User talk:Hemux/baseball questions

NEWS
Hi everybody, Locarno, TommyBoy and all. Guess what. I don't suscribe anymore to cable TV to watch MLB games, because I don't have the time, but... I'm in a baseball team ! the Patriots of Paris ! I'm number 30, it's been very short time but I love it. And I bought many many material, I'm really glad. Got 5 gloves, 3 bats, dozens of balls, pants, spikes, caps... that's just plain great. I wish I could have more 39/30 caps but hey, that's France... And I recently bought meself a 59/50 Mets, a 7 3/8, but that's just a bit too loose ! And the size under (7/1/4) is too tight ! Damn !

And I got a question for everybody ! It appeared not in a real game, nor during one of my twice-a-week trainings... but in BIGS on the Nintendo Wii ! Ahah, anyway, the question is still important : umpires declared a Double Ground Rule ! Which I have no idea what it is ! Help ? Bye ! 194.60.106.5 (talk) 09:10, 30 June 2009 (UTC) (Hemux)
 * Did you check Ground rule double? --Locarno (talk) 23:25, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Baseball discussion
Ok Locarno, thanks again ! Hey people, guess what, though I don't have anything left to watch about baseball, I've got some questions, and you know why ? Because for the first time a friend of mine agreed to come with me in some near park and be my "sport's mate" - that's pretty rare, I insist, people here are not interested in baseball. So then I could finally have a great and concrete feeling with this sport, more than on my own, in my bedroom, against the walls, like McQueen...
 * Who's McQueen? Steve McQueen?  Not sure what you are referring to?
 * Yeah, sure, Steve McQueen, you know, Great Escape, the famous scene with the ball. Hemux 17:53, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Haven't yet seen it. I'll have to rent it one of these days.  Locarno 18:37, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

So here is the subject : pitching. I had a great pleasure pitching this afternoon, more than hitting. I love being the pitcher, or receiving the ball from a far friend in the field, trying to catch it correctly, like some baseman or outfielder. And so I would like that you all share your experience about pitching, throwing, catching, all these actions in relation with the ball. I would love to get your advices, your knowledge, and so on. It was the first time I pitched a whole afternoon, I'm exhausted, yet I pitched too much outside or inside (poor friend), 95% of my pitches were balls... and pretty awful balls. Plus, man, I took something with me to measure, I can't believe you guys pitch 60feet far from the hitter... It kills you ! That's it ! Tell me everything you know, and if it not the right place, tell me where I should cut and paste this topic ! Bye ! Hemux 18:23, 14 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Here's the basics on throwing a baseball.


 * NEVER throw a baseball to someone unless they are looking at you and expecting a throw. If your friend's gaze wanders off to look at a car or a bird, wait until he turns back.
 * One thing about throwing/pitching: it is the MOST unnatural motion to the human body. Do not do it excessively.  Do not play catch for more than a half-hour a day, and do not pitch more than 50-70 pitches per day.  If your arm is sore, rest it.  It should only be slightly sore the day after you throw.  If it is really sore, you've overdone it. If you know you've thrown too much, ice your elbow and bicep for a half-hour to an hour.  Safety first especially with throwing and pitching.
 * The best thing you can do in throwing/pitching is to play catch with a friend. Start at a really close distance (20 feet or even less) and throw to each other for a few minutes.  Back up two steps and throw for a few minutes.  Back up another two steps and throw for a few minutes again.  Keep repeating this, and pretty soon you'll be throwing 120 feet, which is called long toss.  Long toss is the best way to strengthen your throwing arm.  Don't back up too much too fast.  Stay at a distance for awhile if you feel like it.  If you find yourself being really inaccurate, move closer until your partner can catch most of your throws.
 * Whenever playing catch, focus on aiming for your partner's chest or face. It is easy to let the mind wander, but you'd be surprised at how much more accurate you will be when saying to yourself, "This throw is going to hit him in the chest."
 * Don't be afraid to put some arc on the ball for anything but the shortest throws. It is much easier to get accurate with a arcing throw and then work on throwing faster & lower, than it is to start with a lower throw and have it hit the ground all the time.

Hope this gets you started. --Locarno 15:29, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Hello Locarno. Thanks for you advices. Well, I'm gonna be honnest, I should have waited for these informations of yours, since my right arm hurts pretty bad, today. 50 pitchs, you said... Damn. I've thrown from 2pm to 5pm, so I don't know how many pitches I've made... Maybe I've been somehow unreasonnable, ah well, anyway, it'll get me some muscles ! Anyway, your topic is interesting. Problem is when I want to perform such activity as you described, I'll need a friend again, for non stop pitching or throwing. I hope he'll agree some day to play again with me. Do you have more advices about hand position when grabing the ball, throwing the ball, catching with the glove, and so on ? Oh, and by the way : when you play with friends, for fun, in some near park, do you use the right measures ? I mean, the 60ft long pitcher-hitter distance, the 90ft long base-to-base distance... ? Are you telling me that every american is kind of baseball machine ? Ahah, see you. Hemux 17:53, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
 * If a group of people go to a park to play baseball or softball, they will use bases awywhere from 60 to 90 feet apart, and pitch from anywhere from 40 to 60 feet from home plate. A lot of kids play organized baseball: see Little League and Babe Ruth League.  For 12 years old and under, they use a 60' diamond and a 46' pitching distance; for 13 years old, 75' -54', and 14 and up, the regulation 90' and 60.5' distances.  Softball is always 46' and 60'.  It is more common for adults to play softball.  Also, it is tough to get 12-18 people together to really play proper baseball/softball on a pick-up basis.  Some alternate games are hotbox or just Batting practice for fewer people.  If you ever get 3-8, play some hotbox--that will wear you out real quick with a lot of running.

Throwing/catching tips:
 * Number one rule: Keep your eye on the ball all the way into the glove.  Everyone is tempted to look away when the ball is three feet away, then they wonder why they miss the catch so often.
 * Catch the ball in the deep webbing, not too close to the fingertips but not in the palm either.
 * When you are about to catch it, put your other hand up right next to or touching the glove, but don't use it to catch the ball. Right after the ball comes into your glove, cover it with your other hand.  This is how you "catch with two hands" and is the proper technique.  You'll prevent a lot of bobbles this way.
 * It is always easier to run forward than run back and catch the ball off the bat. Therefore you should resist the temptation to run forward right away.  Run right, left, or back immediately, then consider running forward.
 * Throwing is hard. Do some internet searches on baseball throwing techniques and drills.  Here's one: pretend that the ball is not in your hand, but is sitting on a shelf directly behind you at shoulder level (that is, you could draw a straight line from the imaginary shelf, through you, to your target).  Your first action should be to pick up the ball off the shelf and throw it right from there.  This will be awkward, because the ball is now much more behind you than you think it should be.  As you reach back for "the ball on the shelf", your other (gloved) hand will be reaching forward, pointing at the target.  If someone looks at you from the side, it would look like you are spreading your wings about to take off and fly.  From that point, your throwing hand will come straight up, bend at the elbow.  Your elbow should be at ear level.  Step forward and throw, turning your hips as your arm come over the top.  Your throwing arm should follow through.  Now, the end of the throw is also hard, and I have another imaginary aid.  Pretend there is a midget standing next to you as you throw (on your left if you are throwing right-handed).  You can't see the midget because you aren't looking in that direction.  Your hand, on the follow through, should be low enough and accross your body enough to smack the midget in the face.  Only after your throwing motion is complete can you turn to him and apologize.  Your back foot will then come forward because of your momentum, and the throw is complete.   --Locarno 18:37, 15 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Now that's I what I call explanations ! When my arm gets healthy again, if I can go back pitching next sunday at the park, I'll try to remember all of that. I'll keep you inform, for sure. Thanks. Hemux 21:20, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Shopping Topic
I plan to buy some baseball stuff. Actually, I've already got a bat, but I think it is shorter than the real ones (professionnal ones), plus it is not made of wood but metal. I've got a glove, a leather one, but it became spoiled, very old, so I'm gonna buy a new one, made of leather or vinyle, I don't know. And then I would like some balls, I already got a softtouch 9" synthetic one. Pretty old too. I have to say that I won't buy any expensive products, since I'm everything but wealthy, plus I may be the only one who likes baseball in the whole area ! In a famous french sportshop, very basic products are cheap, balls cost less than 2$ (4$ for leathers ones), wood bats and gloves 20$ each. You can even buy the whole 5 bases kit for 15$ - in France ! who could believe it - but hey, what would I do with that on my lonely own... So ! Any advices about buying that kind of stuff ?
 * Go for a leather glove, properly cared for it will last a lifetime. Don't worry about the metal bat, they are now used at every level except pro and again will last forever. Wooden bats dry out with age and can shatter. --DV8 2XL 18:22, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, ok, I see. The vinyle glove is 17$, the leather one 29$. Quite different, isn't it. (By the way, the vinyle one has written BA300 on it, and the leather one BA500 : what does that mean ?) As for the bats : I can have three wooden bats for 39$... and a single metal one for the same price ! It's hard to make one's choice. Hemux 21:20, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Do NOT buy a plastic/vinyl glove unless the entire inside is leather. If you buy a glove, be sure to tone it properly: after done using it the first time, use some glove oil (or Petroleum jelly or something).  Rub it up with oil, then put a baseball deep in the pocket and then curl the glove closed as tight as possible with string or a big rubber band.  See also this link.  Bats: A metal bat will serve you better because it is (should be) much lighter than a wood bat.  A beginner probably would want it as light as possible.  I have a 26-ounce bat that is super easy to swing (though it was illegal for high school play); find the lightest one you can that is still a good length.  (Assuming you are 5'6" tall, you'll want a bat at least 30 inches long; 5'10" (like me), 32 inches; over 6 feet, longer still. )  Do you have batting cages anywhere in France?  Hitting off a tee into a net/fence is probably the best way to get good, but is slow without a partner.  Soft toss is great too but requires a partner.

