From the lush, green grass to the smell of an old leather glove, baseball is truly an extraordinary game. Let us look beyond the enormous salaries and free agency and examine baseball for what it really is: an outstanding form of entertainment. Baseball is incredibly important to me, as not only have I learned an enormous amount from it, I have experienced a whole spectrum of emotions during my love affair with the game.

I have been a baseball fan all my life. I remember watching my beloved St. Louis Cardinals play in their robin's egg blue uniforms in the early 1980's. We had a birdfeeder in our backyard, and every morning, the same cardinal would stop for his breakfast. I named him Tommy Herr, after the Cardinals second baseman at the time. Tommy has long since retired, but I will always remember the little bird flying in my backyard.

It is difficult for one to approach this

When the cold fall winds begin to breeze by, I know the season is coming to a close. I bundle up in my warmest coat and head out to the ballpark for one last time before it's all over. I observe the players who know they are going to postseason. I watch the players who have been mathematically eliminated. They both play with the same kind of joy. They love being out there, and I am sure they would not trade it for anything else in the world. They know that next year, it will all begin again. A fresh new start. A brand new season.

Randomness is underrated, and in the game of baseball it happens almost daily.

who have never seen a professional game in their lives. That's what baseball is all about. It is extraordinary. Athletes rise above the compitition and achieve greatness while astonishing veteran fans and simultaneously earning new ones.

the sports page and seeing how my favorite players performed the previous day, even though I do not keep track of statistics as I once did.

Another reason I love this game? On any given day, any given player can do almost anything. Just this July, I watched Jose Jiminez, a struggling rookie hurler, throw a no-hitter for the Cardinals against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I witnessed little known Craig Paquette come to the Cardinals in a mid season trade and excite St. Louis with three game winning hits in his first week with the team. I have seen fresh-faced kids from the minor leagues come out and light up the baseball world, and likewise, I have seen the games greatest marquee players sit and stare at a scoreboard that reflects their mishaps.

However, right now, it is fall. A pitcher grabs a coat to keep his throwing arm warm in this chilly rain, and soon the entire dugout is seen donning coats. The leaves start to change to brown. Kids go back to school. Football begins to creep onto the minds and lips of sports fans. The season comes to a close, and the spring looks terribly far away with an icy cold winter between now and the promises that lie ahead.

I read baseball literature quite often. I own copies of "Bunts" and "Men at Work", both by George Will. "Bunts" is my favorite: a collection of short articles and anecdotes about baseball, past and present. He discusses everything from his share of stock in the Chicago Cubs to baseball's finest moments.

Some common words found in the essay are:
St Louis, Super Bowl, Mark McGwire, Maybe Baseball, World Wars, League Baseball, Herr Cardinals, Tonight ESPN, Roger Maris', Dow Jones, game baseball, home run, baseball fan, major league baseball, st louis, league baseball, chicago cubs, major league, game winning, baseball game, season fall,
Approximate Word count = 1584
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)