Seinfeld says he moved away from the sport when he became immersed in the life of a nightclub comic, but came back to it in the mid-80s when he realised he could relate his life as a comic much more to baseball than to other sports.
“The life of a stand-up comic is very similar to that of a baseball player,” Seinfeld told Simon. “You perform on this 85 to 93 percent level on a daily basis. You can’t give 100 because you’ve gotta do it every day. When you’re that road comic and doing it twice a night or three times a night, the obvious analogy to the season of a baseball player … Bob Costas [during a recent interview] said Michael Jordan never stepped on the court and went 0-for-20, that Tom Brady never stepped on the field and didn’t complete a pass. But that happens to guys like [Clayton] Kershaw and [Mike] Trout all the time … That brutality, as a comedian, I can relate to that, because stand-up comedy is brutal that way.”
Now, Seinfeld says he is “completely absorbed by every pitch.” In fact, he doesn’t really like the suite he sits in during Mets games because other people want to socialise while he prefers to concentrate on the game.
He even has a new joke that explains what he wants to do when he retires.
“I turned 60 this year and people around that age make a bucket list. I made a bucket list turned the ‘b’ to an ‘f’ and was done with it. If you want to kite surf down the Amazon, go ahead. I’m going to crack open a beer and watch a ballgame. When I think of retirement, all I would think of is going to a baseball game every day.”
Jerry Seinfeld on the link between baseball and comedy
JERRY SEINFELD IS a huge fan of baseball and the New York Mets, often seen at games and rarely seen off-camera without his Mets cap.
He recently sat down for a Q&A with Mark Simon of ESPN.com and explained his obsession with the sport that dates back to his childhood even though he never played on an organised team.
Seinfeld says he moved away from the sport when he became immersed in the life of a nightclub comic, but came back to it in the mid-80s when he realised he could relate his life as a comic much more to baseball than to other sports.
“The life of a stand-up comic is very similar to that of a baseball player,” Seinfeld told Simon. “You perform on this 85 to 93 percent level on a daily basis. You can’t give 100 because you’ve gotta do it every day. When you’re that road comic and doing it twice a night or three times a night, the obvious analogy to the season of a baseball player … Bob Costas [during a recent interview] said Michael Jordan never stepped on the court and went 0-for-20, that Tom Brady never stepped on the field and didn’t complete a pass. But that happens to guys like [Clayton] Kershaw and [Mike] Trout all the time … That brutality, as a comedian, I can relate to that, because stand-up comedy is brutal that way.”
Now, Seinfeld says he is “completely absorbed by every pitch.” In fact, he doesn’t really like the suite he sits in during Mets games because other people want to socialise while he prefers to concentrate on the game.
He even has a new joke that explains what he wants to do when he retires.
“I turned 60 this year and people around that age make a bucket list. I made a bucket list turned the ‘b’ to an ‘f’ and was done with it. If you want to kite surf down the Amazon, go ahead. I’m going to crack open a beer and watch a ballgame. When I think of retirement, all I would think of is going to a baseball game every day.”
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