America's Favorite Pastime

[HostDave]

By Christopher Kyte, President

There is something I truly love about tradition. I’m drawn to the timelessness that has survived all the vagaries of taste, style and trends through the decades and yet still has relevance today. The American Queen herself, although a 1995 creation, is timeless. So much effort and creativity was expended in her design to make her true in every detail to the great steamboats of the late 1800s. She is almost part of another world when you see her for the first time gliding along the river under the silvery light of a perfect moon.

Likewise, I’m drawn to the feeling that baseball stirs in all of us. America’s favorite pastime has survived two world wars, scandals, night games, the designated hitter rule, steroids, Jumbotrons and polyester uniforms. I love the fact that anyone with a bat and a ball and field with enough room to run can play the game. The names of the great players are a rallying cry to another era. Cy Young. Babe Ruth. Ty Cobb. Roger Maris. Jackie Robinson.

Even the names of teams spark emotion and nostalgia. Think of the New York Yankees and you think of a dynasty. Mention the White Sox and the infamous black sox scandal of 1919 still bubbles below the surface. The Cubs go hand-in-hand with loyalty and futility. Despite World Series wins, the Boston Red Sox conjures memories of the ball that rolled between Bill Buckner’s legs one harsh autumn years ago.

And, of course, there are the ballparks. Many are gone now but their memories live on. The Polo Grounds and the original Yankee Stadium, to name just two. In some cases the actual fields have survived. Though partially covered with new housing, Kansas City’s old Municipal Stadium at 22nd and Brooklyn is still an open field home to a neighborhood sandlot game or two. In a couple notable cases, Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway Park, not only are the stadiums still standing and hosting baseball games, they’ve resisted the corporate naming frenzy that has swept all of sports.

The game is so transcendent that the teams themselves maintain their identities even on the rare occasions (in baseball) when they switch cities. The Braves have lived through tenures in Boston and Milwaukee before arriving in Atlanta. The A’s were the working man’s club in Philadelphia before settling in Kansas City as the first team west of the Mississippi River and then, eventually, moving on to Oakland. The Dodgers are as loved for their origins in Brooklyn as they are for their flashy identity in Los Angeles.

Baseball’s roots are deep. The Cincinnati Reds have been around since 1882 and the Chicago Cubs started (ironically) as the White Stockings in 1870. A host of clubs, such as the Detroit Tigers, have been around since 1901.

Baseball itself is an American invention but with decidedly European roots. As far back as the 14th century the French were knocking balls about with sticks. Rounders, a British and Irish staple, is often credited with being the origins of the game of baseball. A triangular field with a slab of wood and a ball made its appearance in 1744. Variations of the idea, often called town-ball, round-ball or even base-ball, appeared in America in the 1830. Sadly, the idea that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, NY in 1839 has been shown to be incorrect. The first official baseball game as we know it came in 1846 when the New York Nine beat the New York Knickerbockers in, interestingly, New Jersey.

Tradition runs deep with baseball and that’s one of the reasons it seemed so natural to offer a Baseball Legends Themeboating vacation. All our 2013 voyages are themed and we know our baseball trips will be a favorite. You can rub elbows with some of the brightest luminaries and legends of the baseball world. There will be engaging lectures, photo and autograph opportunities, ball-signing sessions and of course, in true Steamboating fashion, plenty of chances for great conversation, insight and story-swapping. Not only will you be joined by legendary players, you might also find yourself in the company of umpires, coaches and memorabilia experts.

Join us next year on a 7-day voyage from St. Louis to Cincinnati on July 19 or Cincinnati to Pittsburgh on July 26 and combine two great traditions, Steamboating and baseball, into one!