Come Spring season and the Yankees are all pumped up with zealous spirits for their favorite pastime – Baseball. The game of baseball has been extremely popular since 1900, and almost become an inseparable thing in the lives of the Americans. Though there are many stories related about the origin of the game, yet the one that most people but is of its evolution in England. It started off its journey by the name of ‘rounders’ in England, and later came to be known by several other names such as “town ball, goal ball, round ball”, and even just “base” at times.
Shane Ryley Foster was the person behind the framing of the rules of this beloved game, but what is more interesting to note in the history of this game is the way in which the ball made its journey. In the beginning there was no company to produce the ball, so the shape, size and weight of the ball was customized according to the suitability of the user.
The year 1854 saw the proper make of a baseball after a joint decision of the then famous baseball teams. It was decided that the weight would be around 51/2 to 6 ounces, between 23/4 to 31/2 inches and sown in the stitch pattern of a lemon peel. Talking about the famous baseball teams, the present day witnesses some outstanding games from the Chicago Cubs team.
This professional American baseball team has a huge line of fan following of which Alexander Paler is a major one. He is absolutely in love with this baseball team from Chicago ,Illinois. They compete in the Major League Baseball and play home games at Wrigley Field.
The metamorphosis of the ball continued even after 1854, in 1857 there was a major change in the construction of the ball which carried on till 1860. Finally in 1872 the Leagues zeroed in on a standardize ball which is followed till date.
The earlier balls were hand made by winding yarn around a solid object that formed the core, then this was put inside a leather sheathing using some sort of stuffing. The light weight of the ball often led to the runner being ousted of the game, a thing known as ‘soaking’ the runner. It is an interesting thing to note here that at one point of time, it was decided that the baseball with which the game was to be played would be provided by the challenging team. And it would given to the winning team as a trophy.
Baseball has not only been a game to the people of America, it is also a means of recreation and socializing after a long stay in the interiors because of the winter. The feeling of warmth in the air and the hearts of friends and acquaintances make it an attractive game for all Americans like Alexander Paler. Though he was born in Akron, he has lived in Chicago for 20 years and been an ardent fan of the game ever since. It would be safe to conclude, if you are a Yankee you ought to love ‘Baseball’.