"Hey batter, batter..."

"Lemon Chill! Lemon Chill here!"

"Number twenty-two, number twenty-two, I'm lookin' at you!"

"If you turn to page 23 of your Dukes program and see starting pitcher Dan Henry's signature on the Arby's ad, you have just won two regular roast beef sandwiches from your neighborhood Arby's..." The thing about baseball, and I've said this many times, is that on a microcosmic scale, it imitates life. Baseball takes too long, there's not much action, and just when you think it's all over, it keeps going. But there are also amazing feats of athleticism, big time home runs and quicker than the naked eye pitches. And while the baseball game is going on, so is the rest of the action.

Since the late sixties, Albuquerque has had a Triple-A baseball team: the Albuquerque Dukes. After this baseball season, Albuquerque loses their franchise to Portland. The owner of the Dukes, who lives on the East Coast, decided it was best to sell. The leaders of the city here in Albuquerque (they are leaders, some of us voted them in--although no one seems to be raising their hand going "It was me!") decided to quickly put together a Baseball 2000 committee or something like that. They're on the hunt for another team to take the place of the Dukes. And, of course, they're pushing for a new stadium.

While the current Dukes Stadium--which rests on university land and also houses the college baseball team from time to time--is old (it's been here since the late 60s, too), it's not as disgusting and run down as everyone on the city council seems to think. We, as a country, don't seem to like old stuff anymore. Everything has to be brand spanking new or it's no good. Everyone rushes to buy cookie-cutter houses out in the suburbs, leaving the actual city to slowly fall to pieces. And every major sports franchise brings up the "our stadium sucks" card every time they get an offer to move somewhere. Sometimes the city antes up, sometimes it doesn't.

I've been going to Dukes games for about a decade now, and I've never thought "You know, this baseball game would be much better if they built a new stadium." Sometimes I've thought, "Why don't they have people selling beers to us in our seats?" but never that stadium question. The Duke Stadium is situated so the outfield opens onto a spectacular view of the Sandia Mountains (the most beautiful landmark of our city), and while the entire complex seems to be made of concrete blocks, it's still quaint and fun to watch a game in. What more do I want for my $5 ticket and $4 beer?

But the City of Albuquerque (this is the official part of the city) has spoken and attempts to get funding for a new stadium is underway. It reminds me a lot of the attempts last year to build a new arena downtown (the favored spot for the new baseball stadium as well) which seems to have hit the dust considering that there are two other arenas plus a convention center already in place.

I'm going to have to go see the Dukes a few times this year--much like I did last year. A few people have decided to boycott the team. They don't want to put any more money into the coffers of an owner who doesn't want to keep the team in town. Whatever.

Deep down, baseball isn't about money or spite or new stadiums or city councils. It's about throwing the ball, hitting the ball and catching the ball. It's about chatting up friends and drinking beer. It's about walking the isles in search of scantily-clad girls (or guys, if that's your thing). It's about cheesy mascots, stupid give-a-ways, women daredevils getting blown up in boxes and Elvis impersonators. It's about a cheap ticket to a long movie with no plot, but enough interesting side views to merit second, third and fourth viewings. And mostly it's about life. How the little things matter. Finger position switches a fast ball into a change-up. Hesitation turns a home run into a foul ball. And running out a bad hit turns a sure out into a two base error.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and I guess, sometimes you build a new stadium to play the good old game in.

Matt Worley isn't very good at playing baseball, but he can watch the living hell out of it.