Baseball
Tips for New Fans
Like any sport, baseball is confusing to watch
if you have never played it yourself or you didn’t
grow up watching it. Here are a few things you
can do to learn more about the game.
1. Read about the basics.
Here are a few sites you should visit to learn
more about the game:
-1a. Online:
SportSpectator Fan’s
Guide to Baseball: Our 10-minute guide to
baseball basics.
Wikipedia
Football Write-up: Good wiki community write-up
on baseball.
-1b. Consider buying one or several of the following
books:
Baseball
for Dummies
Baseball
for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans: Watch It Like
a Pro
Baseball Field Guide: An In-Depth Illustrated
Guide to the Complete Rules of Baseball
2. Watch televised games. Commentators'
language and analysis makes the game much easier
to follow and will help you pick up the lingo.
Watching games live at the stadium is a slower
learning process. The baseball season runs for
most of the year. In the spring, summer, and fall,
you can catch Major League Baseball (MLB) games
on TV almost every day.
3. Pick a MLB team and follow it throughout
a season. Games are much more fun to
watch when you have “your team” and
you know the players, records, etc. You don't
have to watch every game; just stay up-to-date
by following steps 4 and 5 below.
4. Watch a sports wrap-up show once a
week. Show such as Sports Center (ESPN)
or other shows on ESPN or Fox Sports are a great
place to find general baseball information, learn
the lingo, and keep up with “your”
team.
Optional:
5. Stay current on the games you watch
and teams you follow. ESPN.com publishes
previews before the game for MLB. MLB.com also
publishes pro previews. These previews describe
match-up analysis. On either site, you can visit
“your team’s” clubhouse to learn
more about players, injuries, etc. Memorize a
few statistics and work them into a conversation
to impress your friends. Local newspapers will
also provide good coverage of local teams (usually
high school, college, and pro level).The magazine
Sports Illustrated is also a good place to read
about players, teams, etc.
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