[rocker]

When our boys lost last night.... But I suppoz as long as we win the rest of the games... We are all good........ Go Red Sox.......

See, this is what's going to make it super exciting... When each team wins 3 games...

[beet]

they should keep shaving
baseball sux 2 boring
i can watch b-ball f=ball hocky
no baseball foe dee beet
like watching grass grow

[rocker]

Beet,

Hockey and Football...... Baseball (cheap excuse to drink alot the week before vacation) Basketball and Baseball are very boring. Baseball is a little more exciting than Basketball(not much more exciting but a little)

The only sport that I will ever sit down and actually watch (and only when it's like down to the last few games (i.e. Superbowl)) is Football.

That's the only sport that actually manages to "grip" me in front of the TV...

I tuned into game 1 the other night, and was flat out bored after about 5 minutes of watching the pitcher look left.... look right... look up.... nod... nod again.... then pitch a "ball", for which the process then repeats, ad nauseum.

I may turn into the splitting make-or-break 3/3 game just for the tension factor.

[Stoneman]

Not a slight on anyone. But I usually find that those that don't like to watch baseball are usually people that didn't play it all that much...

I like to watch it 'cuz I can put myself in every situation I see. Kinda like my own little commentating. Guessing what pitch is coming next (depends on the count, the score, runners on, batter's weaknesses/strengths, pitcher's weaknesses/strengths, ballpark, pitch count, batter's count etc...), when a runner is gonna steal, when a batter is gonna bunt. I try to pick up their signals (catcher to pitcher), I remember how certain batters were pitched and how they handled it. Is he a pull hitter or does he go to the opposite field? Is he a sucker the high heat or does he like 'em low & away? Everything, I pick it all apart. I can watch it 24/7, any teams-any time. Doesn't matter to me...

That being said, I'd hafta say hockey is my fave to watch on TV. As much as I enjoy the pure brutality associated with it, the finesse and power and control they have on skates is amazing. Now we just gotta get Fox to stop using that damn colored streamer they put on the puck!

Football? Who doesn't like watching it?

Just to give you an idea of how long it has been since I last watched Baseball, during game 1, when they would replay a pitch in slow motion where you could see the stiches on the ball, I was like "Wow, is this new, or have they been doing it for a while?"

[LatinRider]

Football? Who doesn't like watching it? [/b][/quote]

Actually...ummm...I don't....well not really...
I grew up watching soccer (you know what the REST of the world calls futbol?) and playing baseball (yes I was the catcher for The Ercisson Vikings....1982 champions...oh the memories.....), hence the reason I LOVE Baseball and when the Brazilian team won the World Cup, I was dancing samba on the streets of Allston at 9AM on a sunday
Soooooo it's not that I DON'T like football...I just don't understand it too well. Even though I attended an American High School, we never had a team (no one to play with), so I guess the lack of knowledge is what I have to blame.
I understand the basics, but I just can't get excited about it

[benVFR]

You want to hear weird...

My roommate thought they used the same pitcher every day. He's got no idea about anything beyond the basic rules, no idea what E.R.A is, etc..

Talk about a disturbed childhood. Everyone needs to watch/play a little baseball when they are a kid, even if you are more into other sports.

Ben

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
Just to give you an idea of how long it has been since I last watched Baseball, during game 1, when they would replay a pitch in slow motion where you could see the stiches on the ball, I was like "Wow, is this new, or have they been doing it for a while?"

HA!!! Knuckleballers are a rarity, pretty much. The danger of the knuckleball is either you're on or you're off. There's really no in between. If your knuckleball's working, you're almost untouchable (mostly pop-ups and weak ground balls). But if it's not working, it'll make for a very long day. A good knuckleball pitcher is hard to come by these days of the 'juiced' ball...

There's an old saying about knuckleballers (let's see if I remember it correctly): A knuckleballer can throw a 200 pitch complete game. But if he throws 'em all in the first inning, he's in trouble...

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by benSV
You want to hear weird...

My roommate thought they used the same pitcher every day. He's got no idea about anything beyond the basic rules, no idea what E.R.A is, etc..

Talk about a disturbed childhood. Everyone needs to watch/play a little baseball when they are a kid, even if you are more into other sports.

Ben

You don't need to know the rules to play baseball as a kid. We played plenty of neighborhood stickball, but I'll admit I still don't know what an ERA is either, it's something to do with the pitcher right? Like errors recorded average, or something?

Originally posted by Honclfibr
You don't need to know the rules to play baseball as a kid. We played plenty of neighborhood stickball, but I'll admit I still don't know what an ERA is either, it's something to do with the pitcher right? Like errors recorded average, or something?