In regards to the glove conditioning, there should be bottles in the store made for that purpose; instead of using some conventional item. Just a tip. TommyBoy76 01:54, 17 May 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76


 * Incredible explanations, here. Plus I didn't have any idea about that conditioning stuff. Well thanks a lot. Just some questions there : the ball, I put in the glove as if I got the glove put on my hand and I was handing the ball, right ? Like paper balls you put in shoes, I guess. And what is the purpose of that ? Just the first time, not after anymore ? I rub it entirely or, just in the inside part, where the ball is ? Won't it spoil the ball ?


 * Rub oil on every leather part of the glove, though not "inside" (where you put your hand). The oil should soak into the leather.  Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe off all excess oil.  When done, put a ball in the glove.  The little bit of oil that gets on the ball will not hurt it. --yes, put the ball in the glove as if you are carrying it.  There should always be a ball in your glove when you are not using it.  The goal here is, over the years, to make the pocket of the glove round and three-dimensional, like a ball--to avoid allowing the glove to simply "fold" in a straight crease as it wears down.  As your glove is used, oil it every few months (or at least once a year) for a few years.  Locarno 16:39, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

Ok Tommy. I wonder if you're talking about that. I found it in this DE shop, where there are a lot more articles than in the previous shop I was talkin' about last time, but hey, products are more extensive too - maybe cause they're more "authentic" though. Bye ! Hemux 15:22, 17 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Nope, that's Pine tar, for wood bat handles. You want glove oil.  IMO, many different oils will do fine.  You do not want pine tar in your glove!  Locarno 16:39, 17 May 2006 (UTC)

Oh my. Thanks, Locarno, I may have done a big mistake ! But say, by many differnt oils, do you mean that I could even use the only oil that I've got at home : I'm talkin about olive oil ?! Hemux 22:41, 17 May 2006 (UTC)
 * The purpose of oiling a glove is to soften the leather to break it in more. It techincally doesn't need oil unless you are unhappy with its stiffness.  A glove should be easy to close and should fall shut if laid on its thumb.  New gloves won't.  However, it isn't that big of a deal.  I'd stay away from food oils--don't know if they work or just make a mess.  Do some reasearch on that link I gave:   When in doubt, don't use the oil.  The best thing to do with a new glove is use it.

