Keeping Score

Anyone who says that baseball is a slow, boring game has never kept score. All of the stats that are out there are extrapolated from the score book. There are many different levels of keeping score, ranging from basic tally marks to spray charts, pitch counts, and more. When you keep score at a baseball game, you begin to grasp its complexity and its depth. The game may even seem to move a little faster. As you try to record everything that happens on a sacrifice fly, you might wish that the game was even slower.

I've kept plenty of score books in my day. Some guys, the ones that were too cool to be even mildly intelligent, hardly ever took a turn, claiming they didn't know how to keep the book. In high school and college, the score book would be looked over after the games and data entered into programs that calculate batting averages, on-base percentages, strike-out ratios, earned run averages, and much, much more.

If you'd like to learn how to keep score, I'll do my best to teach you the basics. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Here is a pretty good scorecard that I found online to get you started.

The first thing that you need to know is how each defensive position is numbered: 1=pitcher, 2=catcher, 3=first base, 4=second base, 5=third base, 6=shortstop, 7=left field, 8=center field, 9=right field. When I first learned this, it could get a little confusing. It would seem more intuitive for first base to be 1, second base to be 2, and so on. But, everything starts with the pitcher and catcher, so they are 1 and 2. If it helps, you may want to draw a small diagram of the field and place the correct position numbers in their respective places for future reference.

Knowing how to number the defensive positions allows you to record outs. And, since each team will always make 27 outs in a nine-inning game, most of your score keeping will be recording defensive plays. For example, if the lead-off hitter taps a ground-ball to the third baseman, who fields the ball and throws to first base for the out, you would find the lead-off hitters spot on the scorecard and write 5-3. 5-3 simply means that the third baseman threw the ball to the first baseman for the out. If it was the shortstop the play would have been a 6-3. A ground-ball out to second base is 4-3.

A double play ball that starts with a ground ball to the shortstop is recorded as 6-4-3 (shortstop to second, and on to first for the double play). However, the 6-4-3 is only used in the batter's location on the scorecard. To record the out at second base, you would find the runner who is on first base on your card, and write 6-4, because that is how the out was made on him. Fly ball outs are recorded as F8, F9, F7, F6, depending on who catches the ball. "F" obviously stand for fly, or fly-out. Whether you record the out with a hyphen (F-8) or not (F8) is a matter of personal style and preference. So, recording outs is basically just a matter of knowing how the out was made and coding it on your scorecard. Oh, and a strikeout is a "K" (a backwards-K if they strikeout looking).

Hits are a little more intuitive that outs on your scorecard: 1B=single, 2B=double, 3B=triple, HR=homerun. Walks didn't make much sense to me at first, but if you think of them as "base on balls," you'll be fine -- BB=walk. HP is the code for being hit by a pitch, and FC is used when a runner reaches base on a fielder's choice*.

*A fielder's choice, for anyone who doesn't know, is when a batter hits a ball which is fielded, usually by an infielder, and that player chooses to make an out at another base, rather than go for the out at first base to retire the batter. For example, with men on first and second base, and a ground ball hit to the right of the shortstop, he may choose to go with his momentum and record the force out at third base, while the batter reaches first base safely. Since the batter only reached base because the shortstop made an out elsewhere, he is not awarded a hit, and the play is recorded as an FC for the batter, which counts against his batting average just as if he would have been thrown out at first base.

The other part to remember as the offensive team puts runners on base is to trace their paths. When you look at a scorecard, you will see that there are many boxes that correspond with the lineup, which runs top to bottom, and the inning, which stretches across the top. Within those boxes is a diamond of some sort. Different scorecards may use various styling, but they will all have a diamond which represents the four bases on the infield. So, when a player hits a single, you would first record somewhere within that box a "1B" (some scorecards have offensive codes already in the box and in that case all you need to do is circle the 1B), and then, you would darken the line between home and first base on the diamond. If he steals second base, you would darken the line from first to second (and usually write SB (stolen base) above that line). If he then scores on another hit, you would darken the rest of the diamond, and then fill it in (just like the SATs) to show that he scored a run.

There is so much involved in keeping score, and so many situations may not even come up every game. The only way to really get a handle on keeping score is just to do it. If you're unsure about something, you can always ask me and I'll let you know. Just remember that you don't need to use every box and every space on the card if you don't want to. You can total the hits and runs in an inning at the bottom of your card, or not. You can total a player's offensive statistics off to the right after the game, or not. What makes keeping score fun is that it keeps you immersed in the game, so anyway you want to do it is just fine. Here's a completed scorecard I found that might help illustrate some of what I was talking about.

