Baseball is a game played between two teams of nine players who take turns batting and fielding. The offense attempts to score runs by hitting a ball thrown by the pitcher and moving counter-clockwise around a series of four bases. A run is scored returns to home plate. A player on the opposite team can stop at any of the bases and later advance on a teammate's hit or error. The teams switch between the two whenever the fielding team gets three outs. One turn at bat for both teams, beginning with the visiting team. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.
Skills For Baseball
Baseball requires a lot of skill Involving hand-eye coordination, strength, and a little speed. Throwing most likely requires the most strength because of the amount of shoulder and arm use. Be careful when throwing over handed though because not using right mechanics may mess up certain ligaments in the shoulder and elbow. Hitting is another big part of the game it requires stronger muscles in the legs and also a drop in the shoulder before bringing the bat forward, the downward pull of gravity allows for greater bat speed which causes the ball to go farther when hit. Running bases requires another amount of skill not only is there a need to have an overall sense of where the ball is at, but also having to watch footing and making sure to touch the bases. Fielding requires athleticism and timing, it requires an individual to move in front of the ball, squeeze the glove, stand up and then continue to throw the ball for an out. Catching in the outfield is another major part of the game it requires great hand –eye coordination and overall body control. Pure instinct is another skill needed, from the crack of the bat a player has to be able to l...
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...ecovered by the mid-1950s, the minor leagues were devastated and hundreds of semipro and amateur teams dissolved. Integration continued slowly: by 1953, only six of the 16 major league teams had a black player. No major league team had been found west of St. Louis until 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The majors' final all-white bastion, the Boston Red Sox, added an African American player in 1959. In 1961, the American League went to the West Coast with the Los Angeles Angels expansion team. This fortunately helped Roger Maris break Babe Ruth's established single-season home run record, one of the most famous marks in baseball history. Along with the Angels, three other different franchises were launched during 1961–62. With this, the first major league growth in 60 years, each league now held ten teams.
Baseball has been of the longest living sports in our world today. The game started with the idea of a stick and ball and now has become one of the most complex sports known in our society. Several rules and regulations have been added to help enhance the game for everyone. Although baseball has endured several issues during its history and development of the game the game has still been a success throughout the world.
Segregation was sweeping the nation throughout the 1800s, but did not reach baseball until 1890. As Jim Crow laws were gradually becoming instituted across the union, baseball took on the character trait “separate but equal” (Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Major League Baseball). By the end of the 19th century, African Americans were rejected by organized teams and the color barrier of baseball was established.After many failed attempts in creating a black league, Andrew “Rube” Foster finally succeeded in 1920 (Negro League History 101-An Introduction to the Negro Leagues). On February 12, eight clubs were founded that made up the Negro National League (Light 624). Three years later teams from Atlantic City, Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore were added to form the Eastern League. In 1937, the Negro American League joined the Eastern League to make up the two separate leagues of the Negro National League (Dixon and Hannigan 21).
The game of baseball can be divided into three broad categories: hitting, pitching, and defense. No other facet of the game gets as much attention as hitting. For example, every year the MLB puts on a home run derby. No other part of the game draws as much attention. The traditional statistic that measure hitting ability is batting average (BA or AVG). To find a players batting averag...
Many people might think that swinging the bat straight through the ball would be enough to hit the ball a decent distance off the bat. There's many more mechanics involved in the swinging process. Muscle has only a small part to play in the swinging a bat for power. There are two types of mechanics involved while swinging a bat, Linear and Rotational. Rotational mechanics are the dominant source of power in the swing. Out of the rotational mechanics come the two forces that help generate the speed and power of the swing, torque and the other comes from the energy of rotation. Speed from the energy of rotation comes from the path that your hands follow as you swing the bat. The speed generated by the circular rotation from your hands is like a ball at the end of a string, as long as your hands are moving in a circle then the ball continues to accelerate in a circle. So the bat will also move in at an increasing speed as long as your hands are following a circular path as you swing. Any foward movement of the hands or body in a straight line won't add to the overall bat speed.
Jackie Robinson changed baseball in America in the 1940s by breaking the segregation barrier that was bestowed on baseball. Robinson played in the Negro League for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1945 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers negotiated a contract with Robinson that would bring Robinson into the major leagues in 1947. Baseball was segregated because of racial intolerance, economic factors, and other complex reasons. The major leagues would rent out their stadiums to the Negro League teams when their own team would be on the road. For example, if the Brooklyn Dodgers were on the road they would rent out their stadium to the Kansas City Monarchs. Major League team owners also knew if they integrated the Majors the Negro League would lose their best players and the Negro League would be lost. Also, the Majors would lose significant revenue.
Every team requires one, and some say it is the hardest position on the field to play. The hind-catcher is without a doubt a necessity to every ball team’s success. This is the position who can take command of the playing field. If played well, one can have a major impact on how smoothly a team plays together and affect the outcome of the game. There are many requirements for the person who plays the role of the catcher: something as simple as being prepared to play the positon, to having the responsibility of making sure the team has a good relationship with each other. However, the most obvious requirement is the athletic ability required and being physically able to play the position. The position of catcher is not an easy position to play, but is essential to the game of baseball.
