Cell Phones
"you gotta learn to hold your own
they get jealous when they see you with your mobile phone"
While 2pac's words seem terribly strange today, and in a way somewhat ironic, it wasn't all that long ago that mobile phones were something only the rich could afford, an impractical device that was expensive, bulky, and unreliable. Nowadays, just about everybody carries these things around, they've become small, cheap, and just barely reliable enough for the general public to use, thanks to advances in technology in recent times.
Still, a good deal of people (though it's a rapidly shrinking population) have managed to hold out and avoid getting a cell phone all this time. I must say that I am impressed with these people for staying out of the mix. When everyone else is rushing to get something, it's hard not to get caught up in it all and want to get one yourself. I remember slap bracelets when I was young and how everyone had them so me and my sister wanted them too. Ok, so that isn't a great analogy. Slap bracelets are basically extinct now because they are worthless beyond the initial 5 minute entertainment value. Cell phones do have legitimate use and they're here to stay, like it or not.
As for me, I took the "cell phone plunge" a couple years ago myself after my mom was sucked into one of those big ol' PrimeCo ads in the paper that promised a free phone and called itself a "College Student Special" or something. Naturally, my mom (who is that type of typical Asian mom who buys like 300 gallons of milk when it's on sale at Dominicks) rushed me to sign up for that so-called special deal. Eventually, I was left with a pretty crappy phone that I never asked for and a year of crappy service on my contract.
A lot of people reading have probably experienced something similar in their own lives, when their mom or dad decides they need a "Son/Daughter Tracking Device," strap a cell phone to ther kid, and send them merrily off to school. In my case, my mom never actually called me that much on my phone, partly because I was a well behaved child, got decent grades, and never really made them worry. Probably equally as important a factor was her being Chinese and unwillingness to waste a "long-distance call" from the (630) to the (217) area code.
Anyways, as the story goes, I soon became attached to my PrimeCo Audiovox phone (mostly because my sister was able to program Britney Spears' "You Drive Me Crazy" as its ringer), but eventually I got tired of the PrimeCo stuff and switched to Cingular and a new phone with free nights and weekends. This is the phone I've been using for the past year, and I've found that while I once thought I would never have any use for a cell phone, it's become almost an extension of my right hand, and I doubt I could ever go back to life without one.
Now, I can't go anywhere without taking my phone with me. I realized this fact a couple months ago when I had to send my phone in for repairs and was left without it for a few hours. It felt so weird not having my phone, I know it's dumb but all I kept thinking is, what if my car breaks down here and I gotta call someone? What if someone has to reach me and it's a real big emergency? Logically, neither of these situations has ever presented itself when I've had my phone, so I don't know why they were such big issues then.
Still, there are times when having a cell is such a convenience that it's almost a necessity. Trying to get everyone to meet at the same restaurant at the right time is a whole lot easier, especially if multiple cars are driving and it's a busy night. When I pick up my sister outside her dorm, I can afford to be lazy and call her from my car to come out while I wait. Any time I leave my house and forget the directions to where I'm going (that's pretty much every time I go anywhere), my little Nokia friend is there to help. When I'm at the store getting some orange juice for my mom, I can always check to make sure if she wants extra pulp or calcium rich. These might all seem like little things, but added up, it's a convenience that once you're used to, it's hard to live without.
Of course, there are side benefits to having a cell phone as well. For someone as disorganized as me, using my phone to store people's numbers is a simple enough convenience that even I can utilize. When I forget my watch or I'm stuck in a dark room, my phone is there. Bored on long car rides? Play Snake for high score. It's also fun to confuse someone next to you by calling his/her cell phone and hanging up (works better for those without caller ID).
Unfortunately, having a phone can also be a major burden at times. I've become so popular that it's hard to go a few minutes without someone calling me. Ok, so that's not true, but I still sometimes get the sense that I no longer own the cell phone, it owns me. Just the fact that I can't go anywhere without having it with me is a bad sign. Other people have the worse habit of forcing themselves to pick up the phone every time it rings, no matter what the situation, and without considering if it might be rude to the person you're talking to face-to-face, or thinking about what kind of place and time it is (I'm sometimes guilty of that myself, so please forgive me while I work on changing for the better). I would say that there are very, very few things important enough that someone could be calling for that they couldn't leave a message and wait for you to call them back when it's more appropriate.
