Google Doodle Baseball

The sport that evokes more nostalgia among Americans than any other is baseball.

Baseball originated before the American Civil War (1861-1865) as rounders, a humble game played on sandlots.

Sport that is practiced in a square field of 30 m of side between two teams of nine players each one; Is to hit with a bat a small ball thrown with the hand by an opponent and to cross the perimeter of an inner square of the field passing through the four corners or bases before the rival regains control of the game; Wins the team that obtains more times along the nine parts or tickets that the game consists of.

History

The earliest known mention of baseball in the U.S was a 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, ordinance banning the playing of the game within 80 yards (73 m) of the town meeting house. In 1903, the British sportswriter Henry Chadwick published an article speculating that baseball derived from a British game called rounders, which Chadwick had played as a boy in England. But baseball executive Albert Spalding disagreed. Baseball, said Spalding, was fundamentally an American sport and began on American soil. To settle the matter, the two men appointed a commission, headed by Abraham Mills, the fourth president of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. The commission, which also included six other sports executives, labored for three years, after which it declared that Abner Doubleday invented the national pastime. This would have been a surprise to Doubleday. The late Civil War hero “never knew that he had invented baseball”. [But] 15 years [after his death], he was anointed as the father of the game”, writes baseball historian John Thorn. The myth about Doubleday inventing the game of baseball actually came from a Colorado mining engineer. Another early reference reports that base ball was regularly played on Saturdays in 1823 on the outskirts of New York City in an area that today is Greenwich Village.

The first team to play baseball under modern rules were the New York Knickerbockers. The club was founded on September 23, 1845, as a social club for the upper middle classes of New York City, and was strictly amateur until it disbanded. The club members, which included its president Doc Adams and Alexander Cartwright, formulated the Knickerbocker Rules, which in large part dealt with organizational matters but which also laid out rules for playing the game. One of the significant rules prohibited soaking or plugging the runner; under older rules, a fielder could put a runner out by hitting the runner with the thrown ball, similarly to the common schoolyard game of kickball. The Knickerbocker Rules required fielders to tag or force the runner, as is done today, and avoided a lot of the arguments and fistfights that resulted from the earlier practice.

Writing the rules did not help the Knickerbockers in the first known competitive game between two clubs under the new rules, played at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1846. The self-styled “New York Nine” humbled the Knickerbockers by a score of 23 to 1. Nevertheless, the Knickerbocker Rules were rapidly adopted by teams in the New York area and their version of baseball became known as the “New York Game” (as opposed to the “Massachusetts Game”, played by clubs in the Boston area).

Timeline

• The first official match in which the Knickerbockers faced another team, New York Club (today Hoboken of New Jersey), was played the 19 of June of 1846.

• The Cincinnati Red Stockings are now known as the Cincinnati Reds of 1869, they were the first baseball team with professional and salaried players.

• By the popularity that took in the city of New York in second half of Century XIX, and to be practicing in other places, was known at that time with the name of New York Game. In 1901 in Chicago (USA) creates the American League of Baseball.

• Georgia’s Ty Cobb, who won his first of nine consecutive AL batting titles to set a record, the 1907 Tigers defeated Mack’s A’s by 1.5.

• The Tigers built Bennett Park on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue starting their games since 1896. In 1912, the team moved to Navil Field while it was being built in the same location. This was expanded and renamed Briggs Stadium.

• George Herman Ruth (born February 6, 1895 in New York, August 16, 1948), better known as Babe Ruth, was one of the most talented and most popular baseball players in the history of baseball.

• In 1924, with the addition of first baseman and future Hall of Famer Bill Terry, the Giants set up a difficult victory against the Dodgers for 1.5 games.

• The New York Yankees have won the World Series 23 times. In this team he played his first match of competition, one of the greatest baseball players, Joe Di Maggio, in April 1936

Baseball court

A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played

First base

First base is the first of four bases that must be touched by a player on the batting team in order to score a run. Unlike when an offensive player reaches second or third base, it is permissible for a batter-runner to overrun first base without being in jeopardy of being put out. After contact is made with the base, the batter-runner may slow down and return to first base at his leisure, so long as he makes no move or attempt to advance to second base. The runner cannot be tagged out if he is touching the base with any part of his body.