I believe it's something like "Earned Runs Average", which touches off another tangent: Baseball has a very high statistical component it seems. While watching game 1, I saw something amongst the lines of:

"35 hits and 35 (something or other) in two consecutive seasons has only been accomplished once since 19XX..."

And I know for a fact that there are HUGE book with nothing but baseball stats cut up in infinite ways.

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
And I know for a fact that there are HUGE book with nothing but baseball stats cut up in infinite ways.

Ah yes....the Baseball Encyclopedia. Another great publication my wife updates for me every few years. My bible...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
"35 hits and 35 (something or other) in two consecutive seasons has only been accomplished once since 19XX..."

Not sure exactly what you're talking about. But 35 homeruns and 35 steals each, in consecutive years is quite a feat in the big leagues...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
I believe it's something like "Earned Runs Average",

ERA = earned run average. Now let's see if I can get this right...

earned runs (divided by) innings pitched (times) nine = ERA

Example: If you pitched a complete game (nine innings), and gave up 2 runs, your ERA would be 1.99

Originally posted by Stoneman
Not sure exactly what you're talking about. But 35 homeruns and 35 steals each, in consecutive years is quite a feat in the big leagues...

That stuff isn't too bad actually, gives you ammo to sit around and argue about, plus I'm sure you always discover things like, "Hey, I didn't know so-and-so had the same number of RBI's back in '32 as so-and-so in '90, yet so-and-so weighs 130 while so-and-so weighed 200lbs, so I guess weight doesn't make a difference in RBI's..."

Originally posted by Stoneman
ERA = earned run average. Now let's see if I can get this right...

earned runs (divided by) innings pitched (times) nine = ERA

What's defined as an "earned" run?

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid


What's defined as an "earned" run?

If a pitcher is 'responsible' for runners that score, he gets charged with an earned run...

Using last night's game as an example: Lowe left 2 runners on base when he was taken out. Arroyo gave up the three run home run when he came in. Lowe got 'charged' with the 3 runs 'cuz HE was the one that put 'em on base AND he's also responsible for the first batter the reliever faces...

[rocker]

Originally posted by Stoneman
ERA = earned run average. Now let's see if I can get this right...

earned runs (divided by) innings pitched (times) nine = ERA

Example: If you pitched a complete game (nine innings), and gave up 2 runs, your ERA would be 1.99

Cut it out kids I refuse to think when I am going on vacation.. especially when I leave here in 40mins not that I am counting...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
That stuff isn't too bad actually, gives you ammo to sit around and argue about, plus I'm sure you always discover things like, "Hey, I didn't know so-and-so had the same number of RBI's back in '32 as so-and-so in '90, yet so-and-so weighs 130 while so-and-so weighed 200lbs, so I guess weight doesn't make a difference in RBI's..."

Bwaaaaa haaaaa haaaaaa!!!

Yip. Us diehard ball fans can get pretty pathetic, I'll admit...

Originally posted by Stoneman
If a pitcher is 'responsible' for runners that score, he gets charged with an earned run...

Using last night's game as an example: Lowe left 2 runners on base when he was taken out. Arroyo gave up the three run home run when he came in. Lowe got 'charged' with the 3 runs 'cuz HE was the one that put 'em on base AND he's also responsible for the first batter the reliever faces...

Wooooooow!

I wonder when they implemented the "responsible for the first batter the reliever faces" aspect?

So basically, if you're pitching (and even if you're not in some cases), AND YOU put runners on base, AND the runners YOU put on base score, you get 'charged'....

Nice... Learn something new everyday!

[Stoneman]

I wonder when they implemented the "responsible for the first batter the reliever faces" aspect?

Actually, it's only when the reliever comes in, in the middle of an inning. If the previous pitcher was 'doing his job', he woulda gotten himself outta the inning. SO HE gets charged for the first batter in that instance...

So basically, if you're pitching (and even if you're not in some cases), AND YOU put runners on base, AND the runners YOU put on base score, you get 'charged'....

Correct. It adds to your 'ERA'...

Originally posted by Stoneman
Actually, it's only when the reliever comes in, in the middle of an inning. If the previous pitcher was 'doing his job', he woulda gotten himself outta the inning. SO HE gets charged for the first batter in that instance...


Correct. It adds to your 'ERA'...

Not bad, not bad... I find myself strangely amused and intrigued by all this...

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
Not bad, not bad... I find myself strangely amused and intrigued by all this...

What else ya need to know, son?

Originally posted by Stoneman
What else ya need to know, son?

OOOH OOOH (Arnold Horschak-esque)!!

Ok, I've ALWAYS wanted to know this:

What are the signals the catcher makes with his fingers as he's crouching? Are those signals: 1. Universal and 2. Is he giving pitching "suggestions", thus the 'yes/no' nods by the pitcher?