Baseball for the Utterly Confused (NTC SPORTS/FITNESS) - Softcover

RANDALL

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0071634746 ISBN 13: 9780071634748

Publisher: McGraw Hill, 2010

Synopsis

Play Ball!
Everything baseball―from the popular Utterly Confused Series

What's a foul ball?
Or a swinging third strike?
New fans, parents, and first-time coaches need no longer be Utterly Confused about baseball, as the popular series introduces the basics of the sport in a fun and easy-to-follow guide.

Peppered with big league interviews and examples, Baseball for the Utterly Confused cuts through the jargon and history to deliver a complete guide to everything baseball. From little league to the majors, this informative guide brings the most casual fan up to speed on what's going on on the field and off of it.

• Provides a foundation for understanding the game through strategy, rules and scoring, statistics, major league players and more
• Includes easy-to-reference icons throughout the book that walk you through the basics and highlight key situations
• Features interviews with major league notables and a special chapter on baseball history: The Golden Age, Divisional Baseball, The Dead Ball Era and more

From the intricacies of the game, its rules, rivalries, strategies, and standings, those new to the game won't feel like they're in over their heads. This book will break it all down.

About this title

About the Author

Ed Randall is the host of “Talking Baseball” each Sunday morning on WFAN and is the author of More Tales From the Yankee Dugout.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Baseball for the Utterly CONFUSED

By Ed Randall

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-163474-8

Contents

Chapter One

Rules of the Game

Let's start with the basics. Two teams of at least nine players, led by a manager (usually dressed in uniform, in charge of the players and several supporting coaches—hitting, pitching, bullpen, first-base, and third-base, among others), will play each other for a minimum of five innings. Each team's objective is to win the game by outscoring its opponent. (Hello! Please tell me you already knew this and weren't that utterly confused!)

Sounds simple, right?

Three things to consider right off the bat:

1. That team of 9 is sometimes a team of 10, as the designated hitter has unfortunately taken root in much of the baseball world outside of the National League (more on the atrocity that is the DH later). Major-league rosters also have a bench, a rotation, and a bullpen, for 25 total players in uniform and eligible to play. A typical alignment would include nine position players, five starting pitchers, and six to seven relief pitchers (including a long man, capable of pitching several innings; specialists for lefty and righty batters; a closer, charged with shutting the door on the opposing team in its final at bat; and, ideally, one or two setup men, capable of maintaining a lead and acting as a bridge between the starter and the closer). The other five players might include a DH or power bat to come off the bench in key moments, a backup catcher (squatting for nine-plus innings as foul balls and barreling base runners bounce off your body takes a toll on the starting catcher, making backup a must—especially for day games after night games), a utility infielder (capable of playing multiple positions), and a fourth outfielder (in case of injury, as a defensive replacement, or as an additional pinch hitter). Of those four to five bench spots, general managers will try to ensure that among them they have both lefty and righty bats, to counter the pitching moves of opposing managers, as well as a player with speed, in case a pinch runner is called for.

2. The number of innings played is dependent on the level of play, the score, and the weather. Everyone knows that a major-league baseball game is nine innings long (eight and a half if the home team is winning going into the bottom of the ninth), but Little League games can be six to seven innings. Tie games usually go extra innings (more on that in a moment).

Then there's the matter of an official game. In major-league baseball, a game is official after five innings (four and a half if the home team has a lead going into the bottom of the fifth). So, if the heavens open up after five innings have been played, and there's no sign of the rain's ever ending, the team with the lead can get the win. If fewer than five innings are in the books, and there's no chance of the game's being resumed, then it's a do-over, to be played again some other day (meaning that the stats recorded during those first four innings will never find their way into the record book—just ask Roger Maris ... more on him later).

It gets complicated when rain or some other circumstance either stops a tied game or stops a game in which a tie has just been broken. If, let's say, after five innings of play the visiting team pulls ahead in the top of the sixth, and before the home team can play three outs' worth of baseball in the bottom half of the same inning, Noah gets on the PA system to tell the lucky fans in attendance that his ark is parked in section G of the lot out back and is about to set sail, then the top half of the inning is scrubbed from the box score, and the game reverts back to where it was at the end of the last full inning of play. As the game was tied at that point (or if the scenario didn't play out exactly as described and a tied game was stopped), the game could be suspended, to be completed at a future date.

3. While major-league baseball is designed to be played until a team ends an inning with a lead (the 2002 All-Star Game and spring training exhibitions notwithstanding), college baseball and other leagues have produced ties on occasion.

The Field

The baseball diamond is configured with 90 feet between consecutive bases, 60 feet 6 inches (and 10 inches off the ground) separating the pitcher's mound from home plate, and 127 feet 33/8 inches from home plate to second base and from first base to third base. The MLB rules also suggest that "the line from home base through the pitcher's plate to second base shall run East-Northwest." See Figure 1.1.

