WanderingWhy…

For most countries in the world soccer is the biggest sport. Biggest in terms of the number of people who play and who are avid fans of it. The opinion in the US is a bit different, and surprisingly it is in Panama as well.

Many things about Panama remind me of 1950’s America when family was the main focus. The husband works, the wife takes care of the children, and baseball was the biggest sport for everyone. In the US, the great American pastime has declined a bit in popularity since then. American football is in a strong first place for most sports fans nowadays. Panama however, is insane for baseball.

On New Years Eve day, we went to the ballpark for a “friendly” game of baseball among Jose’s family. I thought they would throw the ball around a bit, have a few laughs, and head home for some BBQ and partying. It started out that way, but the four brothers and their children have a seriously competitive side when it comes to baseball—throw in the usual sibling rivalry and it becomes pretty intense.

I was also fortunate enough to attend the first junior game of the season here in Chiriqui. The players range from 16 to 18 years old and some have already been recruited into the farm teams. The level of play is very good considering the age. The entire providence turned out for this game with hundreds of ticket-less fans outside the overflowing stadium.

For me personally though, I find baseball a bit boring. I could never sit through a game on TV but usually enjoy going to see one with friends (admittedly more for the food and beer). This game started at 7 pm Panamanian time, which is on the same schedule as the rest of Latin America—about 1 hour after the fact.

“Beisbol is like fiesta” my friend Nancho told me as the beautiful young Latin girls threw t-shirts, inflatable bats, and other assorted chachkas into the crowd. People lose their heads in a crowd when free stuff is tossed, jumping and falling from the bleachers. I wonder if it even matters what is being thrown. “Look!! Free dirty diapers and cow pies!! Over here!! Over here!!”

Latin dance music pounded across the field to people dancing in the stands and banging the inflatable bats together. Then there were two very professional fireworks shows and the national anthem. I think the sun rose and set a few dozen times, the grass was cut twice, and finally the first pitch was thrown.

It seems to me that 70% of baseball is spent waiting for something to happen. I think it was the great American pastime because the crowd was kept bathed in hot dogs and cold beer. I developed this theory after pounding 4 beers in the first inning. It seemed my thinking was slowed enough that the game actually moved along at an enjoyable pace.

Unfortunately this game moved so slow that by the top of the second inning the park was out of ice and the beer was warm. By the bottom of the second inning the beer was gone. Not surprisingly, the crowd started to thin out around the 5^th inning (11:30 pm) when the alcohol started to wear off thus confirming the correlation of “baseball is great” to “level of intoxication” theory.

More seriously though, baseball brings fathers and sons together and gives the young athletes of this country hope and dreams of a professional career when they see players like Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees. Jose Jr. went to Poland last year to play in the little league world series and both he and his father have similar dreams for him. He shows promise of a scholarship and overseas education even if the majors don’t happen. No matter my meager opinion of the game, that is truly a great thing.

Bookmark To: