Newbie Questions from England

"Peter Harding" <peterharding.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bf403c5e.0309150334.2775c0b0@posting.google.com...
> Hi,
>
> The NASN channel is now available on UK Cable and I've started to
> watch Baseball with fasination. I can't for the life of me work out
> the rules yet, but I was wondering if someone could answer a few
> questions for me:
>
> 1. is there a web site that states the rules of the game like a
> "Baseball for Dummies", I don't want anything too scientific at this
> stage.

Don't know. There are books of that ilk, though, at least in the US. I
just bought one for my English girlfriend.

> 2. when does the season run?

Spring training starts in mid-February. The regular season runs from early
April to the end of September, the playoffs for most of October. It's a
warm-weather sport.

> 3. how many leagues are there?

Two major leagues, the American and National, and a slew of hierarchically
arranged minor leagues that feed the majors (and are somewhat controlled by
them), plus a few independent leagues that play at a fairly low level.
There are also two leagues in Japan, with a few players going from Japan to
US and vice versa in recent years.

> 4. finally, historically who has been consistantly the best team?

Alas, the New York Yankees. I think they've won more than twice as many
titles as the next-best team.

> 5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!

The St. Louis Cardinals. Okay, okay, that happens to be my team, so I'm
biased. There was a Brit who posted a lot here last season -- he decided to
adopt the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees' archrivals. Not a bad choice -- not
only do they hate the Yankees, they're also the closet team to the UK, with
the possible exception of Montreal! -- but be warned, they haven't won a
championship since 1918, and some say they're cursed!

Perry
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"Roger Moore" <raj.DeleteThis@alumnae.caltech.edu> wrote in message
news:bk4mqs$2mu$1@naig.caltech.edu...
> >5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!
>
> Whichever team strikes your fancy. Seriously, just watch some games, and
> it's very likely that you'll spontaneously start rooting for one of the
> teams that you see.
>
Good advice. Also, all the teams have websites that can be accessed via
mlb.com. At the bottom left of the main page, there's a menu of team
websites. And each of these has a team history section as well as lots of
other tidbits to give you a feel for the franchise, their fans, etc. Most
of the teams' followings is fairly local, but for various historical and
other reasons (e.g., a nationally broadcast cable TV station), several teams
seem to have a more geographically dispersed fan base. Some of the teams
with more regional or national (or international!) followings include the
Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, L. A. Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals,
Chicago Cubs, and Atlanta Braves. But hey, if one of the other teams grabs
your heart, go for it!
Perry
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie Questions from England 

> 4. finally, historically who has been consistantly the best team?

New York Yankees

> 5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!

anyone except for the Yankess. Red Sox or New York Mets would be a good
start! (rivals of the Yankees).
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie Questions from England 

On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 15:45:32 +0000 (UTC), raj.RemoveThis@alumnae.caltech.edu
(Roger Moore) wrote:

>peterharding@yahoo.com (Peter Harding) writes:

>>5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!
>
>Whichever team strikes your fancy. Seriously, just watch some games, and
>it's very likely that you'll spontaneously start rooting for one of the
>teams that you see.

If I had no geographic ties, right now I'd have to say it would be
Oakland. Regardless of Beane's sabermetric chops, they're a small
team making good by being smart and nimble. One of the main reasons I
picked Leicester City when the EPL came to US cable, back in the days
of overachievement under Martin O'Neill.

--Craig


--
I start to wish Bob Melvin would walk out to the mound, ask Freddy if he
was injured, and then kick him in the balls so he can call in an
emergency replacement from the bullpen --Derek Zumsteg in BP, 5/13/2003
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie Questions from England 

peterharding.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com (Peter Harding) wrote in message news:<bf403c5e.0309150334.2775c0b0.TakeThisOut@posting.google.com>...

> 5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!

The Royals?
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raj RemoveThis @alumnae.caltech.edu (Roger Moore) wrote in message news:<bk4mqs$2mu$1@naig.caltech.edu>...
> peterharding RemoveThis @yahoo.com (Peter Harding) writes:
>
> >1. is there a web site that states the rules of the game like a
> >"Baseball for Dummies", I don't want anything too scientific at this
> >stage.
>
> It's not a website, but if getting serious about the game there is
> actually a "Baseball for Dummies" written by all-time great player Joe
> Morgan.