Before I launch into a whole thing about cell phone courtesy, I better stop and just say a couple final thoughts. First, props to whoever is still living happily without a cell phone, for you are the last cowboys of our society and should be proud of it. But eventually the world will pass you by, I'm sad to say. If you do already have a cell phone, try not to depend on it too much. You lived without one before, just see it as a convenience and not a duty. I'll try to do the same for myself.
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
Keep in Touch
Remember in high school, at the end of each year we'd get each other to sign yearbooks, trying to record the signatures and memories you had with each person throughout that past school year? I don't happen to reminisce about high school too often, but when I was cleaning and organizing my room recently, I was struck with the urge to pick that old yearbook up and flip through it.
The first thing that surprised me was how young everyone looked in their pictures (including myself, of course). As a senior in college seeing the incoming freshman, I'd always wondered whether or not I looked that young myself 4 years ago, and there I had my answer.
When I started reading the notes of people who had signed my yearbook, it brought back many great memories, but I also couldn't help feeling some amount of regret at how many times the words "keep in touch" came up in those signatures, and how few of these people I had actually kept in touch with.
I was fortunate enough to attend college at a place where a lot of DGS grads decided to go, and among this group were a few people that became my closest friends throughout the past few years, and who I'll definitely be close with for years to come. I'm very thankful for having these guys as friends all this time, and also for the few others I was able to keep up with during the summers, Thanksgivings, or Spring Breaks that didn't go to Champaign. But the vast majority of my friends in high school just kind of faded off and I can only wonder where these people are now and what they're doing.
Now, all that high school stuff is in the past. I can't really expect to be "friends 4-ever" with everyone I've ever hung out with. To be fair, the whole keeping in touch thing is a 2-way deal, and it's not all my fault for failing to do so after high school. Circumstances change, people change, and none of this can be avoided.
But as it stands, I know that I left college little more than a month ago making a lot of those same promises to stay in touch with people I'd met at school. I honestly hope that I have become wiser in these past four years and that this time, not as many of my close friends will be lost in the shuffle.
Still, all this is easier said than done, and this will be one of the toughest challenges I've ever faced which I can't simply hope it into fruition. I'm already seeing that everyone has his/her own life to live, with or without me, and that in many cases, distance will be the foremost barrier to overcome. One of my roommates is headed to Berkeley for grad school, a couple friends are in Texas working already, and some others are staying in Champaign for more school too. And even though a few are gonna be working in the area, their jobs will likely allow for very limited time to hang out like before as they sleep at the ungodly hour of 11pm to wake up early for an 8 hour day.
For me personally, a bigger hindrance than distance is a sense of laziness, or at least a lack of dedication. When change comes, I usually end up sitting back and losing track of everything, seemingly helpless to exert any control over my own situation. But what it really comes down to is going with the flow while hanging on to what you can. There's no point in swimming against the tide, you'll just end up being swept backwards by the waves with a mouthful of salty water. But whenever possible, I'll have to make it a point to find ways to talk to and meet up with the people I can. Relationships, even among guys, don't sustain themselves, as I've already learned from post high-school experience. And I've also learned that making the effort to keep a friend is something I'll never regret doing.
While I'm on this general topic, I want to recommend that everyone who hasn't started a blog should do so. In only a week or two of writing these entries, I've found that it's not only a great way to organize your thoughts and release some of your creative writing energy, but also a way to share a little of what's going on in your own life to whoever takes time out to read. I know of a couple other people's blogs and I enjoy reading what they have to write. It's not a relationship in itself, but it's almost like talking to the person on the phone once in a while and just keeping in step with the new times.
