Jordan Posted 13 April 2006 Posted 13 April 2006 Writing about baseball on an England-based messageboard will probably draw plenty of blank stares, unread posts or "baseball is s**t" replies, but I do have one friend who is English that I have successfully added to the legions of New York Yankees fans (well, I guess he also supports Chelsea, so maybe it wasn't so hard after all). I'm going to Yankee Stadium today to see our Pinstriped* heroes smack around the hapless Kansas City Royals yet again and sweep all three games of their first home series. So far, I've also got tickets for the first home game against the abominable Boston Red Sox on May 9. Because I decided that clever adjectives before opposing teams' names sounds cool, I will also be going to see the Yankees play the anonymous Texas Rangers on May 16. Looking forward to a six-dollar beer and a three-dollar burger on River Avenue, across the street from the Stadium in the "scenic" South Bronx at 11:30 a.m... then it's baseball this afternoon in 72-degree F clear sunshine (that's 22 for you Celsius people ). PERFECT weather... Yeah. *Trivia: Although the Yankees' famous home uniforms are known to millions as being "pinstriped," they are, in fact, not pinstriped. Pinstripes are small dots that form a line; the thin stripes on the Yankees' uniforms are solid. But now, everything is Pinstripes-this and Pinstripes-that, so it's too late.
C-man Posted 13 April 2006 Posted 13 April 2006 American football and Basketball are better than Baseball Sounds nice weather though
IDEA OR IKEA Posted 13 April 2006 Posted 13 April 2006 American football and Basketball are better than Baseball Sounds nice weather though I love baseball - although its on late over here i catch the replays on NASN - come on Angels!
Guest seanfox778 Posted 13 April 2006 Posted 13 April 2006 i love american football but i could never get into baseball its too dull
Newcastle_Fox Posted 13 April 2006 Posted 13 April 2006 Was over in NYC city last week, Wednesday was good when u had snow blizzards was over at the statue of liberty and had 2 inch of snow in about 15 mins, then it was glorious sunshine after that. The Yankees were away unfortunately when I was there or otherwise I would have gone and seen them.
DaveyJ Posted 13 April 2006 Posted 13 April 2006 Baseball! Not my cup of tea I'm afraid. Saw some college type game in America, didn't have anything on watching Leicester.
Benji Posted 13 April 2006 Posted 13 April 2006 Baseball and American Football are just too stop start for me, can't get into them at all. Like basketball though find that really entertaining.
Bridge Posted 14 April 2006 Posted 14 April 2006 Baseball and American Football are just too stop start for me, can't get into them at all. Like basketball though find that really entertaining. Baseball in the sunshine..fantastic. Too bad nearly all the games are night affairs now. As for a Cheatski fan being converted to (Blank)yankeeism..the evil empire expands it's poisonous tentacles!
Lemon Harpic Posted 14 April 2006 Posted 14 April 2006 I do have one friend who is English that I have successfully added to the legions of New York Yankees fans (well, I guess he also supports Chelsea, so maybe it wasn't so hard after all). Of course. Any true-blue Chelsea fan would automatically side with the Red Sox's rivals, because Boston is seen as an Irish and Catholic city. I imagine that he'll probably go and get a Yankees tattoo, to go with the Glasgow Rangers and Linfield ones the proddy already has... Or maybe not. Anyway, aside from Football and Tennis, all other sports are stupid and dull. Fact.
Benji Posted 14 April 2006 Posted 14 April 2006 Of course. Any true-blue Chelsea fan would automatically side with the Red Sox's rivals, because Boston is seen as an Irish and Catholic city. I imagine that he'll probably go and get a Yankees tattoo, to go with the Glasgow Rangers and Linfield ones the proddy already has... Or maybe not. Anyway, aside from Football and Tennis, all other sports are stupid and dull. Fact. This guys a legend with me already!
Jay Posted 14 April 2006 Posted 14 April 2006 Baseball and American Football are just too stop start for me, can't get into them at all. Like basketball though find that really entertaining. it's all about the advertising stateside!!! having commercial breaks every five minutes means they can make money money money!!!
