Baseball: The Verdict

[Starry]

Baseball is right up there with Hockey (of the Ice variety), Football and CFL as one of my favourite sports-but then I didn't dismiss it as crap simply because it was American and initially I didn't understand it. Slight advantage of living in Canada and seeing The Blue Jays play from day 1 of the franchise.

Get yourself in front of a pitching machine set to medium speed, try and hit the ball straight-then tell us it's rounders. After that, try hitting a few from a real life pitcher who's half decent and you'll quickly drop the rounders nonsense.

absolutely. they are starting baseball as one of the PE modules at our kids school from next year, they had a vote and it was between about 5 sports and baseball won by a landslide which surprised me given it was the kids voting and i don't know many pre-teens who really know much about it.

we're cubs fans.

 

[Simster]

Love it - I'm a big fan of RANDY JOHNSON

I watched him take apart my Blue Jays as far back as 1993 when he was playing for the rather shit Seattle Mariners. Toronto won the World Series that year, and in that game I think they managed about two hits between them over for 6 innings he pitched. Quality player.

 

[Simster]

Baseball is right up there with Hockey (of the Ice variety), Football and CFL as one of my favourite sports-but then I didn't dismiss it as crap simply because it was American and initially I didn't understand it. Slight advantage of living in Canada and seeing The Blue Jays play from day 1 of the franchise.

Get yourself in front of a pitching machine set to medium speed, try and hit the ball straight-then tell us it's rounders. After that, try hitting a few from a real life pitcher who's half decent and you'll quickly drop the rounders nonsense.

CFL is complete shit. FACTOID. The standard is so poor that, for years, the Grey Cup was basically won by whichever team was paying for Doug Flutie as their quarterback. And Flutie was a third choice QB at Buffalo when he finally "made it".

 

[Barry Izbak]

I'm delighted to see there are so many baseball fans on here.

Pre season I had meant to offer you the chance to win free money as the St Louis Cardinals were evens to win 77 games or more. I lumped on and they already lead the NL(C) 7-2

The end of the football season is tempered for me by the start of the baseball season. I'm looking at a trip to Shea to see the Redbirds play the Mets in July. Let's get this disappointing Albion season out the way and get out there.

For those who denigrate the game as "just like rounders", I would just say "Did you not like playing rounders when you were a kid?" I did. Baseball is much tougher. Try fielding a hard line drive, even with a leather glove and firing it to first base in less than ten seconds.

The batting cage is a great shout if ever you are out in the States. But its nothing compared to watching the pitchers warm up in the bullpen.

Two years ago when I last went to St Louis, I went with my daughter for six games and one night we sat out in the bleachers and watched St Louis ace Adam Wainwright at close quarters. Just totally awesome.

Go Cards!

 

[Easy 10]

Baseball is absolutely FANTASTIC..............














..........on the Wii

 

[Nemesis]

CFL is complete shit. FACTOID. The standard is so poor that, for years, the Grey Cup was basically won by whichever team was paying for Doug Flutie as their quarterback. And Flutie was a third choice QB at Buffalo when he finally "made it".

Oi...I used to have Argos season tickets!

I enjoyed the day out and it was great seeing American visitors totally baffled by the bigger field, only thre downs and an extra man. For that alone it's great to have the CFL.

 

[twickers]

The Poll is flawed, why isn't there an option that says 'Great sport, better than Cricket'?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I used to play for my school team in Newport, where it was the summer sport of choice.

Welsh baseball now seems to be on the decline, which is a shame.

BBC - South East Wales Sport - Baseball

As can be seen from the picture, the bats are different in the game I know - to say nothing of the kit.

And the rules ...

Differences between the British and American games
The sport differs in a number of ways from the internationally known game of baseball.
Delivery of the ball - The ball is thrown underarm and known (as in cricket) as bowling.
Number of Players - There are 11 players in a team with no substitutions allowed.
Number of Innings - Each team has 2 innings. An innings ends when all 11 players are either dismissed or stranded on base.
Bases – the bases are poles rather than cushions
Bat – the bat has a flat striking surface
The Scoring System - In British baseball a player scores a run for every base he reaches after hitting the ball. He or she will not subsequently score when moving around the bases on another player's hit. The equivalent of a home run scores four runs. As in cricket a bonus run can be awarded for excessively-wide deliveries.
Despite these similarities with cricket the game is much more like baseball in style and operates on a near identical, but smaller, diamond.

