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?
Lv 5
? asked in SportsCricket · 1 decade ago

Is baseball as confusing to cricket fans as cricket is to baseball fans?

I love baseball, but I can't figure out rule one of cricket (and the terminology is just baffling). All I know is that the bowler throws the ball, that the batsman holds a flattened bat and that there's a peg behind the batsman.

I was just wondering if baseball is equally confusing to cricket fans. If I said "the hitter popped out to short on a full-count hanging slider," would that sound really really stupid to a cricket fan? I assume it would...

Update:

"Alien" is closer to the concept I was shooting for than "stupid."

Even an American like me can make "dumb American" jokes. If you're going to be nasty, please at least show me the famous British wit.

17 Answers

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  • Favourite answer

    Na, dont worry about the rest of the douche-bags bagging baseball in your question, it is a good game, but cricket is one of inches and MANY little details, like the ball bouncing off the pitch when it is bowled and moving 2cm is enough to get a batter out.

    Baseball is so different, but is also not a precise (as far as i know) compared to cricket,

    But hey, your culture has probably been brought up to appreciate baseball, mine has been brought up to appreciate cricket.

    as for that phrase, i have no clue what it means, except for the hitter, probably lobbing it to the man in the diamond?

    (hows this for cricket terminology)

    The Ball seamed away right after the late inswing, clipping the shoulder of the bat and carrying to slips.

    Source(s): I Appreciate all sports and the joy they give people :)
  • 1 decade ago

    I quite enjoy baseball, I often watch it on Fox Sports, more so when the World Series games are on. I understand what is going on (only the foul ball rule confuses me), but I have to say that the game is not as good as cricket ... it's what you're brought up with I suppose.

    A couple of points :

    The bowler actually bowls the ball, the bat is flatter than a baseball bat but some bats are scoop-shaped. And the batsman stands in front of three stumps, with two bails on top. This is called his wicket, and when the opposition gets him out they are said to have taken his wicket.

    I know that 'short' is a short-stop, full count could mean bases loaded or 2 strikes/3 balls .. but not knowing doesn't mean the game can't be enjoyed. Same with cricket, even if you don't quite understand the rules you should just watch for the enjoyment.

  • 7 years ago

    I came across this post by accident and although it is quite old I couldn't resist debunking some of the extremely silly comments that people have made. I am a big fan of both games and enjoyment of one does not preclude enjoyment of the other.

    For example, one comment says that cricket batsmen hit the ball further than baseball hitters. This is nonsense. A large cricket ground like The Oval has a boundary no more than about 250 feet from the crease - whereas even the notorious "short porch" at Yankee Stadium that is considered to be a pretty easy home run is 315 feet from home plate. Many home runs travel 350 to 400 feet.

    Baseball also did not originate with cricket. Rather, both games have a common root in folk games played around Europe going back to medieval days.

    Like cricket, baseball is a game of great skill and precision, and indeed hitting a small ball travelling at between 90 and 100 mph with a bat that is cylindrical in section is considered to be one of the technically most difficult feats in all of sport. Sure, it does rather amuse me when American commentators marvel at a player's ability to make a 'bare-handed' play (in other words, picking up a moving ball with the throwing hand rather than the one wearing the glove) as this happens thousands of times a day in a game of cricket. But I also appreciate the amazing skills of baseball players that cricketers do not have to possess. Outfielders in baseball routinely have throwing arms of awesome power and accuracy that are hardly ever seen in cricket, for example.

    The truth is that both games are deeply strategic and FULL of nuances, quirks and idiosyncrasies that make them a joy to watch - if somewhat baffling at first. The good news is that both sports repay in spades the investment of time and attention that anyone is prepared to make in them.

    Source(s): Loving both games
  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    No, Cricket takes a good deal of skill and intelligence to play and watch whereas Baseball is simply boring and predictive.

    In Cricket, we have whats called a 'World Cup' which is represented by countries world-wide (including Afghanistan), whereas baseball has a 'World Series' represented and dominated by one country (yours of course hahahaha).

    Cricket is possibly the oldest game where the rules largely remain the same whereas Baseball derived it's foundations from Cricket.

    Cricketers don't have to wear gloves to catch a ball, Cricketers hit the ball a lot further than Baseballers and have a good deal more talent, humility and respect.

    You can play cricket if you want to but do you have the intelligence to understand the rules?

  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    That term you used would be confusing for most non baseball fans.

    I do know most the rules of baseball, but don't know some of the names for different styles of pitches other than a curve ball.

  • 1 decade ago

    Yes indeed it is confusing.

    I don't understand how the batter has to run after hitting the ball

    I have no idea how and when the batter is 'Out'

    I wonder how long the same pitcher is allowed to keep pitching

    These 2 sports are bat and ball games,otherwise there is hardly any similarity

  • 1 decade ago

    No, it's not confusing at all, you would be saying he hit the ball easily to the short stop with the count at 3 balls, 2 strikes off an easily hit pitch

  • 1 decade ago

    Well actually the bowler bowls the ball, he keeps his elbow straight.

    And aside from some of the names for the more rare types of pitch, I pretty much understand and can follow baseball pretty easily. I quite like the sport too.

  • 1 decade ago

    No it isn't. Baseball is a very simple sport. The only confusing thing is how they abbreviate the names of each statistic.

  • 1 decade ago

    I'm guessing 'full-count' means it's on the last strike.

    Other than that, yes it has me baffled. I wouldn't say it sounds 'stupid', it just sounds alien.

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