About the glove, my current one seems very spoiled, but I didn't use it a lot, just a few times, do you know why ? Could it be because I didn't do the procedure you just taught me ? (Oh, and do you really mean it when you say not to buy a vinyle glove ? I mean, it's so cheap I really would like to have one, but is it so bad stuff ?) Hemux 15:46, 18 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Price matters not. DO NOT BUY A VINYL GLOVE. You can also use shaving cream. Get the glove, get a good glob of shaving cream on there, and lather it everywhere until the glove is completely covered in it. Rub in all of the white spots and put it in the oven for awhile. Take it out after it is done, get a baseball, put it in the pocket. Get a few rubberbands and wrap them all around and slap the whole under your matress for the night (or two). Then play catch and mold it to your hand and your done! (Tell me, if I am being too general.) TommyBoy76 19:40, 18 May 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76

And hi there. Don't worry, TommyBoy, you and Locarno and other guys explanations are very useful to me. Don't forget you all were born with this sport in your culture, and I was not. So everything is interesting to me in my training.
 * Ok, so, I bought three balls, a real hardtouch leather ball, because hey, I needed a real one, a softtouch ball, for training, and a machineball, not to spoil too much the both other ones when weather is bad and so on. 15$. Then I bought a batt, a metal one as everyone said, a Louisville Slugger, don't know if it is famous or what, a 32 inches and 29 ounces one. Blue. 69$. And then I bought my glove, left hand of course, a 12 inches black & amber Mizuno, full grain leather. 75$. The  trading man talked a lot, he seemed to know a lot though, but I hoped he didn't fool me, I'm so amateurish. What I don't understand is that I only paid 125$... Oh, and he said not to oil this glove at all since it had already been oiled when manufacturing, that if I would do so it would be too much oiled. Anyway, I'm quite happy to have the proper material, now !

Talking about glove, anybody can tell me about my old one, on the photograph ? Hemux 17:15, 19 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Your old one doesn't look bad. As long as it's not falling apart, it's good enough for me.  Sounds great with the new glove--$75 is a lot, but not unreasonable even here in the USA .  (I've always bought used gloves for $20-$30).  $69 is way too much for a bat in the USA, in my opinion, but not sure about France.  Louisville Slugger (pronouced "LOO-EE-VIL", but you knew that, because you're French...) is the #1 wood bat company and they make very good metal bats too.  Easton is the #1 metal bat company here.  Hope you enjoy the new equipment!  Locarno 19:45, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

More Baseball discussion
So how's the arm? Three hours is a long time to be constantly throwing, but you're probably fine after a few days rest. Better to throw a half hour or so, then commence other baseball-related activities like batting, running, fielding... --Locarno 04:41, 18 May 2006 (UTC) --Locarno 19:52, 19 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Guess what, when I press a little bit my right shoulder, it still hurts. But the last few days, that was worse, my whole body used to hurt when I coughed, when I sneezed, when I laughed... Kids, don't ever pitch during three hours ! (Well, of course, baseball players do pitch the ball, I just throw it...). Talkin about pitching, I found another friend who agreed to train with me next saturday, that's pretty cool, but I won't be so lucky next time, eventually, so I wondered : why wouldn't I train pitching against a wall ? I mean, I could even draw the striking zone with a chalk, move sixty feet back and then throw the ball against the wall so it will somehow come back to me - at least, it won't go ahead at all ! And that seems good for aiming the striking zone, doesn't it ? Is that kind of training known, or used ? or does it seem too much "no-friends" like ?! ahah. Hemux 15:46, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
 * I suppose you could do that, except that your ball will get damaged by the wall. Not that big a deal, I suppose.  There's no need to necessarily "aim for the strike zone", moreso, you need to develop a good throwing technique and muscle memory.  Playing catch is the best way to do that.--Locarno 14:17, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and here is another question about the rules. Imagine that : the batter hits the ball, it gets high while he runs to first base. Firstbaseman catch the ball but not in time, runner touched the plate so he's safe. BUT because of his speed he somehow passes over the plate after he touched it, let's say one feet ahead, so he doesn't touch it anymore. When this very typical situation occurs, why is the runner safe ? Why the firstbaseman doesn't tag him since he doesn't have any contact with the plate anymore ? It is a rule about something like "because of physical facts (the runner can't just stop like that since he ran at full speed) we consider he's safe since he touched it once at least" ?. Sorry if it is confused, hard to explain baseball events in another language. Bye ! Hemux 15:46, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
 * First of all, first base is a base, never a "plate". Secondly, I'm assuming the ball bounced at least once before the first baseman caught it, thus it is not a fly out.  There is a special rule that allows the runner to overrun first base without liability to be put out, as long as he returns to first immediately and makes no move toward second base.  This only applies to the batter reaching first base, not afterward.  I've added more detail on overrunning first base to the first base article.

