Thursday, April 15, 2010

Hit the Cover Off the Ball, Clever Girls

Ok, Clever Girls, it’s time for me to prove to you how easy baseball is to follow. It used to be easier because the players wore really tight pants- now they’ve gotten fashion-forward and are sporting a straight leg. Anyway, eye on the ball. If you are anything like me, the more obtuse a concept, the less likely you are to be interested. The same follows with sports. If they are too difficult to comprehend, the likability decreases rapidly. Who has patience for something they don’t understand?


The object of baseball is to score the most runs (cross home base after rounding first, second and third). Before we explore the field- let’s talk about how baseball is played. The players not currently batting or on the field reside in little recessed areas on the first and third base lines called "dugouts." Baseball is played in innings. There is a top and bottom in each of nine innings. The team that leads the play at bat starts the top of the first inning. When that team gets three outs (we will discuss outs later), the other team is up to bat (offense). The team on the field is the defense. Games can go very quickly or drag out for hours and hours and hours depending on many factors- most of which will become apparent.




The "southernmost" point is home base, also where the batters hit, the umpire calls and the catcher catches (I’ll explain all of that in a minute). The grey shaded area is considered the infield and the area beyond the arch at the outer perimeter is the outfield.


Who goes where? OK, the diamond to the right is first base- you end up there with a base hit (base hit- you advance one base). The "northernmost" diamond is second base (if a batter ends up there, they have hit a double). The left diamond is third base (if a batter ends up there he has hit a triple). And of course the last is home base (if a batter crosses home he has hit a home run- if there is a man on each base and the batter hits a home run it’s called a grand slam- scoring four points).


Each base has a baseman- this man minds the base. His exclusive role is to throw the player from the opposing team out (touch the bag before they arrive) or tag them out (touch the with the ball or a gloved ball). Let me explain the difference between the need to touch the runner personally or just the bag. If the run is "forced"- you are forced to run because there is a runner behind you- as opposed to an empty base- the baseman needs only to touch the bag. If the runner is advancing without a runner behind him- he needs to be touched with the ball or the ball in the baseman’s glove.


A logical question would be, how does a runner end up without a runner behind him? Two ways. Let’s say a batter hits a triple and he is standing on third base and there is a new batter up who hits a single or a base hit, the runner on third is not "forced" to advance- especially if it's not in his best interest. So, if he did advance to home, he would have to be touched. Another way a runner ends up with an empty base behind him is if he has "stolen" a base.


A runner steals a base if they run during the pitch, during a ball being fumbled by the catcher, or during play. In this case, if a runner is “stealing” a base, he must be touched by the player with the ball. This is a prime occasion for a slide.


A slide is when a runner either goes to his stomach or to his hip and literally slides into the base. What is the point? Several reasons for this- to extend his body to reach the bag quicker- or, to avoid being touched by the baseman with the ball. Flattening out one’s body and staying low could allow the runner to reach the bag without being touched.


Looking at the shaded area above- the white path between the bases is called the base line. Imagine the straight lines extending from home base extending all the way to the wall in the outfield- these are the lines that indicate out of bounds. A runner traveling between home and first or third and home can't run outside that line without being called out. There is more latitude between first and second or second and third.


There are a lot of specifics to running I am not going to get into, because again, the Clever initiative is for me to give you as much information as you need to grow an interest, watch a game and enjoy it. You needn’t argue the infield fly rule, whether someone tagged up or whether a pitch was a strike or a ball. Frankly, only the umpire can make that call, so why argue?


The role of each baseman is to throw or tag the runner out. If they can remove them from the base, they can’t score. There is a gentleman (often a handsome one from my home state named Derek Jeter) positioned between second and third. This is the "short stop" and his job is to play second or third if the baseman is called off of the base to field a ball and to shag balls on the hop heading through that hold. This player is to be one of the smartest and most dynamic of all.


The pitcher’s job is simply to throw the ball to the catcher. He can either throw a "ball" (outside the strike zone) or a "strike"- over home plate between the batters shoulders and knees. This pitch is considered "hittable." There are three types of strikes.


1. The batter does not swing- strike.


2.The batter swings and misses- strike.


3. The batter connects with the ball and it is fouled (out of bounds).


Each batter is allowed 4 balls or 3 strikes. If a batter gets four balls before three strikes he gets to walk to first base. If a batter gets three strikes before four balls, he is considered "out." A full count is when the batter has 3 balls and 2 strikes. There are three ways to end this. A walk (four balls) a strike (out) or a hit. Now, you should know, if the batter hits the ball and it goes out of bounds it is considered a strike, but cannot end a batter's turn at bat unless the ball is caught by an opposing player.


The catcher’s job is not only to "catch" the ball if it is not hit, but he defends home plate. This is a highly stressful job- I used to be one. Not only is your visibility limited by the face mask- but your protective gear is cumbersome. Getting from your knee to locate a pop foul ball and race back to defend home base from a runner who might want to steal home is a BITCH. You often race around looking as if you are sight impaired, have an inner ear infection and two left feet. The value of a catcher can’t be overstated- or in most cases in the majors- overpaid.


Joe Mauer- former Yankee now with Twins- $23 million annually for eight years


Jorge Posada- Yankee- $13.1 million annually


Often the pitcher will race to home base to protect the base and help the catcher if he’s called away.


Now, about the outfield. Looking at the outfield- right field is to the right, center field at center and left field is to the left. The positions are called the very same. Their job is the same as everyone else's- field the ball and throw it to the appropriate baseman to get as many people out as possible OR to catch the ball in mid air resulting in an out.


Any ball caught in mid-air without touching the ground is considered and automatic out.


You will see the outfielders, the shortstop and the basemen move around a bit- this is based on the hitter. These guys study tapes for hours and they play 180 or so games yearly, so they know each other. The skill level is high and the guys shift their locations to anticipate the hit in order to field quicker and throw outs quicker.


There it is in a nutshell and you can be certain there are all kinds of technicalities- but you don’t need to know anything else. UNLESS- you want to know. Clever Girls do their research- they ask questions during commercials or discretely between plays. Guys loooove to explain the rules and impart information to anyone willing to listen- so asking intelligent questions is the way to a man’s heart.


If you are going to a game- prepare for some fantastic hotdogs and cold beer. Some of the newer ball parks have amazing food court-style booths. If you are watching what you eat and are invited to a game- let that night be your cheat night and ENJOY. Dudes hate taking a girl to the game who won't eat and turns up her nose at beer. I wonder if the Reds stadium has Cincinnati chili. Hmmm. YUM.


OK, tomorrow we need to talk about the NHL a bit and plan on a really interesting post about hot yoga. It’s time to talk about nutrition and I’m dying to get back to "Sextrology." I’ve got the new book and it is HOT, HOT, HOT. The book that will tell you whether you and your current, uh, partner are "sextrologically" compatible. Leave it to Starsky and Cox to stir things up.


Oh, and if you are about to plan a wedding and need some advice on getting started check here. Or, e-mail me personally and I will get you started- FOR FREE. I can advise you in Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Tampa, Dallas and Chicago- let me be your wedding agent!



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