It will shortly be football season.  The great national obsession begins.  Whether the college or the pros, football has a grip unlike any other.  We're only too happy to oblige.
 
But before we drop everything, a word about baseball in these parts.   The golden years of the grand old game passed decades ago.  Baseball is too slow and complex.  It is behind the times, a relic held hostage by its history, its numbers and its aging fan base.  Debate the merits of the game of baseball and you find yourself sounding a lot like a soccer fan.
 
None of this is to suggest the baseball is without merit.  There is no better example of this than the 2010 Rochester Red Wings.  This is a team that can't get out of its own way.  They will become the fourth worst team in franchise history, and Rochester traces it back to the turn of the 20th century.
 
On Friday night the Wings gave up a five run 9th inning to lose to Pawtucket 6-5, and drew a crowd of 10,000.  On Saturday they were shutout by Chris Johnson of the Red Sox who carried a 4-13 record into the contest, their sixth straight loss, and drew 10,000 more.  Either we are being played for suckers, or there's something else going on out there. 
 
Without regard to the actual merits of the team, baseball manages to hold onto its place in our hearts because it does things no other sport can.  The ballpark is magical.  Ask the kids who attend any of the several camp days and always seem to know when to cheer.  The ballpark is a refuge   Ask the wheelchair crowd.  Those dealing with physical and emotional challenges have a second home at the game. The ballpark is an escape.  One of the regulars behind the first base dugout remembers sneaking off to Frontier Field while her husband was seriously ill.  It was the one and only place she found she could escape from her problems.
 
They cheer for a strikeout and a free taco.  A one run win becomes a car wash.  Larry passes out licorice sticks.  Roger never misses a game and always leaves by the sixth inning.  There's a Conehead vendor.  The mascot has a girlfgriend.  Dan has a smile and a handshake for everyone, and he's the boss.  You won't get that from the Bills Buddy Nix.
 
It isn't as much about the games as it is a comparison of the cultures.  The Buffalo Bills are a corporate giant and one of the country's most exclusive clubs, the National Football League.  They speak of expanding their marketing base.
 
The Rochester Red Wings are a civic treasure playing Minor League baseball in relative obscurity.  They strive to provide family entertainment.  Both have their place.  Both are essential.