I couldn’t tell you when exactly it happened, but at some point in the last few years, I got really into baseball.¹

And I mean really into baseball.

Sure, it helped that the Baltimore Orioles have — after a lengthy downturn — been a top-tier team in baseball², but it’s become an ongoing concern for me. It helps that my wife is into it as well, and I’m pretty sure of the 162+ games last season, we watched or listened to easily 120+ of them.

But what is it about the game that I find so compelling? Why this? Why now?

Besides the obvious thought of sports being my midlife crisis interest³, I think there’s something to be said about the construction around the sport itself.

Baseball isn’t about living and dying on every win or loss. It’s about the long game. It’s about the marathon. When the best are considered such because they have a .500 average, that still means they’re losing half the time. You see players ebb and flow through a lengthy spring, summer and fall of games. They get on a hot streak. They get the yips. Star making seasons can be ended in an instance with an injury, or legends can be made in a moment, with a perfectly timed swing, or an out of this world catch.

For a fan, it’s as lengthy a roller coaster as it can be for the teams themselves.

But at the same time, there’s a community. It’s not about 16 weeks of do-or-die, it’s about digging in, finding your grit, supporting your team, and hoping for the best. It’s about going to the games with family and friends. It’s about having a near-nightly tradition in a time where the world feels more erratic than ever.

2025 is, was, has been, and continues to be a rough year. But almost every day, I can sit down, dig in for two hours and change, and just enjoy the game of baseball.

It also doesn’t hurt that here in Maryland we are blessed with a great commentary duo, with Kevin Brown on play-by-play, and former pitcher Ben McDonald on color. Kevin’s a stats geek, a pop culture nerd, obsessed with ballpark food, and isn’t afraid to talk about Blink 182 during a game that isn’t going so well. Ben’s a seasoned hand, who has been up and down in the game of baseball. He knows what it’s like to win, and what it’s like to lose. And he’s there, like an uncle almost, to delight in the success, but give tough love in the times of strife. For the wrestling nerds reading this, think of them as how Excalibur and Taz play against each other for AEW’s commentary.

I’m now digging deeper, learning more. I know what RISP means. I think I understand ERAs. I have capital-t Thoughts about pitching.

But the important thing is this — for a few hours a day, life slows down, balls get hit, and all is well.

I’m sure none of what I said above is particularly original when it comes to talking about baseball, but the fact is: sharing this with my wife, building friendships with fellow fans, connecting with people in the real world about the O’s in times good and bad — it reminds me the world isn’t entirely awful. And right now, we need more of that.