+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 50 of 53

Thread: Baseball is boring... how do you defend that statement?

  1. #1
    NYYF MVP

    chelloveck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Manhattan
    Posts
    1,061

    Baseball is boring... how do you defend that statement?

    how do you guys defend that ridiculous statement? I LOVE BASEBALL
    I got mine in blazing copper.

  2. #2
    God Bless America!!! :) Jersey Yankee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2001
    Location
    Formerly Brooklyn & Joisey; now just right behind you ... BOO!!!
    Posts
    46,019
    Tell 'em to watch whatever they think isn't boring.
    Dr King (1929-68) A dream is forgotten unless others carry on.

    Get up ... get up ...; Black Moses (he ain't no chef); Isn't she Lovely? (Aisha); Fear the 'Fro; A slow roller to 1st ...

  3. #3
    NYYF MVP

    chelloveck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Manhattan
    Posts
    1,061
    im usually given that "baseball is boring" crap by basketball fans
    I got mine in blazing copper.

  4. #4
    NYYF Legend

    DaBoys4LifeNYY35's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Oxnard, CA
    Posts
    6,023
    Coming from someone who felt that way my entire life until a few years ago, it's basically true unless you have a team you really enjoy rooting for. My ability to watch games that don't really matter to me has stemmed from that. The first game I watched in its entirety, though, was agonizingly boring to me, but then I found myself doing it again and again when I had nothing better to do until I was in love with the Dodgers. No longer boring after that.
    You can't hit without your hands. --Nomar Garciaparra

    NYYFFFL: The Roy Williams Domination Maneuver

  5. #5
    NYYF Legend

    penfold's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    5,425
    You bring up an interesting point, DaBoys4Life... if someone doesn't understand the nuances of a game, they probably think it's boring. A 1-0 game may seem boring to someone who doesn't know baseball but to someone who does know the game, they understand the tension and excitement of seeing a pitcher battle his way back from bases loaded and no outs to retiring the side without a run scoring. IMHO, a 1-0 game can be more exciting than a 12-10 game which is just plain sloppy.

    Baseball is exciting, provided you use your brain.

  6. #6
    NYYF Legend

    DaBoys4LifeNYY35's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Oxnard, CA
    Posts
    6,023
    Originally posted by penfold
    You bring up an interesting point, DaBoys4Life... if someone doesn't understand the nuances of a game, they probably think it's boring. A 1-0 game may seem boring to someone who doesn't know baseball but to someone who does know the game, they understand the tension and excitement of seeing a pitcher battle his way back from bases loaded and no outs to retiring the side without a run scoring. IMHO, a 1-0 game can be more exciting than a 12-10 game which is just plain sloppy.

    Baseball is exciting, provided you use your brain.
    Reminds me of people trying to defend soccer, but minus the pitcher and other... baseball stuff. Same principles apply, I guess.
    You can't hit without your hands. --Nomar Garciaparra

    NYYFFFL: The Roy Williams Domination Maneuver

  7. #7
    Released Outright cubswin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    LA
    Posts
    16,015
    Originally posted by DaBoys4LifeNYY35


    Reminds me of people trying to defend soccer, but minus the pitcher and other... baseball stuff. Same principles apply, I guess.


    I think that's exactly right. A lot of people have short attention spans and equate scoring with excitement. Baseball and soccer both are likely to bore such folks.

  8. #8
    NYYF Legend

    chanman7483's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    8,786
    Originally posted by chelloveck
    im usually given that "baseball is boring" crap by basketball fans
    chill son i'm a basketball fan

    i'm surrounded by baseball haters... they say there's too much time between pitches... and when they do finally throw the ball, the batter sometimes doesn't even swing...

    people who think baseball is boring usually are focused on the final product... like u said, it's mostly basketball fans. i think this is b/c something is always happening, a shot is being made or someone is dunking. in baseball , you just see someone throw the ball and someone hitting it.. and most of the time even if they hit it it'll go foul or get caught...

    however, someone made the same arguement to me and i said what about soccer(which he loved). he said things always happen! well... i'd rather sit around and watch paint try for 2 hours then watch a soccer match... NOTHING happens in soccer

    and then we're back to square one

  9. #9
    Five Reasons Why Baseball Rules

    1. There is no clock. Yes, in some basketball/football games, there is the nerve-tingling aspect of a dying clock, a tie game, etc. But in many other games, you see a team with a healthy lead stalling and icing the clock. Many times the end of basketball/football games are annoying "race against time" affairs. In baseball, a three run lead going into the ninth? Ya gotta get three outs. No exceptions. No holding onto the ball.