Anthing Better?

My wife and I have tickets to tonight's Royals game. Their hosting the Seattle Mariners, so they ought to have a good chance of pulling out a win. It would be kind of embarrassing if we lost to the worst team in the American League, even if we are the Royals.

Tonight is another promotional night. I guess this weekend they're giving away hats at the games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tonight it's straw cowboy hats. Tomorrow it's "Christmas in July" for some reason, and they're giving out Santa hats (just what I always wanted - a furry, red Santa hat in Kansas City in the dead-heat of summer). But because the cowboy hats aren't too bad, and because we'll be going to the Days of '47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City in less than two weeks, we're making our way out to Kauffman Stadium early tonight.

Is there anything better than being in your seats 90 minutes prior to the first pitch? I love it when I'm able to watch the visitors take batting practice. I usually have no idea who's hitting, but I don't really care. For me it's not about watching a Major League slugger like Manny Ramirez hit lazers off the wall during bp. It more like an insight to the game. A backstage pass to be able to seen the inner-workings of a professional baseball team. The next time you're at a ball game early enough to see batting practice, pay close attention and you'll notice all sorts of things going on, not just the starting nine getting their swings in before the game.

You might notice a couple of coaches hitting ground balls to some infielders between pitches, who then throw the ball back across the field to another player at first base, who is protected by a large square screen. The screen at first base is usually one of three screens out on the field. There is another square screen that is just behind second base in shallow centerfield that protects the man with the bucket. When the other players in the field shag the balls being hit by the man at the plate, they throw them in to the player with the bucket. Eventually, the coach who is throwing batting practice (pitching), who is protected by the third screen, the "L-screen," will run out of baseballs, and the bucket is called for to replenish the supply.

Besides batting practice I love to see the starting pitchers go through their routines before the game. It usually starts after batting practice, but you might see them stretching before the visiting team is done. Every pitcher is different, but usually they'll start with a little jog to get the blood going, followed by some stretching, then some throwing. They'll often start close, but by the time they're ready to go to the mound they've usually stretched their throws nearly the entire way from the foul line to the center field fence. After they bring it back in, it's time to head to the bullpen with the starting catcher. Seeing a pitcher throw in the bullpen makes it look so effortless and easy. He might just be throwing 75-80%, saving the good stuff for the game, but some pitchers might cut it loose a few times just to see how the old arm feels that night. This entire ritual can take as long as 45 minutes, so check the clock to see how early the starting pitchers are loosening up for the game the next time you're at the ballpark early.

Another reason to get there early is to watch the magic of the grounds crew. This is an entire post in itself, one that I'm going to do soon, so I'll only say this: the field looks good when you get there, but by the time the crew is done marking the foul lines and the batters box, raking the mound and the infield, and replacing the bases with glowing white "gamers," the field transforms into a place of dreams.

No, there's not much better than being in your seats early at the ballpark. Especially if there's a promotional t-shirt, bobblehead, or cowboy hat involved, on top of everything else.

Popularity Contest Winners: Formerly Known as All-Stars

Sometime ago I must have checked a box on the Kansas City Royals' website that gave my permission to send me Royals-related emails. I've never bothered to unsubscribe because sometimes they'll send good ticket deals and other "insider information." Lately my inbox has been overwhelmed with emails asking for my vote for Jose Guillen as the part of MLB's Final Vote campaign.

The premise of the Final Vote is basically this: There's a list of five guys who are pretty good, but not quite good enough (or not quite popular enough, or not quite in the right clubhouse) to make the All-Star team. The league gives the fans the "final vote" to determine which of the five will be given the opportunity to play in the Mid-Summer Classic. This, along with most of the All-Star selection process is a joke.

Just like determining the next American Idol, the All-Star selection is becoming less and less about talent and more and more about popularity. Honestly, I thought I was done with popularity elections when I graduated high school. I'm all for democracy and everything, but sometimes, like when it comes to choosing All-Stars, the masses shouldn't have much of a say, especially in this world-wide-web world we live in.

Needless to say, the players on the East coast, particularly in Boston and New York, have a decided advantage because those teams have much larger fan bases. Hopefully, most fans are moral enough to understand that their shortstop that is hitting below the Mendoza Line doesn't deserve an All-Star vote, even if he is on their team. That said, however, the old, popular stand-byes are seemingly grandfathered in, even though there may be a better, younger, lesser-known player out there.

And, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, MLB is also giving us, the fans, the opportunity to vote on who the MVP of the All-Star game should be. A popularity contest within a popularity contest. Now that sounds like a reality television show our Nation can really sink its teeth into.

The Mexicutioner

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Joakim (but we'll call him Jack) who lived in the distant land of Mexico. Jack was a quiet boy. When he was little, he played baseball with his friends. They all wanted Jack to be on their side, because Jack was good at baseball. Jack was a pitcher -- a good pitcher.

Somewhere along the way a scout -- no, not a Boy Scout, a professional baseball scout -- came to Mexico to see Jack and his friends play baseball. The Scout also wanted Jack to be on his side, and, October 31, 2001, when Jack was 17 years old, he signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The following season he pitched a total of five innings for the Gulf Coast League Dodgers, a Rookie-league affiliate of the team he had signed with the year before. But due to injuries, that was all Jack would pitch with the Dodgers. They released him on October 12, 2004.

But Jack continued to play with his friends in La Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (that's "The Mexican Baseball League," for all of you Gringos out there). Then, one day, more than a year after being released, another scout came to see Jack play ball. He also wanted Jack on his side, and he signed a new free agent contact with the San Diego Padres.

The next season Jack played with some new friends on the Fort Wayne Wizards, the single-A minor league affiliate of the Padres. But, Jack only played in 7 games that season, and only threw 12 innings.

Because Jack was still so young, 20 years old at that time, and because he had not thrown much for the Padres, he was not included on their 40-man roster. Jack was still considered a project that would take more time to develop, and the 40-man roster was reserved for players who were ready to play in the big leagues at any time.

But, as in all good fairy tales, there's a twist.

In Major League baseball there is a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Players Association (the most powerful Union on Earth) and the Owners. Rule 5 of that agreement sets the parameters for an annual draft to be held during the Winter Meeting for General Managers in December. The purpose of this draft is to ensure that no club can stockpile young, talented players in their minor league teams who might otherwise have a shot to play in the big leagues if they were with a different organization. Any player that is not on a 40-man roster is eligible to be drafted by another team. However, the team that selects a player must immediately place that player on their 25-man Major League roster, and the player must remain there the entire season or else he will be sent back to his original club. This is called the Rule 5 draft.

Now back to our story...

In 2006 there was another scout who saw Jack pitch. But this scout saw something the other scouts had not seen. This scout saw something special about Jack and he definitely wanted him on his side. So, a little later that year, in December of 2006, the Kansas City Royals selected Joakim Soria in the Rule 5 draft. He had been left unprotected by the San Diego Padres (and who can blame them, really), so the Royals decided he was worth a shot.

Then, December 9, 2006, just two days later, while Jack was playing with his friends in Mexico, he pitched a perfect game. 27 men came to the plate that day, and 27 men made their way back to the dugout, unsuccessful at reaching first base.

The Royals were glad to have Jack on their side, but he was only 22 years old when the 2007 season began, so they understood that he might still need some time before he would be competitive at the Major League level. But, according to the rules of the Rule 5 draft, the Royals had to keep Jack on the Major League team for the entire season before being able to option him to the minor leagues for further development. So, that year, Jack was going to be pitching out of the bullpen.

On April 4, 2007, the Royals were losing 1-7 against the Red Sox. The game was all but out of hand, so they decided to give Jack a chance to pitch in the Major Leagues. In his debut, he pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed no runs and no hits, walking one batter. He pitched pretty well in his first time out. But Jack would continue to pitch well. In the next week, he would pitch 5 1/3 innings in four games and allowed no runs, only one hit and one walk while striking out six men and earning his first Major League save on April 10th against the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished the season with 17 saves, 19 BB, 75 SO, with an ERA of 2.48. Not bad for a guy with fewer than 20 innings pitched in the minor leagues.

This season, Jack has been even better. He earned his 23rd save last night (his 23rd in 24 tries), while striking out 41 in 35 innings of work. Jack is now one of the best closers in the game today. The Royals recently signed him to a big contract extension worth a lot of money. Joakim the Dream is living it. He now has many nicknames: Cap'n Jack, Joakim No-Scoria and the Emancipator (because of his sweet Abe-Lincoln beard) just to name a few. But the one that best describes his emotionless efficiency is his new-found title -- the title of The Mexicutioner. Royals fans everywhere -- Jack's new friends -- are overjoyed now that he's on their side.