The Cincinnati Red Stockings played what many consider to be the very first professional baseball game on May 4, 1869. More than 150 years have come and gone since that first professional pitch was hurled toward that very first batter. When my British buddy Neville Jacob attended his very first MLB game, I not only had to explain many of the official rules of the game to him, but also share some of the unofficial baseball traditions we Americans take for granted.

For example, during the interval between halves of the seventh inning, it is a tradition for fans in the stands to rise and join in to sing a rousing rendition of ‘Take Me Out to the Ball game’. What may appear as quaint, or strange to others experiencing American baseball for the first time is a very important tradition to those of us whom take the game seriously.

Each ballpark may have its own traditions. Teams, even individual players, may adopt their own peculiar habits. One example often seen occurs when a pitcher, coming off the field at the end of an inning, will take a graceful hop to cross over the white chalk line purposely avoiding touching the line. Certain players from Latin American countries may make the sign of the cross or point to the heavens before they take their turn at batting. At Wrigley Field, home stadium for the Chicago Cubs, it is traditional for Cub fans sitting in the outfield bleachers to toss the baseball back onto the field after a visiting opponent hits a home run into their midst. The idea behind this gesture, is that Cub fans demonstrably reject opponents disrespecting their home field with a home run in their park!

Many of these traditions encountered at the ball fields are unspoken. Everyone may know these odd aspects and follow them unquestionably, but they are not cannon to the official rules of the sport. During the game Neville and I attended together, Neville experienced one of these unwritten ‘rules’. A lazy foul ball was hit into the stands directly toward Neville. Nimbly, Neville bare-handed the ball, surprising both of us. Neville was truly ecstatic! A young boy, sitting a few rows below us, looked back at Neville admiring his luck and dexterity at shagging the foul ball. I’m sure Neville had planned to return with the ball to Southampton with a great story to tell. But, spoiling his ‘fun’, I whispered that it was sort of traditional to offer the stray foul balls to young fans like the boy. Neville nodded and quickly did so without hesitation.

This incident is a reminder of how important it is to study and understand cultural traditions and customs when traveling in this great country. Or, indeed, the importance of respecting culture and traditions for all travel, everywhere. As visitors to other cultures, we all have a responsibility to learn, understand, and respect the culture of those people and places we visit. I remember one time visiting the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, some of our group set down on some marble blocks and unwrapped some snacks to eat. Our guide had to remind us that eating inside the temple was disrespectful, feeling admonished we quietly put our snacks away. This was a temple for a ‘mythological’ god no longer worshiped as once may have been. And yet, our faux pas was in not understanding the importance of that moment, that place, that precise time. And, as visitors, it was so important for us to comprehend and acknowledge just where we stood in the big picture.

By familiarizing ourselves with the cultural traditions of those places we visit, and respecting those traditions the local people value, we can connect with others in new and interesting ways. Neville connected with that young fan, a touching moment much more valuable than he may have realized in retaining that canvas baseball to take back to Southampton. When we were thumbing across Canada, we both encountered interesting new facts about what is important to Canadians that we chanced upon during our journey. Hopefully we both widened our knowledge of Canadian culture, history, and traditions.

As you read through this blog, we may point out some traditions, some cultural phenomenon we have encountered on our path. I hope we always do so with a deep and sincere respect for the values of those whom we encounter. If you catch us in error, in some faux pas of some type, please be sure to let us know in the comments section.

Cheers, nca

P.S. One time, as a young lad, I attended a pro-league game with my older brother. It might have been a spring training game, or minor league team. I certainly don’t remember that detail now. But what I do vividly remember was curiously asking the big where the umpire keeps all the spare baseballs he tosses out during the game. My brother answered sincerely that the umpire keeps the balls in a bin under home plate. My brother dutifully explained to me that the umpire carries a clicker that can open home plate so that the umpire can retrieve new balls between innings. For years, I stared intently at the umpire hoping to catch the umpire activate the hand-held mechanism and open home plate. I speak now of another great tradition, the one where big brothers dupe gullible siblings!! 😀 I’m sure many of you’ve experienced this at one time, oh please do share!