You might say, as my sister did, that your life is too boring and uneventful to keep a blog. But look at me, I work at home with my dad all day, and at night I just watch baseball or sit around, maybe waiting for someone to call me to do something, and then I get ready to sleep around 11 or 12. Sure, it's true that my blogs aren't all that interesting to read, but that's cause I suck at writing. Life is as interesting as you make it. No matter how little or how much is going on, there's always something to write about. You'd actually be able to write more often if you have less other stuff to do. So I definitely think everyone should have a blog of some sort and just update it as frequently or infrequently as is reasonable. Not only will you give people like me with no life something to read, but I'm willing to bet that you'll get a lot out of the blog-writing habit yourselves, if you're ready to put some time and effort into it.
Also, a couple people have commented on my blog and I really like when people tell me something I wrote was true, or funny, or even wrong or disgusting. Just knowing that someone is reading what you write is pretty rewarding, even if it's only a few people. I'm considering upgrading to blogpro or whatever that is called so that people will be able to leave comments on my posts. But for now, don't hesitate to send me a quick email or IM if you have something to say or add to what I wrote.
Remember in high school, at the end of each year we'd get each other to sign yearbooks, trying to record the signatures and memories you had with each person throughout that past school year? I don't happen to reminisce about high school too often, but when I was cleaning and organizing my room recently, I was struck with the urge to pick that old yearbook up and flip through it.
The first thing that surprised me was how young everyone looked in their pictures (including myself, of course). As a senior in college seeing the incoming freshman, I'd always wondered whether or not I looked that young myself 4 years ago, and there I had my answer.
When I started reading the notes of people who had signed my yearbook, it brought back many great memories, but I also couldn't help feeling some amount of regret at how many times the words "keep in touch" came up in those signatures, and how few of these people I had actually kept in touch with.
I was fortunate enough to attend college at a place where a lot of DGS grads decided to go, and among this group were a few people that became my closest friends throughout the past few years, and who I'll definitely be close with for years to come. I'm very thankful for having these guys as friends all this time, and also for the few others I was able to keep up with during the summers, Thanksgivings, or Spring Breaks that didn't go to Champaign. But the vast majority of my friends in high school just kind of faded off and I can only wonder where these people are now and what they're doing.
Now, all that high school stuff is in the past. I can't really expect to be "friends 4-ever" with everyone I've ever hung out with. To be fair, the whole keeping in touch thing is a 2-way deal, and it's not all my fault for failing to do so after high school. Circumstances change, people change, and none of this can be avoided.
But as it stands, I know that I left college little more than a month ago making a lot of those same promises to stay in touch with people I'd met at school. I honestly hope that I have become wiser in these past four years and that this time, not as many of my close friends will be lost in the shuffle.
Still, all this is easier said than done, and this will be one of the toughest challenges I've ever faced which I can't simply hope it into fruition. I'm already seeing that everyone has his/her own life to live, with or without me, and that in many cases, distance will be the foremost barrier to overcome. One of my roommates is headed to Berkeley for grad school, a couple friends are in Texas working already, and some others are staying in Champaign for more school too. And even though a few are gonna be working in the area, their jobs will likely allow for very limited time to hang out like before as they sleep at the ungodly hour of 11pm to wake up early for an 8 hour day.
For me personally, a bigger hindrance than distance is a sense of laziness, or at least a lack of dedication. When change comes, I usually end up sitting back and losing track of everything, seemingly helpless to exert any control over my own situation. But what it really comes down to is going with the flow while hanging on to what you can. There's no point in swimming against the tide, you'll just end up being swept backwards by the waves with a mouthful of salty water. But whenever possible, I'll have to make it a point to find ways to talk to and meet up with the people I can. Relationships, even among guys, don't sustain themselves, as I've already learned from post high-school experience. And I've also learned that making the effort to keep a friend is something I'll never regret doing.
While I'm on this general topic, I want to recommend that everyone who hasn't started a blog should do so. In only a week or two of writing these entries, I've found that it's not only a great way to organize your thoughts and release some of your creative writing energy, but also a way to share a little of what's going on in your own life to whoever takes time out to read. I know of a couple other people's blogs and I enjoy reading what they have to write. It's not a relationship in itself, but it's almost like talking to the person on the phone once in a while and just keeping in step with the new times.
