Idiot's Guide to Baseball

[DungBeetle]

Do the pitchers have specialisms like bowlers in cricket.  Obviously they all will have slower balls, but are there dedicated curve ball pitchers for example?

[DungBeetle]

Do they have college baseball like basketball and NFL?  If not does this mean that baseball is the working man's sport like football in the UK whereas the university jocks play NFL?

[DungBeetle]

Top of the xth & bottom of the xth mean.........

I think I know this one   top mean first innings, so bottom of the 6th means the team batting second is in their 6th innings and the team batting first has used up their innings?

[DungBeetle]

Is anyone else worried about getting into watching yet another sport?  I can barely find the spare hours to do productive things as it is!

[redarmi]

Do they have college baseball like basketball and NFL?  If not does this mean that baseball is the working man's sport like football in the UK whereas the university jocks play NFL?

There is college baseball and there is a draft the same as in basketball, football and hockey but players are more likely to enter the pro game early or from high school because there is an established minor league system a bit more like football where each team trains it younger players and gives them game experience.

[redarmi]

How many games in a season, & what dates does the season start & end on, roughly?

162 regular season games.  Starts end of March through the end of September.  Playoffs in October.

[tikay]

How many games in a season, & what dates does the season start & end on, roughly?

162 regular season games.  Starts end of March through the end of September.  Playoffs in October.

162?

Jeez, they must play 5 nights a week!

The travel fatigue must come into the betting prices, presumably?

[redarmi]

How does the League system work, as to Promotion, Relegation, Play-Offs etc?

LOL - you do realise it is played in the United States of corporatism don't you?  The owners would never stand for such things as relegation or promotion.  Winnder of every division and the next few with the best regular season records play off for the penants and World series in October.

[redarmi]

Does the batting order reset each innings?  So like 9 innings of cricket.  Or if the first 3 bods miss out in the first innings does the 4th guy start the second innings?

The latter.

[redarmi]

How many games in a season, & what dates does the season start & end on, roughly?

162 regular season games.  Starts end of March through the end of September.  Playoffs in October.

162?

Jeez, they must play 5 nights a week!

The travel fatigue must come into the betting prices, presumably?

Pitchers who have the most intense physical toll on them only play every four nights max.  The position players tend to get rested a bit especially the stars but  it isn't a massively physical game in that sense.  Bit like cricket really.

[DMorgan]

Top of the xth & bottom of the xth mean.........

The away team bats first, so they are batting in the top of every inning, home team at the bottom

So if the Yankees are playing at home against the Red Sox, top of the second is Sox batting their second innings, bottom of the 8th is Yankees batting their eighth etc.

What happens if the scores are equal after 9 inning things?

They play extra innings until someone scores. If the away team score first (top of the 11th for example) then the home team still get an inning to force further extra innings. There aren't any ties.


Thats as much as I know, mainly posting to plug a very good baseball film to get you in the mood for the upcoming season. Well worth a watch imo

[TightEnd]

*** reserved ***

a) guide to baseball funding, market sizes, building a roster/teams, TV funding etc

b) statistics in baseball, their meaning and use

c) Minor Leagues

but tomorrow, I need to build up to it

[TightEnd]

Do the pitchers have specialisms like bowlers in cricket.  Obviously they all will have slower balls, but are there dedicated curve ball pitchers for example?

a guide to

fast balls
curver balls
sinkers
change ups
split fingers
knuckle balls

what starters, relievers and closers do


coming tomorrow

[tikay]

Ha!

Tighty Heaven.

[tikay]

Top of the xth & bottom of the xth mean.........

The away team bats first, so they are batting in the top of every inning, home team at the bottom

So if the Yankees are playing at home against the Red Sox, top of the second is Sox batting their second innings, bottom of the 8th is Yankees batting their eighth etc.

What happens if the scores are equal after 9 inning things?

They play extra innings until someone scores. If the away team score first (top of the 11th for example) then the home team still get an inning to force further extra innings. There aren't any ties.


Thats as much as I know, mainly posting to plug a very good baseball film to get you in the mood for the upcoming season. Well worth a watch imo

By chance, "Moneyball" is about to start, 10pm, on Sky Movies Channel 308.