This post is dedicated to the millions of fans (and hundreds probably thousands) I know who have jumped on the bandwagon of Rangers baseball. If you are now watching Rangers baseball, means you are probably unfamiliar with the game of baseball. Therefore, here are Ten Tips for watching the game.

(in no sequential order)

1.) When a pitcher is on the mound (the circle of dirt…his “sacred” place, lol) and he is not pitching well (or throwing the ball too well…meaning missing the spots he needs to throw it and the accumulation of balls vs. strikes are higher) 1) the catcher will raise his hands signifying calm down a bit 2) the pitching coach will take a long walk to the mound (more than once in an inning and the pitcher has to come out) to talk to him and if it gets really bad 3) the manager will come out and take the ball from him and touch either his left or right hand to tell the Bull pen (the place where all the pitchers kick it to send a right hand or left hand pitcher) to replace his butt, lol.

2.) Baseball can be a slow evolving sport. Be patient! Excitement comes within the framework of the game (i.e. double plays, home runs, stolen bases, strike outs, etc)

3.) A strike out, a double play, is a great thing
A very common double play in which the second baseman (4th position) fields a batted ball and throws to the shortstop, who retires a runner advancing to second base (usually called a force play). The shortstop (6th Position) then throws to the first baseman (3rd position), who completes the play by retiring the batter-runner (again, usually a force play). This is called a 4-6-3 Double Play (DP)

The Pitcher is 1, Catcher is 2, First Base is 3, Second base is 4, Third Base is 5, Shortstop is 6, Left Fielder is 7, Center Fielder is 8, and right Fielder is 9.

4.) Small ball vs. Long ball.
Small ball is when a team “manufactures” runs. Meaning the run the bases exceptionally well. They bunt (by placing the bat straight in front of the pitcher trying to get the ball to roll slightly in front of them and in front of the defense to allow the person on base an opportunity to move from one base to another) They steal bases (meaning they are on one base and they try to run to another base while a pitcher is throwing a pitch before getting thrown out)

– Long ball is relying on big hits to get runs. (i.e. extra base hits like a doubles, triples, and most importantly home runs)

5.) 1-2-3 Innings are good for your home teams…We want to bring three hitters up and get three hitters out, which lessens the chance for runs being scored against your team.

6.) Baseball has Innings and not quarters or halves. In fact there are nine of them and there is no half time show, lol. The closest you will get is the 7th inning stretch (where everyone in the stands will stand up stretch their legs and sing either God Bless America or Take me out to the ball game). Innings are broken up into two parts. The home team plays defense first (it’s called the Top of the Inning) and then plays Offense second (Bottom of the inning)

7.) Abbreviations:
DP (Double play)
RBI (Runs Batted In)
1B (Single…hit the ball and only advance to one base out of it)
2B (Double..two bases)
3B (Triple…three bases)
HR (Homerun…circle the bases or goes from start to finish)
ERA (Earned Run Average…the lower this is the better the pitcher has pitched…meaning this is how many runs the pitcher allowed on his watch)
SO (Strike Out…3 strikes)
BB (Bases on Balls)

8.) Claws are for anything that happens good. A base hit (meaning the player hits the ball and makes it to the white thing before the ball comes and thus he is called out) The Antlers are for anything that requires super speed. A stolen base, a great hustle, etc.

9.) The Rangers are a very exciting team. Everyone cheers for each other and the Manager (Ron Washington) looks like he is having convulsions sometimes (full of excitement for his players)

10.) If the home team is winning at the end of the Top…which would be called Mid – 9th Inning, the game is over and there is no need to play offense since they are already winning. The lower the opponents score the better. That means the pitching and defense has been good.

Nonetheless, enjoy the game it is actually a fun sport when you participate, attend, know about it, and watch the whole game. I hope this helps a bit and feel free to become a fan of mine on Facebook and Twitter for more game tips, updates, etc.