[Decky]

Wait wait wait, Mao would shit in holes?

Yes he was famous for only shiting in holes outdoors. Peasants eh? Give me Lenin or Stalin any day. Some say that the Sino-Soviet split was over Stalin's refusal to go to war with the west but I like to think toilet etiquette came into it somewhere.

[fuser]

I'm not being defensive, it's just a fact. There's a reason America dominates the world in any and every sphere it cares to. America has huge diasporas from every people and culture on the planet. It draws the best and brightest from every corner of the earth so the level competition is just unparalleled. Plus it has unparalleled resources to develop talent to peak capacity. If America isn't dominating cricket or soccer it's because America doesn't give a shit about cricket or soccer.

As I said, very funny.

And no making shit out of thin air is not "fact", transitioning from one sport to another is never an easy task no matter how good the said athlete is, its tough to transition to a similar sport let alone games that are so radically different as Cricket and Baseball (despite superficial similarities) regardless of how much money a country can throw at sports. So don't hide behind your stupid, "Its just a fact", it would had been stupid if someone had said same thing about any cricketer, see I am not the one making such outlandishly stupid comment and pretending that its some sort of fact.? This is precisely why, you came off as being very defensive.

And as per sports themselves, as someone who actually knows how both sports functions unlike you, I can definitely tell a real "fact" that cricket is far more demanding and complex sports than Baseball, now obviously many people will still prefer Baseball and I understand that, people don't always like sports solely on the basis of how demanding or complex it is, but if your criteria is that, don't make me laugh, Baseball is nowhere absolutely nowhere in comparison to cricket when it comes to complexity or athleticism.

[Sivad]

I'm not sure what you think is so funny? The two highest revenue generating sports leagues on the planet are NFL and MLB, no other league in any sport even comes close. Local franchises generate more revenue than Europe's biggest soccer leagues. America has the deepest talent pool of any country in the West, no Western country even comes close to America in terms of population(size or diversity).

[Heisenberg]

As it happens, we invented baseball, and there's still a lively (British) baseball scene in South Wales and Merseyside. My mum grew up playing it in Newport, oddly enough.

As for cricket vs baseball, the skill sets for batting are completely different. MLB players wouldn't just "make it" in professional cricket, and the same is true the other way around. As an example: I can actually bat reasonably well in baseball, but was a completely hopeless tailender when I played cricket (I was a pretty good leg-spin bowler, but that's beside the point). The biomechanics of a baseball swing and the dozen or so cricket shots are wildly different.

Of course, Test cricket at its best is the greatest sport on earth, but baseball has its merits.

@Sivad - which team do you follow? I sort of hate myself for it but I've found myself semi-supporting the Yankees (rooting for the Mets is beyond pointless). That said I have found a perverse enjoyment in listening to them get trounced by the Red Sox this weekend.

[Red_Army]

I'm sure cricket is just as interesting as baseball, but it has a stupid name. If you wanted me to like it you shouldn't have let limeys play it and you should have named it Asstits or something cooler than cricket.

[Decky]

[Sivad]

@Sivad - which team do you follow?

Mostly the Az Diamondbacks, I don't really have any particular team, I just like the game. I watch everything from little league to college to MLB.

listening to them get trounced by the Red Sox this weekend.

You listen to MLB on the radio? I do that a lot, I love radio, it's a whole different perspective on the game.

[Sivad]

And as per sports themselves, as someone who actually knows how both sports functions unlike you, I can definitely tell a real "fact" that cricket is far more demanding and complex sports than Baseball, now obviously many people will still prefer Baseball and I understand that, people don't always like sports solely on the basis of how demanding or complex it is, but if your criteria is that, don't make me laugh, Baseball is nowhere absolutely nowhere in comparison to cricket when it comes to complexity or athleticism.

Now who's talking shit?

[Red_Army]

I can't wait for hockey. @Heisenberg are you a Rags or Isles fan?

[Sivad]

I can't wait for hockey.

Hockey is the best live sport, I used to go to a lot of minor league games and they're always a blast. Can't watch it on tv though, it's just too fast and there's too much action for a tv screen to capture.

[Heisenberg]

You listen to MLB on the radio? I do that a lot, I love radio, it's a whole different perspective on the game.

Yeah, it's something that baseball and cricket have in common - radio might be the best way to take a game in (unless you're actually there). The BBC's Test Match Special is a real national treasure.

As for the athleticism question - I'd say it's similar to a lot of American vs European sports. Baseball, like other American sports, is set up around explosive bursts of action. So a big hitter almost certainly has more strength and power than a cricket batsman does. Similarly the use of gloves increases the range over which fielders can defend, meaning they do a lot more sprinting, leaping and diving than your typical cricket fielder.

