Is it? Is it worth national recognition? Lets take a closer look:
Most of the game of baseball players stand around. This could potentially explain why so many of them have bellies and are outright fat!
Why so many of baseball players behave like pigs (or camels, to be more precise) by spitting every 20 seconds or so, especially those statetioned in the dogouts (sp?)? Again, they are bored themselves of sitting and doing nothing for hours.
When hitter's bat comes in contact with the ball flying 90mph, does he really have control of where the ball will go? Yes, he can control the swing to send to the right or the left, but there is absolutely no room for precision. You can call me ignorant, you can tell me that I don't know what I am talking about, but you will NOT convince me that the player batting has solid control of hitting the ball. If he did, he would hit the damn thing, instead standing at the home plate and swinging the bat 15 times before finally making any contact.
You might say: well, look at all those combinations they might have to play! They have to think where to throw the ball. Well, gee: they have 4 bases, and possible combinations will account to what: 20?
Now, to comapare: pick any sport. How about soccer? Here are the facts:
To play soccer, you need to be able to run for 90 minutes. Put one of the baseball slobs in there, and see how fast the fatso will collapse.
To play soccer, you need to learn how to play as a TEAM. It is not about one guy kicking a ball, it is about passing, it is about working together on combinations to score.
To play soccer, one needs skills of controlling the ball. You know, things such as passing, kicking it, etc. Everyone puts their foot on the ball, and does something with it. It is not about chance, it is about skills and team work.
To play soccer, the team must have a leader, who organizes plays, who assists, who controls the tempo, who gets the ball to the right place at a right time. And in baseball? Everyone has their place, and coach replaces pitchers once in a while. Oh my, how exciting.
So, to conclude: soccer is ten times better than baseball, because soccer is a game of skill, fitness and finesse (you know those gourgeous kicks into the goal?). Soccer is played throughout most civilized world, and respected as a game, while baseball only took hold in US, Mexico (I think), and Japan.
Discuss.
Here, the top player who hits the ball more often, and as a baseball player definitely does not break sweat:
ReplyDeletehttp://cupcakesandcatfood.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/spit1.jpg
I agree, baseball is a strange sport. Yet it has to be counted as a sport, because there is nothing else to call it. Some people like it, including my kids. I've been to the ball park once. I enjoyed it, but only because I was drinking beer. I would much rather skip watching both baseball and soccer and go play it myself.
ReplyDeleteI have a different question for you: What is this weird obsession with watching sports??? Playing would be much more fun and better for health then watching other peole play. It's like always watchign porn instead of participating in activity yourself. :)
Mariya, baseball is a game. But not a sport (IMHO). For example, we can set a garbage can in the office on a desk, roll paper balls and throw them in based on some rules we define. This is a game. But not a sport.
ReplyDeleteWatching sports is a guy thing. Just accept it that, something you will never understand. Just like us, guys, who don't get the whole "listening" thing. Some things just belong to the testesterone. :)
Porn: you can see and imagine things your spouse will probalby not do. Or would not be able to do even if she/he wanted to. Leave the porn out of this too, it's our way to escape. :)
Trigor,
ReplyDeleteLet's deal with your original post and then I will respond to Mashenka's observations...
While Soccer is number 1 sport in the world you will be "interested" to know that Baseball - The national pastime of the United States is 4th in the World and the most popular sport in Japan, Taiwan, Cuba, Venezuela and South Korea. It is amongst the most popular in the USA, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Colombia, Panama, the Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic . With 117 member nations, it has passionate fans nearing the half-a-billion. As to your other "observations" about the sport, let's look at them one by one.
You say that baseball players have many who are fat because they stand around. Compare that with the most popular sport in US - Football. The players move and are very athletic yet many of them are fat. How about one of the most popular sports in Japan - Sumo Wrestling? Are the wrestlers considered athletic - I believe so and it is a sport. Baseball players are in great shape and have to endure a 162 game regular season compared to 46 games for Soccer.
Baseball players have to react in milliseconds to a line drive going 60 miles an hour and they have to catch it and throw it. Infielders and Outfielders cover a lot of territory in a short period of time. There is also running the basis to outrun a person throwing the ball 60-80 miles per hour. While I agree that some pitchers have pounds on them I do not agree with the premise that baseball players are fat.
As far as behaving like pigs - I would chalk it up to common guy behavior and certainly professional athlete behavior. Look at the sidelines of Soccer and Football and you will see the same.
As far as hitting is concerned. Let's look at a sport you do know something about - Tennis. The ball comes at you faster than baseball - between 100-150 miles per hour when released as compared to 80-100 miles per hour in baseball. However in tennis you have a much larger surface that is created for absorbing impact. Do you stand to say that professional Tennis players cannot direct the ball where they want it to go? Baseball players have a much smaller contact area and distance thus less time to react (Tennis is 78 feet from baseline to baseline vs. 60 feet between pitcher and home plate). And yet baseball hitters can and do control where the ball is going. I suggest watching the game to see proof every day.
