Henry Chadwick, called the father of baseball, its first writer and the inventor of the box score, claimed that American baseball was positively descended from the British game of rounders, which became "town ball" in this country, then baseball. He was an eyewitness to the evolution, having seen rounders played as a boy in England, and rounders, town ball and baseball in this country.
A. G. Spalding, founder of the famous sporting goods house, a fine pitcher himself, and publisher of the "Baseball Guide," claimed that such a theory was nonsense and that baseball was purely an American invention. A committee was appointed to investigate the matter. The findings of the committee - that baseball had been invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday, a distinguished Civil War General, in Cooperstown, New York - were based wholly upon evidence submitted in a letter written by a man who stated that he had observed the actual invention when he was a schoolboy in Cooperstown.
Many accepted the findings of the committee even though there seemed to be much more evidence to support Chadwick's claim than that of Spalding. To this day, even though numerous baseball authorities have repeatedly poked holes in the Doubleday theory, there are many who still believe this old story. It should be noted that Abner Doubleday himself never made any claims whatever to having had any influence on baseball. He had died years before the findings were published.
By the early 1840s, the baseball games played in this country had been pretty well standardized into "Town Ball," played East of New York, and "the New York Game," played, naturally, in New York. They were alike in many respects but Town Ball was patterned more after the ancient rounders, while the New York Game seems to have been largely taken from cricket. In 1842, the New Yorkers drew up the first diagram of a baseball field and grown men began to take this boys' game seriously and to see in it possibilities for a great sport.
In 1845, the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of New York was formed, the first such organization in history. It was an amateur group with duly elected officers. No professional organization was to appear for twenty-five more years. The Club immediately began drawing up a set of standard rules and making plans for a more satisfactory playing field. Draftsman and surveyor Alexander Cart-wright was given the task of preparing a diagram for a new type of field.
By the following year, Cartwright had prepared the diamond diagram which, except for minor changes, is the baseball field used to this day wherever baseball is played. The Knickerbockers also established uniform rules which set the pattern for present-day ball.
The First Game. - The Knickerbockers then issued challenges to take on all comers and the first baseball game ever played under organized rules took place on June 19, 1846, at Elysian Fields (near Hoboken), New Jersey. "The New York Nine" was the opposing team and they beat the Knicks 23-1 in four innings.
So depressed were the Knickerbockers that they played no more inter-city games until 1851, but limited their play to practice games. After five years of practice, they evidently believed they were ready for another go at the game and took on the "Washington Baseball Club of New York" on June 3, 1851 on the same Elysian Fields.
Both teams were tied at the end of the ninth, but the Knicks got two runs in the tenth to win the game 22-20.
From this small beginning, the great game of baseball has developed into the huge game it is today.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Buying & Breaking In A New Baseball Glove
Buying a New Baseball Glove
When searching for a new baseball glove, there are many factors to consider, such as the feel of the glove, the size of the glove, and your budget. A glove can run you anywhere from $15 to over $200 for a good glove. The quality of the glove is generally the determining factor in the price. The higher quality, the more expensive, and the longer they will probably last. It may be more cost effective in the long run to spend a few extra dollars now. On the other hand, when purchasing a glove for a child, you don't want to invest too much because they may soon grow out of it.
Sizes of baseball gloves depend largely on the age and size of the buyer, the position on the field the buyer will be playing, and the type of game (baseball or softball). A measurement is made from the heel of the glove to the top of the glove on the palm side. This is called the pattern size. Gloves for younger people range from 8" to 12". Grown up's gloves usually fall around twelve to thirteen inches. According to rule 1.14, a professional baseball players glove can be no more than twelve inches long and eight inches wide.
The feel of the glove is the most important part of purchasing a baseball glove. You may spend a hundred and seventy five dollars on a glove, only to have it give you a nasty little blister between two of your fingers. Make sure the glove is comfortable, and that there aren't any spots where the glove rubs excessively on your hand. Be sure that it isn't too loose though it needs to be able to stay on your hand.
