Give baseball a chance

If you would have asked me what I thought about BYU baseball before May 1, I would have said something like this:

"Meh..."

Considering my obsessive love for BYU athletics, this response may be puzzling. I don't know why exactly, but BYU baseball never really took off for me. It's always fun to catch a game here and there to enjoy a nice evening at the ballpark, but it's never been something I've followed consistently.

Then I was given the assignment to cover the sport for the Daily Universe. I have attended every home game since, and I must say, it's a blast. You can't beat a nice night at Miller Park. The atmosphere is awesome, and the weather is incredible (most nights). Not many people come to the games, and it's all GA seating so you can find a nice private place to watch the game, or you can get right in the thick of the action in the stands. Then you chase all that with a Cougar dog or two, and you've got yourself a complete evening.

As far as the games go, I was pleasantly surprised to find that college baseball (just like college basketball and football) is much more entertaining than the professional league. There are more hits, more mistakes and more runs. The players are not supermen, they're boys. They're not perfect, they have personality and their humanity makes the game interesting.

BYU finished the regular season 35-18. Considering there are only three seniors on the team, this is an outstanding finish. The Cougars are a young team, and next year they will be a force to reckon with. My advice: Catch a game or two next season, and actually follow along. The team will become real to you, and soon you'll be cheering as loud as the parents.