There are certain things about baseball that everyone should understand beyond the general rules of the games and day to day musings. Let’s call them axioms. Ten axioms about baseball that you should all take to heart ahead of Opening Day 2013. Here they are, just for fun. Add your own if you’d like.

10. Saves are made up and don’t matter. Much like the points on Whose Line Is It Anyway? Actually, exactly like that. Weird.

9. Playing the infield in is a bad idea in all circumstances unless it is the 9^th inning and the winning run is on third base. Maybe you could talk me into the bottom of the 8^th, but that’s my line in the sand. No further.

8. Pitcher’s duels are better than slugfests.

7. On Base Percentage (OBP) is better than Batting Average (AVG) in every way. There is really no reason for it to be displayed with any less prominence. Walks are not outs in disguise.

6. Sabermetrics are not for nerds who live in their mothers’ basements. They provide additional and often better information than traditional statistics. You don’t have to like them all, but when you dismiss them entirely rather than dismissing individual ones, you have sent the message that you would like to know less about baseball. Why would you want to know less about baseball?

5. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, better in sports than a position player getting called on to pitch.

4. Except maybe the even rarer occasion in which a pitcher is called on to play the field.

3. You can’t predict baseball. (There is even a Twitter account to back me up –  @cantpredictball)

2. Actually, you often can. (@canpredictball)

1. Watching your team lose a baseball game is the second best way to spend your time. Right after watching your team win a baseball game.

Did we miss any axioms? Which is your favorite? Hopefully #5!