Jordan Posted 15 April 2006 Author Posted 15 April 2006 Of course. Any true-blue Chelsea fan would automatically side with the Red Sox's rivals, because Boston is seen as an Irish and Catholic city. I imagine that he'll probably go and get a Yankees tattoo, to go with the Glasgow Rangers and Linfield ones the proddy already has... Or maybe not. The internet is often a poor place to convey dry humor, or maybe I'm just thick, so I'll grant you the benefit of the doubt that you're not really assuming that I associate myself with racist douchebags. Comparing baseball to football is like apples/oranges. To many, baseball is seen as a sport for "nerds" because of the massive amounts of statistics that are kept, analyzed, compared, etc. If you watch a baseball game on TV here, you'll see so many numbers on the screen that it'd be hard for one that is new to the sport to even make sense of what they're talking about. For those who follow it, though, the stats almost become like a second language with which folks can discuss the game. It's also a useful way to compare players from past and present--in other sports, it's much more subjective. It'd be much harder to quantify, say, how many goals Dixie Dean might score if he played today than to compare the astounding batting statistics of Babe Ruth to Barry Bonds across their respective eras. (The stats are also good filler for all of the time in between pitches.) Football is obviously much different. Its ebbs and flows of momentum, its simplicity, its skillfull players, its priceless goals etc. cannot really be quantified. Baseball is science; football is art. I cannot doubt that the applied force of an object equals that object's mass times its rate of acceleration, but I have every right to say that French impressionist art is repetitive, bland and its subject matter too far removed from everyday society. Likewise, if a pitcher finishes the season with a record of 16 wins and 9 losses, an ERA of 3.65, averaging about seven strikeouts per 9 innings while only walking about two batters per game, anybody who follows baseball will agree that this pitcher had a very good season relative to most other starting pitchers in the league. However, in football I'll sometimes feel a certain player had a crap game while another will sing that player's praises (and vice versa) even though the two of us have watched the same damn game! Baseball and cricket would be two sports where comparisons are more relevant (sans rounders jokes, of course). I know people who love American football but criticize baseball and soccer for being too long and boring, yet your average NFL game takes three and a half hours to get from the opening kick-off to the final whistle (and the ball will be in play for maybe one-tenth of that time). Baseball games usually finish up in 2:45 while soccer takes less than two hours (with only 5-15 minutes of commercials). It's all just a matter of taste.
Sigma Posted 15 April 2006 Posted 15 April 2006 I lost interest in all things baseball when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington.
New England Fox Posted 17 April 2006 Posted 17 April 2006 Really got into Baseball since moving over here and became a Marlins fan. Although last week I moved up to Connecticut and its all bloody New York and Boston up here I'll probably end up following Boston as they have 2 ex Marlins in the lineup.
Nationwider Posted 17 April 2006 Posted 17 April 2006 I love baseball, but since finishing in full-time education I have to do things like get up and go to work, so I can't stay up all night and watch the C5 coverage. If/When I get Sky+, I can see myself +ing the coverage and watching matches sans the ads and the waffle. It's a great sport for stats nerds like myself. It follows that I love cricket as well. I've only been to one live game (Pirates @ Phillies) so I suppose I follow the Phillies, although I've just not followed the last couple of seasons at all so I've no idea how they're getting on. They (Phillies) used to be crap though.
Samu Posted 12 May 2006 Posted 12 May 2006 JoBeck, just wandered if you watched any of the Red Sox Yankees matches that just happened these last three nights. I still follow it all on the internet but as a Red Sox fan I just wanted to know how you thought the new look Red Sox line up looks like. How are Loretta, Lowell, Youkilis, Wily Mo Pena etc getting on? Also what do you think of Papelbon, I've yet to see him pitch but his stats this season are incredible. 13 saves out of 13 as well as only conceding one run so far. Also how did Josh Beckett pitch the other night? Also it seems Damon has made a reasonably solid start to his Yankees career. Which departments do you think the Yankees and Red Sox need to improve on. Sorry for all the questions, would just be nice to get an accurate idea of what's going on over there. Go Red Sox!
loz Posted 12 May 2006 Posted 12 May 2006 i have watched baseball on tv and thought it was rubbish but actully doing there was very good. are tampa bay still as rubbish as always. they are the only team i have seen play. and they were rubbish
Jon the Hat Posted 12 May 2006 Posted 12 May 2006 I saw a Yankees game a couple of years ago. My main observation is that if you want me to watch something that slow then I need a full strength beer - not that watered down "light" crap. I also don't get why you would play the same team three nights in a row and actually care. Probably one of the dullest events I've ever watched. That said, if you took me to a county cricket match I'd probably be bored silly too. (and 5 day test matches???). I'll take your word on the Stats being half the game, that would make it more interesting I guess. I once got in a extremely heated argument in a bar in Louisville (home of the Slugger of course) Kentucky, about the concept of franchises and moving teams around. I think it's the worse idea in history, but the guy I wan with made a valid point. When 99% of your fans watch you on TV, only 1% care where you are. And there is a great deal of support for local and college sport in the US which I have a great deal of respoect for. No glory hunting involved in that.