In contrast, test cricket, uniquely among professional sports, can last up to five days (with about 7-8 hours of play each day), so stamina is far more important. In the recent England vs India test, England's best fast bowler, James Anderson, bowled a total of 38 overs (228 balls) in the space of two-and-a-half days, with very little deterioration in speed or accuracy throughout. Even the best starting pitchers rarely go above 100 pitches in a game, and then they'll have four days to recover.

@Red_Army I'm a Devils fan! I live in Hoboken, so I'm pretty close to the Prudential Center. I went to a couple of Islanders games when I lived in Brooklyn, but found it all a bit depressing since they're so far from their natural home. The arena was barely more than a third full most of the time. And, there is simply no way I can afford to go to watch the Rangers, so I never really bothered with them. It's easier to win new fans with tickets that start at $20, than $90.

[Red_Army]

Good I like the Devils. Hometown hero Scotty Gomez won a Stanley Cup with them! He's now on the Isles coaching staff though.

I hate the Rags so I'm happy to hear you never watched them!

@Sivad it is very fun to watch live, but I like watching it on TV too.

[fuser]

@Sivad I have no idea why you think I or you were making arguments about money in sports.

The argument that a sportsman can transition to a completely different sports effortlessly is just shit regardless of who is spending how much money anywhere.

But Test Cricket is indeed the god's own game specially now when Australia no longer dominates the game and other teams can actually beat the shit out of them.

[Ter]

As I don't watch sports at all, I can render an objective judgement for you nincompoops:

There are similarities between cricket and baseball but it looks as if the rules for cricket were introduced in the New World by a person with diminished intellectual capabilities.
Also, the American's hands were too small so they cheated by allowing them to wear a big glove to aid in catching balls. They have also corrupted the technique of delivering the balls.
Enough said.

[Red_Army]

I agree that sports are incomparable, but I will say without watching that Americans will win at any sport. We will win, we have won, and we have been winning.

[Heisenberg]

Are you tired of all the winning yet?

[Rancid]

One thing that is absolutely wonderful about baseball, which most people cannot comprehend is this.

There is a PERFECT balance between pitching abilities of humans and the distance between the mound and that plate (90ft). Here's the amazing thing about pitching in professional baseball. It is humanly impossible to react fast enough to hit a 80-105MPH ball. Yet, batters can hit the ball. How is this possible? The key is, that the batters have to analyze the pitcher as they they are winding up to throw the ball. things like the position of the feet, the hips, arm angle,fingers on the ball, etc. They also have to watch for the seams of the ball while the ball is still within the pitcher's hand. From that data, they are then able to predict where the ball will go. This is an amazing skill that has to be executed in real time within a fraction of a second.

I can tell you from first hand experience, it's very very hard. I was really good at pee wee ball and middle school ball. once it got the highschool and kids were throwing 60-80MPH regularly, I just couldn't do it anymore.

Basically, they make the decision to swing at the ball before the ball leaves the pitchers hands. If they weight until the ball is in flight, it's too late.

Side note, it is commonly stated that the absolute hardest single thing to do across any sport on the planet, is to hit a 100MPH fast ball.

[Rancid]

Side note: America isn't the only country that plays baseball.

Here's a nice list:
USA
Canada
Mexico
Venzuela
Cuba
Taiwan
Japan
Korea
Dominican REpublic
Italy
Israel (yes, you read that right)
Puerto Rico
Netherlands
Australia
Colombia

I think maybe even China, but China is always hell bent on trying to dominate fucking everything because they have small penises.

Go search for the World Baseball Classic. It's the world cup of Baseball.

The dominate teams in the cup are:
Japan
USA
Dominican Republic
Venezuela
Cuba
Korea

The most recent cup was won by the USA, the one before that by the Dominican Republic.

[Heisenberg]

distance between the mound and that plate (90ft)

It's not even that far - it's 60'6". 90' is the distance between the bases.

[Victoribus Spolia]

It is bizarre how defensive American's get about their terrible sports barely anyone in the rest of the world gives a shit about playing. Say what you like about British sports they are played all over the world for a reason.

Yes, its called imperialism.

So, I work with a bunch of New York Mets fans, and I've started following the MLB season, initially for trash-talking purposes. To my surprise, I've actually started really enjoying it. Are there any other nerds like me on the forum?

I'm a life long Bucos fan (Pirates). Pittsburgh team loyalty is literally branded into every central-western Pennsylvanian's soul at birth.

I'm not being defensive, it's just a fact. There's a reason America dominates the world in any and every sphere it cares to. America has huge diasporas from every people and culture on the planet. It draws the best and brightest from every corner of the earth so the level competition is just unparalleled. Plus it has unparalleled resources to develop talent to peak capacity. If America isn't dominating cricket or soccer it's because America doesn't give a shit about cricket or soccer.

Savage.

America. Fuck Yeah.