    2. Baseball strategy is simple and complex. There is no better game to play along with than baseball. Do I sac bunt with a runner on first and nobody out or do I give Juan Rivera the green light? Or do I pinch hit for Rivera? Or do I ask Orlando Cabrera on first to steal? Do I think he has a chance stealing off Vance Wilson? But he can't get picked off by Steve Trachsel...and if I'm the other manager, do I pull Braden Looper and put in Mike Stanton? It's not hard to understand, but it's hard to figure out.

    3. Baseball has no fouls. Maybe it's me, but I get really annoyed when a flag in football takes away a brilliant play. Or when your best player gets called for two borderline fouls in basketball, taking him out of the game early. Yeah, there's some bad officiating in baseball, but for the most part, the players control the game.

    4. Baseball has a rich history. I'm not saying the other sports don't, but nothing can compare to baseball. The icons get simple names: Mr. October. The Iron Horse. The Duke of Flatbush. The Splendid Splinter. Tom Terrific. Mr. Cub. Heck, even Mr. Mariner. The events are immortalized in terse phrases: The Shot Heard Round the World. Buckner's Muff. The Catch. The Called Shot. The greats are discussed, analyzed, and debated. Is there a Basketball Historical Abstract? Is there football Sabrmetrics? Do people really give a darn if Robert Parish is elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame or not? Not really, but a lot of people care about Darrell Evans!

    5. When Roy Hobbs homered off Youngberry in the bottom of the 9th to give the Knights the pennant over the Pirates, I think we all cared.

  10. #10
    Don't panic TyWebb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    At the turn
    Posts
    1,676
    When a pitcher has everything working, it is beautiful to watch.
    There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball.

  11. #11
    NYYF Legend

    NelsonMuntz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Alexandria, VA
    Posts
    15,375
    Originally posted by chelloveck
    im usually given that "baseball is boring" crap by basketball fans
    Ironic, considering basketball has got to be the most monotonous sport ever created. If they gave both teams 100 points and let them play for 3 minutes, then maybe I could get into it. The additional 57 minutes are pointless as far as I'm concerned.

    I agree with what others have said thus far. Those who feel baseball is boring usually have never played the sport and/or do not fully understand the nuances of the game. Sometimes it's just a cop out by fans of a team that has been down for a long time. It's easier to just give up on the sport altogether rather than stick with a team who is struggling.
    Never left the Betances bandwagon.

  12. #12
    Bring on October!! nyyfanatic85's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Where Word Travels Faster Than Light
    Posts
    8,493
    Tell them if they looked a little deeper, there's a LOT going on that they hadn't noticed before.
    Global Warming and climate change hysteria could well represent the historical pinnacle of collective insanity.

  13. #13
    NYYF Legend

    penfold's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    5,425
    Originally posted by chanman7483


    however, someone made the same arguement to me and i said what about soccer(which he loved). he said things always happen! well... i'd rather sit around and watch paint try for 2 hours then watch a soccer match... NOTHING happens in soccer

    and then we're back to square one
    You ever watch Cone's or Wells' perfect game? I guarantee you NOTHING happened in those games and they were nail-biters! Talk about exciting baseball!

    Eye of the beholder, my friend.

    You gotta know what to look for. That's the case in each and every sport.

  14. #14

    Re: Baseball is boring... how do you defend that statement?

    Originally posted by chelloveck
    how do you guys defend that ridiculous statement? I LOVE BASEBALL
    "So don't watch it...you hopeless scumbag."


  15. #15
    Pick me. Choose me. Love me. SuperMario66's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Just between I wish I could and I don't know
    Posts
    7,704
    I think you have to watch it in person for a little while, and then, as Nat said, you need to have a team you truly care about. Then you can watch other games not so much for the outcome, but simply for the love of the game.
    --Misti

    Has anybody noticed we have a color option called "lemon chiffon?"

