cubs name and became the team we know today, they posted an all-time win record in the MLB that still stands today: they had 116 wins and only 36 losses, but just as soon as they started, their amazing record breaking season, lost in the World Series 4 games to 2, to the Chicago White Sox…Of course.

But there was light! The Cubs went on to win two consecutive World Series under player manager Frank Chance. But their hot streak would end there…. For over an entire century. No one could have imagined at the time that this dominant team, with the resources and funds (at the time) in the second largest city in the country, could go more than 100 years without winning a championship. One thing that also needs to be clear is that the Cubs over these years were not always bad, they continued to win pennants regularly for a while but would lose World Series and were knocked out of the playoffs constantly (MLB, 2016). In 1910, they won their fourth pennant in 5 years but failed to capitalize and lost the World Series to Philly. The Cubs eventually moved to the northside instead of the west in 1914, it took over as the iconic Wrigley field in 1927. 1918, another great Cubs’ season, but another World Series loss. 1932 Babe Ruth calls his homerun, an Iconic moment in baseball. Who was it against? The Cubs, in the World Series…. Yeah, they lost that one too.

Not long after Wrigley really became iconic Wrigley Field with the addition of the ivy in 1937 (Wrigleyville). But that following year in 1938 the Chicago Cubs indeed went to, and lost, another World Series. And their luck did not and would not turn around. In 1945 the ever feared ‘Billy Goat curse’ was officially casted upon the Cubs, and it wasn’t gonna leave for another 71 years. With a major league-best 98 wins. Led by league MVP Phil Cavarretta, Chicago featured one of the best offenses in baseball, and the pitching staffs 2.98 ERA was now the second best in the league. Up against the Tigers in the World Series, the Cubs went on to win two of the first three games. But during Game 4 at Wrigley, Billy Sianis, who was the owner of the nearby Billy Goat Tavern, was asked to leave the game because the smell of his pet goat, Murphy, who was bothering the other fans. Sianis did leave but only after angrily pronouncing, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more” (MLB,2016). Chicago proceeded to lose Games 4 and 5, but then stayed alive with a Game 6 victory. Then sadly, but expectedly, in the winner-take-all Game 7, the Cubs gave up five runs in the first inning en route to a 9–3 loss. Sianis’s hex would go to live on as the Curse of the Billy Goat, keeping the Cubs out of the World Series until 2016. Up until then the Cubs were always a good team with a feared offense, pitching lineup, and good managers. They could compete and win many games, and ultimately make the World Series many times compared to most teams, but they just could not win!

1947, then began the Cubs worst stretch in franchise history. For a whole 20 seasons starting in 1947, the Chicago cubs would go on to never end up finishing a season better than .500 or place higher than fifth, in the now 10-team National League. And along the way, the Cubs then twice set a franchise record for losses, finishing 59–103 in 1962, and again in 1966 (ESPN, 2016). Their 1962 season came in the midst of the team’s ridiculous ‘college of coaches’ experiment (Cubs, 2016) in which a rotating cast of coaches would lead the club. Chicago finished 42 games out of first place, outdone only by the expansion New York Mets, who lost a record 120 games in their inaugural year.

But not everything was horrible for the Cubs. Hall of famer Ernie Banks made his debut in 1953. Over a 19-year career spent entirely on the Chicago Cubs, Banks won two MVP awards, named an All-Star 12 times, hit 512 home runs and played spectacular defense at shortstop and then later in his career played at first base and was en route to the Hall of Fame. ‘Mr. Cub’, as he was then universally known, was a large and hopeful presence during the franchise’s darkest years, despite the fact that he never played in a single postseason game with the Cubs. Chicago’s long sad stretch of seasons finally came to an end in the 1968 when it started its first run of winning seasons since 1947. Although the even longer postseason drought was still in place, it was a nice start. 1969 was now due to be Chicago’s big year, they jumped to a hot winning streak and were having a very good season with players like Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, and Billy Williams. They were at one point a solid 8xand a half games ahead in the NL East, but a black cat that appeared on the field during a loss to the Mets on September 9, which was part of an eight-game losing streak for Chicago. The Mets then went on to beat the Atlanta Braves in the first NLCS and then the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in the World Series for their first championship.

