Baseball - General

Advantages: terrific spectacle, capacity crowds, real all-american action
Disadvantages: can be deathly slow for the uninitiated

...have players currently playing professional baseball in the MLB. I vividly recall a big friend of mine coming back from his first trip to the States and telling me that he'd discovered the 'most boring game in the world' (and HE was a cricket fan too!). What was it - Baseball! Why boring? Well the pitcher sets out each night to stop the batter hitting the ball. A rare feat in the game is when the guy on the mound pitches a 'no-hitter' i.e none of ...
...it's subleties. The outfielders in Baseball can be important, as can the basemen - the guys who try to tag the runner to stop him getting from base to base. At the end of each regular season - around October time usually - the top team in the 'American League' meets the winner of the 'National League' and play for the 'World Series' in the States. For the first time last year it was a cross-city rivalry for the New York clubs, with the reigning Champs, ... Read review

Advantages: strategic, exciting
Disadvantages: a bit slower than most American sports

...Valium'. He had a point: baseball and cricket share the same basic principles, but baseball is faster and much more exciting. It is essentially cricket and rounders combined with an addition of the American fascination with complex rule systems. It does take a while to understand everything that is going on, but you'll be happy you put in the time. A baseball diamond resembles a rounders pitch. The pitcher throws the ball to a batter, who tries to ...
...base safely. If he manages to get all the way around, either on his hit or on a teammate's, his team gets a run. Most runs win. There are nine innings. In each inning each team gets three outs. You can be caught out, struck out (3 strikes), thrown out (by a force play at a base), or tagged out. If the teams are tied after 9 innings you play extra innings, one at a time, until one team is ahead at the end of one. Watch a game. If there are American ... Read review

Advantages: i get it all to myself
Disadvantages: everyone should know

...& accept the game of baseball for the exciting & truly thrilling spectacle that it is? to consider that most people will comment that we brits actually invented the game, i expect that only approx 0.5% of british people could actually confirm what an rbi is, or to name any other player than babe ruth. the harsh reality is that a game so dull as rugby union already has a huge amount of opinions logged on a seperate page. ok, i accept that each person ...
...than muddy chess. anyhow, i do believe it is now time for baseball/softball to be made part of our schools p.e programmes, as too many generations of us brits have lived our lives not knowing the joy that is hitting a walk-off homer, or pitching the perfect game (a la david 'boomer' wells). it is easy to treat a game with contempt when it is not understood, but after you get past the seemingly endless desire for stats you truly are blessed with the ... Read review

Advantages: You learn to accept stuff
Disadvantages: Death's getting nearer

...only bald people suffer with nasal hair because the hair you lose on your head goes down into your brain, behind your eyes and out through your nose. It's true. My next review will be of the fantastic Phillishave 1100 Nasal Express. 'Nuff said. ***3. YOU START WEARING BASEBALL CAPS. A LOT*** And generally trying to be hip and using phrases that you think are cool but aren't, or may have been in 1986, like: "that shit is dope" "oh well wicked" "bling!" "yeah that track is bangin' man"* *at which point you produce your 1993 glo-stick and cardboard sign with the word "choon" on. My wife laughed at me the other day when I told her not to diss me. I wear baseball caps to cover my impending baldness. I admit it. OK? ***2. YOU GET FORGETFUL OR CONFUSED*** What are these numbers and stars and capital letters for? Is... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Formula for a typical teen comedy...
Disadvantages: ...just like all the others

...of course has more pressing concerns. Older brothers or sisters can be just as bad too, hanging out with their cool older friends and patronising their ‘little’ brother/sister. I’m an older brother myself though, so I think the first is worse of course… [4] Stupid jocks There’s always the ‘cool clique’ in school. The jocks – who’re the athletic ones, not Scots – play sport, particularly American football, of course, but sometimes ‘soccer’, baseball, basketball or ice hockey. Generally they’re the ones getting all the sex, or at least over-compensating with machismo, and who tease our geeky/outsider protagonist(s). Often get their comeuppance at the finale (all part of the ‘happy ending’). [5] Typically slushy American moral about how it’s the taking part that counts, we should all get along, etc ad nauseam. It’d be irresponsible if... Read review

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Advantages: I is well 'ard, innit
Disadvantages: You is a punk ass biatch. Innit

...Donalds worker; indeed, I worked with a few as my spell in the ol' Miccy-Ds, but that's surprisingly rare. They often rely on pocket money, or the new EMA which means they can disrupt peoples learning and get paid for it at the same time. Sad,I know, but that's the government these days. Appearance wise, there can be anything ahead of you. Tracksuit bottoms ranging from cheap to pricy, ear pearcings, belly buttons, short skirts, and occasionally jeans. Many carry bags around, although I've never quite managed to keep one unconscious enough to discover why. They generally wear hoodies or baseball caps, and often have earphones in or music playing from their mobile phones. For some reason the stereotypical view is big "bling" but I've personally never seen one like that. Close up, they look a wreck; years of abusing alcohol and drugs do take their... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful