Woo hoo! Can't wait until April 2nd and the opening of MLB with the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs. I'm not from Chicago, but I love the Cubs and love Wrigley Field. I do know the game is in Cincinnati.

I want to see the Cubs throw off the "curse of the goat" and win the series! This is one of the things I want to see happen before I die. Not that I'm old LOL, but hey, it's been soooooo long since they've even been in the series. I saw them win the National League East, but since then

I love them.

You know, as a cricket fan, I have to take "the most boring sport on earth" jibe a lot, but baseball...hmmmm...I once watched the St.Louis Cardinals play some team, I don't remember the visitors, at the Cardinals stadium, and I was bored to death, and I understand baseball and played it at school.
I'm not trying to rubbish yr love, cos I know tht's annoying, but is baseball a sport you need to get into young? Are there any converts in adulthood?.
I tell you what though, the way American teams change cities, all this naming rights business is very disturbing to aussies whose football teams etc are locked in to an area.
Too much money in US sports clearly.
Anyway, go the Cardinals..they are still the team I cheer for...

quote:

I'm not trying to rubbish yr love, cos I know tht's annoying, but is baseball a sport you need to get into young? Are there any converts in adulthood?.

I actually probably like to watch baseball more now than I did when I was younger. However, I'm not a huge baseball fan, and I only occasionally tune in. You're right - I don't think it's a very exciting sport. Going to the stadium is nice, though. Nice weather, all those great smells

quote:

I tell you what though, the way American teams change cities, all this naming rights business is very disturbing to aussies whose football teams etc are locked in to an area.
Too much money in US sports clearly

Americans are not thrilled about this either. It's awful for a town to lose its home team. You get situations like when the Colts left Baltimore - they claimed they weren't going to leave and then drove off in a fleat of trucks in the wee hours of the night. Pretty damn shady.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaelscoffin:
You know, as a cricket fan, I have to take "the most boring sport on earth" jibe a lot, but baseball...hmmmm...I once watched the St.Louis Cardinals play some team, I don't remember the visitors, at the Cardinals stadium, and I was bored to death, and I understand baseball and played it at school.
I'm not trying to rubbish yr love, cos I know tht's annoying, but is baseball a sport you need to get into young? Are there any converts in adulthood?.
I tell you what though, the way American teams change cities, all this naming rights business is very disturbing to aussies whose football teams etc are locked in to an area.
Too much money in US sports clearly.
Anyway, go the Cardinals..they are still the team I cheer for...

I don't think people necessarily need to get into it young, but I think it helps if people are interested in the strategy of the game. Every pitch is a whole new ball game.

I lived in England for a short time and I like criket as well as American baseball. I don't find either one boring. I could not stand American football until last fall and I still loathe basketball.

I like John Updike's writings on baseball.

I agree with you, the you until last fall, ha ha, that American "football" (football!! the foot barely touches the ball) sucks big time.
Basketball I can take or leave....

Question: Has baseball had any significant rule changes over the yrs which have altered the fundamentals?

I'm not an expert on the evolution of the rules, but I don't think there has been anything significant. Nothing that's changed the fundamentals. One of the things baseball enthusiasts like is that the game is similar to the one Abner Doubleday "invented" and though "The Knickerbocker Rules" are a bit archaic, I think most of them still apply.

In 1973, the Designated Hitter rule was adopted by the American League, but not the National League.

Most of the recent rules have had to do with safety.

But, as I said, though I know the rules today, I'm not an expert on their evolution.

Thanx for that s/s. I'm a bit of a sports nut...trivia and all that....

What's the designated hitter rule, if I may ask?

And how does that affect a final featuring teams from 2 different leagues with different rules??

I love sports, too.

The Designated Hitter Rule was adopted by the American League in 1973. Pitchers, with a few notable exceptions, are terrible hitters, and the Designated Hitter rule allows a team to substitute a DH for the pitcher when the pitcher is up at bat in the lineup. Because of this, the American League has an overall higher batting average than the National League.

The DH may not be currently playing a field position and he cannot be in the lineup. If he's subsequently placed in a field position, he forfeits his position as the DH.

The use of a DH changes the strategy of the game quite a bit and is hated by baseball purists. Some pitchers will deliberately walk a DH, especially if the DH is a power hitter and especially if there are men on base, in order to avoid a run.

The only time the American League would be playing the National League, of course, is during the All Star Game and the World Series (okay, I think those are the only times). During the World Series, the DH rule is in effect when the game is being played in an American League stadium, and it's not in effect when the game is being played in the National League stadium.

Personally, I wish they'd just abolish it.

Trivia: The very first DH was Ron Bloomberg of the New York Yankees, who faced pitcher Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox. Tiant made the decision to walk Bloomberg. LOL

Wow!! Cool thread. Who knew this was here?! No wonder some people rack up tons of quick posts, what with the "Favorite kind of Pie" forum and all.

Anyways, I am a huge sports nut too. I especially know a lot about baseball, football, soccer and basketball. With the start of the new season approaching us, I can't wait. I am a huge Yankees fan and have been for a long time--before wearing any kind of Yankees cap became the new "it" and before they became everyone's favorite team. I remember watching that game they played against the Mariners where Ken Griffey Jr. came sliding home and beat us, boy that was a long time ago and they were just starting to get good. I remember Derek Jeter getting there and he has always been my favorite. Everyone always said that Alex Rodrigues was the best shortstop in baseball and because of his equal fielding and batting perfection, arguably the best of all time. However, in my head, no one compared to Jeter and no one still does. I remember championships won with Joe Torre as manager, with seasoned veterans like Wade Boggs at 3B, Paul O'Neill in RF, Bernie Williams at CF, Jim Leyritz and Joe Girardi at Catcher, Darryl Strawberry sometimes at outfield, pitchers like David Cone, Jimmy Key, David Wells, closer John Wetland and the then set-up man, Mo Rivera. I remember Posada coming in, signing Clemens, getting Pettite (the first time,) Rivera becoming the best closer in baseball, Jeter just getting better and better, Chuck Knoblauch, Cecil Fielder, Scott Brosius--that special team chemistry. I remember the hated Red Sox finally getting better, Pedro Martinez and Clemens having classic duels where Martinez would cowardly throw at our heads and knocking Don Zimmer down. I remember losing to the Diamondbacks in 7 when Schilling and Johnson dominated back-to-back games. I remember losing game 7 on a Sunday and showing up to school on Monday with my Yankees jersey on and people looking and whispering, "I thought they lost?" and shuddering, "Why would he wear that if they got beat?" because I was proud of being a Yankee fan, a true fan. I remember when they signed huge names like Matsui, Giambi, Rodriguez, Damon, and recently Abreu but still possessed that team-grown talent like Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and now Cano on the team.

In short, I love the Yankees, have probably forgotten to mention great games and series like when they were down 2-0 in the ALDS against the A's after Mulder and Zito shut us down the first two games and coming back to win three in a row, or great players like Doc Gooden, Orlando Hernandez, Gary Sheffield and past bench coaches like Willie Randolph and Mel Stottlemeyre. In all, I hope they can rally, A-Rod can shut up the critics and detractors, Jeter can win his MVP which he so deserved last season, pitching can be solid, and the bats can hit when they need to to win a World Series.

P.S. Sorry for the juvenile writing, as I am sure this is filled with tons of mistakes. I wanted to get it in and write this before I went to bed, though it is 12:30AM here and I am half awake.

If it can't be the Cubs, then I want it to be the Yankees.

I agree with you that Jeter is the greatest shortstop of all time. He can do anything.

Do you remember David Wells' perfect game against the Twins? I know you do.

Remember all the "Strawberry signs" at the All Star Game during Strawberry's rookie year?

The Cubs and the Yankees. Baseball makes my life worthwhile.

Trivia (sort of): The Yankees are the only team in the Baseball Hall of Fame who are represented in every position. Aww, my poor Cubbies!

