I've ordered a book I meant to read when first published, called playing hardball by Ed Smith. Smith is a pro' cricketer of some note who played a few times for England. The book is written to compare cricket and baseball and hopefully will be a good starting point for me.

OC pretty much all of us in the U.S. who are late 40's into the 50 year and up age bracket played baseball as little kids. At school it was softball, in Little League it was hardball, or just getting a buddy or two to pitch and hit to each other in a fireld or park somewhere. By age 7 or 8 most of us were playing, so that's one reason baseball is special to us.

Irish, your team the Pirates had one of my all-time favorites on their team years ago, the great Roberto Clemente...he put up great numbers and did it with flair and style too. :cheers:

mack,

I was once at a game at Wrigley Field when I was a kid that featured a bench clearing brawl between the Pirates and the Cubs....two future Hall of Famers, Billy Williams for the Cubs and Roberto Clemente for the Pirates, squared off for some fistacuffs...the real thingdancing

A memory to last a lifetime there nose. I'd have liked to have been at the Dodger ball park when Marichal conked Rosboro on the head with his bat. :bangin:

Later on in my 20's a couple of buddies an meself were drunk in the right field bleachers...my pal "Voo" got hit in the head by a Willie Stargell homer that we all lost in the sun...and he didn't even get the ball:bigfinger...some little kid ended up with it .....crazy stuff like this happened to "Voo" all the timedancing

There aren't many great moments in Chicago Cub history....but, this press conference by then manager, Lee Elia, has to rank as one of the "great moments"....audio only, but that's enoughdancing
....soon after....Lee was fired.:bigfinger

When I first started going to Cubs games I was in second grade...about 7 years old...and back then, this guy was a young man...when I was 7, we just thought he was a crazy fuck...

His act hasn't changed, but now he is revered....all he sez is "Cubs!" and you are to respond with a "Woo!"....he's "Ronnie WooWoo"....

I've been following the Cubs progress via their web site. My plan is to read the book on the flight to LOS at the end of the month and then fire a few questions off about the sport via this thread. It is confusing to understand the concept of playing league games against teams not in your league, but then again I'm easily confused.

o/c...that's the nature of baseball....once you think you understand the game....they throw a curveball at you...

If I had a hat on...I'd tip it in your directiondancing:cheers:Hab a great trip!

The "Walk-Off" Home Run....bottom of the 9th inning...home team at bat...first game of the World Series 1988...felt like shit after this at bat....Gibson vs. the Eck.....