March Madness: Why Baseball at Simmons Field is Better than the NCAA Basketball Tournament

There's more Madness in my head than in the NCAA Basketball Tourney

1) 5 Games in 5 Days!!!

Basketball offers you 49 games in these same 5 days. Problem is, you'll see about 5-10 minutes of each game. You can enjoy all 9 innings of every game this weekend. And, if you're lucky, they'll all go into extra innings!! (Let's play two!)

And you won't actually be there at those basketball games. Come down to Simmons Field and you can be a part of the action. You can yell at that TV all you want, but those refs aren't listening. At the ballpark, you can tell the home plate ump that his strike zone is more erratic than Britney Spears, and he hears you.

2) Get some Exercise!!! Get off your seats and on your feet!!!

Going to the ballpark is a great way to shed those extra pounds you added during the recent Global-Warming Deep Freeze. If you sit at home (or at your local non-smoking bar) watching basketball, the most exercise you'll get is getting up to go to the bathroom. Instead, you could be at Taylor Stadium getting a real workout:

- Park down at Reactor Field and climb the long hill up to "Johnny Hi"

- Stand up and heckle the visiting Billikens, Leathernecks, and Vikings. Do it often do it loud, do it long - a great aerobic workout.

- The 7th inning stretch: Don't just stand there and listen to the the greatest song in the world as it plays. Sing along, and do some real stretching (we used to have some Soccer girls who would do some real stretching during the 7th inning break -- worth the price of admission).

- Chase foul balls: Run up and down the stadium stairs, dodge cars in the parking lot, beat the Tiger redshirts that have been sent chasing balls.3. It's America's Pastime!!!

3) Five Reasons why Baseball is just better than Basketball:

- 206-118-2. That's MU Baseball's all-time record against Kansas. 93-164: MU Basketball vs. the Jayhawks

- Better seats. At Taylor Stadium, I can afford to sit as close to the field as I want - the equivalent of the high-rollers' seats at the Mizzou Arena. And it's certainly a better view than you'll get on the TV this weekend during the NCAA Tourney.

- Tiger Crew vs. Cheerleaders. The Tiger Crew (we still think of them as the Diamond Darlings) don't just bounce around and look good. These girls work (and look good)! They're bat and ball girls, they help the ground screw before the game and during breaks, they help with in-the-stands activities. "Hey, bat girl!"

- Baseball is a harder game to play. It must be. Look what happens to the top draft picks in each sport. Top draftees in basketball go straight to the NBA. Top baseball picks work their way up through the minors in order to prove themselves good enough to play in The Show.

- Better Uniforms. Sorry, but those baggy drawers on the basketball players just can't compete with the classic style of baseball uniforms. Take your girlfriend to the ballpark and ask her what she thinks of those tight pants the players are wearing.

4) The Tigers are playing

Sorry, but I had to say it. The place to be watch the Black & Gold in action this week is at the ballpark. Come watch a team that's been to their NCAA Tournament the past 4 straight years - and made it to the "Sweet 16" last year.