As an African-American during the late 1800s to 1960, the Negro Leagues was the only chance at being a part of professional baseball until Branch Rickey, an owner of professional baseball teams, put his ‘great experiment’ into motion with the aid of Jackie Robinson who became the first African-American to break the color barrier in 1947. Some coaches, who wanted African-Americans on their teams in order to increase their chances of winning games, would take part in a process called barnstorming. Barnstorming is when a team would hire an African-American but label that player as either Hispanic or Native American in order for them to play because at the time, African-American were not allowed to play on professional white baseball teams (The Library of Congress). Two contrasting economic sides leading to the desegregation of baseball include at the time when team members knew that if baseball were to integrate, the Negro Leagues would disappear as they would lose their best players to major league teams, which was beneficial to the major league teams whereas the other side was that if black players were integrated into white professional teams, white fans would be more reluctant to watch games with black players participating (The Library of Congress). It wasn’t until after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by putting on the official jersey of the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming an official member of an integrated professional baseball team, that the relevance of Negro Leagues began to decrease, until they disappeared in 1960 as more teams began to integrate as well.
[3] Baseball then expanded itself and moved on to integrating young men of “means and social positions.” In the 1850’s, baseball had a tremendous power that engaged many people from the East Coast part of the country. It got artisans, tradesmen, and shipwrights to form teams and play against each other. These teams of working men played against other teams that were made up of socialites. Within these club teams, though, there was a lot of disagreement because the people who used to partake in these games were mainly from the New York and Massachusetts areas. There were many discrepancies between the New York rules and the Massachusetts rules. This then led to the founding of the National Association of Baseball Players on March 10, 1858.
In a more focused sense, the Negro Leagues were an alternative league all in its own. It was primarily established for African Americans so they could play baseball, since they were prohibited from experiencing any type or activity with whites. The reason this league was separate was because of the Jim Crow laws that had been enacted during the early 1900's, but in an opinionated note, I feel that whites simply didn't want to be outdone by their counterparts - African Americans. They basically stated that African Americans could not participate in any activity with whites, whether it is of public or unsocial nature. These laws displayed the mentality of the time, which inevitably filtered into the realm of baseball; at this point, segregation had gone so far as to prohibit any blacks from merely playing baseball with whites. It was not until 1933, when "a former pitcher, Andrew 'Rube' Foster, formed the first black league, called the Negro National League, which contained such teams as the St. Louis Stars, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Philadelphia Stars, New York Lincoln Giants, and the Newark Eagles." Then, "in 1937, the Negro American League was formed to rival the opposing Negro National League that consisted of the Memphis Red Sox, Kansas City Monarchs, Cleveland Buckeyes, Detroit Stars, and the Hilldale Daisies." (What Are…Leagues: Internet) The two leagues "continued to go strong until the color line was broken in 1947, when the great Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers." Because of this, "…the Negro National League folded following the 1948 season and the Negro American League [folded]…in 1960." (What Are…Leagues: Internet) Moreover, just...
When you strike a bat against a ball it sends vibrations, much like the vibrations acting on airplanes or bridges, which travel in waves through the bat. This motion is important to understand because every vibration the bat experiences takes energy away from the ball's speed as it leaves the bat.
Baseball is not a difficult game to comprehend, but it can a very long time to achieve a high level of performance. Usually one starts playing this game at a very young age and the first thing they start out with is throwing. Throwing a baseball involves exploiting all major muscle groups in the body to generate a large torque on the arm that will in turn create a high potential for speed when it is released.
I chose to explore the Negro Baseball League to form an understanding of how the league was formed, the league's economic and social impact on the African American communities, and on the United States of America. In this paper, I will explore this tremendous impact that has forever changed the American culture, views and attitudes. This exploration will consist of reviewing different documented sources from players, fans and historians. Through these documented resources, I will also research was caused the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Negro Baseball League.
Baseball is known as America’s national pastime, and has been played for over 100 years. Baseball can be a lot of fun, but is also extremely challenging to play, especially trying to hit a 90 mile per hour fastball. I am a very devoted baseball player myself, and over the years I have learned numerous key things about the game. Baseball does not only require physical strength to hit and throw the ball, but it also requires a great mindset, such as, mental preparedness, concentration, and a positive attitude.
Baseball has always been America’s natural past time. Many fans love watching baseball but do not realize how hard it is to prepare for a season. Most fans think the players just show up on the first day. I think this belief is completely false. I feel that preparing for a baseball season requires much preparation. The preparation I use includes working on my swing, working out, and studying other people’s ideas on hitting. These steps are necessary for me to have a successful season. These steps have proven to be a valuable aid in helping me to prepare for the season. I believe these steps are the basic steps to becoming a great baseball player.
The Desegregation of baseball in America was a slow process. Near the end of the 1800's, African American ballplayers were accepted in the Major Leagues, but as their success grew, they were quickly banned from the league. For the fifty-year period that there were no blacks in the Major Leagues, the Negro Leagues were where black ballplayers competed. The Negro Leagues grew and many stars emerged from the leagues that now have a legendary status. When Jackie Robinson joined the Major Leagues in 1954, baseball was once again desegregated (Sailer). The complete integration of the league was not as rapid as many would have expected. Economic reasons seemed to be the main reason why African Americans were brought back into the Major Leagues but there were other factors that contributed.