The Rick O'Dell link that Al posted in today's thread got me to thinking, why do I love baseball so much?  It also made me curious to hear why other people love the national past time and are as passionate about it as those on this site are.

It is hard to articulate why I love baseball so much.  I love baseball because to me, baseball is a feeling, its an emotion more than anything. To me, baseball is an experience.  Unlike football and many other sports, baseball is comforting.  It's not violent or dominated by trash talk and people trying to "show others up."   Understanding, analyzing, and thinking about the game as it proceeds makes it more enjoyable to watch and experience.

Watching baseball, thinking about baseball, talking about baseball makes me happy (despite the feelings I get whenever the Cubs lose).  Baseball means that spring and warmer weather are around the corner.  Most of all, baseball means being able to go to Wrigley Field and watch the Cubs play with thousands of other people equally as passionate about the sport.  Being a Cubs fan makes a difference because people love this team, they don't leave the stadium even though the Cubs are down three going into the bottom of the ninth.  There is a sense of camaraderie surrounding this team.  Hearing 40,000+ people all standing on their feet cheering and chanting "Fu-ku-do-me" gave me goosebumps as well and reminded me how much I love this game. 

Why do you love baseball?