Baseball V Cricket?

[Fusion]

I have absolutely no authority or knowledge to back up what I'm going to say but I'll risk looking like a fool and go ahead anyway. In terms of technical nuances and variety of skills, I'd estimate that a baseball game must be roughly comparable to a T20 game, or at most an ODI. Can't see it coming close to matching a Test in terms of how deeply it engages a viewer intellectually.

Mission accomplished. There’s plenty of technical nuances and variety of skills involved in baseball. As far as engaging a viewer “intellectually”, that’s obviously subjective. As a fan of baseball, I find that it engages me just fine. There’s no point in directly comparing the two sports because they’re vastly different. However, if you watch baseball with any frequency, you’ll realize there’s so much more to it than “throw the ball – hit the ball”. Every at bat is a chess game between the pitcher and the batter. What speed is the pitch coming at? What type of a pitch (Turb did a good job of listing just a few of the MANY variations that can be pitched)? Field settings play a part. The hitter’s speed (or lack there off) plays a part. Everything changes depending on if a runner is on base. We can have a 50 page discussion about the intricacies of the game. I realize that this is a Cricket forum so there’s not likely to be much love/admiration for baseball. I’d just say that dismissing a sport that you don’t understand is perhaps a bit too much. Why don’t you give it a shot and watch a few games? Maybe you’ll change your mind and even start enjoying it (albeit less than Cricket I’m sure).

Looks like a thoroughly **** sport itbt. From an aesthetic POV, The gear makes the players look like polar bears with serial wanking problems as well.

Teja, you do realize that most non-Cricket fans make plenty of snide remarks about the “gears” of cricket? Everything from the gloves to the pads to the helmets is easily mocked. Start talking about uniforms in Test cricket (sweaters and the hats specially), and you can give plenty of ammunition to the other side.

 

[Teja.]

It was in jest tbh, About 0.1% rationality in the post.

The trolling didn't get Turbs.

 

[smash84]

You're not even showing a modicum of restraint with these smileys any more, are you?

of course not

it was quite funny tbh

Every at bat is a chess game between the pitcher and the batter. What speed is the pitch coming at? What type of a pitch (Turb did a good job of listing just a few of the MANY variations that can be pitched)? Field settings play a part. The hitter’s speed (or lack there off) plays a part. Everything changes depending on if a runner is on base. We can have a 50 page discussion about the intricacies of the game. I realize that this is a Cricket forum so there’s not likely to be much love/admiration for baseball. I’d just say that dismissing a sport that you don’t understand is perhaps a bit too much. Why don’t you give it a shot and watch a few games? Maybe you’ll change your mind and even start enjoying it (albeit less than Cricket I’m sure).

Doesn't this all happen in cricket as well. In fact in cricket you also have factors such as the type of pitch

 

[juro]

Was just winding you up turbs. New Zealand doesn't like to admit but we are a 5 time softball world champ. Don't tell anyone though. We play only rugby.

Don't forget netball!

 

[Fusion]

Doesn't this all happen in cricket as well. In fact in cricket you also have factors such as the type of pitch

Of course it happens in Cricket. Don't forget that I'm not talking down Cricket, rather pointing out that Baseball shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. My first love is still Cricket and I love everything about the game. But I’m not monogamous in my relationship with Cricket. I admire many different sports and Baseball is one that I follow with passion. It’s a great game IMHO.

 

[smash84]

Of course it happens in Cricket. Don't forget that I'm not talking down Cricket, rather pointing out that Baseball shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. My first love is still Cricket and I love everything about the game. But I’m not monogamous in my relationship with Cricket. I admire many different sports and Baseball is one that I follow with passion. It’s a great game IMHO.

Baseball might be a great game (fat chance ) but my contention with a poster and then with Turbi was that bowling in cricket has more variation than baseball because you can do the same kind of bowling in cricket and more. There is definitely more room for variation in bowling in cricket than in pitching in baseball. That was the point that I had made to the argument that in cricket the only variation that a bowler has is a bouncer or the slower ball.