Breaking That New Glove In
If you asked a team full of baseball players how they prefer to break in there gloves, you would most likely get a different answer from every single one of them. There are many ways to break in a glove, from the old tradition of leaving it under your mattress for a few days, to actually baking it. Some people even prefer to let the break in from play. There two things to improve upon when breaking a glove in: the softness of the leather, and the shape of the pocket. Some of the various ways to soften the leather are using oils and lotions, such as Vaseline, saddle soap, glove manufacturer's oils, tanners glove oil, and a Hot Glove treatment. A hot glove treatment is where you put a special foam on the glove and bake it for about four minutes in your oven. Though some people swear by this method of softening your glove, there are others who say it puts the integrity of the glove at risk. When breaking in your glove, don't use extra oil or soap to help it soften quicker, it won't help, instead it will make the leather deteriorate faster.
Of course, the most popular method of forming your gloves pocket is to play catch, or sitting on the back porch tossing a baseball into the pocket of your baseball glove. Another excellent way to form the pocket of your new glove is to take a baseball, place it in the pocket of the glove, and tie it shut. Also, you can just take a trip to your closest batting cage and catch balls from the machine to help form the pocket. This constant catching also helps to soften the leather of your baseball glove quite a bit.
When searching for a new baseball glove, there are many factors to consider, such as the feel of the glove, the size of the glove, and your budget. A glove can run you anywhere from $15 to over $200 for a good glove. The quality of the glove is generally the determining factor in the price. The higher quality, the more expensive, and the longer they will probably last. It may be more cost effective in the long run to spend a few extra dollars now. On the other hand, when purchasing a glove for a child, you don't want to invest too much because they may soon grow out of it.
Sizes of baseball gloves depend largely on the age and size of the buyer, the position on the field the buyer will be playing, and the type of game (baseball or softball). A measurement is made from the heel of the glove to the top of the glove on the palm side. This is called the pattern size. Gloves for younger people range from 8" to 12". Grown up's gloves usually fall around twelve to thirteen inches. According to rule 1.14, a professional baseball players glove can be no more than twelve inches long and eight inches wide.
The feel of the glove is the most important part of purchasing a baseball glove. You may spend a hundred and seventy five dollars on a glove, only to have it give you a nasty little blister between two of your fingers. Make sure the glove is comfortable, and that there aren't any spots where the glove rubs excessively on your hand. Be sure that it isn't too loose though it needs to be able to stay on your hand.
Breaking That New Glove In
If you asked a team full of baseball players how they prefer to break in there gloves, you would most likely get a different answer from every single one of them. There are many ways to break in a glove, from the old tradition of leaving it under your mattress for a few days, to actually baking it. Some people even prefer to let the break in from play. There two things to improve upon when breaking a glove in: the softness of the leather, and the shape of the pocket. Some of the various ways to soften the leather are using oils and lotions, such as Vaseline, saddle soap, glove manufacturer's oils, tanners glove oil, and a Hot Glove treatment. A hot glove treatment is where you put a special foam on the glove and bake it for about four minutes in your oven. Though some people swear by this method of softening your glove, there are others who say it puts the integrity of the glove at risk. When breaking in your glove, don't use extra oil or soap to help it soften quicker, it won't help, instead it will make the leather deteriorate faster.
Of course, the most popular method of forming your gloves pocket is to play catch, or sitting on the back porch tossing a baseball into the pocket of your baseball glove. Another excellent way to form the pocket of your new glove is to take a baseball, place it in the pocket of the glove, and tie it shut. Also, you can just take a trip to your closest batting cage and catch balls from the machine to help form the pocket. This constant catching also helps to soften the leather of your baseball glove quite a bit.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Baseball In Japan - The Other Major League
Just as baseball is popular in the United States, so it is in Japan. In fact, it has already started to turn towards becoming the premiere sport in the country, being by far, the one with the most fans in Japan.
Baseball was brought to Japan by Horace Wilson in 1872. Yakyu, is how baseball is known in Japan. In 1878, the first formal Japanese team was established. This team was called the Shimbashi Athletic Club formed by Hiroshi Hiraoka and his co-workers at Japan's national railways.
In 1896, a team from the Tokyo University defeated an American team from the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club with a score of 29 to 4. That game was the first international baseball game in Asia. Since then, the sport has remained popular among the Japanese.
Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan's highest level of professional baseball association, is the Japanese equivalent of the United States' Major League Baseball (MLB). It also has 2 leagues, namely, the Pacific and the Central Leagues. The two leagues have 6 teams each.