You might say, as my sister did, that your life is too boring and uneventful to keep a blog. But look at me, I work at home with my dad all day, and at night I just watch baseball or sit around, maybe waiting for someone to call me to do something, and then I get ready to sleep around 11 or 12. Sure, it's true that my blogs aren't all that interesting to read, but that's cause I suck at writing. Life is as interesting as you make it. No matter how little or how much is going on, there's always something to write about. You'd actually be able to write more often if you have less other stuff to do. So I definitely think everyone should have a blog of some sort and just update it as frequently or infrequently as is reasonable. Not only will you give people like me with no life something to read, but I'm willing to bet that you'll get a lot out of the blog-writing habit yourselves, if you're ready to put some time and effort into it.
Also, a couple people have commented on my blog and I really like when people tell me something I wrote was true, or funny, or even wrong or disgusting. Just knowing that someone is reading what you write is pretty rewarding, even if it's only a few people. I'm considering upgrading to blogpro or whatever that is called so that people will be able to leave comments on my posts. But for now, don't hesitate to send me a quick email or IM if you have something to say or add to what I wrote.
Monday, June 17, 2002
Jusrede
For those of you that are wondering what the title of my blog means, it was supposed to be a joke. I thought it would be funny to name my blog like the way Musiq Soulchild spells. (his name is just "Musiq" now). His CD's have been titled "aijuswanaseing" and "juslisen." get it now?
Not that he's my favorite artist out there or anything, but aijusthautitwhuzphunea. His songs aren't bad actually. If i can recommend from his first album "Mary-Go-Round," "Girl Next Door," and "Love," in addition to his current single "Half-Crazy" off the second album.
As for my blog title, I will probably change it eventually. I'm still messing with the template too, and maybe I will add some links sometime as well.
For those of you that are wondering what the title of my blog means, it was supposed to be a joke. I thought it would be funny to name my blog like the way Musiq Soulchild spells. (his name is just "Musiq" now). His CD's have been titled "aijuswanaseing" and "juslisen." get it now?
Not that he's my favorite artist out there or anything, but aijusthautitwhuzphunea. His songs aren't bad actually. If i can recommend from his first album "Mary-Go-Round," "Girl Next Door," and "Love," in addition to his current single "Half-Crazy" off the second album.
As for my blog title, I will probably change it eventually. I'm still messing with the template too, and maybe I will add some links sometime as well.
Guys are from Jackass, Girls are from Dawson's
In an attempt to get more in touch with my sensitive side, I've been giving some extra thought to the differences between guys and girls. Now, I'm pretty sure that I already know about the physiological differences, so I won't write about that. But I'm still learning a lot about how girls are compared to guys in terms of how they think and act, especially in relationships.
It took quite a keen eye to note that girls are, in general, more thoughtful than guys. Yes, that is why you read my blogs, to learn such earthshattering information. Anyways, we all knew that much already, but there's still a lot I'm observing.
For example, guys never call each other "just to talk." Speaking from a personal point of view, my typical phone conversation lasts under a minute and involves only the basics: what you wanna do, when you wanna meet, and where. We (guys) don't curl up with the phone on our beds and giggle about which girls are "cute" or who's going out with who. Not that we never talk about that stuff, but it's rarely done over the phone. The same goes with email. The only long phone conversations I have (5 mins and over) are with those of the female variety. Not that it's terrible or anything, but girls have to understand that guys aren't used to that kind of thing. We aren't trying to be rude or insensitive when there's a long pause because there isn't anything to talk about, and we say "Ok, well i guess I'll talk to you later then."
Another thing is what guys value in relationships. We don't typically care about getting gifts and remembering special dates, but it's important to know that your bro's got your back when it counts. We don't have to have breakthrough moments of crying our eyes out telling each other about all our past breakups and childhood drama to be good buds with someone, all it takes is half an hour of playing video games or basketball with someone and feeling like you identify with each other. It's also okay to not see your best friends all the time. If one of my friends goes on vacation or something, I never feel dissed if they don't call me regularly or email me to keep in touch, cause they'll be back soon anyways.
