Baseball

History

Baseball was first invented in 1845 by a man named Alexander Joy Cartwright. Baseball first originated in England but became popular in the Americas in the 1900’s. It was brought here and Cartwright made up the modern day rules. The game was first called town ball or base. In 1876 the first major league baseball was formed. By 1878 the MLB had grown to 13 teams. 1911 brought the invention of a dead ball which was the invention of a ball with the cork in the middle. By 1919 the game of baseball exploded. A talented player who pitched for the Boston Red Sox’s during the early 1900’s was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919. His name was Babe Ruth and he was one of the most extraordinary pitchers of the time according to many of the pros. However the Yankees put him as an outfielder. During the thirties Ruth brought in any new techniques and skills. In 1947 Jackie Robinson was the first colored player to join the MLB; he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the sixties there was another controversy, the main place where the teams were located was in the northeast. The teams in the southern part of the country wanted to form teams. The league went to court over the issue and it passed, by the end of decade there was a total of twenty-four teams instead of the regular sixteen teams. During the later times of the century the players began to see that they were getting paid less and the teams owners were keeping the money for themselves. The players began to complain and the owners gave them what they wanted.

Shortstop makes an incredible play

Equipment

The equipment that was used in the 19th century was much different than today. The bats were made out of a thicker and denser wood; they were to be painted in rings of the team colors. They were about three feet long and one and a half inches around at the thick end. Then in 1893 the American Baseball Association changed the bat length to forty inches and three inched around at the biggest part. The gloves that were used back in the 19th century, was just basically a thin leather glove. But in 1885 Arthur Irwin added padding to the glove because he broke two fingers and he was trying to protect them from getting hit. Into the new century the National League made a mitt that was thickly padded and fit over the players’ hand. They permitted all catchers to wear a mitt that was the size of their hand. By 1885 the whole nation of baseball teams were wearing the more protective gloves. The first base ball was a basic woven ball of string that when the players got it wet they had to throw it away. But as time went on the ball became more durable, it was a cork that was wrapped in leather and was stitched in “x’s”. The ball hasn’t changed since the newer ideas in the twentieth century. The uniform used was just a shirt and some pants with cleats, which were shoes with small spikes for better traction. The players wore a hat and or a helmet weather they were batting or outfield.

Rules and Regulations

During baseball’s early years the rules of the game were much different. It used to be that the first team to reach 21 points would be the winner. The game played is usually a nine inning game that lasts for hours. The pitchers box is about twelve feet by eight feet. In the 1890’s the pitchers used to be allowed to take a step when they pitched. Today’s baseball the pitcher has to be still while he pitches with both feet on the ground. During the early nineteen hundreds the catchers were made to stay under the bat when catching. Then later in 1910 the pitchers mound was set at least fifteen inches above the catchers’ mound. Then much later in 1968 the pitchers mound was lowered five inches, and then in 1971 all major league players were committed to wear protective helmets and head gear. Then in nineteen seventy five the players that used a bat that was filed with a heavy substance that would make the ball travel farther were suspended from the MLB for three days.

Modern Day

Baseball in the modern day has changed a lot from hat it used to be when Alexander Cartwright made it. The game is played and popular in many countries today. Like in Taiwan, Japan, and the Americas, in East Asia Cuba, Panama, and many more countries over seas. The game of baseball is no longer known as a major sport, but it is now the unofficial pastime of all Americans. The final decision of a standard baseball field is four bases that are ninety feet apart from each other. The home plate is sixty point five feet away from the pitchers mound. The game is made out of nine innings and runs for a few hours. The game baseball is much improved today.

NASCAR , BASEBALL , HOCKEY , BASKETBALL ,
FOOTBALL , PAINTBALL , WRESTLING , LACROSSE , BASEBALL PLAYERS , FOOTBALL PLAYERS , NASCAR DRIVERS ,HOCKEY PLAYERS ,BASKETBALL PLAYERS , PAINTBALL BRANDS, WRESTELERS, LACROSSE BRANDS, POLL PAGE, TEXT ONLY, PHOTO GALLERY, EXTRA ACTIVITIES, CREDITS, HOMEPAGE