 

[Nemesis]

The Poll is flawed, why isn't there an option that says 'Great sport, better than Cricket'?

I thought the same...

 

[twickers]

I'm delighted to see there are so many baseball fans on here.

Pre season I had meant to offer you the chance to win free money as the St Louis Cardinals were evens to win 77 games or more. I lumped on and they already lead the NL(C) 7-2

The end of the football season is tempered for me by the start of the baseball season. I'm looking at a trip to Shea to see the Redbirds play the Mets in July. Let's get this disappointing Albion season out the way and get out there.

For those who denigrate the game as "just like rounders", I would just say "Did you not like playing rounders when you were a kid?" I did. Baseball is much tougher. Try fielding a hard line drive, even with a leather glove and firing it to first base in less than ten seconds.

The batting cage is a great shout if ever you are out in the States. But its nothing compared to watching the pitchers warm up in the bullpen.

Two years ago when I last went to St Louis, I went with my daughter for six games and one night we sat out in the bleachers and watched St Louis ace Adam Wainwright at close quarters. Just totally awesome.

Go Cards!

Bloody rounders, I'm with you. Saying it's like rounders is an insult. I've sat catching a 90+MPH ball from a NY Yankee pitcher trialist and I can tell you the gusset of my pants was not dry at the end of it.

 

[Scotty Mac]

you don't see anyone in rounders - or not many in cricket for that matter - being able to throw a ball the length of a pitch directly into a glove so that the person does not have to move either

its such a skilled sport

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The gsme itself is shit IMHO. But tremendous fun for watching the Americans at play, whether it be seven-and-stretch, the dot racing, the giant buckets o'fries they guzzle or the fact you can phone up from yer moby while you're watching the game, order tickets for the next game, and somebody will come and deliver them to your seat, right there, right then

 

[Djmiles]

you don't see anyone in rounders - or not many in cricket for that matter - being able to throw a ball the length of a pitch directly into a glove so that the person does not have to move either

its such a skilled sport

And throwing a smaller ball from twice the distance at 3 stumps isn't skilled?

 

[Scotty Mac]

And throwing a smaller ball from twice the distance at 3 stumps isn't skilled?

it is very rare somebody managed to throw a cricket ball from the boundary rope and knock the bails OFF - although i do remember MUSHY coming mighty close once against surrey a few years ago

 

[Djmiles]

it is very rare somebody managed to throw a cricket ball from the boundary rope and knock the bails OFF - although i do remember MUSHY coming mighty close once against surrey a few years ago

True, but you often see the ball hitting the stumps when fielders are 20 yards away (the same as a pitcher in baseball). Fielders throwing at the stumps are under a lot more pressure than pitchers who have time to place the ball perfectly!

 

[Scotty Mac]

True, but you often see the ball hitting the stumps when fielders are 20 yards away (the same as a pitcher in baseball). Fielders throwing at the stumps are under a lot more pressure than pitchers who have time to place the ball perfectly!

i was thinking more of when one of the fielders gets the ball and LAUNCHES it to one of the bases. when they pick up a grounded ball, dive off the ground and lob when in mid air is FLAIRTASTIC

 

[Nemesis]

And throwing a smaller ball from twice the distance at 3 stumps isn't skilled?

Isn't a baseball smaller than a cricket ball?

 

[Djmiles]

Isn't a baseball smaller than a cricket ball?

By the looks of it a cricket ball is just a bit smaller than a baseball, may be wrong though.

Edit: By around half an inch apparently

 

[Nemesis]

By the looks of it a cricket ball is just a bit smaller than a baseball, may be wrong though.

Edit: By around half an inch apparently

By definition, a baseball is "9 to 9.25 inches in circumference

For men's cricket, the ball must weigh between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (155.9 and 163.0 g) and measure between 8 13/16 and 9 in

baseball-slightly bigger.

 

[SeagullTim]

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Could a baseball player do that, aiming at one stump, I highly doubt it.