Baseball
It is a game played everywhere, in parks, playgrounds, and prison yards, in back alleys and farmers fields, by small children and old men, raw amateurs and millionaire professionals. It is a leisurely game that demands blinding speed. It is the only game in which the defence has the ball. It follows the seasons beginning each year with the expectancy of spring time, and ending with the hard facts of autumn. Americans have played baseball for more then 200 years, while they conquered a continent, fought at war with one another, struggled over labour and civil rights, and the meaning of freedom. Baseball is a deeply conservative game that manages to be years ahead of it's time. It is an American odyssey that links sons and daughters to fathers and grandfathers. It also reflects age old American tensions between workers and owners, scandal and reform, the individual and the collective. It is a game in which every player is measured against all of those who have gone before them. "But most of all baseball is about time and timelessness, speed and grace, failure and success, and in the end coming home" ( Burns, K) . Entrenched in the folklore of American sports is the story of baseball's supposed inventio
By the turn of the 19th century professional baseball in the National League had developed from "a game played by children for fun and amusement to a big business" "Organized in 1845 by a band of aspiring gentlemen and baseball enthusiasts, the Knickerboxer version was devised by one of the members, Alexander J. Cartwright. Cartwright prescribed the diamond-shaped infield with bases set at ninety feet apart, a standard which stood the test of time. The pitching distance was set, three-strikes-your-out rule was adopted, a batter could be put out by a fielder catching a batted ball in the air, on the first bounce, or by throwing a fielded ball to the first baseman before the runner arrived. Other innovations included the nine-man team and three outs ending a team's batting in their half of an inning. Thus Cartwright's version of baseball became the basis of the game as presently played"
Some common words found in the essay are:
History Baseball, League Baseball, Cooperstown York, Cartwright Cartwright, World War, Henry Chadwick, Babe Ruth, Civil War, Owner-Managed Growth, Latin Asian, major league, professional baseball, black players, major league baseball, league baseball, game baseball, babe ruth, world war, major leagues, baseball players, organized baseball, world war ii, play major league, dead ball era, decade 20th century,
Approximate Word count = 2240
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