Girls, on the other hand, are real sticklers when it comes to those little things. You better not forget a girl's birthday, Mother's Day, an anniversary of any type, or Martin Luther King Jr. Day, because they sure won't. It's hard for guys to understand that stuff like flowers, cards, or a simple unexpected phone call mean so much to a girl, considering that we don't need (or even want) any of that ourselves. Girls can't be best friends with someone they met 3 days ago - it takes years, or at least one of those breakthrough moments I described above.
There's tons of other differences. Guys can just hang around, chill with each other and do nothing, while seeing nothing wrong with that. Girls have to be doing something when they're together, whether it's shopping, painting their toenails, talking about guys, going out and dancing, whatever... but they look at guys and call them bums and losers for doing nothing. In reality, we aren't doing "nothing" per se, that's just called "chillin" and it's one of the ways we bond. Guys (typically) don't pay as much attention to the lyrics in songs or who sings it, while girls are more sensitive about that. Guys are good drivers, girl's aren't. Guys are more easily entertained by shows like MTV's Jackass, while girls need intricate storylines in stuff like Dawson's Creek. Guys are bigger than girls. Girls are better cooks (not trying to belittle that, but I personally believe that girls are better at paying attention to detail and that makes them better at cooking). Guys are more emotionally stable, girls are emotional rollercoasters - they reach higher highs but lower lows. (A word of advice for guys getting into new relationships: find out as soon as you can when "that time of the month" is and brace yourselves accordingly.) Guys "think the idea of punting a small dog is funny" (quotes because I got that one from one of those email forwards once).
Now, I'm not ripping on either guys or girls here. Not even all of this stuff I'm saying is true because there are plenty of exceptions, and don't be insulted if you're a guy who likes to cook or follows Dawson's Creek. But if you haven't already, think about the things I just wrote and tell me if I'm off base here.
By the way, it's been a slow past few days work-wise, and that is why I have been writing such long entries.
In an attempt to get more in touch with my sensitive side, I've been giving some extra thought to the differences between guys and girls. Now, I'm pretty sure that I already know about the physiological differences, so I won't write about that. But I'm still learning a lot about how girls are compared to guys in terms of how they think and act, especially in relationships.
It took quite a keen eye to note that girls are, in general, more thoughtful than guys. Yes, that is why you read my blogs, to learn such earthshattering information. Anyways, we all knew that much already, but there's still a lot I'm observing.
For example, guys never call each other "just to talk." Speaking from a personal point of view, my typical phone conversation lasts under a minute and involves only the basics: what you wanna do, when you wanna meet, and where. We (guys) don't curl up with the phone on our beds and giggle about which girls are "cute" or who's going out with who. Not that we never talk about that stuff, but it's rarely done over the phone. The same goes with email. The only long phone conversations I have (5 mins and over) are with those of the female variety. Not that it's terrible or anything, but girls have to understand that guys aren't used to that kind of thing. We aren't trying to be rude or insensitive when there's a long pause because there isn't anything to talk about, and we say "Ok, well i guess I'll talk to you later then."
Another thing is what guys value in relationships. We don't typically care about getting gifts and remembering special dates, but it's important to know that your bro's got your back when it counts. We don't have to have breakthrough moments of crying our eyes out telling each other about all our past breakups and childhood drama to be good buds with someone, all it takes is half an hour of playing video games or basketball with someone and feeling like you identify with each other. It's also okay to not see your best friends all the time. If one of my friends goes on vacation or something, I never feel dissed if they don't call me regularly or email me to keep in touch, cause they'll be back soon anyways.
Girls, on the other hand, are real sticklers when it comes to those little things. You better not forget a girl's birthday, Mother's Day, an anniversary of any type, or Martin Luther King Jr. Day, because they sure won't. It's hard for guys to understand that stuff like flowers, cards, or a simple unexpected phone call mean so much to a girl, considering that we don't need (or even want) any of that ourselves. Girls can't be best friends with someone they met 3 days ago - it takes years, or at least one of those breakthrough moments I described above.