As far as possible combinations in a game. Every starting pitcher has 3-5 pitches and ability to throw from different angles and do at different counts in the pitching sequence. Multiply that by the situations on the field and in the game depending on score, outs, batter's strengths, etc. and you have hundreds of strategies, options and scenarios during a game. That is what is done by the players and coaches every minute. They have to make decisions. While it is a one-on-one battle it truly is not. There are specific alignments depending on situations and hitter, there are double plays, run downs, throwing to the home plate from the outfield through a cut off man, etc, etc, etc.
As it comes to Soccer it is a very good game which many enjoy. I enjoyed playing it but I do not enjoy watching it. That is a sport which doesn't grab me - no offense to it but I don't find it as interesting as Football, Baseball, Tennis, etc. To each his own but Baseball is a sport and you are an idiot :)
Allen, I guess I will have to take your post apart and answer your points one by one:
ReplyDelete"Compare that with the most popular sport in US - Football. The players move and are very athletic yet many of them are fat. How about one of the most popular sports in Japan - Sumo Wrestling" - First of all, I did not compare baseball to football. But in any case, football defensive players HAVE to be fat. They need the body mass to protect the quarterback. DUH. Do you see the recievers weighting 300 lbs? They are skinny and fit, so that they can RUN. Sumo wrestling? Again, they HAVE to be big to protect the turf, you goof! Being fat is a requirement in those sports. But in baseball: physical contact is avoided and prohibited. So why are the players so fat?
"As far as behaving like pigs - I would chalk it up to common guy behavior and certainly professional athlete behavior. Look at the sidelines of Soccer and Football and you will see the same." - If I made you run for 90 minutes straight, you would also look like shit, and be spitting like a pig. Soccer players spit because they run and are physically exhausted. I spit when I play long tennis matches. Spitting is ok. But baseball players: THEY SIT ON THEIR ASS the whole game, chew tobacoo and gum, and spit out of pure boredom and lack of manners. It is truly disgusting to watch these "professional" athletes behave like camels. It is unfortunate that kids view them as their role models!
About your technical analysis of the game: blah blah blah, yeah they spin the ball differently, have double plays, etc. After all, something DOES happen on the field. I am not arguying that one needs to practice to become good at hitting the ball with a stick. There IS skill involved. What I am saying though, is that there is still way more to the chance, than to the actual skill and control. When Rodick hits his 145mph serve, the opposing player can pretty much stick his raquet out and hope for the best. But, due to the nature of the game of tennis, there is action both ways, and serve is returned more often than not. That is why I consider Tennis a sport, and baseball not. Tennis is a competition, full of action, and physical witt. Baseball is not (IMHO).
You enjoy playing soccer? I am sorry, when was the last time you played soccer? Hitting a rubber ball with daughter does NOT count. LULZ!
Oh, and all those countries you listed? Canada, Japan and South Korea ... well, fine. Canada contracted the disease of baseball from US. Japanese have always been wackos (just look at their TV shows), Koreans just want to be like the Japanese. The rest: is a lsit of sorry ass countries, where people can not afford jack sh*t. And for baseball, all you need is: 1 ball, 1 stick, and 1 glove per person. And open dusty space (which is abundant in all those countries). And whoila: baseball is popular. No money = cheap sport is popular. Same goes for soccer, btw, but soccer as a game requires physical action, and basebal ... very rarely. :)
So my argument stands: baseball is a game, but to call it a sport is a bit of a stretch.
BTW, there IS one thing that I really enjoy about baseball. Went to a game last year, and found myself thoroughly enjoying it. Why you ask? Well, how often would a person have a chance to sit for four hours under sun and do absolutly nothing?
I have a suspicion that the players participate in this game for the same reason as me.
Trigor,
ReplyDeleteInteresting points. To review them I would have to get inside of your psychie which is more boring to me than watching soccer. Just to point out in football it is not the defense that protects the quarterback but the offense thus the lineman are usually chunky.
As to what is the definition of a sport - let's look that up in the dictionary:
1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.
Thus you can argue for argument sake and try to get under my skin because of my love of baseball but it is very much a sport that requires tremendous hand-eye coordination, bursts of speed, power, endurance, jumping, and many others. The fact that fans enjoy sitting out in the sun drinking beer, eating a dog and chatting while watching the game is something that could be said of Football, Soccer, Baseball, Cricket (Number 2 most popular in the World), and all the indoor sports as well.
Two things:
ReplyDelete1. "endurance" - LOL!!!!!! I have to admit, it is hard to spend hours in the pen. Sometimes, these "athletes" have to do double duty as they have a double header. Endurance. LOL!
2. If you watch fans at a soccer match, they actually watch the game, and go as far as wave flags, sing, do waves, and occasionally kick asses of fans of opposing teams. They are into the game. And baseball? People eating fat while watching fat. DUH!
I think this horse is kicked enough ... let the polling begin!
Igor,
ReplyDeleteLet ignorance be your bliss. The reason why fans are into the game has a lot more to do with drinking, history, and feeding off a crowd than the game itself. So don't be a hooligan yourself and let's pick a new topic.
Ignorance: lack of knowledge or education. You see, I am not ignorant about baseball. I know the rules. I know the game. I have been to the game. I watched it on tv. I watched it at the stadium.