Second base

Second base is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player’s team. Second base is typically defended by the second baseman and the shortstop. Second base is also known as the keystone sack. A runner on second base is said to be in “scoring position”, owing to the high likelihood of reaching home plate and scoring a run from second base on most base hits. Since second is the farthest base from home plate, it is the most common target of base stealing. The runner can not be tagged out if he is touching the base with any part of his body.

Third base

Third base is the third of four bases a base runner must touch in a counterclockwise succession in order to score a run. Many batted balls that result in the batter being put out (such as a sacrifice fly) may nevertheless allow a runner to reach home plate and score a run from third base, provided that the third and final out is not recorded before he can do so. A runner on third base is therefore particularly valuable to the batting team when fewer than two outs have been recorded. The runner cannot be tagged out if he is touching the base with any part of his body.

Home plate

Home plate, formally designated home base in the rules, is the final base that a player must touch to score. Unlike the other bases, home plate is a five-sided slab of whitened rubber that is set at ground level. The use of rubber was developed by Robert Keating, who pitched one game for the 1887 Baltimore Orioles. Previously—and more dangerously—the plate was made of stone, iron, or wood

The plate is a pentagon with one side measuring 17 inches in length (facing the pitcher’s mound), two sides measuring 8.5 inches in length, and two sides measuring 12 inches in length. The two 12-inch sides form a point and face directly away from the pitcher’s rubber. The plate is 17 inches in length from the base to the point.

Batter’s box

The batter’s box is the place where the batter stands when ready to receive a pitch from the pitcher. It is usually drawn in chalk on the dirt surrounding home plate, and the insides of the boxes are watered down before each game.

Clothing and equipment

Bat

A rounded, solid wooden or hollow aluminum bat. Wooden bats are traditionally made from ash wood, though maple and bamboo is also sometimes used. Aluminum bats are not permitted in professional leagues, but are frequently used in amateur leagues. Composite bats are also available, essentially wooden bats with a metal rod inside. Bamboo bats are also becoming popular.

Ball

A cork sphere, tightly wound with layers of yarn or string and covered with a stitched leather coat.

Base

One of four corners of the infield which must be touched by a runner in order to score a run; more specifically, they are canvas bags (at first, second, and third base) and a rubber plate (at home).

Glove

Leather gloves worn by players in the field. Long fingers and a webbed “pocket” between the thumb and first finger allows the fielder to catch the ball more easily.

Batting gloves 

Gloves often worn on one or both hands by the batter. They offer additional grip and eliminate some of the shock when making contact with the ball.

Batting helmet 

Helmet worn by batter to protect the head and the ear facing the pitcher from the ball. Professional models have only one ear protector (left ear for right-handed batters, right ear for lefties), amateur and junior helmets usually have ear protectors on both sides, for better protection from loose balls, and to reduce costs to teams (all players can use the same style of helmet).

Baseball cap 

Hat worn by all players. Designed to shade the eyes from the sun, this hat design has become popular with the general public.

Catcher’s helmet 

Protective helmet with face mask worn by the catcher. Newer styles feature a fully integrated helmet and mask, similar to a hockey goalie mask. More traditional versions were a separate mask worn over a helmet similar to a batting helmet, but with no ear protection and worn backwards.

Jockstrap with cup pocket

Also called jock or athletic supporter. An undergarment worn by boys and men for support of the testicles and penis during sports. A jockstrap by itself holds the testicles up and close to the body to help keep them from being squished between the thighs, or from twisting or hanging out. The jockstrap with cup pocket contains a pocket to hold a protective cup.

Protective cup

Also called a baseball cup, box, athletic cup – made of hard impact-resistant plastic or light metal, often with flexible sides for comfort and protection, designed to protect the testicles and groin from impact of a baseball, baseball bat, cleats, or any other moving object. Absolutely required for catchers, pitchers, and often all infielders. Many leagues require all male players to wear jockstrap and cup for practices and games.