Much like the Major League, only one of the two leagues use the designated hitter style of play, the Pacific League. Japan's baseball season is eight months long. Unlike the Major League though, Nippon Professional Baseball teams get their names from the names of their owners and not where they are based. All Japanese teams are owned by corporations.
The rules of the Nippon League are the same as that of the Major League in the U.S. except that the former allows tied games. Likewise, some technical elements in Nippon Professional Baseball are different, i.e., the strike zone, baseball and field used are smaller than that of the Major League. Moreover, the Japanese baseball is harder and is wound tightly.
Five of the Nippon teams have undersized home playing fields. With regards to their strike zone, it is narrower inside than away from the batter. Foreign players are allowed but there can not be more than four per team.
Japan's love for the sport of baseball must have been what led many Japanese players to try out for the Major Leagues in the United States. In fact, there are now a total of 37 Japanese players who have played Major League Baseball between 1964 and 2008. This number does not include players with American parents but who were born in Japan or players with Japanese blood but grew up in the U.S.
Although not the first, Hideo Nomo was a Japanese player that became very successful in his baseball career in the Major League. His success was said to have set a trend among Japanese players entering Major League Baseball. Other famous Japanese players in the MLB are Kosuke Fukudome, Hedeki Matsui, Ichiro Suzuki, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Kazuhiro Sasaki, among others.
To prove Japan's competitive spirit in the field of baseball, just last month, in a game played over two continents, Japan emerged to become the champion of the World Baseball Classic. They fought Cuba in the finals with a score of 10-6 making them world champions in baseball. With this new title to further boost their love for the sport, expect to see more of them in the future.
Baseball was brought to Japan by Horace Wilson in 1872. Yakyu, is how baseball is known in Japan. In 1878, the first formal Japanese team was established. This team was called the Shimbashi Athletic Club formed by Hiroshi Hiraoka and his co-workers at Japan's national railways.
In 1896, a team from the Tokyo University defeated an American team from the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club with a score of 29 to 4. That game was the first international baseball game in Asia. Since then, the sport has remained popular among the Japanese.
Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan's highest level of professional baseball association, is the Japanese equivalent of the United States' Major League Baseball (MLB). It also has 2 leagues, namely, the Pacific and the Central Leagues. The two leagues have 6 teams each.
Much like the Major League, only one of the two leagues use the designated hitter style of play, the Pacific League. Japan's baseball season is eight months long. Unlike the Major League though, Nippon Professional Baseball teams get their names from the names of their owners and not where they are based. All Japanese teams are owned by corporations.
The rules of the Nippon League are the same as that of the Major League in the U.S. except that the former allows tied games. Likewise, some technical elements in Nippon Professional Baseball are different, i.e., the strike zone, baseball and field used are smaller than that of the Major League. Moreover, the Japanese baseball is harder and is wound tightly.
Five of the Nippon teams have undersized home playing fields. With regards to their strike zone, it is narrower inside than away from the batter. Foreign players are allowed but there can not be more than four per team.
Japan's love for the sport of baseball must have been what led many Japanese players to try out for the Major Leagues in the United States. In fact, there are now a total of 37 Japanese players who have played Major League Baseball between 1964 and 2008. This number does not include players with American parents but who were born in Japan or players with Japanese blood but grew up in the U.S.
Although not the first, Hideo Nomo was a Japanese player that became very successful in his baseball career in the Major League. His success was said to have set a trend among Japanese players entering Major League Baseball. Other famous Japanese players in the MLB are Kosuke Fukudome, Hedeki Matsui, Ichiro Suzuki, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Kazuhiro Sasaki, among others.
To prove Japan's competitive spirit in the field of baseball, just last month, in a game played over two continents, Japan emerged to become the champion of the World Baseball Classic. They fought Cuba in the finals with a score of 10-6 making them world champions in baseball. With this new title to further boost their love for the sport, expect to see more of them in the future.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Baseball Products Shopping Trips
Fans put their very best efforts in to finding the greatest assortment of baseball products that they can add to their collections. Some of the searching techniques for these baseball products might take them and several of their friends on baseball products shopping trips to every baseball team location throughout the United States.
Some of these fans might go a little overboard in their baseball memorabilia collecting efforts. They start by buying the small things like baseball caps, and baseball gloves, and before you know it they want to try to collect every bumper sticker from every baseball team that they can put their hands on.
