One of baseball’s supposed greatest joys is the chance to see on any given night something that has never happened before. But I’ve always preferred a cousin of this idea—related, but different, a little twistier. What I love is the chance to see on any given night something that has happened before, just not for a very, very long time.
These historical ties have always been more enchanting to me than sheer novelty has. The game is constantly evolving; we know this, we can watch rule changes and box scores and shifts in roster construction to be reminded of how true this is. There is newness all around.
Which is what makes the opposite so charming. Sometimes, a game shows you something new, and sometimes, a game slips backward across a century and change and sees its reflection staring back at it.
