BASEBALL FANS! How can I watch baseball better?

Question

I am a new fan and have just recently started watching MLB religiously. I like the big "show-down" moments but when the Red Sox are up 10 runs on the Rockies I want to be able to appreciate the smaller battles between pitcher and batter. Specifically What do the signals mean, or are they differant for each team? How can I tell if the ball is a screwball, curve, fast etc, Should I watch the balls path mid air, where it is caught, or when it leaves the pitchers hand? How can I tell without relying on the announcers if it is a strike or not? Is there a way to visualize the strike zone? What is the catcher role in all this? Any other tips for watching the game?
- I watch on TV and havent been to a live game yet, maybe that will help.

Answer 1

Since television gives you a limited view of the proceedings, concentrate on the inner game between the pitcher and the catcher. Don't worry about signals and all that. Look to see if the pitcher is getting ahead of the batter -- throwing strikes early in the count (0-1, 0-2, 1-2). If a pitcher can get ahead regularly, he is on his way to winning. Also notice the catcher's target, and see how often the pitcher hits it. Great example of that in the ALDS. The Angels pitcher, Rodriquez, was instructed to throw an outside pitch. You could see the catcher move his mitt across home plate to follow the ball ... at least until Manny Ramirez hit the ball about seven miles for a walk-off homer.

One other point -- you might want to learn how to keep score. You'll know who is doing well and where they are hitting the ball at a glance. More subtly, though, you'll know if a team is regularly leaving baserunners in scoring position on base. Sometimes that can haunt a team in the later innings. You don't want to let too many opportunities get away.

Going to games will help too. You can notice defensive positioning, leads for runners, etc. There's a quiet world out there. Along those lines, head to the library sometime and read George Will's book, "Men at Work." It's a great look at that aspect of the game.

Answer 2

Baseball, for me at least, is sort of an escape from reality. For three hours I feel like I can immerse myself in something I enjoy, and I don't have to worry about school or tennis or whatever else is going on in my life. I can't say I'm always HAPPY, when I'm watching baseball... Especially when my Rangers are getting beat 7-0 in the fifth... But I always enjoy myself. And I was really sorry to hear about Nick Adenhart, it's just really sad... He had just made his first start and was only 22 years old. It's always sad when a team loses a member, but especially so when the victim is that young and talented.

Answer 3

The signs are different for every team and they change. It's your job to try to figure them out. The TV camera is in center field, to the right of the pitcher and it is elevated. You need to watch for about an inning to see how the ump is calling the pitches to figure out where the ball is in relationship to the batter. Even then it's a close call.

On TV you get stats and information and replays. All positives.
In the stadium you can see balls and strikes, infield and outfield strategies, and you get to talk to and hear the fans in the stands. All positives.

Answer 4

The hand signs indicate which pitch to throw and potentially where it should go.

sadly, you have to rely on the announcers or the ump, as the camera angle is off just enough so you cannot fully determine whether it was a ball of he cut the outside corner

Answer 5

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