Baseball is about WINNERS and LOSERS and loving the losers just as much as you love the winners.
Sometimes you watch a game rooting for your team to win the championship. Sometimes you watch a game rooting for your team to hit just one run, please, mercy, just let us have one run!!!
For maximum enjoyment of this beautiful pastime, I recommend picking a team before the game starts and sticking to them until the bitter end (of the game, of the season, or of baseball itself).
There are no timed periods! Teams play until they win or they lose, with extra innings that could technically stretch out into infinity. With no clock to beat, baseball takes its time: ebbs and flows are built into the natural rhythm of the game.
Luckily there are cues for when to get especially excited! Did the crowd cheer extra loud for a particular batter's name? Did the music cut out? Are you being asked to "everybody clap your hands" again? Did the pitcher throw the ball? Did the batter hit the ball? Where did it go? Has anyone caught it?! These are all excellent times to lock-in and hold you breath: win or lose, the joy of baseball is in often in those moments of suspense.
For beginners, I suggest tracking either the ball or the batter. Tracking the ball allows you to see what defense is up to, while tracking the batter allows you to see what offense is up to!
Some people will say baseball is boring and these people are wrong.
As each inning drags on and your attention wanders, turn to the people in the crowd with you: ask questions, gossip about the uniforms, eat peanuts, catch up with your friends and family. The best way to watch baseball is in a crowd, to be in community, whether in person or on tumblr or wpbl youtube chats!
Learn the rules as you go, and in the meantime, cheer when the crowd cheers, boo when the crowd boos, and enjoy the world's greatest pastime.
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