  16. #16
    NYYF Legend


    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    CT
    Posts
    55,327
    It depends on their tastes. Why defend it? If it's exciting to you then that's all that matters. To me, baseball is the most exciting sport out there. I don't need some fancy slam dunk or a hard tackle to enjoy what I'm watching. But that's me.
    NEW link for NYYFANS companion site for politics and more: www.editorialme.com.

  17. #17
    A new year, a new era penguin4's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    9,521
    Tell them to watch a golf on TV, THEN complain to you what sport is boring!
    "You aint my b!tch, n!gga! Buy your own damn fries!" -- Barack Obama

  18. #18
    NYYF Legend

    DaBoys4LifeNYY35's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Oxnard, CA
    Posts
    6,023
    Originally posted by penguin4
    Tell them to watch a golf on TV, THEN complain to you what sport is boring!
    Golf is not a sport anyway. Some say the same thing about football. Those people are truly hopeless.

    I know a lot of people (what a surprise, in light of the school I attend) who just don't get the appeal of sports and think they're all boring. Some just don't want the added joy in life.
    You can't hit without your hands. --Nomar Garciaparra

    NYYFFFL: The Roy Williams Domination Maneuver

  19. #19
    NYYF Legend

    JeffWeaverFan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    26,460
    I can understand if someone thinks baseball is boring, just a difference of opinion. I know people that love to watch Nascar and I think that might be the most boring thing ever and there is nothing anyone can say to change that. Baseball will become more exciting the more you know about it and the more you become a fan of a specific team.
    “I mean, people knew that Brown was out there, and that Randy was ornery all the time. And Pavano is whoever he is. But if you’re their manager, you can’t go out and write about them like that.

  20. #20
    Released Outright PippyPinstripes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    sliding into home
    Posts
    7,060
    Funny. I had a friend in England who never understood my obsession with baseball. So I said, "Look, I'm going to this game, and it's going to be televised on ESPN. You watch the game and look for me"

    So he called after the game and said, "I JUST DON'T GET IT! ALL THEY DID WAS STAND AROUND!"

    It was Moose's near-perfecto

    I couldn't convince him that that was one of the most wexciting baseball games ever.

  21. #21
    One for the thumb. Soriambi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    22,077
    Originally posted by DaBoys4LifeNYY35


    Golf is not a sport anyway. Some say the same thing about football. Those people are truly hopeless.

    I know a lot of people (what a surprise, in light of the school I attend) who just don't get the appeal of sports and think they're all boring. Some just don't want the added joy in life.
    I have friends that don't care for sports as well.

    I agree both with what you said earlier, about falling in love with a team, and with what Misti said, you really need to watch it to fall in love with it. I also agree with what Doug said, most people don't see the game for what it is. They think it's just throw the ball, hit the ball, run.

    The thing about baseball is that it's simple enough that anyone can get into it, and complicated enough that no one ever fully understands it. It's also very individual based, while being very team based at the same time. There's only one guy hitting, and it's interesting to see what he'll do, but his ultimate goal is to help the team, to either drive in his teamates who are on base or to get on base so that his team can drive HIM in. It's a very interesting dynamic, where a player can have one of the best seasons ever for an awful team. There's also something to watch in every single game. Even if it's Tigers vs. D-rays, or a matchup like that, you can tune in to see guys like Aubrey Huff, Ivan Rodriguez, Rocco Baldelli, and Dmitri Young hit. Even a game between the Giants and Pirates, if both teams were 20 games out, would be ok to watch, because you get to see Barry Bonds hit. There's just always a story to every single game, and it's great. I feel bad for people who don't understand it.
    "My point is you can't compare things with statistics." -Joe Morgan

    "I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." -Joe Morgan


    Kevin: New York Squeaks

  22. #22
    Originally posted by C. Bellinger
    Five Reasons Why Baseball Rules

    1. There is no clock. Yes, in some basketball/football games, there is the nerve-tingling aspect of a dying clock, a tie game, etc. But in many other games, you see a team with a healthy lead stalling and icing the clock. Many times the end of basketball/football games are annoying "race against time" affairs. In baseball, a three run lead going into the ninth? Ya gotta get three outs. No exceptions. No holding onto the ball.

