The worst fans in baseball

[atx_newbie]

Yeah, partially  

But I think if I were paying those guys that kind of money, I'd wanna get more than 30% return on my investment.  If your job is to hit, you hit.  Field goal kicking is also pretty difficult, but those guys are pretty close to 100%, even at long distances.

Anyway, I'm going to chill now.  Maybe I've always just harbored some animosity towards baseball because I couldn't do it as well as I've been able to do most other things in my life.  Or maybe because in college my fraternity was constantly fighting for girls and popularity with the baseball team  ;D

[Muddy]

If anyone thinks baseball is a kid's sport, I challenge you to try to go .250 against even a good HIGH SCHOOL pitcher....

They've said that hitting a pitch is one of the hardest things to do in sports, and I couldn't agree more. Most people who talk trash about baseball being easy have never picked up a bat after little league...

This is true, batting is difficult. I had to quit because my golf swing made my baseball swing too long, and I couldn't get ahead of any pitches. That being said, baseball is the only sport where you can succeed every third time and be called a great. Imagine if your team's QB only complete 3 for every 10 passes he threw. Or a professional golfer only hitting 6 greens every round.

Not knocking baseball players, anyone who is at that high a level in their field has obviously worked very hard and is very talented, but the sport doesn't require much athleticism. The pitcher, yeah. After that, not so much. And I did play baseball as a first baseman for 7 years.

A physiologist once determined the ceiling fir a human to hit a fast ball is 92mph, yet there are guys hitting .300 with pitchers throwing harder than that. Kinnda like bumble bees should not be able to fly The reason hitting 300 against major league pitchying is the benchmark for greatness is because it is nearly impossible to do.

Look: Either you can hit a curve ball or you can't You can learn how to hit one better if you can't hit one you just never will

That is what kept Michael Jordan and Biilie Bean( now a GM) off the field, once pitchers found this out thats all they saw, all the way out of the majors. Whatever your hurt fraternity feelings are, every position on the diamond requires a lot of talent on the pro level.

Atletisism: OzzieSmith; Dives left or right spins and finishes a double play then does a standing flip, just to celebrate

Willie Mays; not only the over the shoulder catch, but his all around every day play

Carl Furiello: Threw guys out at home plate, from dead in the corner in right field Ebbets field, with out hitting the cut off guy Thats a 300 ft toss, and he did it regularly

Cal Ripken jr, need I say more

Lou Pinella; Never quite got the idea of the warning trak, crashed into more wall and made impossible catches then I can remember.

Johnny Bench Threw guys out at second base, while still in the crouch, with a batter blocking the way

Rickie Henderson' Lightning fast speed, stole evry plate imaginable

Bob Gibson: could thread a button on your shirt with an inside nasty slider, and if that didn't back you up, he'd put is on your leg,AND HE COULD HIT

Don't talk about what you do not know, I have not even scratched the surace on this. Baseball players are not only athletic, they are skilled and the best in the business

For a guy that "played 7 years" that was the most uninformed statement i have ever heard someone make about baseball

If you harbor resentment to baseball players over college days, perhaps you should post on Dr.Phil's site he's very good with that sort of thing

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Let me first preface this by saying I think baseball is the greatest "game" of all time. So many games with in the game and unless you are a TRUE fan of the game (not just a team, an actual fan of the game) or have ever experienced it first hand at a high level ... I think it is hard for the average person to appreciate it. No big deal. That's what makes the world go round.

Now on the other hand, I believe it was John Kruk that said "I am not an athlete. I am a baseball player."

I agree with that statement to a certain point (and I played into college). I think baseball is a sport where you don't have to necessarily be the prototypical athlete to be successful at it ... and even GREAT. That still doesn't mean you don't have to be very very skilled.

It all depends on what your definition of an athlete is.

On that note ... here is a clip of one of the greatest Olympian "athletes" of all time throwing out a first pitch ;D ;D

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/another-addition-to-our-carl-lewis-time-capsule-17985

Carl Lewis

btw - If anybody can find that full video (the actual video) of Carl Lewis I would appreciate it. It mysteriously can't be found :-? At least not easily

[fish-fighting-illini]

Have you ever croutched for four hours?

Correction- you crouched for 2 hrs the umpire ( I was one ) crouched for 4hrs. That first game of the year always hurt. Of course we didn't have to run the bases between innings.

 I'm just sayin!

FFI - AKA Matt Crum

[Hookemdown.]

Have you ever croutched for four hours?

Correction- you crouched for 2 hrs the umpire ( I was one ) crouched for 4hrs. That first game of the year always hurt. Of course we didn't have to run the bases between innings.

I'm just sayin!

FFI - AKA Matt Crum

I guess you're right ;D  

On a side note, I never had "knee savers" when I was a catcher.  I didn't even know about them.

Muddy, the curve ball was one of the reasons I don't play baseball anymore.  I could hit all varieties of fastballs and changups with better than most, but  I never could hit a curve ball or a slider.

It don't matter if you can hit a 85 mph fastball if can't hit the other pitches.

[fish-fighting-illini]

  Honestly though Hook we didn't have to do near as deep of a crouch. What do you think of those knee savers? They just seem like they would be awkward and maybe even put outward pressure on the knee?

[Dan:]

Honestly though Hook we didn't have to do near as deep of a crouch. What do you think of those knee savers? They just seem like they would be awkward and maybe even put outward pressure on the knee?

I knew guys who loved them and I knew some that hated them, I think it was a preference thing.

[Hookemdown.]

I have somewhat bad knees, and I accredit that to my days as a catcher.

The kneesavers made the croutching position 100% more comfortable and sped up the time it took me to get in position to throw out a runner.  But, it hindered my ability to block pitches that was in the dirt.