Ok, ok, very interesting. And we're not going to stop here since I got another question ! I played MLB 06, and the umpire called an infield fly rule. I checked on wikipedia for you guys' article, and I understood the rule. BUT. I didn't understand the meaning. I mean, I understand the event that this rule creates, the action (the runner is out and all) but not the various reasons for which it has been applied. Anybody ? Hemux 17:15, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

Without the infield fly rule, the defense could allow the ball to drop to the ground, and then throw to third base and then second base for an easy double play (due to force outs), because the runners would stay near first and second while the ball is in the air, expecting a fly out. Locarno 19:52, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

Status
So, Hemux, what's the status with your baseball? Still practicing? Did you find any new videos? TommyBoy76 03:09, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Here are the News, TB, I paste them right there :

Misc Questions
Hello, it's been a while since I've came here. I'm the french and fond of baseball guy who got a lot a questions. I'm gonna ask the baseball pros, fans and others to have a look at my new questions, and I promise I will delete each question as soon as its answer will be given - and in the end this topic of the discussion page. (I suscribed to cable television to watch NASN (kind of ESPN's connect) so I'm more than ever concerned about my favorite sport, and that's how I came to these new questions).
 * I think we can leave this new page here, at User talk:Hemux/baseball questions, and not worry about it being deleted.

Can someone tell me, or give me a link to a good article, about Catcher's code ? (really hard for a foreigner)


 * Do you mean the catcher's signs? The catcher will give signals, called "signs", to the pitcher to suggest certain pitches.  It is usually one finger for the fastball, 2 for the curveball, 3 for the changeup and 4 for the slider, but the catcher may use other, more complicated signs, as well as false signs to disguise their intent from a runner on second base. --Locarno 22:01, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Can someone tell me, or give me a link to a good article, about the Player's Stats Board, I mean the one which displays all the inings through the game with, under each ining where he batted, some complex indications like F8, SB2, and so on (I forgot the real examples so I'm just kind of guessing).
 * Sounds like the Boxscore (baseball). Baseball statistics will help as well. --Locarno 22:01, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Can someone tell me, or give me a link to a good article, about bases-coachmen' code ? (sorry, I don't know the term, I mean the guys who shout "run" or "stop" and who give and receives these mysterious signals to and from the main coach, with arms, ankles, nose and so on)
 * These are base coaches. A third-base coach will give many signs to the batter, directing him to take a pitch, bunt, swing normally, swing for a hit and run, etc.  These are very well disguised and you will never be able to decode them. Locarno 22:01, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Can someone tell me why a pitcher who's got a 2.0-like home era can have a 15.0-like road era ?
 * See Home field advantage. One way is to pitch five innings at home and give up one run, and then pitch four innings on the road and give up seven runs.  In other words, a sample size of two games can give you strange statistics.  This is extremely unlikely for a large sample size.  After that pitcher pitches in several more games, his home and road ERA will be closer to each other.  Locarno 22:01, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Can someone tell me what the stats "0 for 2", "1 for 3" given when a player comes to bat mean ?
 * "hits for At bats". "0 for 2" means zero hits in two at-bats.  Locarno 22:01, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

I think that's all, thank you for reading and maybe answering. Once again, about language, please excuse my... english, let's say ! Goodbye. Hem. (oops, forgot how to sign wiki-ly.
 * Four tildes...or, click the signature button above the edit box.