The rest of the field consists of boxes for the batter, for the catcher, and for the first- and third-base coaches, as well as a designated area for the on-deck batter. Foul lines run from home plate through first and third base, and the distances that each one spans (along with the fences in the outfield) vary from park to park (but can be no less than 250 feet at the major-league level). MLB does recommend approximately 320 feet down the line and 400 feet to center field, with 60 feet or more separating home plate and the infield from the stands.

Talking Baseball

Baseball has a language all its own, and to understand the sport and its rules, you'll need to be able to talk the talk before you can walk the walk. Here are some of the terms you'll hear while watching a game, along with their definitions.

Balk. The balk rule prevents pitchers from trying to be too sneaky when it comes to runners on base. It basically states that a pitcher is not allowed to do anything that would be considered disruptive to his motion. A balk is typically called when a pitcher either fails to come to a complete stop before delivering the baseball home (the stop indicates the beginning of the actual pitch) or fails to step off the mound before checking the runner (throwing to a base). When a balk is committed, each runner advances one base.

Ball. Any given pitch is, for the most part, a strike or a ball (with some rarities and exceptions as noted later). A ball is a pitch outside of the strike zone at which the batter does not swing. It is the first number in a standard count, so at 3–2, the batter has three balls and two strikes on him—four balls produce a walk. (I threw many of these in my amateur career. Whereas the great control pitchers could, as they say in the game, hit a gnat in the butt, I was the opposite.)

Base Coach. Each team has two uniformed base coaches while the team is up at bat, a first-base coach and a third-base coach. The base coaches direct the runners.

Base on Balls. Also known as a walk and abbreviated BB. When a pitcher delivers four balls outside of the strike zone during any at bat, the batter is awarded first base. (As with Warren Buffett, I gave out many awards in my time.)

Battery. The battery comprises the pitcher and the catcher—who are sometimes referred to as "battery mates" when spoken of as a pair.

Bunt. In key situations, instead of swinging for the fences, a batter might square off, face the pitcher with his bat out in front of him, and tap the ball so it takes a slow roll along the infield. Bunting the ball is an effective way to advance a runner (giving up an out to get your man from first to second base or from second to third) or take advantage of an unprepared fielder.

Catcher's Box. This is the area behind home plate designated for the catcher while a pitch is being delivered.

Catcher's Interference. If the catcher's glove gets in the way of the batter's swing, and contact is made, "catcher's interference" is called and the batter is awarded first base.

Dead Ball. This term applies both to an era of play early in the game in which the ball was less tightly wound and to the temporary suspension of action when a ball is legally out of play.

Doubleheader. Affectionately referred to as a twin bill, the traditional doubleheader was two games played back-to-back, for a single admission. (This is a quaint concept that has pretty much gone the way of the dodo bird because of unmitigated greed on the part of players and owners.) More often than not, today's doubleheaders are the results of postponements and are played as "day-night doubleheaders," in which the stands are cleared between games and a second set of ticket holders is ushered in for the nightcap.

Double Play. "The pitcher's best friend," a double play occurs when two offensive players are called out during an uninterrupted (and error-free) sequence of events.

Fair Ball. When contact is made, a batted ball is either fair or foul. If the ball first lands in fair territory, is in fair territory while crossing first or third base, or makes contact with anything in fair territory (including players, umpires, the bases, and the foul poles), it is ruled fair.

Fair Territory. This is the field between (and including) the foul lines, going up the outfield wall and extending vertically through each foul pole. Fair territory also includes the bases.

Fielder's Choice. When, on a fair ground ball, a fielder decides to attempt a play on a runner already on base instead of going after the batter by attempting the play at first, the batter who reaches first is not credited with a hit.

Force play. On a fair ball, the batter has a right to first base. If a runner is on first at the time, he must advance, and if the defense gets the ball to second base ahead of him, he is out. Similarly, if there are runners on first and second (or if the bases are loaded), and the batter makes fair contact, then each runner must advance to clear the base he was occupying.

A force can be removed during a play if the trailing runner is called out. When a batter flies out, there is no force, as there is no trail runner who must be accommodated. Also, if, with a runner on first, a ground ball is hit to the first baseman, who steps on the bag, the batter is out and the force no longer applies to the existing base runner. If that runner had attempted to advance to second on contact, throwing the ball to the base ahead of him would no longer be enough to get him out. With no force in effect, he would need to be tagged off the base to be called out. In this situation, many fielders will attempt to throw the ball to second base first and have whoever receives the ball at second throw it back to the player covering first, to preserve force-outs at both ends of the double play.

Foul Ball. When contact is made, a batted ball is either fair or foul. If the ball first lands in foul territory, is in foul territory while crossing first or third base, or makes contact with anything in foul territory (including players, umpires, base coaches, and other objects on the field), it is ruled foul.

A foul ball is also a strike against the hitter, unless there are already two strikes. With two strikes, a batter may keep his at bat alive by fouling off pitches; however, a caught foul tip is still a strike.