ReplyDeleteYou are ignorant for calling me ignorant, you ignorant idiot! :)
Dear Trigor,
ReplyDeleteyou have a very limited view of "male" and "female" bevahior.
You say: Watching sports is a guy thing; listening is a girl thing. And we won't understand each other; just accept it.
I say: Plenty of women love sports (my daughter included), while plenty of men don't (my husband included). Listening is respect and caring, which a person either possesses or doesn't, regardless of their sex
You say: Porn is men's way to "escape" to a world their spouse wouldn't or couldn't do.
I say: 1. plenty of women like porn; 2. watching sex is more of a primal thing that people do to get a physical rush from sexual excitement. I don't think it matters to some people if their sig other can do the same things, it's watching somebody else in action that triggers the desired reaction.
Dear Mariya,
ReplyDeleteyou have a limited view of global vs. local concepts. I am sure that your daughter, who is NOT a woman yet btw, but a wonderful little girl who loves sports, and perhaps is not a good listener (on the contrary to my statement). But we are not talking about you, or your daughter. We are talking about women in general, so lets take a nice thick sample of lets say 25,000 women. What do you think the majority of the sample will enjoy more: shopping and yapping, or watching baseball while drinking beer? What would majority of the same prefer: rolling in mud while playing touch football, or getting their maniquire done while discussing their husbands and who slept with whom? :)
About porn ... You are right. To SOME people it does not matter. But to most: its a different story. You see, MOST people's lives are rather plain when we look at their segment of bedroom gymnastics. Many don't even have any. But, if you ask guys, they would rather do those crazy things they see in pron, instead of doing the missionary with their wives when the latter don't have a headache. Why do you think so many men go to strip joins?
They would choose shopping and yapping over baseball and beer cause no beer is good enough to make anyone sit and watch a game of catch for four hours
DeleteIgor and Masha! Since I am very much in touch with my feminine side I believe I can speak for both men and women (lol). I believe that if you ask most women between playing touch football in the mud or getting a manicure they will choose option C (none of the above). These generalities are silly and both of my sides agree with Masha! Igor, since this is an interesting topic why don't we make it another one. For the Baseball Argument you loose thus making us 1:1.
ReplyDeleteAllen = buzz kill. YOU are silly with your feminine side. And don't butt in with your "mediating" comments when two consenting adults are talking. Go polish your nails or something.
ReplyDeleteTrigor,
ReplyDeleteSpoken very well like a true imbecile that you are.
You are already done with polishing your nails???
ReplyDeleteI think I wouldn't speak for 25,000 women, even being a woman. And gender generalizations should be left in 1950s. Stop watching porn, Trigor! :=)
ReplyDeleteActually, with today's progress of de-womanizing women, and encouraging them to be like us men, I think I will stick to porn where they are purtrayed as women! :)
ReplyDeleteTrigor, you are a diplomat :)
ReplyDeleteSo porn shows women as true women? That's nut. I think you are just saying those things for the sake of saying somethign shocking and different. But for crying outloud, can't you also ensure it makes sense? Following your logic, I am not really a woman. But I would be one if I tried to suck your "blimp* next time your come over for tea. That's what I surely would do if we were in a porno movie. Or were you sayign that if I put in plastic boobs I would be more of a woman? This makes no sense. Watchign porn is melting your brain. Are your palms hairy too? :-)
ReplyDeleteMashka - you are ALL woman! I love you, awesome response!
ReplyDeleteDear Mariya, not only you lack the skill of seeing a "big picture", but you also lack the skill of understanding your debate opponent. Your claim that
ReplyDelete"can't you also ensure it makes sense" only shows one thing: you either don't care to think through your opponent's posts, or simply not capable of such.
Just so that you undrestand a simpler language (given that you clearly can't think things through more than one level of logic), here is what I meant: women in porn have different bodies, styles, things they do, etc. But in most porn (most, NOT all), women are submissive. It is the guy who drives the ship. It is the guy who mounts the female. Just like most species in animal kingdom (less praying mantis of course). Sure there are exceptions, but we are talking about general idea of a man going after a woman. Same goes, by the way, the whole art of cavalry, where the man is the gentelman who approaches the lady, not the other way. Get it? Today's society is trying hard to make women be like men. God forbid you compliment a woman's dress at work: sexual harrassment here we come! Women refuse to be accepted as a "weaker sex", and it's a shame because they ... are. So when I said that in porn women are being women, I meant just that.
So next time I come over for tea: if you were indeed to try to suck my *blimp*, I would not think of you as a woman, but rather a slut. :)
Trigor,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all the art of Cavalry deals with Horses not humans. I am assuming you spoke of Chivalry.
Second with all due respect let's establish some basic rules of arguing. Please refrain from attacking a person and instead focus on the argument. While I am guilty of the former myself I don't believe you better your position by belittling your debate partner.
Touche Allen (chivalry). Touche! LULZ!!! I can be an absolute imbicil.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Mariya: I hope you take my deragatory remarks in a light humorous way, which they intend to reach you as such. :)