 

[Turbinator]

Mission accomplished. There’s plenty of technical nuances and variety of skills involved in baseball. As far as engaging a viewer “intellectually”, that’s obviously subjective. As a fan of baseball, I find that it engages me just fine. There’s no point in directly comparing the two sports because they’re vastly different. However, if you watch baseball with any frequency, you’ll realize there’s so much more to it than “throw the ball – hit the ball”. Every at bat is a chess game between the pitcher and the batter. What speed is the pitch coming at? What type of a pitch (Turb did a good job of listing just a few of the MANY variations that can be pitched)? Field settings play a part. The hitter’s speed (or lack there off) plays a part. Everything changes depending on if a runner is on base. We can have a 50 page discussion about the intricacies of the game. I realize that this is a Cricket forum so there’s not likely to be much love/admiration for baseball. I’d just say that dismissing a sport that you don’t understand is perhaps a bit too much. Why don’t you give it a shot and watch a few games? Maybe you’ll change your mind and even start enjoying it (albeit less than Cricket I’m sure).

Of course it happens in Cricket. Don't forget that I'm not talking down Cricket, rather pointing out that Baseball shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. My first love is still Cricket and I love everything about the game. But I’m not monogamous in my relationship with Cricket. I admire many different sports and Baseball is one that I follow with passion. It’s a great game IMHO.

Well said Fusion. It seems you share the same views and love for both sports as I do. It's good to see.

It was in jest tbh, About 0.1% rationality in the post.

The trolling didn't get Turbs.

Haha, tbh, I'm just so used to it. A lot of baseball fans will make ignorant comments along the lines of cricket being for pansies, etc. And a lot cricket fans aren't shy of stating their dislike for baseball. I tend not to discuss baseball with my cricket team, and I once made the mistake of mentioning cricket to my baseball teammates, which you can assume didn't go too well as it just led to mocking of the sport.

Good to know it was in jest though

 

[Top_Cat]

That there's been zero cross-over athletes between baseball and cricket should tell you something about how different the respective games are if you want to play at minor/FC level, leave alone the highest level.

 

[Spark]

Did a lot of Aussie FC cricketers play baseball in winter back in the day?

 

[GotSpin]

Thought it was mostly AFL

 

[silentstriker]

So true. That's why I don't think any fan of cricket can ever grow to love baseball. At best, I could mildly tolerate its existence, but asking me to like it would probably be a bridge too far.

I did. Grew up with cricket, now love baseball as well. And hate T20.

I have absolutely no authority or knowledge to back up what I'm going to say but I'll risk looking like a fool and go ahead anyway. In terms of technical nuances and variety of skills, I'd estimate that a baseball game must be roughly comparable to a T20 game, or at most an ODI. Can't see it coming close to matching a Test in terms of how deeply it engages a viewer intellectually.

You're so wrong.

 

[vcs]

Well, that's good to know.

 

[fredfertang]

Did a lot of Aussie FC cricketers play baseball in winter back in the day?

Bill Ponsford for one was an excellent baseball player

 

[juro]

Let me start by saying I've never played baseball. In fact, I struggled at t-ball as a kid too. I have played club cricket, badly of course.

I wouldn't mind getting into watching baseball but the times I have tried to watch it, I just get frustrated. The balance of power is so much with the fielding side. A batter doesn't get a real chance to get his eye in. If he manages to connect, most the time it is a foul ball or pops up for an easy catch. If it isn't caught, then the batter usually has to take a suicide run because the ball has gone straight to a fielder and he doesn't have the option to not run. If he actually makes it to first, he has to hope that the next batter can do likewise to progress any further.

So it all comes down to the batter having to try to hit a home run, about the same as a new batsman coming in and trying to hit a 6 first ball. The majority of times, it just isn't going to happen.

Having looked at a few scorecards, I see games that go for about 3 hours, with maybe 20 hits between the two teams. And that just means that the batter got to first base (or beyond), right? That is pretty hard to cope with for someone not used to it.

If I had come from a baseball background, these things probably wouldn't bother me at all. But I didn't...

 

[Fusion]

Let me start by saying I've never played baseball. In fact, I struggled at t-ball as a kid too. I have played club cricket, badly of course.

