The Magic of Baseball and What it Means to You?

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  • jcar0725
    "ADAPT OR DIE"
    • Aug 2010
    • 3821

    #31
    Re: The Magic of Baseball and What it Means to You?

    Originally posted by swiftsport
    Late to the party, but still want to share. Congrats to the winners.

    The magic of baseball, to me, is MLB 23 on Switch and Jackson Chourio. Together, they created the most magical moment I’ve ever experienced in a video game and then some.

    Here’s how.

    I didn’t grow up with baseball. Being from Europe, I discovered it very late in life, and through and a winding path.

    My sports journey began with motorsports. Like many in Europe, I was a Formula 1 fan. But at some point, F1 had started to feel predictable, so I found myself drawn to NASCAR. It was an exciting time in that sport, just after Jimmie Johnson’s championship streak, with the competition wide open again. My love for the sport grew, and for my birthday, I made a dream come true: I traveled to Florida to watch the 2015 NASCAR Championship race, Jeff Gordon’s final event. The experience was incredible, even though the driver I was rooting for, Martin Truex Jr., didn’t win.

    But, that trip to the U.S. introduced me also to the NFL. I watched it there for the first time on my hotel TV. Back then, the NFL wasn’t nearly as popular in Europe as it is today, but I was instantly hooked. When it came time to choose a team to follow, I picked the Rams. They had just relocated to Los Angeles and were one of the league’s worst teams, giving me something to root for. Of course, that choice worked out far better than I expected. Over the years, I attended several NFL games in London, including an unforgettable Rams vs. Cardinals matchup where Todd Gurley led a 44:0 shutout.

    Still, I wanted to see an NFL game in the U.S. So, during our post-COVID honeymoon in New York, I bought tickets for the Patriots-Jets game at MetLife Stadium. The game itself was one-sided and forgettable but for me, just being there was special.

    The night before that game, however, is when I discovered my now favorite sport: baseball. With no plans for that evening, my wife and I had an early dinner, went back to our hotel, and turned on the TV. Right on time for the 2022 World Series. I was fascinated right away.

    Ever since that evening I’m trying to get es much baseball in my life as possible. If you haven’t seen SB Nation’s YouTube documentary on the Mariners’ history, do yourself a favor, it’s a masterpiece.

    After a while I wanted to try a baseball video game. I had been a longtime Madden franchise player, so I was eager to find a baseball game that let me build and manage my own team. That’s how I found MLB 23. Even better, there was a Nintendo Switch version (23 lives on Switch for me. 20 and 24 on PS5), perfect for my frequent post-COVID work travel.

    Now, I needed a team. I wanted a good-but-not-great one, one I could develop into a contender. I also wanted a team that had never won a World Series, so I could help them get their first. Because of name, color scheme and vibe I picked the Brewers.

    I started with vanilla rosters and default sliders. This was around May 2023. From that moment on, I was addicted. Over the next four months, I logged more than 120 hours, something I hadn’t done with any game since a decade.

    I built my own baseball universe. With lots of ups and downs. And finally, in 2033, everything worked out. We reached the World Series against the Rays. I took a 3:2 lead going into Game 6.

    And there. Bottom of the ninth. Down 0 to 1. With Trey McClendon on first. (Trey went to become WS MVP btw.) Jackson Chourio stepped up to the plate.

    At this point in my franchise, Chourio and Sal Frelick were the only two original Brewers still on the team. And with Chourio I crushed a walk-off home run to seal the championship. I was just overjoyed. This was and is my all-time favorite gaming moment, better than beating any Souls game. Pure adrenaline, pure happiness.

    So far so good. But here’s where the real magic of baseball happens.

    All of this, my World Series win with Jackson Chourio happened in summer 2023, before he had ever taken a swing in the majors.

    In fact, it should take another few months, until Opening Day March 29th 2024, 1.44 PM for his first AB. How I know the time so well… I was there. On a crisp spring afternoon, I watched Jackson Chourio step up for his very first major league at-bat. Brewers at Mets in Citi Field. My wonderful wife had agreed to another New York trip, not only, but also to see this exact moment in time.

    Jackson didn’t do anything with his first at-bat, but I had goosebumps when he stepped on and was the happiest guy in the stadium.
    Great story.
    JUUUUUUUST A BIT OUTSIDE

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    • The Gamer
      Pro
      • Feb 2008
      • 828

      #32
      Re: The Magic of Baseball and What it Means to You?