Jordan Posted 14 May 2006 Author Posted 14 May 2006 JoBeck, just wandered if you watched any of the Red Sox Yankees matches that just happened these last three nights. I still follow it all on the internet but as a Red Sox fan I just wanted to know how you thought the new look Red Sox line up looks like. How are Loretta, Lowell, Youkilis, Wily Mo Pena etc getting on? Also what do you think of Papelbon, I've yet to see him pitch but his stats this season are incredible. 13 saves out of 13 as well as only conceding one run so far. Also how did Josh Beckett pitch the other night? Also it seems Damon has made a reasonably solid start to his Yankees career. Which departments do you think the Yankees and Red Sox need to improve on. Sorry for all the questions, would just be nice to get an accurate idea of what's going on over there. Go Red Sox! Sure thing. Loretta, Lowell and Youkilis are doing well so far--their offensive production has been good and they also give Boston an upgrade over last season's infield defense. Wily Mo Peña (I love that name) is actually off to a great start--sure, they gave up Bronson Arroyo (who has been absolutely phenomenal with Cincinnati) but Peña's hitting over .300 and has played well all over the outfield. Beckett got off to a great beginning to the season but he went through a bit of a rough patch that perhaps seemed to end after the first inning of Tuesday night's game. The guy's got good stuff, if he stays healthy he's good for over 15 wins. I was at Tuesday night's game and my brother and I actually walked out midway through the fourth inning--I couldn't take it. I've never even come anywhere close to leaving a game that early! Papelbon... sheeesh. Lights out. I knew he was going to be great in whatever role they put him in and tried damn hard to get him in my Rotisserie (a style of fantasy baseball) team but no luck. I'd say Boston's main area of concern is making sure their starting rotation gets into better form. They've got plenty of good starters, but Matt Clement has been inconsistent, Beckett just went through a rough patch, Tim Wakefield's knuckleball has gone flat too often, Curt Schilling is getting older every day and needs to stay healthy (though he looks good so far), and David Wells might be finished. They also have weak middle relief--Mike Timlin and Keith Foulke have been great as set-up men for Papelbon but I don't really rate any of their other bullpen pitchers that highly, so their starters have got to give six good innings. Their only offensive liability is general lack of team speed but that'll be eased a little when Coco Crisp returns. Other than that, they've been fine, as their record (especially their record against the Yanks so far, 3-1) attests and I expect them to join the Yankees in the playoffs this October. For the Yankees, they need to sort out Randy Johnson as well as their middle relief, and their defensive play could be a little bit better. Even though Gary Sheffield is out for a little and Hideki Matsui could be out for several months, their offense is simply awesome and that'll help them overcome some other deficiencies. Johnny Damon is putting up decent numbers in the leadoff position and Derek Jeter, who now bats second, is having a great season so far. That only makes things easier for the big bats behind them. So there's my analysis of the big rivalry so far Poor Florida Fox with his Marlins... at least you're no glory-hunter
placidcasual Posted 14 May 2006 Posted 14 May 2006 Stupid Cleveland Indian bullpen. Wish i was following the Reds at the moment
Poakey Posted 14 May 2006 Posted 14 May 2006 I went to a Yankees game a couple of years ago versus Boston,must admit i was disapointed. We arrived at the stadium and it was a good atmosphere,similar to that of walking to the walkers.Then we got to the turnstyles and got told to leave our cameras in some lockers in a dodgy bowling alley across the street about half a mile away,as they didnt allow careras,why was that?we got no answers. Inside the stadium was very impressive,it was nearly full but the atmosphere was non-existent.When the game game started nearly everyone decided it was time to go and get something to eat and drink.Nobody seemed to be watching the game either,people where just sat there reading books and chatting and doing everything but watching the game,me and my wife found this very amusing. About 4 hours later the yankees where leading by 7-1 or something so we decided to leave,we decided to try and get a cab back to timesquare but we couldnt get 1 from anywhere,it was well dodgy around the stadium all sorts of charecters approaching us with this and that so we went back to the subway to catch the subway back. Ive also been to see the tampa devil rays who are shit but it was a much more of an enjoyable experience for some reason. Sorry to call your national sport but i couldnt see anything enjoyable in it exept for the 1 home run id seen in the 2 games.Give me football anyday. Anyway if its any consilation your county is amazing,when we plan holidays its always where in the US are we going to go.
