Monday 23 January 2012

Baseball

The sport developed from the British bat-and-ball game of rounders, which was played by colonists in North America at town meeting days. References to basebll have been found in American newspapers and civic documents from as early as 1791, and there is a tradition (now discredited) that the rules of the game were laid down by Abner Doubleday (1819-93) at Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. The first recorded organised game was played between the Knickerbockers and the New York Nine at Hoboken, New Jersey, on 19th June 1846 under rules drawn up by Alexander Cartwright (1820-92). Rules concerning equipment, numbers of “balls” and “strikes” allowed, and dimensions of the field of play developed over the next 50 years. The distance from the oitchers mound to home plate was finally fixed at 18.4m/60ft 6in in 1893, since when there have been only minor changes to the game.

Rules and Description

Team game played between two sides on a field containing a diamond-shaped “infield” which has “bases” at the corners, 27.4/90ft apart, and an “outfield” lying beyond this. Each side consists of nine players who “bat” and “field”, but players may be replaced during the game by substitutes from a total squad of up to 25. Essential pieces of equipment are long solid bats, the hard ball “pitched” from the “mound”, and the glove worn by each fielder: the team”at bat” tries to score runs during each “inning” by having its players hit the ball, circle the bases and return to home plate before being put out by the team “in the field” players are out if their hit is caught, if they are tagged with the ball when “off-base”, if the base is touched by the fielder with the ball before they arrive at it, or if they “strike out”, ie fail to hit the ball after three pitches have been judged “strikes” by the umpire, the team at bat is retired after three players are put out, ending the inning, a game consists of nine innings for each team, plus unlimited extra innings in the event of a tie.

Under National League rules, all nine players who field also bat, under American League rules, the pitcher is not required to bat, and there is a “designated hitter”, who bats but does not field.

Player Profile

Baseball is a game of skill, strategy, and athletic ability. Catching, hitting, and throwing all require excellent hand-eye co-ordination. It also helps to have great reflexes when facing the pitcher. Batters have just a fraction of a second to decide whether or not to swing at a pitch. Fitness is another important part of the game, for sprinting between bases and chasing down fast-moving balls in the field. Physical endurance is also crucial as the pros endure a gruelling 162-game regular season.

Equipment and Protection

Head Protection – Some pitchers can deliver the ball at 160kph (100mph) and more, so a helmet is essential for a batters safety.

Players Identification – Players from all the Major League teams bar the New York Yankees have their names on the back of their jerseys. A number on the front of the jersey also identifies the player.

Team Strip – Each player wears a strip in the distinctive team colours.

Shocking Stockings – Two Major League clubs are named for their stocking colour: the Boston Red Sox and the Chicargo White Sox.

Gripping the dirt – Baseball shoes have metal or plastic cleats on the soles that provide grip when running on dirt.

Bat attack – The baseball bat can measure anywhere between 63.5cm (25in) and 101.6cm (40in) in length and tapers at the handle. Professional players must use a wooden bat. Aluminium bats may be used in amateur baseball .

Padded Protection – The gloves of all fielders are well padded to protect the fingers.

Catchers Mitt – The fingerless mitt of the catcher guards the hand and makes it eadier to catch pitches

Catchers Mask – Modern masks are generally a one-piece design, similar to those worn by Hockey goalies.

Chest protector – Padding cushions the ribcage from pitches and deflected bats.

Knee pads – Special pads are comfortable for the catcher to rest on when in the squat position: they also provide protection for the knee joint.

Extra padding – Padding over the stomach prevents the catcher from being winded.

Shin guards – Also called spike protectors, they are used to prevent injury from base runners sliding into home with “spikes up”

Foot guards – Hard plastic guards cover the catchers shoes to prevent damage to the feet.

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This all about need a baseball player.you describe every step of playing rule, equipment protection.
    Bat attack – The baseball bat can measure anywhere between 63.5cm (25in) and 101.6cm (40in) in length and tapers at the handle. Professional players must use a wooden bat. Aluminium bats may be used in amateur baseball .
    This describe part are useful for me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Baseball is a game played by two teams
    , with each team having nine innings in which they attempt to score runs. The home team always bats second (the "bottom" of the inning) and the visiting team always bats in the "top" of the inning.

    ReplyDelete