Pelvic protector

Provides groin protection for females against impact.

Uniform

Shirt and pants worn by all players, coaches and managers. Each team generally has a unique pattern of colors and designs. Traditionally, the home team’s uniform is predominantly white with the team’s nickname, and the visiting team’s is predominantly gray with (usually, but not always) the team’s city. Teams often have white, gray and colored jerseys; colored jerseys can be worn at home or on the road, depending on the team’s preference.

Sliding shorts

Padded support shorts sometimes worn to protect the thighs when the player slides into the bases. Some sliding shorts contain a pocket for a protective cup. This is so the player does not have to wear a jockstrap and sliding shorts at the same time, although many players find the cup is held in place better by wearing it in a jockstrap under sliding shorts.

Sunglasses

Worn to shade the eyes from the sun.

Baseball cleats

Baseball specific shoes worn by the player for better traction. The cleats themselves are either rubber or metal.

Baseball doughnut

A weighted ring that fits over the end of a baseball bat, used for warming up during a baseball game. A doughnut can help increase bat speed.

Possible injuries and safety precautions

• Batting helmets must be worn whenever a player is at bat, waiting to bat, or running the bases. Some leagues may even require pitchers to wear them. Helmets should always fit properly and be worn correctly. If the helmet has a chin strap, it should be fastened, and if the helmet has an eye shield or other faceguard, this should be in good condition, securely attached to the helmet.
• A catcher should always wear a helmet, facemask, throat guard, full-length chest protector, athletic supporter with a cup, shin guards and a catcher’s mitt whenever they are catching pitches, whether it’s in the game, in the bullpen or during warm-ups.
• Baseball spikes should have molded plastic cleats rather than metal ones. Most youth leagues don’t allow spikes with metal cleats.
• Some leagues have guidelines dictating what kind of bat a player can use. Some aluminum bats may be banned for hitting batted balls too hard. Be sure to check the league’s policy before choosing a bat.

• All players should wear athletic supporters; most, particularly pitchers and infielders, should wear protective cups. Rules regarding which players must wear cups vary from league to league.
• Additional gear that some players like includes sliding pants, which are meant to go under baseball pants to protect against scrapes and cuts; batting gloves, which can keep hands from getting sore while hitting; shin and foot guards, which are designed to protect against balls fouled straight down; and mouthguards.

Memorable moments of baseball

1905 – Christy Mathewson wins three full games and whitens the Philadelphia Athletics in all three, leading the New York Giants to a 4-1 World Series victory.

1971 – Satchel Paige happens to be the first black player raised to the Hall of Fame.

2001 – Barry Bonds sets a new home run record by pulling 73 times from the park.

Relevant athletes

Barry Bonds (1986 – 2007)

In the 2001 season, he made 73 “home runs” and holds the absolute record of the sport with 762. A jewel for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants that has achieved what no batter has been able to

Ted Williams (1939 – 1960)

Many consider Ted “The Kid” Williams as the best modern hitter. With a fruitful career with the Boston Red Sox, he won the prestigious Triple Crown batting twice and averaged 344 hits per season with 521 home runs throughout his career.

Joe DiMaggio (1936 – 1951)

Perhaps one of the most famous names in this sport, this excellent offensive player of the New York Yankees was named in 1969 as the best baseball player in life as a true hero of his team. 361 home runs throughout a career are not few and, despite his conflicts with the coach, also achieved a streak of 56 games giving hit.

Conclusion

Baseball is a noble sport, beautiful and recognized worldwide by all kinds of people. At the moment it is a very technical sport and with great difficulty of execution.

In my opinion I think it is quite playful, but not physical.

Maybe a little more power would give more excitement.

Bibliography

https://www.ecured.cu/B%C3%A9isbol

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0875086.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_baseball_in_the_United_States#Early_history

http://baseball.isport.com/baseball-guides/baseball-field-dimensions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_field

http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/safety-baseball.html