La Salle Professor: 'Baseball Is Embedded In American History'
By Gary R'nel
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Gary R'Nel talked with La Salle History Professor, John Rossi, on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about the history of baseball in America and about his take on the Phillies 2015 season.
Rossi said baseball's Opening Day festivities are still something that is unrivaled across the country.
"Baseball is so embedded in American history and American culture in a way that no other sport is that things like this ring truer. If you see the same kind of thing in other sports, it doesn't have the same sense of reality about it. Maybe it's because when you go to a ball game, you're looking at something that really hasn't changed in 100 years or so."
He believes baseball's longevity at the top of American culture is the consistency the game has adhered to over time.
"It's amazing. If you were transported back in time to a baseball game in 1885, it would look pretty much the same as the game today. There would be obvious differences, but you'd know exactly what was going on. You wouldn't [have to have] something explained to you. The game hasn't changed dramatically."
Despite his feelings for the majesty of baseball, after the Phillies' struggles on this opening day, Rossi thinks they are in for long and rocky season.
"This is a bad opening for a team that is probably going to struggle the whole year. If it keeps up like this, that's going to be an empty ball park come the end of May or June."