Their need to show their team spirit might get a little out of hand at times, but when they go on these baseball products shopping trips they all get a little excited. They are inspired by the baseball products that they see on websites throughout the Internet, that promote what they say is the largest collection of baseball products memorabilia in the entire United States.
Some of the baseball products that they find through these web portals are meant to help new players with their pitching speeds, and fans get truly inspired by this, because they at least want to get their speed to 103. Some of these dedicated fans will really enjoy the opportunity to own digital imagine binoculars that would bring all game they see up close, and very personal.
Other fans go on baseball products shopping trips to help improve their swing, and end up buying quality baseball products that bounce, spin, and zing across the playing fields. These consistent and very durable products are made of full grain cow leather hide, and nobody is really ever sure about what the baseball manufacturers put inside of them.
By the time these fans return back home from their baseball products shopping trips, their automobiles will be heavy weighted with all sorts of baseball memorabilia products that they noticed on all sides of the street. The shops with the colorful banners and watches, kept their attentions for quite a while as they talked to their respected manufacturers in lengthy detail.
There were fans that took advantage of the time on the road, to spend the downtime reading about skill tips, and strategy ideas that major league baseball coaches followed throughout the season. The time on the baseball shopping trips was never wasted because all of the baseball gear that was collected was bought to help players and kids learn all about baseball.
These baseball fans are devoted to spreading the word about baseball. While on their baseball products shopping trips, they make it a point to stop by every retail location they can, to search the aisles carefully for baseball products that can motivate the future players of their favorite sport. There are many things out there for them to choose from too, so they know that the kids in their fair cities will be running the bases and hitting homeruns every Summer starting in June.
Some of these fans might go a little overboard in their baseball memorabilia collecting efforts. They start by buying the small things like baseball caps, and baseball gloves, and before you know it they want to try to collect every bumper sticker from every baseball team that they can put their hands on.
Their need to show their team spirit might get a little out of hand at times, but when they go on these baseball products shopping trips they all get a little excited. They are inspired by the baseball products that they see on websites throughout the Internet, that promote what they say is the largest collection of baseball products memorabilia in the entire United States.
Some of the baseball products that they find through these web portals are meant to help new players with their pitching speeds, and fans get truly inspired by this, because they at least want to get their speed to 103. Some of these dedicated fans will really enjoy the opportunity to own digital imagine binoculars that would bring all game they see up close, and very personal.
Other fans go on baseball products shopping trips to help improve their swing, and end up buying quality baseball products that bounce, spin, and zing across the playing fields. These consistent and very durable products are made of full grain cow leather hide, and nobody is really ever sure about what the baseball manufacturers put inside of them.
By the time these fans return back home from their baseball products shopping trips, their automobiles will be heavy weighted with all sorts of baseball memorabilia products that they noticed on all sides of the street. The shops with the colorful banners and watches, kept their attentions for quite a while as they talked to their respected manufacturers in lengthy detail.
There were fans that took advantage of the time on the road, to spend the downtime reading about skill tips, and strategy ideas that major league baseball coaches followed throughout the season. The time on the baseball shopping trips was never wasted because all of the baseball gear that was collected was bought to help players and kids learn all about baseball.
These baseball fans are devoted to spreading the word about baseball. While on their baseball products shopping trips, they make it a point to stop by every retail location they can, to search the aisles carefully for baseball products that can motivate the future players of their favorite sport. There are many things out there for them to choose from too, so they know that the kids in their fair cities will be running the bases and hitting homeruns every Summer starting in June.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Picking a Good Youth Baseball Bat
Having fun in the game of baseball begins with being able to hit a pitched ball with a bat. A player who can hit is a player that likes playing. There is little doubt that having solid hitting fundamentals is key to putting a baseball into play, but another key factor is also finding the right youth baseball bat for them.
It can be the case that parents who would like their player to get better at hitting the ball go out and just buy any old bat that they find as long as it looks nice. This can backfire and cause your player unnecessary problems with their swing if the bat is too long, or too heavy. If a bat has either the wrong length or the wrong weight it can create problems in the future for your player.
The are a few things that parents need to be aware of when selecting a bat for their children. The most important elements of the bat is its weight and length. This is generally communicated to to consumers by a ratio called the length-to-weight ratio. This number is communicated as a negative number (like -3) and is a description of the difference between the length and weight of a bat. A -3 bat is 3 ounces lighter than the length of the bat. A 30 inch bat with a -3 length-to-weight ratio is 27 ounces.