There's tons of other differences. Guys can just hang around, chill with each other and do nothing, while seeing nothing wrong with that. Girls have to be doing something when they're together, whether it's shopping, painting their toenails, talking about guys, going out and dancing, whatever... but they look at guys and call them bums and losers for doing nothing. In reality, we aren't doing "nothing" per se, that's just called "chillin" and it's one of the ways we bond. Guys (typically) don't pay as much attention to the lyrics in songs or who sings it, while girls are more sensitive about that. Guys are good drivers, girl's aren't. Guys are more easily entertained by shows like MTV's Jackass, while girls need intricate storylines in stuff like Dawson's Creek. Guys are bigger than girls. Girls are better cooks (not trying to belittle that, but I personally believe that girls are better at paying attention to detail and that makes them better at cooking). Guys are more emotionally stable, girls are emotional rollercoasters - they reach higher highs but lower lows. (A word of advice for guys getting into new relationships: find out as soon as you can when "that time of the month" is and brace yourselves accordingly.) Guys "think the idea of punting a small dog is funny" (quotes because I got that one from one of those email forwards once).
Now, I'm not ripping on either guys or girls here. Not even all of this stuff I'm saying is true because there are plenty of exceptions, and don't be insulted if you're a guy who likes to cook or follows Dawson's Creek. But if you haven't already, think about the things I just wrote and tell me if I'm off base here.
By the way, it's been a slow past few days work-wise, and that is why I have been writing such long entries.
Sunday, June 16, 2002
Baseball
It's always bothered me that surprisingly few people truly enjoy and appreciate the game that is supposed to be "America's Pastime." Personally, I love the game more than any other sport... watching it on TV, watching it live, playing it, playing fantasy baseball, base-ically (ha-ha) anything to do with it. Though I'm sure a lot of people are baseball fans, I would definitely guess that more people nowadays prefer to watch football or basketball, as I always hear the word "boring" used incessantly in association with the game.
Sure, on the surface, baseball seems to be a lot slower than the other sports. Players take timeout in between every pitch or whenever they feel like it. Bulky hitters like Mark McGwire dominating the highlights suggest that most players share a similar physique (or aspire to achieve one like his). Games typically last 3 hours long, but could easily surpass 4 depending on the circumstances, and they play almost every day for a whole summer. Compare that to 2 1/2 hrs for an NBA game (or 2 for NCAA), or NFL's one game a week schedule, and I guess it's somewhat understandable that people get tired of watching baseball.
Those who think speed is not a major factor in baseball, however, are greatly mistaken. I think a good argument could be made that baseball is the most speed-dominated game out there of the 4 major sports, including hockey. For starters, consider that the typical Major League pitcher throws at least a 90 mph fastball. That means that the ball travels from the pitchers hand to the plate in well under a second. Thus, in that fraction of a second, the hitter has to pick up the location of the ball, try to guess what kind of pitch it is, decide to swing, and hit the ball accordingly. That's no easy task, let me just tell you that it's hard enough to play catch with my friend who claims (and I believe him) to throw in the 60's speed-wise.
Speed in the form of a player's ability to run is also a huge factor in baseball. When a fielder has great acceleration, it can make the difference between an out and a triple. When a hitter is extremely fast out of the batters box, (Ichiro is a good example) it forces the defense to hurry, increasing the likelihood of errors as well as adding a dimension to a hitter's On-Base Percentage in the form of infield hits. Being fast out of the box can also save outs by avoiding the back end of double plays. When a baserunner is a threat to steal, it limits the pitcher's effectiveness by forcing him to shorten his delivery, while also making him more apt to throw fastballs rather than off-speed pitches in order to make it easier to prevent a stolen base.
Sure, when it comes to continuous play, baseball is no match for other sports. But to me, there are so many reasons I could list on why its such a great game. There's so many things to consider in every situation, and even after years of watching the sport, I'm still learning more subtleties of the game, because it is by far the most complicated of the major sports.
