Recently, I was inspired (read: annoyed) enough to send an email to MLB Radio about the stupidity of one of the conversations I heard there, and I've ranted about it to several friends since (hi, E!), so now you lovely folks get to hear all about it. Here's the deal: Bill Baer, a respected baseball …
Recently, in a couple of online discussions, I've seen people get a fundamental baseball rule wrong, and it is MADDENING. The rule is this: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "FOUL TIP" THAT ISN'T CAUGHT. Let me say that again: A foul tip MUST BE CAUGHT. If a ball that's hit not in fair …
As I've mentioned before, I score the games that I watch, almost all of them that I see live (unless I'm at a corporate event or something) and select games that I watch on television. And, like all fans that "keep book," I have taken the standard way of keeping score and tweaked it until …
Since I started watching baseball, Opening Day has always been one of my favorite days of the year. Even in years when I'm not going to Opening Day games (most years, as I live in Chicago, and most years April weather is to be endured more than enjoyed), I love watching the games on television …
It's spring and that means with spring training comes the release of the new rules for the coming season. I'm not a hoary old traditionalist(2), so some of the more recent rules I like (increased use of replay is a net positive, I think) and some I don't (the 30 seconds for coaching visits seems …
Continue reading Changing the Intentional Walk Rule is Dumb and Here’s Why
Most of the jokes and critiques you hear about umpires involve their poor eyesight behind the plate.(1) But what most people don't notice is how often umpires are in the right spot at the right time. That is because we tell the future. It's also called positioning. We spend a lot of time here talking …
When my interest in baseball first blossomed, several of my friends were very excited. "When are you going to watch football?" "Are you going to watch football now?" "You should start watching football!" But I'm not going to start watching football. I've tried. My friends have taken me to games. I've paid slightly more than …
When I first started watching baseball, I very quickly understood on an intuitive level what a "ground rule double" was. But it's rule 5.05(a)(5)-(9) that actually explains what a ground rule double is, to wit: 5.05(a)(5) ...A fair fly ball that passes out of the playing field at a point less than 250 feet from …
I live in the Chicago area, so right now, in the aftermath of the 2016 World Series, there is Cubs gear everywhere. Everyone is flying that W flag from their windows and their cars, (1) and everyone is wearing Cubs t-shirts and jackets. And with all of this outpouring for the Cubs, there comes the …
It started with a book. Those of you who know me in Real Life will not be surprised that my love of a sport started with a book -- so much of my life does. Growing up, I didn't have much interest in sports. I was raised by a single mother who didn't have any …
Baseball Julia 