My Baseball Story - Joe Haining

By Joe Haining
February 7 2003

Was it the Grand Slams? Was it the Triple Plays or the Strikeouts? Was it because of the atmosphere in the ballparks or the allstar ballplayers? Or was it simply that you were born into baseball-loving family? Tell us, in your own words, how did you become interested in the great game of baseball?

"There's logic in there somewhere!"

Joe Haining
from York, North Yorkshire, England
Originally published on April 4th, 2001

Why would any British person become a baseball fanatic? A very good question that could have a variety of answers. In my case, I think there are several.

The first time I watched baseball, like many this side of the pond, was when Channel 5 came on air and began their MLB coverage. One evening with the house to myself I decided to stay up and watch a ball game to see what it was like. I couldn't tell you who was playing or what the score was, although I have a vague recollection of Mike Piazza (and therefore the Mets) being involved in an early game I watched which may well have been that one. My first impression was that the game was basically thus: someone threw the ball, the bloke with the bat took a big swing, then they had a commercial break! Unfortunately, the game turned out to be just a tad more copmlex than that!

I say unfortunately, as I am one of those people, who although not an anorak, can become extremely obsessive about things, particularly sports. Football (York City) and cricket (Yorkshire CCC) remain top of my list, although baseball is now a clear second (and not far from the top). Maybe it was the way football is so sanitised and dull these days, maybe it was because baseball shares the same unnecessarily extensive obsession with stats that cricket does, but last summer, I decided I wanted to become a proper ball fan.

Next step, I decided, was to choose my team. Cricket and football are easy - I just support (with a maniacal patriotism) my local teams. I decided it definitely wouldn't be the Yankees, purely because of the sheer number of people who wear the caps on the streets of Britain. I can't imagine there's more than 5% of them who really know what the symbol means or anything about the game of baseball - this is something that really REALLY bugs me! Anyway, some relatives of mine had only a couple of years before moved to Atlanta, so I thought that could be a starting point - at least I some kind of connection with the place (thus keeping my supporting 'local' teams tradition alive). I found out that the Braves were soon to be on Channel 5, and made sure I was watching. If I recall, they were playing the D'Backs, and the Braves won (can't remember the score) with Andy Ashbee pitching a blinder, giving absolutely nothing away.

And that was it, I was gone. A baseball nut, and a Braves fan. I bought the cap, studied the history, got reversed sleeping patterns from watching the whole of the World Series etc. etc. etc.

This piece I hope has explained reasonably well how and why it happened, but the defining aspect is surely just human nature. In a nice symmetry, one of my very good friends is an American who is a huge cricket fan - how that came to pass would probably take a lot more explaining! 2001 will be my first full season as a Braves (and general baseball) fan, and I can't wait! Hopefully I might get over to Atlanta sometime this summer and visit Turner Field - then I would feel like I really belong among the ball fan fraternity!