Didn't McCarver write one of these for the "Idiot's" series?

I vaguely remember seeing them and laughing a little given the general
opinion of their analysis ability in the group. Gearing their opinion
to "Dummies" and "Idiots" seemed like something a lot of people here
would appreciate.
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie Questions from England 

On 9/15/03 10:09 AM, in article bk4kmj$isa$1@peabody.colorado.edu, "Perry
Sailor" <perry.sailor.DeleteThis@colorado.edu> wrote:

>> 5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!
>
> The St. Louis Cardinals. Okay, okay, that happens to be my team, so I'm
> biased. There was a Brit who posted a lot here last season -- he decided to
> adopt the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees' archrivals. Not a bad choice -- not
> only do they hate the Yankees, they're also the closet team to the UK, with
> the possible exception of Montreal! -- but be warned, they haven't won a
> championship since 1918, and some say they're cursed!
>

Well, I think the uninitiated should pick the team most liked by someone you
don't want to be competitive with. If your Dad likes the Astros, then pick
the Astros. Ditto your significant other. Especially your significant
other. If your team loses, it's better to be around someone who also needs
some consoling. If you root for different teams, there will be a high
percentage of the time the two of you are in different moods.

On the other hand, if we're talking siblings here-- and you like nothing
better than to gloat over your brother's misfortunes-- pick your brothers'
best rival.

If your loved ones don't care about baseball, then it's time to try some
other routes toward following a team.

For instance, if you're from England, you could choose to follow the
Cardinals-- who are the most reasonable choice, anyway-- because the Cards
have a player who was born in England (Lance Painter). Just don't get too
attached to Painter because he's barely hanging onto a MLB job and then
that's just because he's 36 and left-handed. He may only have another dozen
years at the major league level.

You could also choose a team based on the franchise's style. I'd have to
know more about your values to recommend one, though. If I knew your
Briggs-Meyer personality type, your favorite Beatle, and what your favorite
color is, then I could go from there.

But one of the best reasons to pick a team is because it's the enemy of the
teams or cities you dislike the most. What cities in the States do you hate
the most-- and don't limit yourself to any rational hatreds here. Give us
that info and we could recommend a good team for you to root for.

I hope I've been of help.

Withrow
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On 15 Sep 2003 04:34:33 -0700, peterharding RemoveThis @yahoo.com (Peter Harding)
wrote:

>4. finally, historically who has been consistantly the best team?

The damned Yankees.

>5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!

Just a bit of advice. Don't pick the Indians.

*sob*



--

Julie Carter
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On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 17:27:31 -0500, James Withrow
<withrow.RemoveThis@uchicago.edu> wrote:

>You could also choose a team based on the franchise's style. I'd have to
>know more about your values to recommend one, though. If I knew your
>Briggs-Meyer personality type, your favorite Beatle, and what your favorite
>color is, then I could go from there.

So many people don't see this, but I do think franchises have
"personalities." It's a combination of ownership, management,
players, and fans.

Hating a team can be as simple as them having a single player you
don't like. 80s A's had Jose Canseco. I loathed Jose Canseco.
Therefore, I loathed the A's. Jose left. Now I like the A's.

'88 Dodgers playing the hated A's. Rooting for the Dodgers. Now, the
only team I'd root for the Dodgers against would be the Braves.

Early 90s Braves, rooting for them. Now, the only team I'd root for
the Braves against would be the Yankees.

But the buck stops there since I've never rooted for the Yankees!



--

Julie Carter
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"Peter Harding" <peterharding RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bf403c5e.0309150334.2775c0b0@posting.google.com...
> Hi,
>
> The NASN channel is now available on UK Cable and I've started to
> watch Baseball with fasination. I can't for the life of me work out
> the rules yet, but I was wondering if someone could answer a few
> questions for me:
>
> 5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!
>
> Many thanks,
> Pete.

Seeing as how you're from England, may I suggest my favorite team, the
Kansas City Royals. If you do decide on the Royals, or have some detailed
questions about them, please ask and I will be more than happy to supply you
with whatever answers you need.


