An Introduction to American Baseball

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Among the most popular sports in the United States is baseball. Major League Baseball attracts thousands of fans every summer and they just keep wanting more. When it's World Series time each fall, millions watch the games on TV and loudly cheer their favorite teams.

Baseball is known as the national pastime, and there are many offshoots of baseball including softball and slow- pitch. While most people won't play the real game of baseball (pitching can be very hard to do) there are many softball and slow-pitch leagues that are fun to participate in.

There are also many different leagues of baseball in America. There are major leagues, minor leagues, little leagues, and the list goes on. Many parent's like to put their kids into baseball rather than football or hockey since it is a relatively no contact sport and focuses on skills other than how hard you can hit your opponent. Baseball takes patience, and excellent hand to eye coordination. How else can you hit a ball coming at you at 50 miles per hour?

The history of baseball is hard to pinpoint since many forms of it have shown up all over the world, but in the US, the first teams began popping up in the early 1800s. The game was based primarily on an English game called rounders. By the end of the century it was easily the most popular sport in the nation. In 1845 Alexander Cartwright had created the modern baseball field as we know it. He is also credited with coming up with the modern set of baseball rules.

In 1946 Cartwright and his team played the first recorded baseball game, and the rest as they say is history. Baseball has progressed from that game to be popular with both the young and old, men and women. And one of the best things about baseball or its off shoots is that you don't have to be exceptionally athletic to play. Anyone can do it.

Top baseball players have always attracted our interest. Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire are names we all know. Kids play for hours hoping to become the next Willie Mays. A lot of people love to go to batting cages and just practice hitting baseballs.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has thousands of visitors each year. It houses artifacts from many of the most prominent players in the American history of baseball. There are jerseys, bats, and many other pieces of paraphernalia. The Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown New York, and if you're in the area it's defiantly worth a visit, even if you're not the biggest baseball fan. It's a fascinating journey through America's love with baseball and its biggest names.

All kinds of people continue to love baseball. They enjoy playing it as well as watching it. Proff of its popularity (were it needed) is the fact that we can even listen to baseball songs

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