Years later, 1984 marks the Cub’s first season back in the playoffs. Their long, long, postseason drought was finally over for their fans and players. Led by NL MVP Ryne Sandberg at the plate and NL Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe, the Cubs were up against the Padres in the NLCS. And took a 2–0 lead in the best-of-five series. But Chicago lost the next three games in San Diego (MLB, 2016), including a Game 5 defeat that is best remembered for a ground ball going through the legs of first baseman Leon Durham as part of a four run seventh that gave the Padres a 6-3 lead that became the final score. Not too long after a tough but promising season, Wrigley Field finally got lights! The Chicago Cubs got to play their first night game on August 8th 1988. But this was not Chicago trying to make money or get rid of the problem of dark days and nightfall. This was due to the Cubs hinting that the team would leave Wrigley if the city did not allow the installation of lights and the playing of night games, and with MLB threatening to move playoff games if the Cubs didn’t go electric, they were able to come to an agreement. But that following year the Cubs young stars like G.O.A.T. Greg Maddux, Mark Grace and Shawon Dunston who really helped complement the veteran core of the team like Sandberg, Sutcliffe and NL MVP Andre Dawson to carry the Cubs to their second NL East crown in six seasons. Chicago won 93 games in the NL and was matched against the NL West champion giants in the championship series. San Francisco split the first two games at Wrigley Field then came back from early deficits to win all three games at Candlestick Park and advance to the World Series. The curses continue.

The early to mid-90’s were a very forgettable period of time for the Cubs organization. But the emergence of two new superstars on the Cub’s in 1998, Kerry Wood the right hander who announced his authority by tying the strikeout record in his rookie year, and Sammy Sosa who was acquired on a trade. Sammy went on to the iconic battle first baseman Mark McGwire for the single season home run record. Sammy came in second with 66 home runs in a single season, under Mark’s 70. The Cubs went on to win their Wild Card game, but were once again sent home in the NLDS.

2003. A new generation baseball, and a new way of life. Two last place seasons in a row before this would have but the Cubs automatically in everyone’s doubts, but the addition of 22-year-old made pitcher named Mark Prior, teamed up with Kerry Wood, made the Cubs regular season a huge success. After finally winning their first postseason series since 1945. But the playoffs were not over, they still had the NLCS against the marlins. The Cubs won 3 of the 4 games played so far in the series, and it was looking like the curse could finally have a chance of being broken. After the Cubs lost Game 5 in Florida, the infamous Steve Bartman’s game was played on October 14, 2003. The Cubs had a 3-0 lead with only five outs to go and the deadly Mark Prior on the mound in Game 6 at Wrigley Field. But with one out and one on in the eighth inning, a fan named Steve Bartman interfered with a Luis Castillo foul popup in the leftfield stands (Tribune, 2013), preventing Moises Alou from catching it for the second out. Castillo then drew a walk, sparking an eight-run rally against an exhausted Prior and the Cubs’ bullpen as the Marlins won 8-3. This night and the eventual loss of the series resulted in countless Chicago riots, murderous threats against Mr. Bartman. When it happened, many Cubs fans began pointing toward Bartman, repeatedly chanting ‘asshole’. Bartman had to be led away from the park under security escort for his own safety as tons of Cubs fans shouted insults toward him and others threw garbage, with one fan dumping a cup of beer on him (CNN, 2003). Security escorted Bartman to the game toward the exit tunnel from the field. News footage of the game showed him surrounded by security as passersby pelted him with drinks and other things. Bartman’s name, as well as personal information about him, appeared on Major League Baseball’s message boards minutes after the game ended. As many as six police cars gathered outside his home to protect Bartman and his family following the incident. He was suggested to join the witness protection, while Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida offered asylum for Steve.

