| Baseball is the passion of American sports lovers | | | | extraction shone, followed by Native Americans in |
| and now has fans worldwide. In the U.S. it is the | | | | the 1900s. Italians and Poles rose in the 1920s and |
| oldest and most popular team sport. The hype | | | | 1930s. Blacks joined in from the 1940s and |
| that surrounds it covers the rules, the players, | | | | Hispanics surfaced in the 1990s. In the last two |
| the stadiums, and the history. | | | | decades, player-management strikes caused a |
| Baseball is a team sport in which the ball is thrown | | | | waning of interest in baseball, but interest was |
| by a defensive player, called the pitcher, to an | | | | revived after individual shows of excellence on |
| offensive player called a batter, who stands at a | | | | the field.Professional baseball leagues were formed |
| place called home base and attempts to hit the | | | | in countries other than U.S., like the Netherlands, |
| ball with his bat. Scoring is attained by the batter | | | | Japan, Australia, Venezuela, Italy, Korea, Taiwan |
| running and touching four points (bases) on the | | | | and China, and most European countries. |
| field without being tagged by a player with a | | | | Competition between national teams has been |
| ball.Baseball is played between teams of nine | | | | monitored by the International Baseball Federation, |
| players, usually under the supervision of an | | | | formed in 1938, which had 112 countries as |
| umpire. With four bases, the baseball field forms a | | | | members in 1994.Professional leagues are |
| square called the Diamond. The game is played in | | | | organized at different levels and by different rules. |
| nine innings, in which each team gets one turn to | | | | The Youth League consists of Little League, Dizzy |
| bat and to score runs while the other pitches and | | | | Dean Baseball, American Legion Baseball, and |
| defends. The team with the most runs at the end | | | | USSSA baseball has the Babe Ruth League. In the |
| of the game wins.American baseball is unique | | | | U.S., high school trophies are handled by the |
| because of many factors. Firstly, it does not have | | | | National Federation of State High School |
| a fixed time interval. A team cannot win without | | | | Associations. At the college level there are the |
| getting the last batter out, and rallies are not | | | | NCCA and College World Series.In international |
| constrained by time. Though a team sport, it puts | | | | competition, the coveted baseball trophies are the |
| individual players under great pressure. The game | | | | World Baseball Classic and World Cup, coordinated |
| requires skill and athleticism, as well as strategy | | | | by the International Baseball Federation. There is |
| and planning.Baseball is believed to have evolved | | | | also the Olympic trophy for baseball, in some |
| from the games of cricket, rounders and town | | | | Olympic games. There is semi-professional baseball |
| ball. The rules of baseball are said to have evolved | | | | called as Independent Baseball.Professional baseball |
| from 'KnickerBocker Rules' compiled by Alexander | | | | trophies are for following leagues:Major League |
| Cartwright in 1845. Professional baseball started in | | | | Baseball and Minor League Baseball, the |
| the U.S. in 1865 and the National League was | | | | All-American Girls Professional Baseball Leagues, |
| formed soon after, producing great players. A | | | | Mexican Baseball, Japanese Baseball, Taiwan |
| world series was played with an American League | | | | professional baseball, Korean Baseball Organization |
| in 1903.Baseball continued to grow popular and | | | | and Australian Baseball.Trophies made of metal or |
| became a favorite of all races. In the late | | | | crystal are common, and figures of pitchers and |
| nineteenth century, players of Irish and German | | | | batsmen are popular. |