The five reasons why baseball will always be cool

Let me allow KanYe West to kick this thang off for me...

"Its what you all been waiting for ain't it?
What people pay paper for damn it
They cant stand it, they want something new
So let's get re-acquainted
Became the hood favorite
I cant even explain it
I surprise myself too

Life of a Don, lights keep glowin'
Comin' in the club wit that fresh sh*t on, with something crazy on my arm
Ha Ha Hum, here's another hit, Barry Bonds."

For being a baseball fan since I was rubbery-brained, still wearing X-Men t-shirts, and eating peanut butter sandwiches as a child, my appreciation for America's past time has never waned. It's admittedly tough, though; from steroid allegations with players, to the capitalist regimes of powerhouse teams, to the lethargic and flummoxed squads...it can be hard to keep up.

However, for the attention-deficient disorder generation that we are, there is still a ton of "cool" that can be found in baseball. Let Ed show you the way.

1) The Tampa Bay Rays are the coolest team in baseball:

Don't be fooled by what you hear about the Yankees and the Red Sox. The team that they all fear is the Tampa Bay Rays. Shoutout to the homies Shirley Huang and Easy E, as they know that there's not a team with more raw talent, elite pitching, and cunning hitters than the squad that resides in Hillsborough County. The Oklahoma City Thunder WISHES they could be as successful as the Rays have been in the last couple of years, and if you can't respect the fact that while they lose their elite talent (because they can't afford to pay them), yet still make a run at the AL East pennant, then you're just missing out.

Other persons of interest: David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Eva Longoria.


2) The next young phenom is coming, and his name is Jason Heyward:

When you're 21 years old, the only thing you know is that you are officially "grown." In actuality, you really don't know anything. For Jason A. Heyward, a local legend in Atlanta, and built like Calvin "Megatron" Johnson at 6'5" and 240 pounds...the world is yours. The man has 40/40 potential, the presence of a 10-year veteran, the tools to be an all-time great in the likeness of Albert Pujols. Not that I want to put too much in front of the man's feet or anything; just be ready for The Blow Up to happen.

Other persons of interest: Buster Posey, Austin Jackson, Starlin Castro.

3) Just like football and basketball, watching baseball and being on Twitter is fun:/span>

The Braves fanbase on Twitter is real. When you see the #TomahawkChop hashtag come across the timeline, you know good things are happening. However, I will sing the praises of Brother Ken on this article, because the man has committed himself to becoming a die-hard Texas Rangers fan and his fandom was rewarded with his squad reaching the World Series...

...where our other homie Phil Barnett ended the Rangers season promptly.

Needless to say, the baseball dialogue that was exchanged on the almighty Twitter machine was awesome. The same can be said for Facebook, phone calls, and in text messages. What I'll say is this; if you need a reason to get re-invested...the social media arena is where it's at.

Persons of interest: Terita Tweets, An Ace of All Aces, In The Bleachers.

4) Because going to a baseball game is live, and can be inexpensive entertainment:

Just trust me on this one...from getting tickets for $5-10 dollars, to needing to go on a cool and inexpensive date, to needing to negotiate business...all of these things can occur by setting up shop at the stadium. Yes, beer can be pricey, and yes, food can be expensive, but you can do what most folks do when they go to the movies, or a concert, or any other place where things are insanely expensive inside the establishment...

TAILGATE!

Enough said.

5) There's nothing like postseason baseball:

Baseball is much like soccer in this respect: when the game is being played, there's more nuance and detail that actually matters in winning and losing baseball games than maybe any other sport. The tension is thick, and the pressure is real. I've never been more upset in watching any sport ever in life more than a baseball game. When the punk-ass Minnesota Twins beat Atlanta in the World Series back in '91, I can admit my eight-year-old self cried. I did (F*#K KENT HRBEK AND EVERYTHING HE STANDS FOR).


However, ask me how I felt when Ricky Ankiel hit that game-winning home run in the series versus the Giants. Ask Ken how it felt when he witnessed Uncle Ron lead the Rangers into World Series glory. Ask Phil Barnett how it felt when the crazy man that is Brian Wilson crossed those arms and struck ol' buddy out to win the World Series. There's nothing better out here than that.

Besides...we might not have any NFL football in six months...so, this could be a great hobby.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

P.S. As a reminder, checkout the livest sports talk show around, "The Unsportsmanlike Conduct Show" as we are live Wednesday's at 9pm Eastern at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/edthesportsfan! Download our podcasts if you missed the live show as well!