Furreners -- what do you dig about the States?

[Animavore]

Baseball and cricket are equally terrible. Let's not all get into an argument over it.

[Forty Two]

Morecombe Sands.

Indeed, Venice Beach in Santa Monica, California can't hold a candle to Morecambe Sands.

[Forty Two]

Baseball and cricket are equally terrible. Let's not all get into an argument over it.

Nobody is arguing, at least not from my end. Cricket is a sport loved by those who understand it and appreciate it, and those who grow up with it, like most other sports. I'd not say it's bad just because I don't understand it.

[Animavore]

[Animavore]

Baseball is just a weak, watered-down version of rounders.
http://www.gaarounders.ie/

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

I literally just found out this sport even existed.

[Forty Two]

Baseball is just a weak, watered-down version of rounders.
http://www.gaarounders.ie/

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

I literally just found out this sport even existed.

Well, rounders looks like a fun game, actually.

I think "watered down" is a bit of a stretch. The main differences between baseball and English rounders are that the bat is much shorter and is usually swung one-handed; misses or strikes are not called, so there are no walks or strike-outs; each batter receives only one good ball and must run whether he or she hits it or not. That doesn't seem deeper or more complex than baseball, such that baseball would be considered "watered down" in terms of gameplay. Also the posts for marking the bases in rounders are supposed to be wooden, and are preferably encased in plastic sheaths. The lay-out of the pitch, especially the location of the last base is different and the pitch in rounders is underarm, more like softball. Irish rounders is a little different than that, even.

That's not to say, however, that rounders is not a good game. Simplicity or simpler play in a game doesn't make the sport less "good." There's not much in terms of complexity to running, but it's a great sport to those who enjoy participating or even watching. It's also not clear whether rounders influenced baseball or baseball influenced rounders.

This thing about rounders being the predecessor to baseball is without evidence. It's basically assumed, when people make the joke about baseball just being a version (worse) of "rounders" (a game not really taken seriously in a professional manner in the UK), that the rounders game predates baseball and that the paltry Americans took rounders and laughably made it a national sport.

This, however, is not in accord with the pesky facts, which are that baseball actually predates rounders, as far as the first mention of the game can be found in history. The first mention of rounders is back to the 1820s, and baseball dates back to about a century earlier. The likelihood is that baseball came first, and immigrants to the US (large flood of Irish immigrants came in the Early 1800s) ended up taking the game back to Ireland.

There were other, much different, ball type games predating both rounders and baseball, but they were so different that they can't really be called the same game and they can't directly be linked to either.

[Animavore]

It was a fucking joke.

[Forty Two]

It was a fucking joke.

Yes, I know. But, some people might be interested in the history, since there are those that really do think that rounders came first, and is some sort of ancient Tudor game of English aristocracy, which survives as a child's game today, and which the Americans turned into their national pastime.

[rainbow]

[laklak]

Venice Beach, California, is but a pale imitation of Venice Beach, Florida.

[pErvinalia]

Yankees are the despoilers of Gracious Living, curse'em.

as for base ball, pretty fans of it can kiss my balls for all I care.

Baseball is one of the best ways to enjoy a sunny afternoon with hotdogs and cold beer.

Cricket is way better. If you like action, One-day cricket is better. If you like concentrating on your beer more, Test cricket is better, as nothing much happens ball to ball.

Of course, of course. A non-American thing is always better. We take that as a given.

You're starting to understand!

[pErvinalia]

Baseball and cricket are equally terrible. Let's not all get into an argument over it.

You're Irish. Enough said. What's your national sport? Drinking black beer?

[pErvinalia]

Morecombe Sands.

Indeed, Venice Beach in Santa Monica, California can't hold a candle to Morecambe Sands.

[pErvinalia]

It was a fucking joke.

Furriners critiquing Merka is no fucking joke!

[JimC]

Yankees are the despoilers of Gracious Living, curse'em.

as for base ball, pretty fans of it can kiss my balls for all I care.

Baseball is one of the best ways to enjoy a sunny afternoon with hotdogs and cold beer.

Just like the way cricket is one of the best ways to enjoy a slightly-overcast-with-a-threat-of-rain-better-take-a-brolly-just-in-case afternoon with cucumber sandwiches and a thermos of tepid tea is over here.

I've no doubt. I am curious about cricket. It's the only game whose rules I can read front to back and still have no idea how to play. I'd love to see a game in person, and I wish they would have it on television here. I have never been able to find a game even on cable channels here.

I thought everything was on cable in the States.

If you find a game, it would be better if it was a 50 over match rather than a 5 day test...