Agent Palmer

It’s almost time to “Play Ball!” And as a fan of not just the Baltimore Orioles but the game itself, I feel it’s time to address a few items before the first pitch is thrown, the first strike is called, and the first batter rounds first base.

It all stems from the changing, or more accurately, tweaking of the game because of rule changes, but I’m going to start by addressing some of the points from Rob Manfred’s letter to the fans, as the new Commissioner of Baseball, before I get into the changes themselves.

For some reason, February has been widely considered a wasteland in the American sports landscape. This is because most American sports fans look at February as a pause between the National Football League’s Super Bowl and Major League Baseball with a stopover in College Basketball for March Madness. But that is not the case, far from it. There is plenty of sport to go around in February for the American sports fan, even more for the worldly sports fan.

Below are 10 reasons February isn’t the sports wasteland that most seem to think it is. Because there are plenty of things for sports fans to get excited about.

Continuing on with the countdown from part one, we arrive at my top three great voices of baseball. In fairness, for most fans, it’s their local teams broadcasters that make the plays special.

But for me, as just a baseball fan, it’s not just the Orioles’ broadcasters, it’s the few classic guys that are left, too and of my top three only one is still on the broadcasting on the air (albeit in a limited capacity).

In the annals of baseball history there are great players and teams. There are championships, records, amazing plays and dramatic innings. But the guys that bring them to life with their voice, through our televisions and radios are just as important. This is the beginning of my top 10 great voices of baseball list.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a fan of the Baltimore Orioles but that doesn’t define my baseball fandom. I am a fan of the game.

Yesterday in the Ohio State v. Wisconsin football game, the head referee, in his explanation of overtime, described it as innings. It was one of the simplest and shortest explanations of overtime in college football I’ve ever witnessed.

We know that in college football’s overtime rules each team gets to play offense and defense at least once, so it is very easy to comprehend them as innings. But where does the word innings come from?