MLB 2K10 - a love letter, a decade in the writing - Effectively_wild's Blog

Effectively_wild's Blog

MLB 2K10 - a love letter, a decade in the writing

Posted on September 7, 2022 at 11:01 AM.

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Part I.
I'd like to take you back in time. May 2010.
At the time I was in my twenties. I was sitting in my living room having my hair cut and I turned on the TV as I usually did so that I didn't have to engage in too much mindless small talk with my hairdresser. We would usually watch a game or watch the sports news. That way we could both pass the time and my social awkwardness could stay repressed and hidden in amongst whatever small sport tradegy and triumph was playing out in beautiful pixel perfect HD.
On this particular day, what I turn on is an Indians game.

Being from the UK and being heavily into US sports from my early years, I knew what baseball was. I'd seen highlights. I was aware that 'it' was a 'thing'...Not a thing that mattered to me but I was aware of it in a nebulous kind of way. The same kind of way you know man has been to the moon...you know about it but it's inconsequential to daily life and not something you ever really think about.
On that particular day in May 2010 though, that all changed.
As I sat there, just wanting to pass the time and hoping my haircut would come out vaguely as I wanted it to(Dallas Green from Alexisonfire anyone?), I was transfixed on the screen where this one guy was pitching a ball at an incredible speed over a white plate, faced by another guy who was trying to hit this thing with all his might.
I watched guys get hits and walks and I watched as little base lights lit up on the scoreboard. I watched guys make outs and I saw the little number of outs lights light up on the scoreboard as well.
At this time, I didn't understand the rules or what this all meant in any meaningful way.
I was a caveman, looking at fire for the first time. I knew that what I was seeing was changing my life but I didn't comprehend what this meant.
Soon enough though, over the course of that hour sat there watching these plate battles play out, I started to understand aspects of what I was seeing. I was hooked.
From that moment on, baseball became not only my favourite sport but also the single biggest pursuit in my life.

In part II I'll explain how MLB 2K10 came into my life and in subsequent posts how it is still present over ten years later.