Dont ask me how, but I have become hooked on baseball.

As a UK dweller exposure to Baseball is very limited but recently I discovered channel 5 have the Sunday night game live and a midweek game.

For some reason also strange to me I have avoided the Yankees bandwagon (the US equivilant to Mancheter United I guess) and I am a fan of the Cardinals.

Apart from declaring my love of Bball there is not much point to this thread, other than for me to say.

GO Cardinals.

At least I cannot be accused of being a glory fan.

Craig

Yeah lol, I am UK born and bred.

Well I only saw last nights game with the cubs, but knew the score and how things have fallen off a little.

I was very impressed with dempster pitching for the cubs. That is a wicked slider he has.

Man United fans are all from london. (200 miles away) so my Yankees comment was indeed right on.

I think I will go take the baseball parks missions again now.

I'm moving to Kansas City next week. I'm not much of a baseball fan anymore, but the Royals suck, I assume.

San Diego Padres!

Honestly, I don't like baseball at all. I find it really really boring.
But, with that said, the occasional day game with lots of beer is kind of fun...

I much prefer N.C.A.A. basketball! Yay for hoops!
Or, to tickle the Salmon, I vastly prefer proper footie to baseball anyday!

Couldn't agree more, baseball is SO BORING. Even the clips on all the clips shows are BORING. I'd rather sit through Waterworld, The Postman and whatever other Kevin Costner turd of a movie you can find.

lol sikkdays, you cant mean that!

Dry land is not a myth! I've seen!!

Not a big sports fan, but just so you all know, I live in Tampa. The Yankee's have a stadium JUST DOWN THE ROAD, I hate the Yankees. On moral grounds.
Go Rays.

OK *rolls up sleeve and gets ready for a battle*, @nieman First off not all "Yankees fans are mostly a bunch of bandwagoning soulless fans". I've been a Yankee fan longer than you've been alive. My choice on cheering for the Yankees was made when I was a kid and I visited there. @ the time of my choice they were wallowing in mediocrity. The same as my choice of being a Manchester United fan. When I discovered the beauty of the English game, some 20 years ago, I chose the Red Devils as my team based on my grandmother having lived near Manchester before coming to Canada, this was long before they started ruling the Premiership. The reason for one's choice of a team isn't the issue, its that you stick with the team you choose through good and bad. I'm a Canadian, I love hockey as well, but I cheer for the New York Rangers, they suck, but I'll stick with 'em.

Whats the UK's national sport? Quidditch?

ha ha ha ha ha ha @boogiewithstu how funny is that.

A Yankees and a Man U fan. Why not choose Manchester City??? They are the true Manchester team, Not Man United.

Typical Man U "fan" lives nowhere near the ground, or the city, probs never been to a game, buyt has some deep relation claim. Text book glory seeker.

@"Mrs"bubbles Quidditch has dropped off in popularity lately, and this new sport Football, (with a round ball) not an oval ball is enshrined in every British persons head.

I would bring up Cricket and our Ashes glory in 2005 but then you would only come back with the 5-0 thrashing dished out by the ozzies last year.

I like watching Australian rules Football, but again coverage of that here is poor.

And I still think your "Rugby League" league is the best in the world, even though the British Super Lg team St Helens won the club super cup this year, and last.

Craig

I used to be a huge baseball fan. But the strike in 1994 put an end to that. I live close to Baltimore so I watch the Orioles play every now and again. Its was very exciting to watch Cal Ripken brake the streak.

However, I must object to the idea that baseball is America's National Sport (or Pastime). For many, many decades it was, there is no arguing that. But I think America's National Sport is now the NFL.

Nieman you have hit the nail on the head, as I mentioned exposure to BB is limited over here, and when I first started watching I didnt know what the hell was going on.

But now I feel I sort-of understand the game and listen to the Channel 5 commentators who are very good, it has become much more enjoyable, and is an awful lot more tactical than I thought, which to me makes it more fun than the game of Rounders that it seemed like the first time I saw it.

Craig

@chris I dont really know why I named the thread what I did, however, for many years over here we would have NFL on the TV a couple of times a week, now this has been replaced by Baseball twice a week, Nascar twice a week, and USPGA Tour the other 3 nights.

The only American Football I see is the superbowl once a year.

While I have no idea what is the National sport, I had always assumed and heard it was baseball.

Craig

@ Salmontickler, If I were as you say, am a textbook glory seeker, why would I have not made my decision when I was a young lad to cheer for Liverpool, since just prior to the inception of the Premiership, they had the glory and had won 18 league titles to Manchester's 7. Or why would I not just cheer for Real Madrid (who I hate as much as the scousers) who have won the most European championships and have been named the club of the century. I chose Manchester United for my own reasons and have been a loyal fan for 20 years. From what I understand by this thread you as well don't live near St.Louis, have never been to Busch stadium, never seen a live game and what is your deep connection to the Cardinals? You see there is no viable basis for whom we chose to cheer for all I know is that when you make the choice you stick with them through thick and thin. - Manchester City is the true Manchester team? That doesn't even deserve a response. ;)

@ Nieman I've endured many a season of watching the Yankees miss the post-season, and now after a few years of success will go through a re-building stage and will have to suffer the indignities of watching the Red Sox win. Will I change teams? Never, I was a fan as a kid, and I'm a Yankee fan till I die.