    2. Baseball strategy is simple and complex. There is no better game to play along with than baseball. Do I sac bunt with a runner on first and nobody out or do I give Juan Rivera the green light? Or do I pinch hit for Rivera? Or do I ask Orlando Cabrera on first to steal? Do I think he has a chance stealing off Vance Wilson? But he can't get picked off by Steve Trachsel...and if I'm the other manager, do I pull Braden Looper and put in Mike Stanton? It's not hard to understand, but it's hard to figure out.

    3. Baseball has no fouls. Maybe it's me, but I get really annoyed when a flag in football takes away a brilliant play. Or when your best player gets called for two borderline fouls in basketball, taking him out of the game early. Yeah, there's some bad officiating in baseball, but for the most part, the players control the game.

    4. Baseball has a rich history. I'm not saying the other sports don't, but nothing can compare to baseball. The icons get simple names: Mr. October. The Iron Horse. The Duke of Flatbush. The Splendid Splinter. Tom Terrific. Mr. Cub. Heck, even Mr. Mariner. The events are immortalized in terse phrases: The Shot Heard Round the World. Buckner's Muff. The Catch. The Called Shot. The greats are discussed, analyzed, and debated. Is there a Basketball Historical Abstract? Is there football Sabrmetrics? Do people really give a darn if Robert Parish is elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame or not? Not really, but a lot of people care about Darrell Evans!

    5. When Roy Hobbs homered off Youngberry in the bottom of the 9th to give the Knights the pennant over the Pirates, I think we all cared.
    The first point you make is the one that seals the deal. The fact that this game needs to be completed by actual physical play and talent as opposed to playing against a clock is what sets this game apart from the rest. And all people who hate baseball, say so, because they are afraid they will like it and thus be forced to obsess over 8-12 hours of baseball everyday for 7 months, gosh its gruelling....Thank you lord for letting the season start....Now its only a matter of time before highlights are dominated by webgems and tape measure blasts
    It's good to be the king!

  23. #23
    Everybody Lies Yankees Empire's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    Spokane Valley, WA
    Posts
    3,096
    I've heard baseball compared to church in that "Many attend but few understand."

    I find baseball infinitely superior to basketball, especially the NBA (the NCAA tournament is an awful lot of fun). Each team in the NBA plays 3,748 regular season games in order to determine which 4 teams don't advance to the playoffs. Why the need for the prolonged post-season? Is it possible that the sport just isn't that interesting unless a bunch of teams have a chance to "win it all?"

    Ditto for the NHL, except you substitute mullet-wearing goons for the oversized pituitary cases of the NBA.

    Baseball is boring only to the boring mind. It appeals to the literate and nuanced mind. I find it far more interesting than the ceaseless flow of "action" (most of it utterly meaningless) found in hockey and basketball.
    NYYFans.com Fantasy Baseball:
    Rodents Of Unusual Size
    "Pride. Power. Rat Poop."

  24. #24
    God Bless the Scooter NYYFAN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2001
    Posts
    24,517
    Baseball is like a fine wine, it builds it's character as the season goes on...

  25. #25
    The ChronicWHATcles of Narnia yeahimweird's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Long Island/Buffalo
    Posts
    6,121
    I got ragged on for liking baseball. Some people were like "Baseball sucks" or "Yankees suck" to me but I didn't let it bother me. I still love baseball and the Yankees.

    Those people just don't know what they're missing, in my opinion.

    Hell, I even got one of my friends to like baseball (and the Yanks) and he doesn't even like sports!

    I also have to step in here for a second and defend hockey. It's my second favorite sport behind baseball. Hockey is actually quite intense. It's the playoffs now and there are some great matchups. I also believe that it is the most physically demanding of all the major sports. Those "mullet-wearing goons" are also tough as hell. They don't leave the game just because they have a hang nail.

    Even as a hockey fan, I can admit it's hard to follow on television sometimes. You have to see a live game to understand it, IMO.

    I do agree about the NBA though. It's a total snoozefest.

  26. #26
    God Bless the Scooter NYYFAN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2001
    Posts
    24,517
    Originally posted by yeahimweird
    I I also have to step in here for a second and defend hockey. It's my second favorite sport behind baseball. Hockey is actually quite intense. It's the playoffs now and there are some great matchups. I also believe that it is the most physically demanding of all the major sports. Those "mullet-wearing goons" are also tough as hell. They don't leave the game just because they have a hang nail.