I wouldn't mind getting into watching baseball but the times I have tried to watch it, I just get frustrated. The balance of power is so much with the fielding side. A batter doesn't get a real chance to get his eye in. If he manages to connect, most the time it is a foul ball or pops up for an easy catch. If it isn't caught, then the batter usually has to take a suicide run because the ball has gone straight to a fielder and he doesn't have the option to not run. If he actually makes it to first, he has to hope that the next batter can do likewise to progress any further.

So it all comes down to the batter having to try to hit a home run, about the same as a new batsman coming in and trying to hit a 6 first ball. The majority of times, it just isn't going to happen.

Having looked at a few scorecards, I see games that go for about 3 hours, with maybe 20 hits between the two teams. And that just means that the batter got to first base (or beyond), right? That is pretty hard to cope with for someone not used to it.

If I had come from a baseball background, these things probably wouldn't bother me at all. But I didn't...

Hits are a commodity in Baseball. To me, that's part of the beauty of the game. But just because it's so hard to get a hit doesn't mean the batters are swinging for a home run each time. Far from it. Just like in cricket, the baseball lineup is constructed with specific purposes. The 1-2-3 hitters are usually the speedy guys that are expected to get on base by getting hits or bunting. The 4-5-6 hitters are the "power" guys, who can belt one out of the park. But home runs are not a normal occurence. The power guys are some of the highest paid players in Baseball because of that reason.

I love that getting on base is such a hard achievement. It makes each at bat count and once someone is on base the whole complexity of the game changes. I probably sound like a broken record, but baseball and cricket are just vastly different games and I accept that it would be rare for people to like both sports. I do, and I have had countless hours of enjoyment from watching both.

 

[Jayzamann]

I accept that it would be rare for people to like both sports.

I think this changes with the level of exposure one has relative to the other. The more I watch baseball on television (it's been available free-to-air for the last two seasons), the more I've come to appreciate it. On a fundamental level, the ball-and-stick, hit-and-run aspects are shared, but that's pretty much where the comparisons end. Except tradition. Both baseball and cricket looooove their history. And stats.

On describing the two sports to Canadian friends of mine I said: "cricket is exactly like baseball, only with a few major differences... and thousands of smaller ones"

 

[Noble One]

My thoughts are similar to Jayzamann.

I have never followed any baseball until the current MLB season. At first I viewed the game as 'throw ball - see ball - hit ball - catch ball', but the more games you watch, the greater the appreciation for the little nuances.

I don't see many similarities between the two sports, and I don't think it is fair to analyse specific aspects of the game against each other (including variety of delivery/pitching types). No real comparisons can be made due to the nature of the sports.

 

[ankitj]

I agree with you, Turbinator. It can't have developed into a global sport (America do call themselves baseball World Champions after all, even if only two or three teams actually compete ) without having some depth to it. Nah, just kidding.

I have absolutely no authority or knowledge to back up what I'm going to say but I'll risk looking like a fool and go ahead anyway. In terms of technical nuances and variety of skills, I'd estimate that a baseball game must be roughly comparable to a T20 game, or at most an ODI. Can't see it coming close to matching a Test in terms of how deeply it engages a viewer intellectually.

This. At the risk of looking like a fool

Let me know if I am wrong but isn't every variation in baseball pitching replicable in Cricket bowling? OTOH things that ball does after hitting the turf are not replicable in baseball.

Basically, I think cricket is quite simply the most sophisticated sport known to mankind. Among athletic games, cricket is what chess is among non-athletic games.

 

[hang on]

baseball is to cricket what accounting is to philosophy

as described by one wag on another site. must say that that chap had it bang on.

 

[Top_Cat]

Did a lot of Aussie FC cricketers play baseball in winter back in the day?

Yeah, social level!

Honestly, as someone in a similar boat to Fusion (baseball and cricket fan), that there are wags (read: WAC's) trying to say that one sport is tougher/better/more complex than the other is meh. It's those who reckon because a bloke is gun in one they could 'easily' transition to the other who are saying stupid things.