      Congratulations IC -

      Thanks Armor and Houston as well- I appreciate it brother. Thanks for running this contest. Its cool reading what my favorite sport means to so many of us here. So glad this community is here and your stream is available wgere we can discuss this gaming hobby and our love of this sport on all levels whether it's coaching and watching our kids play or watching our favorite teams. We're all a bunch of kindred spirits even though we all come from different backgrounds and have different journeys in reaching our love of baseball.

      Thanks again.

      Go Cubs

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      • Armor and Sword
        The Lama
        • Sep 2010
        • 21793

        #33
        Re: The Magic of Baseball and What it Means to You?

        Originally posted by The Gamer
        Congratulations IC -

        Thanks Armor and Houston as well- I appreciate it brother. Thanks for running this contest. Its cool reading what my favorite sport means to so many of us here. So glad this community is here and your stream is available wgere we can discuss this gaming hobby and our love of this sport on all levels whether it's coaching and watching our kids play or watching our favorite teams. We're all a bunch of kindred spirits even though we all come from different backgrounds and have different journeys in reaching our love of baseball.

        Thanks again.

        Go Cubs

        Sent from my SM-S938U using Tapatalk

        I always enjoy our chats on the streams Gamer......you are an awesome human being.
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        • dragster646
          Rookie
          • Mar 2012
          • 412

          #34
          Re: The Magic of Baseball and What it Means to You?

          Hey guys, I just want to chime in as well.

          Baseball reminds me of so many things.

          I played tee ball when I was really young. I remember my dad being the pitcher/coach for a while, even though he never understood baseball. I remember standing on second base and swatting at gnats waiting for the chance to advance. And I remember quitting after my own teammate tackled me and wrestled the ball away from me in the outfield (I believe I was the right-center fielder at the time...good times). This had to be 'round '94/95.

          I faintly remember going to an Indians game during the first year of Jacobs Field (I can't remember if it was Albert Belle or Jim Thome that hit the home run but I wasn't a fan of the fireworks haha). I remember losing the '95 World Series but my only real memory was the Chop chant of the Braves fans...still haunts me to this day.

          One of my favorite memories is listening to Tom Hamilton, Herb Score and Mike Hegan call games on the radio during the summer. I would fall asleep with the windows open and the warm breeze coming in while I listened to those mid-late 90's Indians teams...boy what a time! I do remember losing the '97 World Series as well, although I don't actually remember watching the Jose Mesa melt down. I do remember being sad because my mom promised me I could miss school to go to the victory parade.

          From then on baseball always reminded me of the coming of spring and the warm weather. I always loved watching or listening to the game, but it never became my absolute favorite until probably around 2010/2011...when I really started focusing more on the tactics/strategies of pitching and hitting. Before, I just watched and enjoyed it...but when I really started focusing on the beauty of the game, the part that so many people miss, I realized that it was "MY game". A thinking man's game, a performance and a chess match. It was such a thrill to go to a game in 2016, during the Indians road to the playoffs, when the faced the Blue Jays and my dad got tickets from his buddy at work...behind home plate. Not RIGHT behind home plate, but close enough to see the pitches move and jump...to see the batters adjusting in the box. It was beautiful.

          I've also had family members who played the game. My grandpa made it to the low minors, but he passed away when I was only 10. He did try teaching my brother a knuckleball, but we were so young he could have been showing us anything and we'd be like SWEET KNUCKLEBALL! My dad's uncle also claimed to have played against Joe di Maggio in the minors, but that guy had so many stories that no one ever could figure out what was true and what was BS. But it's still good for a chuckle or two, for sure!

          In terms of video games...I played Ken Griffey baseball on the N64, some 2k2 on Dreamcast, MLB02 and 05 on XBox...and 2k11 on Xbox 360...but it wasn't until I started playing The Show that I really got hooked. In fact, my franchise on MLB 22 with the Nationals was the first time I completed an entire season, and I'm now four seasons deep into that rebuild. And yes, I haven't played in months because I got addicted to the mess that is FC25...but we're not here to discuss my new found love of soccer/football.

          Despite my recent lack of attention to The Show, I still love baseball more than any other sport, and I wish these next few weeks would hurry up because as nice as Spring Training is, nothing compares to Opening Day!
          Cleveland Guardians - MLB The Show 25
          Washington Nationals - MLB The Show 22
          Aston Villa - FC 25

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          • The Gamer
            Pro
            • Feb 2008
            • 828

            #35
            Re: The Magic of Baseball and What it Means to You?

            Thank you to Armor and Houston for the t-shirt

            Last edited by The Gamer; 03-11-2025, 06:09 PM.
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