John Thorn Quotes on Baseball (10 Quotes)

One of the first lessons he or she learns is that in baseball anything, absolutely anything, can happen. Just two days ago as I write this, something happened that had never happened in baseball before.

Although the world proved not yet ready for the brotherhood of baseball, that would be only a matter of time, baseball magnates believed.

Baseball is the first of our national team sports. It is the game of memory from when we are children, not only in terms of learning how many home runs Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron hit, but in remembering the score of the game our dads first took us to or where we made that catch in center field that we still can't believe.

Baseball leaves a footprint of all its games on our minds in a way continuous-action sports can't.

Baseball presents a living heritage, a game poised between the powerful undertow of seasons past and the hope of next day, next week, next year.

For many in baseball September is a month of stark contrast with April, when everyone had dared to hope. If baseball is a lot like life, as pundits declare, it is because life is more about losing than winning.

Yes, we've seen it all before. And yes, those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it. But no, the sky is not falling - baseball is such a great game that neither the owners nor the players can kill it. After some necessary carnage, market forces will prevail.

Finally, for all of us but a lucky few, the dream of playing big-time baseball is relinquished so we can get on with grown-up things.

Baseball is in danger, everyone agrees. Player salaries are skyrocketing while revenues - and soon, perhaps, teams - are contracting.

Second place wouldn't be that important, except in this case second place is held by Babe Ruth, who is the central figure in baseball history. He is more like Paul Bunyan. He's a mythical figure. Passing Babe Ruth is a big deal, but not because he's in second place.