For many people not enamored to the game, loving baseball might be something short of madness. For them there is no excitement in seeing grown-up men go after a tiny ball, flung or hit by another grown-up man who obviously desired the ball to go way off the reach of others. But for baseball aficionados, it is the best game in the world, even celebrated in small pieces of cardboard called baseball cards. Most treasured are Topps baseball cards, those simple memorabilia of the eminent men of baseball, complete with the performance statistics, names, signatures and other data so dear to the spirit of baseball fans.

But why is baseball so popular? The foremost reason is because it is a spectator sport. For the reason that it is held in an open area, it can be seen by many persons. Even if watching is limited to the quantity of people who line the edge of the baseball diamond, the number is still great. Contrast baseball to chess and you get the idea. If only a percentage of the number is truly engrossed in the game, the actual fans will be greater in number. One irrefutable proof is the gigantic arenas geneally for playing baseball games.

Second, baseball is an activitysport. There is much action, but normally in flurries, so the spectator is not overwhelmed. A spectator can truly follow the action of the main players as they fly around the bases, throw the ball, or dash home to score. But suspenseful, quick action happens fairly regularly, enoughsufficient to get people enthusiastic in watching the games. Furthermore, the game is very simple to keep up with, the players easily seen, winning and losing quickly understood.

Next, it is a game of heroes. The guyplayer who bats the ball to outside the field and make successive homeruns is a hero. The pitcher who regularly outs his batting competitors is a hero. The shortstop who gets the fly ball with the bright sun shining in his eyes is a hero. Anyone who accomplishes a home run against great odds, is also a hero. They can be rare, true, but they happen and you must watch the games to witness them.

Baseball is a multi player game, from two persons to 20 or even beyond that. It is adaptable enough that from a pair of players one bats, the other pitches and fielder it can accommodate to as numerous as wanted, as long as the area can hold them and everyone agrees to the set-up.

Then it is sports for everybody. For all ages, any class, from all walks of life: there is no prejudice or requirements. A son, a father or a grandfather and all the people between and all family sides can enjoy it at the same time, in the same stadium, for the same purposes. It makes for a great camaraderie not just for family members but for acquaintances, neighbors and even strangers.

Last, it is a game of proficiency, guts, willpower and physical abilities, all of which we hold essential for ourselves and hence in others, too.