Mark prior’s pitching mechanics hurt his body and ultimately ended his career, Kerry Wood was still a threat but could never go back to his prime play as he got older. The Cubs really just plain old sucked in the seasons to come after the miracle season in 2003.

2011 was the year the Cubs got the best person they possibly could, someone who would change the Cubs history and ultimately lead them to a championship. And guess what, it wasn’t a player. The Chicago Cubs brought in Theo Epstein, who was responsible for the rebuild the of the Red Sox team that had ended its 86-year title drought in 2004 and won another World Series in 2007, as president of baseball operations. Under Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer, the Cubs began the long process of rebuilding, coming off a 101-loss season in 2012, but acquiring the prospects and pieces needed to quickly turn this Cubs team into an actual championship contender.

2015 is when the Cubs whole rebuilding process seemed to be over, and the Cubs could focus on winning again. 107 years later. Chicago’s youth then began to flourish in 2015, when the Cubs won 97 games before beating the Pirates in their wildcard game and the rival Cardinals in the Division Series to reach the NLCS for the first time since the upsetting 2003 season. Although they were swept by the Mets. In 2016, the Cubs were even better, winning 103 games—the franchise’s most since the 1910 Cubs squad that won 104 games and ran away with the NL Central. With a rotation lead by Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and defending NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, and a powerful offense led by NL MVP favorite Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Chicago easily finished with the best record in baseball, then topped the Giants in the Division Series to reach the NLCS for the second straight year.

The 71-year drought is now over: The Cubs are National League champions once again. Down two games to one in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago rallied to win the next three games, clinching the series with a Game 6 victory at Wrigley Field against three-time NL Cy Young Clayton Kershaw. The victory gave the Cubs their first pennant since 1945, the year of the Billy Goat Curse, and a berth in the World Series against the American League champion Cleveland Indians, who entered the postseason looking to end a world championship drought of their own, one that stretches to 1948.

2016. It’s finally happened, the Cubs are now World Series champions. Playing in its first Fall Classic in 71 years, Chicago defeated the Indians in seven games, coming back from a 3–1 series deficit to claim their first title since 1908. The Cubs ripped off three straight wins to clinch this championship, including the final two games in Cleveland, with Chicago taking an early Game 7 lead and holding off several of the Indians rallies to secure the victory. The long-awaited championship ends the longest title drought in North American professional sports history and ends the Cubs’ streak of seven straight World Series losses dating back to 1910.

It becomes very clear after learning this franchises history just how heartbreaking is, not only for the fans but for staff, presidents, coaches and players. Especially Ernie Banks who had phenomenal seasons and played at a very elite rate, but even this hall of fame legend was no match for the Cubs long, hard, and complicated past. Including multiple curses and hexes, and maybe just plain old bad luck. It’s clear to see the tragedy for this organization, but you do not realize the ultimate triumph it took the 2016 Chicago Cubs to actually go ahead and win their first World Series, something no other team has accomplished in 108 years!

And they won it with their backs against the wall, with an extra innings Game 7, winner takes all game against a very elite team who did not make it easy by any means. But above all the skill it took that team to actually win the World Series, you have to note how this team actually brought the entire city of Chicago and areas around together. I remember walking into school the next day, a bit tired from staying out to watch the entire game that went into extra innings, on a school night, which was unheard of for me, it seems the only thing that could have swayed my mom was her understanding of how important this was to Chicago and its fans.

Teachers were cheery and happy and easy going, even the non-cub fan teachers understood and let us celebrate. The next day was the Cubs parade, where over 5 million people, took off school, or took off work, to come witness history. If you were there you knew just how happy and loving the environment was, which was weird for Chicago. If you were wearing your Cubs clothes, then you were friends with any single person there. A troubling city that is always branded for its violence and hate was brought together as 1 for a day, all thanks to the most triumphant piece of Chicago’s history.

That parade ended up being the 7th largest gathering of humans ever on record. That should say something. This 2016 team will not only be remembered for breaking the curse, or the amazing World Series that they played, but the good they did for Chicago, and the best fans in the world.