It is important for youth players to have the lightest bat for the length that they need. A light bat will help them swing the bat faster, control the barrel of the bat better, and to make solid contact on both the inside and outside edges of the plate.
Unfortunately, light youth baseball are not cheap and can run you a up to three hundred dollars depending on the level of bat that you buy. They are expensive because of the high quality alloys that producers use in making these bats. The main reason manufacturers use these high-tech alloys is that it allows engineers to make the youth bats with very thin walls - giving it a lot of pop.
Inexpensive aluminum bats are still made from the same element of aluminum but will have walls with greater thickness and will be heavier than the higher quality bats. Heavy bats with heavy barrels can slow down bat speed, increase "sting" produced by bat vibrations, and drop the head of the bat as it is pulled through the the strike zone.
Players who are seeking to get their baseball career off the ground need to learn how to make solid contact with a baseball. You can learn this with our without a high quality youth baseball bat, but having a properly fitted bat is a must.
In order to fit a bat to your player's hitting needs the first place to look is the length-to-weight ratio. This is the key metric to look at when buying your bat. This ratio is a negative number that tells a person the difference between the length and the height. To help understand this better, if I were to buy a bat with 42 inch length and the bat had a -9 length-to-weight ratio the bat would weigh 33 ounces.
Another important factor is the barrel diameter of your baseball bat. It is relatively obvious that the greater the diameter, the greater the hitting area of the bat. This is important for filling the strike zone with your bat. It is important to note that each baseball league has its own rules about how big the diameter of the bat can be so be sure to check with your coach or umpire before purchasing your bat.
Remember, getting the right fit on a bat for your player can be critical to their success at the plate. The right youth baseball bat could turn your average hitter into a powerful contact hitter capable of driving the ball out of the park.
It can be the case that parents who would like their player to get better at hitting the ball go out and just buy any old bat that they find as long as it looks nice. This can backfire and cause your player unnecessary problems with their swing if the bat is too long, or too heavy. If a bat has either the wrong length or the wrong weight it can create problems in the future for your player.
The are a few things that parents need to be aware of when selecting a bat for their children. The most important elements of the bat is its weight and length. This is generally communicated to to consumers by a ratio called the length-to-weight ratio. This number is communicated as a negative number (like -3) and is a description of the difference between the length and weight of a bat. A -3 bat is 3 ounces lighter than the length of the bat. A 30 inch bat with a -3 length-to-weight ratio is 27 ounces.
It is important for youth players to have the lightest bat for the length that they need. A light bat will help them swing the bat faster, control the barrel of the bat better, and to make solid contact on both the inside and outside edges of the plate.
Unfortunately, light youth baseball are not cheap and can run you a up to three hundred dollars depending on the level of bat that you buy. They are expensive because of the high quality alloys that producers use in making these bats. The main reason manufacturers use these high-tech alloys is that it allows engineers to make the youth bats with very thin walls - giving it a lot of pop.
Inexpensive aluminum bats are still made from the same element of aluminum but will have walls with greater thickness and will be heavier than the higher quality bats. Heavy bats with heavy barrels can slow down bat speed, increase "sting" produced by bat vibrations, and drop the head of the bat as it is pulled through the the strike zone.
Players who are seeking to get their baseball career off the ground need to learn how to make solid contact with a baseball. You can learn this with our without a high quality youth baseball bat, but having a properly fitted bat is a must.
In order to fit a bat to your player's hitting needs the first place to look is the length-to-weight ratio. This is the key metric to look at when buying your bat. This ratio is a negative number that tells a person the difference between the length and the height. To help understand this better, if I were to buy a bat with 42 inch length and the bat had a -9 length-to-weight ratio the bat would weigh 33 ounces.
Another important factor is the barrel diameter of your baseball bat. It is relatively obvious that the greater the diameter, the greater the hitting area of the bat. This is important for filling the strike zone with your bat. It is important to note that each baseball league has its own rules about how big the diameter of the bat can be so be sure to check with your coach or umpire before purchasing your bat.
Remember, getting the right fit on a bat for your player can be critical to their success at the plate. The right youth baseball bat could turn your average hitter into a powerful contact hitter capable of driving the ball out of the park.
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