    Even as a hockey fan, I can admit it's hard to follow on television sometimes. You have to see a live game to understand it, IMO.

    I do agree about the NBA though. It's a total snoozefest.
    Hockey and basketball are really boring ...I can watch the last 2 minutes of a basketball game...but the foul nonsense drives me nuts...

    As for Hockey I like to watch the last 60 secs of game 7 of the Stanley Cup...

    Palmer killed Billy Mays

  27. #27
    Bring on October!! nyyfanatic85's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Where Word Travels Faster Than Light
    Posts
    8,493
    Might as well just tune in to the last two minutes of an NBA game if you're planning on watching it. That's when the only action happens.
    Global Warming and climate change hysteria could well represent the historical pinnacle of collective insanity.

  28. #28
    Member

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    In a Van Down By the River
    Posts
    112
    I would just ask them that if they think baseball is boring, then why the hell are you watching it anyway? True baseball fans can find baseball exciting no matter what.

  29. #29
    Senior Member
    Thorn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Fort Pierce, Florida
    Posts
    189
    Originally posted by penguin4
    Tell them to watch a golf on TV, THEN complain to you what sport is boring!
    I think golf is like baseball in that if you know whats going on and how its played it can be exciting...ala this years masters. Also, the cameras are mostly shifting to players who are about to shoot so its not like you have a large waiting period to see another shot. I've played golf for about seven and a half years so I understand what's going on in certain situations and how important certain shots are for guys.
    I represent me, myself, and I...If you have any questions please direct them towards me.

  30. #30
    God Bless the Scooter NYYFAN's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2001
    Posts
    24,517
    And then there is Nascar...left turn, left turn, left turn...

    Palmer killed Billy Mays

  31. #31
    NYYF Cy Young


    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Nutley
    Posts
    1,747
    At any given moment of the day, I would rather be watching or playing in a baseball game than doing anything else. All baseball games are exciting to me so long as it is not a blowout, and even then, given the time resources, I would continue to watch it all the way through. I can sit there and watch something as low profile as a Pirates/Reds game or something as exciting as a Tim Hudson/Jamie Moyer duel between Oakland and Seattle. I love listening to games on the radio, I love minor league games, I even enjoy watching everyday folks practice their swings in the batting cages. I'll even pull over and watch a few innings if I happen to notice a little league game at a park. I love baseball. Then there's the history and the stats and the strategies and all the different personal bonds created as a result of some facet of the game between parent and child, manager and player and between teammates on the field. Of course, all of those things can be attributed with all sports, but my feeling is that none are more closely tied to history and tradition as baseball through this point in time. To me, it's the most satisfying of all North American sports.

    I forget who said it, but I've heard the expression that baseball is like 'physical chess.' The fact that it starts in the spring and ends in the fall only adds to the sport's mystique. To me, an empty ballpark at the end of october is one of the most beautiful sights.

  32. #32
    Originally posted by NYYFAN
    And then there is Nascar...left turn, left turn, left turn...
    Awww don't bag on the poor nascar guys... I like F-1 actually. The pinnacle of motorsport.

    But back to topic, I have found that the kind of people that find baseball boring typically have one or more of the following attributes:
    1. Poor attention span and attention to detail
    2. Lack of athletic ability or even physical activity in their lives
    3. Generally stupid
    4. Don't really care about sports, but rather watch for other reasons
    5. Lack craftsmanship abilities
    6. Somewhat superficial

    I base this of course on my own baseball-loving, obviously-biased life experiences, but hey, take it as you wish...

  33. #33
    Originally posted by BombersBlvd
    At any given moment of the day, I would rather be watching or playing in a baseball game than doing anything else. All baseball games are exciting to me so long as it is not a blowout, and even then, given the time resources, I would continue to watch it all the way through.
    ...like I did with today's Mets/Braves game on TBS...

  34. #34
    Member

    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    30
    is ESPN Sportscenter or other sports highlight shows during the 1994 players' strike. Back then it was all pro and college football hype during the weekdays. The actual highlights were on the weekends during that part of the year. Even replacement player highlights were better then pro and college pregame hype.

