Baseball: The Traditions of Men
As the collective attention of St. Louis shifts from Arlington, Texas to downtown St. Louis in accord with the locale of the World Series, I offer the following observation which is undeniably true even to the casual fan. Baseball is nothing if it is not traditional.
By that, I mean that baseball thrives upon its traditions which are neither commanded nor forbidden in the MLB rule book, but without which the game would be a shell of itself. There are pre-game traditions such as the ceremonial first pitch, the singing of the national anthem, and batting practice. There are traditions which take place within the course of the game such as the seventh inning stretch, the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during said stretch (that song gives way to “God Bless America” during the high festival of the World Series), and the particular traditions of each ballpark, including the launching of t-shirts from air cannons between certain innings. There are post-game traditions as well such as the victorious team congratulating one another in the vicinity of the pitching mound, the raucous celebration at the plate following a walk-off hit, and the champagne shower that follows the clinching of a post-season appearance, a League championship or a World Series championship.
Baseball’s traditions serve a variety of purposes, including the promotion of eschatological hope. Such hope is voiced in baseball as “Next year….” Clubs which are accustomed to losing anticipate that they too will one day enjoy the consummation of bliss with champagne corks flying, trusting that a mighty deliverer will arrive in the form of a free agent acquisition or a new manager at the helm.
Traditions also abound within Christianity and that is a good thing. Sure, just as there are good traditions, there are bad traditions. Even good traditions can be misused for bad purposes. Thus, Christ reproves the scribes and Pharisees for placing their traditions above the word of God (Matthew 15). His rebuke is not that they have traditions, but that they misuse them. And so the apostles exhort the faithful to live according to the sound traditions of Christianity (2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 11:2).
All humans have traditions because tradition binds us to other people which is part and parcel of being human. We cannot escape tradition because we cannot escape being human. Claims by those within and without the Church to be doing something non-traditional are void of accurate description. It may be that one tradition has been replaced by another tradition, but one thing is certain – tradition is found. Thoughtful Christians should identify the traditions which hold sway within their congregation and/or confessional body and then consider whether those traditions keep Christ at the center or move Him to the periphery. In short, what is driving the tradition? Are we doing what we’re doing simply because we like it and we can get away with it? Or are our traditions continually delivering Christ to us?
A significant part of the power of tradition lies in its ability to bind us together in the present by connecting us with those who have gone before us and assuring us that the coming generations will be connected to us via the same tradition. To be void of tradition is to be stuck in the present moment that passes so quickly that we are relegated to irrelevance. So all people are driven to tradition to bind us to one another in something that lasts beyond this passing moment. The only place that is free of tradition is hell for that is the only place where we are solitary and alone, unbound from one another.