No matter what the sport is, I HATE bandwagon jumpers, they detract from those of us who are real fans, and then we have to go through the process of being accused that we are bandwagon jumpers and have to prove we are legitimate fans. That's the problem with being a fan. You yearn for the day your team starts winning and when they do, everyone else is flying their colours and you get grouped in with them.

We have a minor league team in our town. There is nothing better than going to watch them on a warm Summer evening. I love the nostalgia of it.

When I was a kid, my Dad took me to baseball games. I remember taking my mitt in hopes of catching a foul ball. We almost caught one once. After the games I'd try to get the players to sign my program. It was a really cool thing that I'll never forget.

@salmontickler
There really is know definite way to prove which sport is America's Sport. I think the popularity of football here in the states has significantly surpassed that of baseball. And its weird that the NFL is on tv less in the UK now. I would think that since a regular season game is being played there now it would get more coverage on television.

@czarchron
I also have a minor league team in my town. And although I don't necessarily like to watch baseball on TV, I love taking my son to watch their home games. Its a great experience for us to share with each other.

Rugby. Cricket. Football (aka Soccer). More Rugby. Did I mention Rugby? That's pretty much it. What can I say, I'm South African...

I'll agree with you on that nieman. Your wording is better. Football is BECOMING America's Pastime.

@nieman I know exactly what you mean:

Now I find it's MUCH easier and MORE enjoyable to be a fan of the Cards now that I live in Louisiana... where I can avoid "fair weather fans" that make me feel cheap when I sit next to them.

During hockey season, Canada is over run by arrogant Montreal Canadiens fans who have decided it's their birthright to have the Stanley Cup. I love being a New York Rangers fan and know when I say I'm a Rangers fan people know its legit. I went with my brother (a Canadiens fan) to Montreal to watch the Rangers/Canadiens play last winter. I'm sittinig there in my Rangers jersey surrounded by thousands of Montreal fans and watched my team blow a 5-0 lead and lost 6-5. I walked outta the stadium and into the local bar wearing my blueshirt with pride even though we blew it on the ice. I had to do the same a couple years ago when the Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead to the Red Sox. It's more enjoyable being a fan in the minority depending on where you live. I think the only thing that makes it tolerable for me being a Manchester United fan, is that not many Canadians even know who they are. Football (soccer) isn't followed that much where I'm from in Canada.

Baseball is America's Past Time, but I think college football (not soccer) is the number one followed sport in America, even more than the NFL and MLB.

heh heh@ boogiewithstu If you had read the original posts you would have seen that I didnt declare myself as a diehard fan, I commented that although I know little of the game I have found myself following the Cardinals, when if you ask most people from the UK to name a BB team the answer would be Yankees or the sox.

I linked the faraway yankees fans as being the equivilant to Footballs Man U fans, and low and behold, up you jump and you are a fan of the Yankees and Man U.

I was born in Liverpool, my father was born in Liverpool, his father was born in Liverpool, and I hear the same argument from the so-called Man U fans all the time.

You are right I havent been to a live game, I live in the UK, and like my original post said, I have only recently started following it. The next time I visit the states I will be sure to go see as many games as I can.

I worked for 6 months in Dallas in 2006 and as I knew nothing of Baseball then I watched NFL games instead.

I could argue all day with a Man U fan but I wont as this wasnt the point of my original post.

Lets be honest, what glory seeking bandwagon jumper would admit to being one??

@ salmontickler, LOL so true, you are right though, what bandwagon jumper WOULD admit to being one. I jumped at the mention of both the Yankees and Red Devils since not all people who cheer for them are bandwagon jumpers. I am embarrassed by the fair-weather fans of both clubs. With success comes the tag-a-longs. I don't know your age but when Liverpool had its glory days in the '70 & '80's, I'm sure most of England were cheering for the Reds to the annoyance to life-long Reds fans. But I do agree with you, it is annoying no matter what sport, those people who discover a team after a championship. Imagine if Tottenham started winning, there would be thousands of 'Spurs fans who wouldn't even know where Tottenham is. :) Speaking of Liverpool, you a Reds fan or do you cheer for Everton? I'm planning a trip to Europe and it will include a visit to Old Trafford and if I can swing it it will be against the Reds. But I'll agree to leave the football battle to another post.

As far as baseball is concerned, I agree with Nieman that there is a lot of nuances in the sport which is lost in our fast paced age where sports have to be fast and flashy. Die-hard or not, you did say you were a fan of the Cardinals, and they are a pretty good choice. Now no secretly cheering for the Cubbies when they win the division. :)

I'll admit to not having a football team...I'm more into it for the 'Tall Boys in Shorts' factor, and the speed of the game. Since I get magical cable channels here in the U.S., I get all the major leagues; Italian Liga, Argentina (here's my bandwagon...Boca Juniors!) Germany, English Premier League, regular English footie, etc. I like the pace of a good soccer match, and the athleticism...

But yeah...if you're going to hit up a football thread, I'll watch!

Just curious - why the hate for the A.L.?

Ok just wondered 'cause I never subscribed to this 'which is the better league' elitist crap. I've always appreciated the small differences between leagues, but have always viewed the MLB as just that one league and may the best team win. If the Yankees lose I've often found myself cheering for the National League team. (Actually was rooting for the Cardinals in 2006) Really the 'leagues' are just conferences - as in the NFL.