Take me down to the ball game

American sports are designed to raise blood pressure, through the means of fast food consumption, rivalry, and blatant yet pointless nationalism. The 3 big ones - nationalism, commercialism, and consumerism - are displayed with more to spare. It's disgusting.

Having said that, my first trip to a baseball game (Los Angeles Dodgers versus San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park - Giants won 3:1) was enjoyable. Like the ice hockey, however, once is enough.

Like the ice hockey, there was the junk food fest, the horrible commercialism, and the moronic chants. Unlike the hockey, the game was easy to follow and played at a nice pace (some 3 hours for the whole game); it was blistering hot; and people were there to chill out with their friends rather than shout and get red in the face. It was much more genteel than hockey, and loads better. At neither the baseball nor the hockey is the intention to get drunk and fights with the opposing fans - I can't even imagine that happening here. Rather, it's all about giving the kids a good time, eating, spending money, eating, and advertising. All of which are American Dreams.