Playoffs, etc.
Well, many thanx, Locarno! I saved the two links you gave, I'll read them many times to really get them. You do know a lot about baseball, don't you. That's great, thanks ! Would you mind another question ? More general, this time. Sometimes, people ask me about this passion of mine, and want to know "the match you watched yesterday, what was it linked to ? which championship ?"... and I don't know what to say. I learned the both leagues, with their 14 and 16 teams... by heart ! But I don't know the context of their games. What is the main events ? The only one I know is the final one, the World Series when the bests of each league meet. But what are the other tournaments ? For example, in Europe with this goddamn football, we got many tournaments, like [Country] Championship, Europa Championship, EUFA Tournament, and so on... do you have a link with precise explanations about the MLB championships ? The MLB site is quite obscure to me... Bye ! Hemux 19:57, 10 May 2007 (UTC)


 * All Major League Baseball games lead to the World Series. American team sports tend to be different than the UEFA/FIFA model.  Here, there is only one championship to contend for, and it is the ultimate in each sport.  For baseball, there is a 162-game Major League Baseball season, called simply the "regular season", from April to September, and then 8 teams (based on the regular season final standings) play a tournament called simply "the playoffs" or "the postseason".  The first round is the Division Series (confusing name--isn't related to divisions at all), the second round is the League Championship Series, and then the World Series.  That's all--no other big tournaments/championships.  The only other tournament is the World Baseball Classic, which is just like the World Cup of soccer, but much, much less popular or prestigious.  Also, there are hundreds of minor league teams playing in dozens of minor leagues--the highest of these are the Pacific Coast League and the International League. Locarno 20:18, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 * You might be interested--I went to a Minnesota Twins game on Tuesday at the Metrodome, against the Chicago White Sox. The Twins won on a home run in the bottom of the tenth--very exciting.  Locarno

- Hi there Locarno, and thanx for the explanations. So all the games I'm watching everyday are part of these 162-games championship, alright, it is quite clear then. But how could there be 8 teams for the playoffs, since there are 2 leagues, made of 3 divisions - 6 in all, then ? so the best of each division, that would make 6...?


 * Back to baseball, then: Yes, 6 division winners and two wild card teams--the non-winner with the best record--make the playoffs.  There were never "wild card" teams before 1993, when often the second-best team overall would miss the playoffs (San Francisco in 1993).

So you live in Minneapolis, that's pretty cool, you can watch baseball events whenever you want : I just can't, there is no professional baseball in France, damn it. But if I'm interested in the Twins beating the White Sox, I'm more interested when they're beaten the next day by the Tigers ! I forgot how many runs it was, but sorry, I'm rather excited by the Detroit team !


 * Detroit is certainly better than they have been since 1987 or so. I hope the Twins can start hitting better!

- By the way, since I don't have any benchmark in my country, I don't know how the 30 teams are seen or liked in the US. What are the global views of american people about the teams, like the top 5 teams which everyone agrees with, the worst ones, the coolest one, the most agressive one... Could you give me a quick checkup about that ?


 * The Yankees are the most widely hated team--yet some really love them. New Yorkers love the Yankees and you will always find many scattered fans who love the Yankees for no apparent reason.  Otherwise, everyone sees the way the Yankees build their team and really get turned off.  St. Louis Cardinals probably have the best local fans--St. Louis loves baseball and their team.  My team, the Twins, along with the Oakland Athletics are  favorites around the country because they are the opposite of the Yankees--finding ways to win without spending a lot of money.  The Twins are also loved because they are the best sportsmen; they are seen as the most honest, fun, hard-working, and community-involved.  The Boston Red Sox are very well loved because they are the Yankees' biggest rival and were without a World Series win for 90 years until 2005.  The Chicago Cubs are probably the most popular team--nobody hates the Cubs; they are nicknamed the lovable losers and have not won a league pennant (baseball) since 1945 or a World Series for over 90 years.  The worst team is probably the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  They never win and are never popular.  We made a big mistake putting a team there in 1998.  The Kansas City Royals have lately been the losingest team, but they have pretty good fans who suffer.  The Yankees, though hated, are nevertheless symbolic of America and considered the top of the elite teams--we often say "The Manchester United are the Yankees of soccer" or "the New England Patriots are the Yankees of football".  But in the end, every fan is different and most fans like their home team the best.

- I guess it is obvious for you american people, for example, when you like team A, you logically can't like team B, which are ennemies, but you are obviously friend with team C and so on... I know, personnally, that I became very interested in teams like Mets, Angels, Tigers, Braves, Yankees and Red Sox (not even, NY first) and somehow the Astros, but I don't really like Royals, Rangers or the Blue Jays... does that make any sense ?