A fly ball is ruled fair or foul based on the position of the ball in relation to the foul line, not on where the fielder is when he touches it. So, a player cannot stand in foul territory and swat down a ball clearly on a path to land on the other side of the foul line. Thinking about that last part of the rule, you may ask yourself why a player would even consider swatting a ball when he could just catch it. The only situation I can think of in which this part of the rule could ever realistically come into play is if a fly ball was hit to either corner outfielder with a runner on third prepared to tag up, and rather than giving the opposition a chance to score, the outfielder tries to get clever by having the ball declared foul.

Foul Tip. If a batter grazes a pitch, and it is still caught by the catcher, it is a foul tip. Any foul tip that is legally caught (before touching the ground) is a strike.

Illegal Pitch. If a pitcher delivers a pitch but fails to maintain contact between his pivot foot and the pitcher's mound, it is an illegal pitch. Similarly, if a pitcher tries a "quick pitch" to somehow fool the batter or catch him off guard, it is also illegal. When a pitcher delivers an illegal pitch with runners on base, a balk is called.

Infield Fly. When there are runners on first and second or when the bases are loaded, with fewer than two outs, and a fly ball (as opposed to an attempted bunt or a line drive) is, in the umpire's opinion, easily playable for an infielder, the "infield fly rule" is invoked. This means that the batter is out regardless of whether the ball is caught or dropped (unless the ball is dropped and bounces foul before reaching first or third base, in which case it is called foul). The rule is called to protect the runners, as a dropped ball would create multiple force-play opportunities.

Regardless of what happens to the ball, nothing changes in relation to the fly ball and the runners. They must still wait until it is caught (if it is caught) to attempt to advance.

Interference. There are four categories of interference: offensive, defensive, umpire's, and spectator (fan).

Offensive interference is called when the team at bat goes out of its way to somehow obstruct, impede, or confuse a fielder while in the act of making a play. This infraction may be called on an overaggressive base runner who attempts a hard slide into second base, trying to knock down a fielder and break up a potential double play, where it is ruled that the slide was too far out of the baseline. When offensive interference is called, the runner on whom it was called is out, and other runners are instructed to return to the last base they occupied prior to the interference, per the umpire's judgment.

Defensive interference is called when a fielder in some manner gets in the way of a batter trying to hit a pitch. (While the culprit is often the catcher, this infraction could also be called on a charging infielder in a bunt situation.) Umpire's interference is called either when an ump somehow disrupts a catcher attempting to throw out a potential base stealer or when an ump gets hit with a fair ball in fair territory before the ball passes a fielder. Spectator or fan interference is called when someone in the stands reaches out to the field and touches a live ball. For these rulings as well, bases are awarded per the umpire's judgment, and when any of the four interference types is called, the ball is ruled dead.

Obstruction. A fielder may not in any way impede the progress of a runner if he doesn't have possession of the ball or is not in the act of fielding the ball (either on the ground or on the receiving end after having being thrown the ball by another fielder). It is the umpire's decision as to what constitutes being "in the act of fielding the ball."

Overslide. When a player slides (or runs) into second or third base, he must maintain contact with the bag to stay safe. If I slid safely ahead of a play at third, beating the throw, but my momentum carried me off too far, I could be called out if the third baseman tagged me before I reconnected with the base.

Rundown. This is what happens when the defense has a runner caught between bases and attempts to get him out before he safely reaches either. One situation in which a rundown might take place is if, with a runner on second and one out, a batter hits a single that is played by the right fielder, who comes up throwing. As the runner rounds third and approaches home, with the ball in flight toward the plate, the catcher realizes that the throw will be too late to tag the runner out. Instead, he'll yell to his teammates to cut off the ball. The first baseman will catch the ball originally intended for the catcher. Frequently, the batter will be trapped somewhere between first and second base and eventually tagged out in a rundown. Note to second baseman: Do not cause interference!

Set Position. One of the two legal pitching positions.

Squeeze Play. A bunt with a runner on third is usually labeled a squeeze play, especially if the goal of the play is to score the runner. The first variation of this is the "safety squeeze," in which, with runners on first and third, the batter will bunt to try to stay out of a double play.

The best-known version of this play is the "suicide squeeze." Here, with fewer than two outs, a runner on third will break for the plate (as if he were stealing home) while the pitcher is in midmotion. The batter squares and bunts the ball to either first or third. When the suicide squeeze is done right, by the time the fielder gets to the ball, the runner has already scored. The risk is that the batter may miss the bunt, leaving the base runner to run into what will most likely be a sure out at home (hence the name).

Strike Zone. Officially, the strike zone is the area over home plate. Its high end is the midpoint between the top of a batter's shoulders and the top of his uniform pants (when he is prepared to swing), and its low point is the hollow beneath his kneecaps. Any ball pitched within the strike zone and not swung at is ... wait for it ... a strike.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Baseball for the Utterly CONFUSEDby Ed Randall Copyright © 2010 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw Hill
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0071634746
• ISBN 13: 9780071634748
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 241