Samu Posted 17 May 2006 Posted 17 May 2006 Sure thing. Loretta, Lowell and Youkilis are doing well so far--their offensive production has been good and they also give Boston an upgrade over last season's infield defense. Wily Mo Peña (I love that name) is actually off to a great start--sure, they gave up Bronson Arroyo (who has been absolutely phenomenal with Cincinnati) but Peña's hitting over .300 and has played well all over the outfield. Beckett got off to a great beginning to the season but he went through a bit of a rough patch that perhaps seemed to end after the first inning of Tuesday night's game. The guy's got good stuff, if he stays healthy he's good for over 15 wins. I was at Tuesday night's game and my brother and I actually walked out midway through the fourth inning--I couldn't take it. I've never even come anywhere close to leaving a game that early! Papelbon... sheeesh. Lights out. I knew he was going to be great in whatever role they put him in and tried damn hard to get him in my Rotisserie (a style of fantasy baseball) team but no luck. I'd say Boston's main area of concern is making sure their starting rotation gets into better form. They've got plenty of good starters, but Matt Clement has been inconsistent, Beckett just went through a rough patch, Tim Wakefield's knuckleball has gone flat too often, Curt Schilling is getting older every day and needs to stay healthy (though he looks good so far), and David Wells might be finished. They also have weak middle relief--Mike Timlin and Keith Foulke have been great as set-up men for Papelbon but I don't really rate any of their other bullpen pitchers that highly, so their starters have got to give six good innings. Their only offensive liability is general lack of team speed but that'll be eased a little when Coco Crisp returns. Other than that, they've been fine, as their record (especially their record against the Yanks so far, 3-1) attests and I expect them to join the Yankees in the playoffs this October. For the Yankees, they need to sort out Randy Johnson as well as their middle relief, and their defensive play could be a little bit better. Even though Gary Sheffield is out for a little and Hideki Matsui could be out for several months, their offense is simply awesome and that'll help them overcome some other deficiencies. Johnny Damon is putting up decent numbers in the leadoff position and Derek Jeter, who now bats second, is having a great season so far. That only makes things easier for the big bats behind them. So there's my analysis of the big rivalry so far Poor Florida Fox with his Marlins... at least you're no glory-hunter Thanks for that, top quality reply. I obviously don't know half as much as you about baseball but as far as the Red Sox are concerned offensively they have been doing alright this year and like you say Coco Crisp will return soon. The only slight weakness seems to be Alex Gonzalez at shortstop but apparently his defence is fantastic. What do you reckon will happen when Crisp comes back as Wily Mo Pena is playing great. Will they just rotate him and Nixon or are there any other options. As far as pitching is concerned I think the Sox need one more quality starter as I'm not sure how well David Wells will perform this year. As for the Yankees I think it seems their starting pitchers aren't the greatest but then again like you said with an offense which contains Jeter, Giambi, Damon, Rodriguez, Sheffield, Matsui etc you can't go too wrong. Should be a really interesting season. Btw what do you think will happen with Roger Clemens?
Daggers Posted 19 May 2006 Posted 19 May 2006 In Caracas, watching baseball is simply an organised piss up where beer gets thrown everywhere, scantily-clad ladies dance at the end of innings and everyone staggers out at the end unsure of where they are. It's bloody great. Not sure the atmosphere would be quite the same in the states and that is the bit I liked best.
Guest Posted 20 March 2010 Posted 20 March 2010 Right, I need a crash course in this game. I am going to Fenway Park in August. I haven't a clue what happens, and was even more confused whilst watching kids playing on a Wii in SF last summer with some silly rule about hitting the ball behind the line means you have another go. HELP!! Oh, I am also concerned about this "not allowed your camera in" rule. I want photos of the Green Monster (I do know some stuff....).
Webbo Posted 20 March 2010 Posted 20 March 2010 Right, I need a crash course in this game. Basically it's cricket for gays.
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