  35. #35
    NYYF Legend

    yanksrule69's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    MA/CT Border
    Posts
    9,696
    In my experience people who think baseball is boring are those who think it is merely a guy hitting a ball with a bat. It is mostly people who don't take the time to really understand the game or lack loyalty to a certain team.
    Life is a Waste of Time, Time is a Waste of Life, so let's get Wasted all the Time, and have the Time of our Lives

    It's not about the destination. It's about the journey.

    "Only the good die young"

  36. #36
    Released Outright
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Philthadelphia
    Posts
    427
    Originally posted by yanksrule69
    In my experience people who think baseball is boring are those who think it is merely a guy hitting a ball with a bat. It is mostly people who don't take the time to really understand the game or lack loyalty to a certain team.
    Nice thread.

    As a musician, I always compare baseball to good music, because they are in essence, one and the same.

    Let's take a good Mahler symphony for example, or any symphony for that matter.

    Does the music beat you over the head incessantly? No. Baseball is the same way. The exciting thing about music is the nuance. The subletly.

    I equate a long, drawn out crescendo in music with a late inning rally in baseball. The intensity increases with each passing moment, and then...BAM!! You get the payoff.

    Baseball offers moments of repose, and time to think. Good music is the same way. Baseball is amazingly dramatic for those who understand it. Music is the same way.

    I could go on and on...because Baseball and Music are my two passions in life. They both have provided me with some of the most fantastic moments of my life.

    PS, if anyone wants to talk music (I love classical music, but played in a kick ass Rock Band for the last 7 years...) I'm always down. For those of you who don't know a lot about classical music, I'd be glad to direct you towards some fantastic composers.

  37. #37
    Simply put in baseball a player can be a hero at anytime.

    Anyone can come up with the clutch hit (Boone, Dent) or big time pitch (Tug Mc Graw in the '80 WS) or clutch defensive play (Brooks Robinson in the ??? WS, Kirby Puckett in the ??? WS, Pete Rose on Bob Boone's dropped foul ball in the '80 WS). That's why it will always be America's past time. American's love the hero story, and as the season comes to an end that becomes even more true. That just doesn't happen in any other sport.

    One particular player that sticks out to me is Mark Lemke from the Atlanta Braves - his post season batting average and clutch hitting all those years for the Braves something around .400 or so. I mean this guy was unbelieveable in the post season and nothing more than a .250 hitter in the regular season.

    Think over time of all the great plays by one player who has won games by their individual play.

  38. #38
    One for the thumb. Soriambi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    22,077
    Another thing about baseball that seperates it from basketball is that the game can change at any time. In basketball, if a team goes on a 10-0 run, who cares? The other team can have it tied within minutes. In baseball, it could be the top of the 1st that decides which team ultimately wins, or it could be the bottom of the 9th. Basketball, like many have said, can be exciting in the final two minutes, but I'd say that at least 90% of the time the game is already out of hand then barring a total miracle. Plus, of course, you have the fouls.

    One of the main things that makes it better than hockey, imo, is that there are no ties in baseball. I hate ties in any sport, and hockey has way too many of them. The same can be said about football, that there can be ties, but those are extremely rare, so I'm not going to say that. That's the main reason that baseball and football are the two best sports, imo. They're both a chess match, several chess matches, really. The pitcher against the batter, the manager against the other manager, etc. Those who don't enjoy baseball don't understand it.
    "My point is you can't compare things with statistics." -Joe Morgan

    "I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." -Joe Morgan


    Kevin: New York Squeaks

  39. #39
    Bring on October!! nyyfanatic85's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Where Word Travels Faster Than Light
    Posts
    8,493
    The other day my boss and I were having this discussion. She told me that football was the best because baseball was "a pussy sport." I then replied, You try getting your ass in there and facing 100 MPH heat and then tell me it's pussy. It's f*cking morons like that that piss me off.
    Global Warming and climate change hysteria could well represent the historical pinnacle of collective insanity.

