Americans and Football

[mike_baram]

Nick: I think you have a pretty good snapshot of the state of soccer in the U.S. Oh, speaking of football, how bout dem Iggles.
* * * DD

Wait till Saturday, then ask the Niners that question.

[Kory_Clark]

It's all MOOT ...someday the only sport will be hockey

[Denny]

Mike: If the birds bring an offense of some stripe, their killer defense and KILLER road record make them pretty tough. We will see.
DD

I thought soccer was a game mostly played by girls in America.

[leo]

If we can settle down our field goal kicker and cover kick offs and punt returns a little better, the Steelers will go to the Super Bowl. We have the best defense in Pro Football, have the best rushing game, and Stewart is coming into his own.

For what it's worth (as if you cared!), here's what I think about your Yankee sports.

American Football: I played it at school for a while, only at break-times. It's OK, a bit to stop-and-start for my liking, but it seems too much like it's just Rugby for wimps!!!

Baseball: Not a bad game to play I suppose, we did a bit of Softball back in school, but baseball is too slow, a bit like Cricket (not all Englishmen like Cricket, you know!). I watched it on TV a few years ago when they first started showing it regularly over here but I had to turn it off. The Batter had about 4-5 chances to hit the ball but didn't bother, or was given another go! How can you call that entertaining?! America's national game? Why?!

Basketball: I have to say I can't fault this game. It has near-continual movement, the way a sport should be played, it takes skill to play well and it's good to watch. You hit the jackpot with that one. I myself still can't slam dunk properly, despite being black (stereotyping myself? :-/) and 6'2", but someday I will!

Are you sure you don't wanna give Football (REAL Football!) a try?

[Shooter]

Nick:

Baseball is really a very complex game, but it does not offer the adrenalin junkie his fix as does other sports. The raison d'etre of baseball is the duel between the batter and the pitcher, of course, but all the time there are subtle activities occurring in the field. The catcher directs the other position players to cover certain parts of the field where the batted ball is likely to travel if the pitcher delivers the ball correctly. The field coaches direct the batter to attempt to put the ball in play at certain times or to refrain from swinging at other occasions.

The presence of base runners completely change the dynamics of the duel, since putting a base runner in motion can change the tactical advantage of the defensive team in the field (example: with a runner on first base, the coach directs the runner to attempt to steal second and at the same time directs the batter to swing at the pitch--regardless....this is known as the "hit-and-run" play. In response to the steal attempt, one of the middle infielders shifts position to cover second base,awaiting a throw from the catcher to pick-off the base runner. If the pitch is not good enough to put in play, the batter attempts to fowl the pitch off to protect the base runner from being thrown out at second by the catcher. If the pitch is a good one to hit, the batter attempts to direct the batted ball through the position vacated by the infielder who is covering second. Properly executed, the play will put the base runner on third and the batter-runner on first--"runners on the corners"--and avoids a potential double-play.

I guess this is a clear as mud to a novice, but it goes to show how complex the game can be. If one is aware of the nuances, the game can be as exciting as football (your choice). If not, the game is about as exciting as watching paint dry. The best feature about baseball is the fact that the players never are fighting the clock. Except in Japan, one cannot run out of time in the game of baseball. That is why we say that it is the only game where time stands still.

[PeterL]

Shooter, change a word here and there and you just gave a perfect explanation of the appeal of cricket.

[Baron_von_Tecumseh]

Baseball is all about geometry
Its a round ball and a round bat
and your suppose to hit it square

Give a boy a ball and a bat
and a place to play
and he will never go astray

[leo]

Baseball really isn't that bad of a game. However, the owners and the players are trying their very best to kill the game. It is hard to get enthusiastic about a game owned by billionaires and played by millionaires.