 * Whatever you enjoy is good. However, you need to love the Twins the most.  Okay?  :)

- You know, I read the Box score page, but still I'm kind of lost when they display this "current player in-game box score"... I wrote many examples on paper to remember, for example it's written : first inning 1B (so I thought the guy hitted a simple) but the little diamond indicates with a stroke that he got to second base... how come ? Or I found many F7, F8 or F9, without any draw of base on hit, even a P6... Or some E5 with a double stroke or E6 with a simple stroke... What does all that mean ? These are one of the last complicated things I don't really get in baseball.
 * The baseball statistics page would be most helpful here. The numbers 1 through 9 are the fielding positions (baseball), from pitcher through right fielder.  F usually means fly out, E means error.    1B probably means single, though that is less common.  Perhaps, in your example, the batter got to first on a single and then advanced to second on the next batter's action, perhaps a hit or a ground out?  "P" doesn't mean anything.  Is it an abbreviation for something in French?

- Oh, and in the end, without any logical link : is there any very good website or shop where we can buy teams' caps, at good prices (not the gigantic 30$ that seem the only price to exist). I'd like to buy many of them, even if they are fakes made by some chinese, ahah ! I wear caps everyday and I'd love to wear the cap of the wining team of each last game I saw !
 * For the official New Era 5950 cap, you can only get them at a few places, and they will always be expensive--the market is controlled there. There are a lot of licensed, official, non-authentic caps out there--I don't really know a good store except for Amazon.com.  Use a search engine like this one.

- PS : You probably heard about our new president. I live with the half of french people who dislike the man, but to be honnest, I love him being a US' friend, because I sometimes make the dream he will establish compelled baseball in school and university, ahah, just kidding.
 * I am very opposed to socialism, so I'm glad the pendulum has swung. You do realize that your politicians "on the right" would be on the left in the US?  Sarkozy has more in common with Bill Clinton or John Kerry than Ronald Reagan or John McCain.  You Frenchies need a bit more capitalism and laissez-faire government.  Stop drinking latte and eating crepes, and get back to work!  ;-) Locarno

Alright, that's all, thanks and goodbye ! Hemux 09:00, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * You're very welcome. Locarno

Hi there, and thank you, Locarno, always a pleasure to read your explanations. I'm happy to know more about how the teams are considered. However, I who like the Yankees (Posada, Jeter, Petite or A-Rod) don't really know what to think about what I discover, thanks to you. I thought they were adored everywhere - in Europe, especially in France, the only logo people know is the NY linked, and they think American people only live for that, ahah. Anyway, last sunday my beloved Tigers have been totally annihilated by your damn Twins, right ! Twins took their revenge, and this kind of score is humiliating... Oh, by the way, I found the website "capitate.co.uk", where I bought three caps (sorry, no Twins ! Mets, Angels & Tigers for now). It won't be that expensive since they'll come from England. I tried on the mlb site : the prices were the same as capitate... except the postage due ! Jeez, almost 50$ ! With 50$ for 3 caps, that would double the price ! I let that go and bought on Capitate (you usually can buy only one cap, but the shop's guy wrote to me and deleted the postage due for both caps, great !).

Hey, what about this : 12 gloves, 1 dozen baseballs pack, 1 silverbat, 1 plastic-plates-pack, 1 catcher mask, 1 catcher chest protection : 400 dollars. I am wondering about buying a full baseball equipment in order to play with my friends in some park, and that's the only order I can find in France, even if I know the products are obvisouly low quality (especially the gloves). Even if I know I probably won't buy that, in the end (I'm a not-wealthy student !) I just wanted to get your advice about that kind of offer ?

Well then, bye, I flee to the opera ! Hemux 10:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, Torii Hunter is having a great year so far. I don't know much about that offer--if you were in America, I'd tell you to go to Play It Again Sports and buy used gear, but it might be tough to do that in France!  Do you really think you can get 14-18 friends to play baseball?  Good luck!  Slow-pitch softball is more popular among adults for recreational play here--not sure why; I like baseball better.  Locarno

Hi Locarno. Just one quick question, today : could you tell me why I've been able, this night, to watch a game between the Mets... and the Yankees ?! I thought the both leagues were meeting in September for the Playoffs, and only with the first best of each division ? Well, that's not as I didn't enjoy it, I mean, Mets fortunately beat the Yankees 3 to 2, if I remember well (time was 3 and a half for me... 3am !).


