Play ball!

It’s such a simple game: throw the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball.

But it’s such a complicated game.

It’s a team sport, but the outcome of each game can be determined by a single player. One game might center on the 60 feet, six inches that separate the pitcher from the batter. The next, on the play in the field.

All infields are identical. All outfields are different. Some ballparks are hitters’ parks. Some are pitchers’ parks. In one league, the pitcher hits. In the other, he doesn’t.

There’s no clock. Every game lasts a minimum of nine innings but there’s no maximum. The season is the longest in sports by far, so more teams have a chance of making the postseason deeper into the regular season.

A team’s payroll is critical, except when it isn’t. One ump is generous with his strike zone. Another isn’t. In some parks, the weather can be a big factor. In other parks, the weather never changes.

In my hometown, Fenway Park was built in 1912. Here, Chase Field was built in 1998.

Maybe this year it’ll be my Red Sox and my Diamondbacks in the World Series. Hey! It’s April, it’s baseball and anything is possible. The Red Sox are leading their division, and the Diamondbacks are leading theirs!