Baseball, It Is Said, Is Only a Game

Baseball, it is said, is only a game.

"True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal." So pens author and baseball historian George Will. 

I love baseball. I mean, I really love baseball. I spent every waking hour playing it or thinking about the game growing up. My Dad played until he was 40. My uncle played Triple-A. I played through high school and into college. I also coached at the high school and American Legion level. A sultry summer night, the crack (or ping) of the bat, a well-turned double-play, the hiss of a blazing fastball popping the catchers mitt, and a handful of sunflower seeds make my life complete. 

(To prove that love for the game is in the Cranston bloodline, while writing this post, my daughter Lauren texted me a picture from her seat at the Braves game! Here's the view from the 755 Club. Bonus points on the quiz if you know what 755 refers to.)

It's baseball season again. And while my boyhood dreams of playing first base for the Baltimore Orioles never materialized, (some guy named Eddie Murray took that position from me), I still love to stay current. And now that the season is underway, it's time for like-minded aficionado's to review our knowledge of the game.

Baseball is many things, and one of the things it has going for it is a seemingly endless list of rules. You may not care about that too much, but there are lots of people like me who love all the quirks and ins-and-outs of baseball. And so in the spirit of, "Hey, blue, you're missing a good game!" here are a few baseball scenarios. See how you do. I'll post the answers on Thursday, April 16th.

Question #1:  With a man on first, the batter hits a grounder to second. The second-baseman fields the ball with his bare hand and, without transferring the ball to the glove, tags second base. He then throws wide to first base. The first-baseman gets the ball with his bare hand, then tags the runner with his glove (still holding the ball in his bare hand). What’s the call?

Question #2:  There’s a man on first with one out. The batter hits a grounder to first, but the runner freezes and doesn’t move off of first base. What does the first-baseman have to do to get a double-play?

Question#3:  True or false: A pitcher can get called for a balk when the bases are empty.

Thanks to Mental Floss and Hal Lebovitz's book, "Ask Hal" for the questions.
Photo cred of Turner Field goes to Lauren Cranston.