I do remember his perfect game, being carried off the field, waving his cap! Very cool! Thanks for reminding me. I have never met nor known a die-hard Cubs fan. I had always heard of them but never knew one. Now I do, so that's great. I like your trivia knowledge and I do also remember the Strawberry signs. I do love Jeter, he is just amazing, he plays good all of the time, all of the time. Heck, even Boston fans call him "Captain Intangible," that means something.

It is nice to meet you Sunplashed.

It's nice to meet you. As Tommy Lasorda kept reminding us during last year's series, our team may be out, but we're all baseball fans. So true.

Yes, I'm a die-hard Cubs fan. Doesn't matter how they play, we still love them and always will. I used to say a person couldn't call himself a real baseball fan until he/she saw a game at Wrigley Field in the afternoon, when baseball's supposed to be played. LOL

The Yankees have Jeter, but the Cubs had Sammy Sosa and Ryne Sandberg.

White flags only! (Non-baseball fans - this does NOT mean surrender!)

Trivia: No batted ball has ever hit the centerfield scoreboard at Wrigley Field, though two came close, a homer hit by Bill Nicholson and one hit by Roberto Clemente.

I follow baseball and I'm a big Blue Jays fan. Geographically I'm probably closer to 15 teams, but the Jays are Canada's team, and that's where my heart is. I'm not a stats machine with baseball like I am with hockey, but there's nothing better than watching the baseball game on a slow summer's day.

quote:

Originally posted by Fitz:
I follow baseball and I'm a big Blue Jays fan. Geographically I'm probably closer to 15 teams, but the Jays are Canada's team, and that's where my heart is. I'm not a stats machine with baseball like I am with hockey, but there's nothing better than watching the baseball game on a slow summer's day.

Me too Fitz. Jays are awesome. They have a great team this year, and I expect them to put a big push on for the Wild Card. Hopefully Dice-K will prove to be a bust so we only have to worry about the Yankees.

Regarding the DH Rule, the leagues do play each other every year for about 15-20% of the season, and they have for several seasons now. I'm a Dodgers fan first and an Angels fan second, but I'n not really big on the DH at all. The DH is sort of a two-edged sword. It allows starting pitchers to stay in the game longer, while enabling another good hitter to bat for your team, but I personally find that it does detract from baseball strategy. Others say that it increases offense, which makes the game more "entertaining", but I disagree.

Not that anybody wants to go back, but we've had baseball threads for each season since the forums opened, so if you want to look, you can check them.

I'm a Cubs fan, at least until September when they're out of the playoff race. Not to say that I ever stop rooting for them, but most Cub fans can probably relate that you kind of need a bit of a back-up for the postseason (usually whoever is playing the Yankees.)

I personally don't care for the DH that much, but I also don't think it makes that much of a difference really. Since '73 both leagues have won about the same number of World Series. I think the AL has like 3 or 4 title lead.

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Originally posted by less_success:
back-up for the postseason (usually whoever is playing the Yankees.)

Ah, a Yankee hater. This is not good!

The White Sox are my team(f*ck the Cubs!), but I hate the DH. The origin of it was not actually for the benefit of pitchers, but for aging sluggers. At the time the AL had a lot of older superstars and they wanted to try something that would prolong their careers. It started off as a one season experiment. Anyway, baseball is my favorite sport so I can talk for days, but I'll come back when the season starts.

Jays fan rist, Red Sox fan second.
Not necessarily a Marlins fan or a Mets fan, but if Dontrelle Willis or Pedro Martinez are pitching, and it's on TV, I will drop what I'm doing and watch it.

The season is way too long though.

I actually like the fact that the season is so long. 162 games gives everyone ample time to get healthy, fight through bad slumps (going 15-25 over 40 games won't kill you), and the really good teams--the ones that are for real--play the best at the end.

Everyone thought that The Mets were going to the World Series for sure, the long season wore them down and they crumbled, not too good huh? Same goes for the Red Sox, they were cocky and not playing good at all. The Yankees caught them, passed them, won the AL East again and the Red Sox didn't even make the post-season.