  40. #40
    One for the thumb. Soriambi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    22,077
    Originally posted by nyyfanatic85
    The other day my boss and I were having this discussion. She told me that football was the best because baseball was "a pussy sport." I then replied, You try getting your ass in there and facing 100 MPH heat and then tell me it's pussy. It's f*cking morons like that that piss me off.
    I agree. I would say that facing Randy Johnson when he seems a bit wild up and in is every bit as scary as taking a hit from Ray Lewis or Roy Williams. (Sorry, Nat. )
    "My point is you can't compare things with statistics." -Joe Morgan

    "I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." -Joe Morgan


    Kevin: New York Squeaks

  41. #41
    Everybody Lies Yankees Empire's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    Spokane Valley, WA
    Posts
    3,096
    Originally posted by nyyfanatic85
    The other day my boss and I were having this discussion. She told me that football was the best because baseball was "a pussy sport." I then replied, You try getting your ass in there and facing 100 MPH heat and then tell me it's pussy. It's f*cking morons like that that piss me off.
    Whenever I hear people extoll the toughness of football players at the expense of baseball players I always say "Yeah? What about kickers?"

    Yes, football players are a tough lot but a kicker? C'mon!! Some sawed-off midget who kicks sideways? Give me a break. Some socialist, converted soccer player with a last name like "TFCZK" wearing a football "uniform" always makes me laugh.
    NYYFans.com Fantasy Baseball:
    Rodents Of Unusual Size
    "Pride. Power. Rat Poop."

  42. #42
    Super Moderator Bub's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Clifton Park, New York
    Posts
    21,905
    Originally posted by NYYFAN
    And then there is Nascar...left turn, left turn, left turn...


    Baseball is a game of short bursts. That's just the way it is. Some people don't like it, others like that kind of entertainment. Some football fans don't understand why we go to Yankee Stadium by the millions to watch a boring baseball game. I don't understand why they go to sellout football games to sit in freezing temperatures watching grown men maul each other. To each their own.
    Let the kids play.

  43. #43
    NYYF Legend

    DaBoys4LifeNYY35's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Oxnard, CA
    Posts
    6,023
    Originally posted by Bub


    Baseball is a game of short bursts. That's just the way it is. Some people don't like it, others like that kind of entertainment. Some football fans don't understand why we go to Yankee Stadium by the millions to watch a boring baseball game. I don't understand why they go to sellout football games to sit in freezing temperatures watching grown men maul each other. To each their own.
    Or you can understand, appreciate, and do both. (There is more to football than grown men mauling each other, however.)
    You can't hit without your hands. --Nomar Garciaparra

    NYYFFFL: The Roy Williams Domination Maneuver

  44. #44
    Just Keep Winning Baby. C-BUS CLIPPER's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    1,165
    Originally posted by C. Bellinger
    Five Reasons Why Baseball Rules

    1. There is no clock. Yes, in some basketball/football games, there is the nerve-tingling aspect of a dying clock, a tie game, etc. But in many other games, you see a team with a healthy lead stalling and icing the clock. Many times the end of basketball/football games are annoying "race against time" affairs. In baseball, a three run lead going into the ninth? Ya gotta get three outs. No exceptions. No holding onto the ball.

    2. Baseball strategy is simple and complex. There is no better game to play along with than baseball. Do I sac bunt with a runner on first and nobody out or do I give Juan Rivera the green light? Or do I pinch hit for Rivera? Or do I ask Orlando Cabrera on first to steal? Do I think he has a chance stealing off Vance Wilson? But he can't get picked off by Steve Trachsel...and if I'm the other manager, do I pull Braden Looper and put in Mike Stanton? It's not hard to understand, but it's hard to figure out.

    3. Baseball has no fouls. Maybe it's me, but I get really annoyed when a flag in football takes away a brilliant play. Or when your best player gets called for two borderline fouls in basketball, taking him out of the game early. Yeah, there's some bad officiating in baseball, but for the most part, the players control the game.

    4. Baseball has a rich history. I'm not saying the other sports don't, but nothing can compare to baseball. The icons get simple names: Mr. October. The Iron Horse. The Duke of Flatbush. The Splendid Splinter. Tom Terrific. Mr. Cub. Heck, even Mr. Mariner. The events are immortalized in terse phrases: The Shot Heard Round the World. Buckner's Muff. The Catch. The Called Shot. The greats are discussed, analyzed, and debated. Is there a Basketball Historical Abstract? Is there football Sabrmetrics? Do people really give a darn if Robert Parish is elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame or not? Not really, but a lot of people care about Darrell Evans!

    5. When Roy Hobbs homered off Youngberry in the bottom of the 9th to give the Knights the pennant over the Pirates, I think we all cared.
    CB---- Great points.....reminds me why I love Baseball that much more than any other sport.
    FREE CHRIS BRITTON.

