This was odd because I had been to a game only a few years previous and was bored beyond belief, but for some reason I loved the experience. Perhaps I had reached a threshold where i was finally old enough that my attention span enabled me to just enjoy the experience. Hearing the crack of the bat then watching the ball curve staying just fair. Then hearing the crowd roar as the batter rounds first and heads for second. Watch a Saltdog slide into home kicking up dust everywhere.
Something feels special about relaxing on a cool late spring evening or a warm summer night and watching the dogs in the beautiful park with Memorial Stadium and the Lincoln capitol in the background. A warm summer breeze across my face, even an occasional train will rumble by just outside the park, an extra plus for me.
Soon, the unthinkable began to happen, I began tuning in to listen to games on the radio. At first when I happened to be driving and knew the game was one, but then every time I could, I listened to the dogs on the radio.
Even stranger, I began to watch an occasional MLB on tv, some of my family members must have wondered if I had secretly been replaced by a baseball loving clone, or alien body snatcher who had crossed the galaxy to watch baseball.
A few years passed and I followed the dogs all the way to their 2009 championship. I still remember where I was when I heard the final out.
Listening on the radio I began to learn all kinds of things I didn’t know about prior, fielder’s choice, batter interference, balks, tagging up, the list goes on and on.
The announcer at the time would often say “...if you are scoring at home....” after explaining a complicated play. Then he would add “and good for you if you are scoring at home, I mean that sincerely, it’s a lost art....”
Starting last year I began to try my hand at scoring games with little to no success. I did finish a game but was only lukewarm with the results, still I kept at it and during my first home game of the saltdogs this season I finished my first complete scored game.
I even invested in an expensive app for my phone that generates a score sheet for a game after scoring it through the app’s simplified interface.
All of this brings us to the catalyst for this blog. I attended my second game of the year with my younger brother last night and had a blast. We even made plans to attend our first Saltdogs away game, all the way up in Fargo North Dakota. Just imagine the blog potential there....
Anyway,....during the game he mentioned his wife would like to learn how to score a baseball game. I’m still learning myself, but I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with someone. I started putting together an email for her but then realized it would make a good blog, and therefore everyone gets to suffer :-) (you can thank Brittany for that)
The first thing you have to learn when scoring a game (at least in my opinion) is the different defensive position numbers:
It seems to make little sense at first, why would the first basemen be three?
Well here is how I remember:
Start by following the ball, the pitcher (1) starts with the ball, he tries to throw to the catcher (2) then follow the runner,....the batter hits the ball and runs to first base (3) if it’s a double he continues onto 2nd base (4) and so on.
Then you tack on the shortstop (6) and then go through the outfield left to right, left field = 7, center is 8 and right is 9.
So to review:
1 = Pitcher
2 = Catcher
3 = 1st Base
4 = 2nd Base
5 = 3rd Base
6 = Shortstop
7 = Left Fielder
8 = Center Fielder
9 = Right Fielder
All of this is shortened because the score sheet itself is a little diamond meant to represent the baseball field and there isn’t much room to describe what happened for each batter in each inning. Therefore, these shortened numbers, letters and acronyms enable you to describe a lot by using only a few characters.
So, for example, if the batter hits a ground ball to the shortstop (6) who then throws out the runner at first (3) all you have to right is “GO 6-3” again, translation: a ground out (G.O.) hit to the shortstop (6) who then threw to first base (3) putting the runner out.
Some people just use “G” for a ground ball, or G.B, which brings me to my next point. The system is flexible and enables every scorer to sort of have their own style,..which I think is cool.
With this handy dandy system, you can score a complicated play like a double play with only five characters.
For example, perhaps you’ve heard the term 6-4-3 double play.
In this scenario there is already a runner on first, the batter grounds the ball to the shortstop (6) who throws to 2nd (4) putting the existing runner out for the first out, then the 2nd baseman throws to first, putting the batter out (3), for the second out and all you have to write is “6-4-3 DP” (DP = double play)
I’m starting to realize that perhaps the written word isn’t the best way to explain and thus have my readers learn this stuff. I feel it was worth a shot though, I’d be happy to explain things in person, just stop by or come talk to me or shoot me an email. If you’re like me you learn by doing rather than reading, still there are plenty of resources out there to help you learn how to score a game, sample score sheets you can download, all kinds of cool stuff.
Whatever the case, I hope to see you at a dogs game some time, fresh scoresheet in your lap, pencil in hand enjoying the warm summer breeze and perhaps the lonely horn of a passing train just outside the stadium.
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