 * Yeah, that's due to Interleague play...each team plays about 21 games against teams from the other league, each year, that count in the standings the same as any game. The fans like it, especially those Mets-Yankees, Rangers-Astros, Twins-Brewers games, etc. Locarno

I gave a look at PIAS' site you quoted, that would be great if it existed in France... For friends, no, maybe not 14-18 friends, you're right, but I was thinking of maybe 12 friends, 6 for each side : pitcher, three basemen, two outfielders was enough in my imagination for a friends' game. But the next big problem would be our country : France. It is so bad we don't have any clue of a good field nearby, in towns around here... and I'm talking about very large space, not real baseball field ! For there are only 2 real baseball fields... in the entire state of Paris and its suburbs ! Ah, anyway.
 * A soccer field should work, though it's tough when you don't have a backstop. When I have fewer players, I've decreased the size of the field by "stretching" the diamond outward toward center field, making first base-third base much closer together than second base-home plate--less fair territory means the hits have to be better.  Locarno

And I just wanted to say that I really dislike one of audience's way of behaving : boo-ing. Booing when the on road-team's pitcher, or hitter is going to play. That's so un-gentlemanly like behaving. I like honor in sports, and we clearly see audience is not on the field but resting on their seats... Unfortunately baseball is somehow getting close to other sports like football during these times audience is behaving childish, and it kinds of make me sad. Guess it became one of the datas of the game, nowaways. Bye ! Hemux 07:49, 19 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Booing is an acceptable way of expressing displeasure with something in the game and it is generally not considered unsportsmanlike to boo for poor play. However, it never gets to the level of hooliganism here in the US like some soccer fans elsewhere!  I don't mind booing but I agree that sports seem to be getting less gentlemanly, and it isn't good.  Locarno

Update
Hi there, I'm back. Teams I love seem to have a good time, Mets are perfect, Tigers are kind of getting down but anyway. Locarno, your Twins don't look quite alright these days, hope they don't have a cold ! Should they try bowling ?

I've got a new topic here : hugs. Or shakes. Or shugs. Or cheers. Or whatever you call it, I just couldn't find any information about this on the web, what a shame. You know, I'm talking about this kind of hand-shake-and-jumpy-hug two players sometimes make when they just get a run or whatever. Kind of gangs-hand-shaking-like, very fast, hard to get at first time with accurary... I'd love to have information about this on the web, maybe even some tutorials to learn a couple of ones !

Right now, the Dodgers are shamefuly losing against the Cubbies so I'm gonna go cry in a hidden place. Bye ! Hemux 20:26, 3 September 2007 (UTC) Thank God, there is some justice : Cubbies getting crushed !
 * Go Cubs! (it's been a long time...see Curse of the billy goat.  Yes, the Twins need some hitting.  Maybe they can find some this offseason.  The celebrations you see on the field can get complicated, though not as complicated as the celebrations in football!  I don't know of any sites on them. Locarno 12:21, 4 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Hi there - my my, Cubs are quite good these days. Not that I don't like them, but hey, my favorite team may be the Mets... I think.

Talking about the "shugs", these amazing handshakes I'd love to learn and practice with my friends, I found only one vid on the web (here http://youtube.com/watch?v=8ldw65QkkuM). What a shame. If anybody knows more about that... Bye ! Hemux 13:32, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Hemux, they're called handshakes. Some are simple and some are more drawn out with lots of moving and motions, etc etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by TommyBoy76 (talk • contribs) 00:50, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Alright, I hear you, TB, but don't you think we could find vids on the web ? What I want is some vid with lot of handshakes' excerpts put together in order to watch and learn them ! (Mets and Tigers are damn good, that's pretty cool ! Plus NFL season has started, and I begin to get kind of interested in NFL too ! Hemux 09:10, 13 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Hi there, just found a new vid on the web, a couple of years' old but quite interesting... plus now I got a lot of handshakes filmed that I can watch and learn ! Here it is : http://hemutia.free.fr/bazar/handshakes.wmv  Bye ! Hemux 21:11, 19 September 2007 (UTC)