Baseball 101: Impress Your Boyfriend

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If your boyfriend loves baseball, but you don’t understand anything he’s saying, don’t worry. The basics of the game are simple and easy to learn. Combine that with a few essential apps and you will impress your man in no time. Here’s what you need to know:

Rules

There are a few basic rules that you need to know to understand baseball. They are:

• There are nine innings in a standard game.
• There are three outs to each inning. You can get an out by a strikeout, catching a ball in the air before it hits the ground or throwing the ball and tagging the lead base.
• A strikeout occurs when the pitcher throws three strikes to the batter. The strike zone generally goes from the batter’s knees to his chest and between the inside and outside corners of home plate.
• If the batter does not get a hit or strikeout, he also can be walked if the pitcher throws four balls, or pitches that are outside of the strike zone.
• The object of the game is to hit the three bases (first, second and third) before scoring at home plate.

If you’re interested in reading about the rules in further detail, take a look at the official rules at MLB.com.

Favorites

Your man probably has a favorite team or player that you should know. This information can be a little harder to follow because many players are traded between teams constantly through the season. Regardless, here are a few basics:

• There are two leagues: the National League and the American League.
• There are six divisions (the National League East, West and Central and the American League East, West and Central) that each have five teams for a total of 30 teams.

If your boyfriend is an extreme fan of one of these teams, you should try to follow that team with him. Root for his team and check out the women’s apparel at LadyFanatics.com. You should know if his team won or lost their last game and when they are playing next. You also might want to know the team’s top nine starting players or at least your boyfriend’s favorite player.

Baseball Apps

To help you learn more about the rules, teams, players and overall stats of baseball, there are a bunch of great apps. Here are just a few to consider downloading onto your smartphone:

• MLB.com At Bat: This app keeps you connected with breaking news as well as replays of the latest season. It also has game schedules, scoreboards and expert analysis. This will help you keep up with your man’s hobby all year round.
• Baseball Legends: If you want to quickly learn about different baseball players and facts, Baseball Legends is the way to go. It has 1,250 trivia questions that cover everything about baseball from Abbot & Costello’s “Who’s on First” routine to Lou Gehrig’s famous speech to facts about famous players like Cy Young, Ty Cobb and many more.
• WatchESPN: Your boyfriend is sure to be impressed if you have this app on your phone. Not only will you be able to watch baseball but you also can watch other sports games as well. This way, if you are away from home, you can still watch all of the games live.

Overall, baseball is a fun and easy game to learn. Your boyfriend will be impressed by your knowledge and your willingness to engage in one of his favorite hobbies.