Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 22:18:09
From: Jonn Dalton
To: cgp
Subject: If a Scrabble reporter covered baseball ...

At the Fenway Park in Boston last night, the Yankees defeated the Red Sox 4-3. Baseball is a game played with bats and balls and gloves, and players try to reach home plate to score runs. The team with the most runs wins. Alfonso Soriano was the youngest player to compete, and at one point in the game he faced the oldest player, David Cone. Derek Jeter is an expert player and hits about 33% of the time, but novice players like Donaldo Mendez only hit about 16% of the time. The longest hit was a 400-foot home run by Paul O'Neill. The game is usually silent, with the occasional yell of "strike" by the umpire and the crack of the ball hitting the wooden bats. Here's some tips if you want to win at baseball:

  * pine tar is valid, but only within the first 18 inches of the bat
  * a walk gets you to first base, but with a good poker face you
    can steal second base on the next pitch
  * as a DH you can hit for eight other players
These baseball players take their game seriously, often showing up hours before the game for batting practice. Manny Ramirez is an avid hitter, but draws the line at scheduling vacations around road games. Major League Baseball represents hundreds of players and coaches across the US and other countries, sanctioning about 2500 games each year. Players are an ecletic bunch who like to chew anything from sunflower seeds to bubble gum to tobacco. Some of the players will go on to compete in the National All-Star game held this summer.

Last Modified 5/31/00


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