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