Introduction
We often think of Baseball as an American sport. While baseball
is considered to be Americas national pastime, it is also played all
over the world, including Canada, Japan, the Caribbean islands, and
South America, just to name a few places. This slow moving, nonviolent
game has not only captured the hearts of Americans, but has also spread to other parts of the world.
In the United States, baseball is still considered to be the ultimate
sport. While the Superbowl, which is the final contest for
American pro-football, gets more television viewers than any other
event each year, baseball is still followed and watched. Boys and
even girls of all ages join little league by the time they are around 4
or 5 years old and learn to play this game. Most American children
understand the rules of baseball and have, at one time or another,
played this game.
The rules of baseball are simple. They have changed little
throughout the ages, although there are doubts as to the origin of
the game. While historians argue over how and when baseball started, one thing is clear, by the end of the 19th century, it was already Americas pastime.
Baseball field sizes have changed. The size of the bat has changed
as have the size of the balls. The distance between the pitchers
mound has been modified throughout the years as has the distance
between the bases. But the main gist of the game has remained
the same for over 100 years.