  45. #45
    Released Outright
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Posts
    4,023
    My wife - being a Southern California lady - was a huge Lakers and basketball fan. Anyway, in exchange for my ordering Extra Innings on DirecTv every summer she gets to order the NBA equivalent.

    Something strange happened last year, however.

    She started watching Red Sox games with me, as well as going to Cubbies games at Wrigley with me and guys. By July she was planning her schedule around Red Sox games.

    It was amazing to watch a person "convert" to a baseball fan. I was raised that way, so it is entirely foreign to me.

    She says she is struck by the strategy of baseball, the lack of a clock, and the, in her words, "duality of individual match-ups within the framework of competing teams." This past season she, for the first time ever, decided not to watch basketball. She told me she only has time to devote herself to one sport, and that will be baseball from now on.

    I am, therefore, doubly blessed: I married the woman of my dreams and she subsequently converts to a baseball fan. Life is good, very good.

  46. #46
    goof-off to the max. 1-2-3 inning's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Ithaca, NY
    Posts
    1,270
    I was always very into sports, every sport except soccer (I don't know, I just can't get into it!), but I think with baseball fans, you either grow up knowing a team and loving them to death or you were bored one summer and got attached to a particular team. It's rare to see a fan who doesn't pull for one particular team.

    I think of baseball as a very historic, almost intellectual-type sport, and that might be why some people find it boring? It's a lot about percentages, strategy and statistics. But it's so much more than that, too.

    I love it because anything can happen. Sure, Derek Jeter's had the most at-bats without getting a Grand Slam, but there will be many times this season when he has a chance. And maybe Bernie Williams comes up to the plate with runners on 2nd and 3rd, against a pitcher that he's hit a career .067 against. He still has that chance of getting a hit, despite the percentages. So even when one does play the percentages perfectly, there is that chance that it's all going to go the lucky team's way anyway. On any given day, the D-Rays can beat the Yankees (which we've already seen!). Which, is why the whole "Yankees buy championships" thing is so untrue! Even with all the money, a lot of things have to go perfectly to get that World Series Championship.

    It's so great!
    QUICK.

  47. #47
    NYYF Cy Young


    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    deep to right and out of here
    Posts
    2,150
    Originally posted by NYYFAN


    Hockey and basketball are really boring ...I can watch the last 2 minutes of a basketball game...but the foul nonsense drives me nuts...

    As for Hockey I like to watch the last 60 secs of game 7 of the Stanley Cup...
    I could watch the last 2 minutes of a basketball game if I had 20 minutes to spare. With the incessant time-outs and that "foul foolishness" playing the final 30-40 seconds of an NBA game can (and often does) take several minutes to complete.

    I think George Carlin's Baseball-Football comparison has it about right.

  48. #48
    Now THERE is a Captain !! SanFrANSKY's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2000
    Location
    The City By The Bay
    Posts
    3,370
    I won't repeat the fine rebuttals above, since I agree with nearly all of them. I will simply say that I feel nothing but sorrow for anyone who does not appreciate all the flavors offered up by a well-played game of baseball.

    The best thing to do with such sad persons is teach them about the game and see if they can be persuaded to join the rest of us coreligionists.
    SanFrANSKY
    We're Playaz. We're 9. We're Angry.
    Base: a certain kind of ball.
    Repair these losses...and be a blessing to us.

  49. #49
    I think a lot of people who say it's boring mean that there's not enough violence or potential violence. No one's getting tackled or fouled and there are very few plays at the plate with runner-catcher collisions. I know there is violence galore in hockey but, in their case, I think too many people have a problem seeing the puck on the ice (I know I do. )).
    Bern Baby Bern


  50. #50
    NYYF Legend


    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    CT
    Posts
    55,327
    sports that seam to be called "boring" are the games with less scoring such as baseball and soccer. In basketball, you will get 2-3 scores a minute, football the scores go in the 20's and 30's (I know 6 points for a TD add up) but you also have the hard hits in football. Hockey too with the hard checks and the fights to compensate for the lesser of the offense.
    NEW link for NYYFANS companion site for politics and more: www.editorialme.com.

+ Reply to Thread

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

     

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts