Here we go...And some background...

I love the game of baseball. I have had a strong affair with it for the last 4 years. Before that, it was a little crush, but in 2005, my love exploded. 2005 was the year the Chicago White Sox won the World Series.
Now, I will not abide by accusations of band-wagon hopping; I was a White Sox fan well before that magical summer, I just did not have the same appreciation for the game before that summer that I have had ever since. Yes, without question, the White Sox are my favorite team. I truly (and lamely) am in a better mood when they win than when they lose, regardless of what else has happened to me. I like to think that I'm a smarter baseball fan the more I watch the game, and have helped pass my time this summer by reading several books that examine the game and its evolving statistics (Moneyball is, for those interested, a great way to start, even though Billy Beane (despite his baseball acumen) is completely arrogant).
Baseball is a game unlike any other in the world. It's numbers (162, 755 [more on that one later], 2632) all mean something to fans all around the country (and increasingly, the world). It both proceeds and follows the history of the United States [a quick note, all statistics are courtesy of either baseballreference.com or mlb.com, unless otherwise noted]. And baseball fandom is not a uniquly Untied States phenomenon. Baseball passion runs hot in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Japan, China, Canada and Mexico. I hope that my love for the game, and the love that millions of people around the world have, will come through in this blog, but I will not be a meatball fan. While I don't totally (emphasis on 'totally') discount the idea of momentum and 'intangable' skills, as Vin Scully once said on WSCR's 670 The Score (a wonderful Chicago-area sports talk station), "Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher."
Follow along, comment, argue, be passionate about your teams and favorite players, but a word of warning: I will NOT tolerate any homophobia in comments or responses. Too easy is it to resort to the "You have that opinion and that makes you gay!" (read: stupid) response. In the words of Mike Singletary: cannot play with 'em. Can't do it. I won't put up with homophobia, so leave it at home (or for that matter racism, etc). Other than that, hope that I do this well and that you enjoy!