--
TrueBlueStef
Royals Fan
Omaha Royals Season Ticket Holder
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie Questions from England 

Peter Harding wrote:

>Hi,
>
>The NASN channel is now available on UK Cable and I've started to
>watch Baseball with fasination. I can't for the life of me work out
>the rules yet, but I was wondering if someone could answer a few
>questions for me:
>
>1. is there a web site that states the rules of the game like a
>"Baseball for Dummies", I don't want anything too scientific at this
>stage.
>
>2. when does the season run?
>
>3. how many leagues are there?
>
>4. finally, historically who has been consistantly the best team?
>
>5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!
>
>Many thanks,
>Pete.

I'm also a UK based fan, have been for many years. I'm also a cricket
lover, so it must be something to do with bat/ball games. But ther's
an athleticism in baseball - it's almost balletic actually - which you
just don't see in cricket (alas!). A well turned double play (two
batters out in one play, normally from second base to first) is a joy
to watch over and again. The commentary is also fun, particularly the
US-style language. One of my favourites, describing Chipper Jones of
the Atlanta Braves, is that he "carried the team on his back through
to the playoffs"

Baseball on Channel 5 is pretty informative for beginners, not only
regarding the rules, but they also have a section on the history of
the game.

I support the Mets because I went to New York once and someone gave me
a Mets cap. Simple as that! Just like supporting a football (soccer)
team in many ways - once you've chosen one, you're stuck for life, so
be careful! Whatever you do though, don't go for the Yankees if you
want to avoid a "glory seeker" label (think of all the Man U "fans"
who've never been to Manchester and you get the picture).

Also, do read some baseball books. The Joe Morgan "Dummies" one is not
bad, but try some others too about the history of the game and other
stuff. Here's a few of my favourites on my bookshelves:

Anything by Roger Angel or Thomas Boswell - essays about the game

Eight Men Out by Eliot Asinof - story of the 1919 World Series betting
scandal

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn - story of the 1952-3 Brooklyn
Dodgers (now the LA Dodgers)

The Pitch that Killed by Mike Sowell - story behind the only time a
batter in the Major League was ever killed by a pitched ball.

Babe by Robert Creamer - about Babe Ruth

Ball Four by Jim Bouton - dishes the dirt on what it was like for him
to actually play the game day in day out

The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter - about baseball players
in the early 20th Century. As much a social history as anything else -
fascinating.

Bill James - Historical Baseball Abstract - huge encyclopedic work on
the history of the game.

Pete, enjoy your fandom. But know this - it's a lifetime's work
--
Neil
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peterharding.DeleteThis@yahoo.com (Peter Harding) wrote in message news:<bf403c5e.0309150334.2775c0b0.DeleteThis@posting.google.com>...

> 3. how many leagues are there?

As others have stated, there are two major leagues: the National
League (founded 1876) and the American League (founded 1901). It is
worth pointing out that nowadays this is really just a fiction. They
are for most purposes really a single entity, Major League Baseball.
Within not-too-distant memory they had seperate presidents with real
executive authority, they had seperate umpires, and they didn't play
against one another during the regular season (except for the All-Star
exhibition game). They are considered two leagues for historical
reasons, but they are no more seperate leagues today than are the two
conferences of the NFL (the main American football league).
>
> 5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!

Here's an interesting bit of trivia about my team, the Philadelphia
Phillies: they have lost more games than any other team in any sport
in the history of the world. Root for them and no one can accuse you
of being a fair weather fan.

Richard R. Hershberger
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On 15 Sep 2003 04:34:33 -0700, peterharding.DeleteThis@yahoo.com (Peter Harding)
wrote:

>Hi,
>
>The NASN channel is now available on UK Cable and I've started to
>watch Baseball with fasination. I can't for the life of me work out
>the rules yet, but I was wondering if someone could answer a few
>questions for me:
>
>1. is there a web site that states the rules of the game like a
>"Baseball for Dummies", I don't want anything too scientific at this
>stage.
>
>2. when does the season run?
>
>3. how many leagues are there?
>
>4. finally, historically who has been consistantly the best team?
>
>5. and finally (honest) who shall I support!!!!!

Because of past and present ties...a Canadian team, perhaps?

Tom

>
>Many thanks,
>Pete.
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie Questions from England