Games
BaseBall
Baseball rules differ slightly from league to league, but in general share the same basic gameplay.The official baseball rules govern all professional play in the United States and Canada. The rules are published in book form in North America by The Sporting News, and are available online.
Basically, the action rules of baseball are the same for the Major Leagues, Babe Ruth League, Dixie Youth League, and Little League. The field dimensions of the latter are smaller, as are the field dimensions for softball, a variety of the game that uses a bigger, somewhat softer ball.
“No person shall be allowed on the playing field during a game except players and coaches in uniform, managers, news photographers authorized by the home team, umpires, officers of the law in uniform and watchmen or other employees of the home club.”
Baseball has also never been uniform. The game in Japan is slightly different from the one in Cuba, which is different than Major League Baseball, and even then, the two leagues have slightly different rules. In vintage base ball, where the game from a time and place in the past is re-created, it becomes even more complex, for depending on the time and place, the game could be quite different. If you watch an 1860 game in Columbus, Ohio the emphasis is on the spirited, amateur gentlemen clubs of the day, whereas an 1873 rules game played in New Jersey, depicting a time when the best players were sought and professionalism of the game was taking root, the emphasis is on how well the game is played.
Batting out of turn
You’d think that batting is straightforward. As a hitter you know your place in the order and that is where you bat. However, if you have learned anything from this column it is that things might not be as they seem. Batting out of turn isn’t as uncommon as you may think and can cause great confusion between the umpires as they try to decide what to do.
