baseball questions from a casual fan

[vernacular_life]

like 90% of America, I, too, have been sucked into the Yankees/Red Soxs games the past few days. I am not a baseball fan. I know the basics of the rules, have been to about a dozen O's games in the past number of years, but can safely say that I haven't watched baseball (and that means not chatting while drinking a beer) as much as I have the past week.


My questions.....
1. What's with God Bless America instead of Take me out to the ballgame, (or, in Baltimore's case, Thank God I'm a Country Boy) Is this a post 9/11 thing? Is this universal for baseball now??

2. Why do some batter's helmets look like they've been dragged behind the team bus?

3. Is it the light, or do catchers REALLY wear white fingernail polish?

4. Why yank a pitcher who was put in for one inning when he's still doing really well?

5. Why doesn't everyone on one team wear the same uniform? Some guys have the short pants and socks showing, others have the long pants.

Comments

answers from an even more casual fan

[banshee.livejournal.com]

1. Yep, I think it's a post-9/11 thing!
2. pine tar. just looking at them makes me nauseous.
3. I have NO IDEA, but now I'll be obsessed with that, thanks.
4. I don't know, either. If they walk a guy, they're out. If they let up one hit, they're out. It's crazy!
5. I wondered that, too. I guess it's the FASHION.

Re: answers from an even more casual fan

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

Pine tar? For real? Sounds illegal to me, but hey, if you want to walk around with what looks like a torched helmet that smells like an old tree, be my guest!

[tinksdust.livejournal.com]

I told Andrew about your questions but I'm not sure if/when he'll have time to stop by.

[havybeaks.livejournal.com]

Let's see if a less casual fan can explain anything:

1) Yes, this is a 9/11 deal. It varies with each team's home stadium. Most of them play "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" but the Yankees (and apparently the Astros, too) now play "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch.

2) Yep, pine tar. They rub pine tar on the bat handle to get a better grip, which then gets all over their batting gloves. So whenever they adjust their helmet, pine tar sticks to that, too. Makes the helmet look like an inside-out spitoon, doesn't it?

3) Some of them really do, so that the pitcher can more easily see the signs he's giving between his legs.

4) Several reasons. A manager may want a better matchup (lefty pitchers do better against lefty batters and vice versa), or a pitcher may approaching his pitch count limit and they want to make sure he's fresh for future games. There are all kinds of strategy reasons.

5) It depends what a player likes or feels comfortable in. Some wear long-sleeves under their jersey, some don't. Just like how football players don't have the same facemask or shoulder pads, or even jersey.

Hope this helps!

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

thanks! I feel bad for the pitcher who does fantastic, but then is pulled. Its all strategy, I guess.....

As for the uniform, I thought it would have something to do with what position they played, such as maybe its easier for catchers to wear long pants, and shortstops to wear the short pants.

See what over-analyzing I do when watching 6 hours of baseball with a Sudafed buzz??

[tinksdust.livejournal.com]

They rub pine tar on the bat handle to get a better grip,

Which I think is a lot better than peeing on them. :-O

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

or spitting tobacco juice on them!

funny what's acceptable to do in baseball is banned in football............

[havybeaks.livejournal.com]

Amanda wasn't kidding about peeing... Moises Alou, the Cubs outfielder, is one of a few players who don't wear batting gloves. When asked how he can do that without getting blisters, his response was that he urinates on his hands to toughen them!

Don't worry, Amanda and I wear batting gloves!

[djoyusone.livejournal.com]

Since I'm not a baseball fan, I only have #5 with which to play:

I actually like the fact that they're not wearing each wearing the same uniform. It's almost like accessorizing.

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

LOL....I just wonder if those with socks showing have to wear Sock Garters (http://www.safetyleague.com/Products/Uniforms/Uniform_Access/garters.htm), which while painful, look WAY more tolerable than Shirt Garters (http://www.safetyleague.com/Products/Uniforms/Uniform_Access/garters.htm)