Baseball

I played baseball in the Joe Dimaggio league in high school. I was a catcher. I came up to bat and this guy started yelling at me, "You shouldn't be hitting". "You don't know what you're doing". After more insults, I went over to the guy and said, "What's your problem"? He told me that my cup had fallen down to my knee.

I love baseball. I love everything about it. There is nothing quite like a freshly cut field of grass, the sound of baseballs cracking into the gloves while everyone is warming up, the feeling of thinking a fastball is going to be a curve and taking it right in the ribs. I don't know how the big league players do it. They'll take a 90 mile per hour fastball in the ribs and trot to first base like nothing ever happened.

I've seen players who's stance at the plate is designed to get hit somewhere on their body. They wanted to get on base somehow, and it didn't matter how. Pete Rose is a great example. Even though he batted over .300, his on base percentage was higher. He was a lead off hitter, so if he got on base, he was much more likely to score a run.

If a guy can get on base regularly, get a lot of base hits, score and drive in runs, he's going to be a big star, making big money. The guy who bats second is someone expected to be able to bunt, to get the runner from first to second, but also be able to make good contact with the ball to get the guy from first to second or third. They are also expected to be fast runners.

Conversely, home run hitters are paid to drive in runs with doubles and home runs. They will normally strike out a lot, which is to be expected, since they're almost always swinging for the fences most of the time. If they're good, they will also get intentionally walked, either because they're normally slower on the bases, or because the opposing team didn't want him to hit a home run. A great example of that was Barry Bonds. He led the league in home runs and walks after he began "juicing", or taking steroids.

The number five hitter is supposed to drive in runs. Anything else is a bonus. These guys should be really good at smacking the ball all over the field, depending on the situation. They need to be masterful with the bat to hit wherever it will do the most good for his team.

The rest of the lineup consist of the weaker hitters, most of the time. They're playing because they are awesome at defense.

If you're not a fan, you may have learned more about baseball than you wanted to. Don't fret. There's a place for you, as a spectator. You can go get the hotdogs, nachos and beer.

See you tomorrow.

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