The human aspect is also much more prominent in baseball, and that is probably the single best thing I like about the game that separates it from the others. Every pitch and every play involves the call of an umpire. Every umpire has his own style and his own strike zone. Every manager is faced with many decisions throughout the game and the way he handles them usually determines the outcome of the game, making him much more important than a coach in basketball or football. To bunt, or not to bunt? Leave the starter in, or take him out for a lefty? Play the infield back with less than 2 outs, or concede the run for an out? Not only this, but there are many unwritten rules within the game that everyone is supposed to play by. Don't steal a base when your team has a big lead. Don't time pitches in the on-deck circle. Don't show up the pitcher after hitting a home run, especially if you're a rookie. Break one of these rules, and you can expect to get a fastball thrown at you or at one of your teammates. Throw at someone who doesn't like it, and risk him charging the mound and the benches clearing for a brawl.
I could go on and on about all the great things about baseball, little and small, that have made me a die-hard fan. But, my blog entries are getting long and boring, and I risk losing the attention of those who actually read it.
It's always bothered me that surprisingly few people truly enjoy and appreciate the game that is supposed to be "America's Pastime." Personally, I love the game more than any other sport... watching it on TV, watching it live, playing it, playing fantasy baseball, base-ically (ha-ha) anything to do with it. Though I'm sure a lot of people are baseball fans, I would definitely guess that more people nowadays prefer to watch football or basketball, as I always hear the word "boring" used incessantly in association with the game.
Sure, on the surface, baseball seems to be a lot slower than the other sports. Players take timeout in between every pitch or whenever they feel like it. Bulky hitters like Mark McGwire dominating the highlights suggest that most players share a similar physique (or aspire to achieve one like his). Games typically last 3 hours long, but could easily surpass 4 depending on the circumstances, and they play almost every day for a whole summer. Compare that to 2 1/2 hrs for an NBA game (or 2 for NCAA), or NFL's one game a week schedule, and I guess it's somewhat understandable that people get tired of watching baseball.
Those who think speed is not a major factor in baseball, however, are greatly mistaken. I think a good argument could be made that baseball is the most speed-dominated game out there of the 4 major sports, including hockey. For starters, consider that the typical Major League pitcher throws at least a 90 mph fastball. That means that the ball travels from the pitchers hand to the plate in well under a second. Thus, in that fraction of a second, the hitter has to pick up the location of the ball, try to guess what kind of pitch it is, decide to swing, and hit the ball accordingly. That's no easy task, let me just tell you that it's hard enough to play catch with my friend who claims (and I believe him) to throw in the 60's speed-wise.
Speed in the form of a player's ability to run is also a huge factor in baseball. When a fielder has great acceleration, it can make the difference between an out and a triple. When a hitter is extremely fast out of the batters box, (Ichiro is a good example) it forces the defense to hurry, increasing the likelihood of errors as well as adding a dimension to a hitter's On-Base Percentage in the form of infield hits. Being fast out of the box can also save outs by avoiding the back end of double plays. When a baserunner is a threat to steal, it limits the pitcher's effectiveness by forcing him to shorten his delivery, while also making him more apt to throw fastballs rather than off-speed pitches in order to make it easier to prevent a stolen base.
Sure, when it comes to continuous play, baseball is no match for other sports. But to me, there are so many reasons I could list on why its such a great game. There's so many things to consider in every situation, and even after years of watching the sport, I'm still learning more subtleties of the game, because it is by far the most complicated of the major sports.
The human aspect is also much more prominent in baseball, and that is probably the single best thing I like about the game that separates it from the others. Every pitch and every play involves the call of an umpire. Every umpire has his own style and his own strike zone. Every manager is faced with many decisions throughout the game and the way he handles them usually determines the outcome of the game, making him much more important than a coach in basketball or football. To bunt, or not to bunt? Leave the starter in, or take him out for a lefty? Play the infield back with less than 2 outs, or concede the run for an out? Not only this, but there are many unwritten rules within the game that everyone is supposed to play by. Don't steal a base when your team has a big lead. Don't time pitches in the on-deck circle. Don't show up the pitcher after hitting a home run, especially if you're a rookie. Break one of these rules, and you can expect to get a fastball thrown at you or at one of your teammates. Throw at someone who doesn't like it, and risk him charging the mound and the benches clearing for a brawl.
I could go on and on about all the great things about baseball, little and small, that have made me a die-hard fan. But, my blog entries are getting long and boring, and I risk losing the attention of those who actually read it.
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