Transatlantic Sports Comparrisons (formerly Explain American football to me)

[glass]

Rounders is, as near as damn it, the same as Baseball. Same lay out of the pitch, hit the ball and run round, although in rounders it is thrown underarm. Always makes me laugh you yanks get so worked up about a girls game..

Heh! I played rounders at school, and I'm not a girl (last time I looked).


glass.

 

[Spud]

Heh! I played rounders at school, and I'm not a girl (last time I looked).


glass.

You sure you wernt playing softball and the girls were doing rounders...?

(if i remember correctly Softball was the same as rounders but with a bigger bat. Possibly why it was the boys that played it.. )

 

[glass]

You sure you wernt playing softball and the girls were doing rounders...?

No definitely rounders (although I have played softball as well).

(if i remember correctly Softball was the same as rounders but with a bigger bat. Possibly why it was the boys that played it.. )

Softball (as we played it) is more like I imagine baseball to be than rounders.

While we are doing sporting comparisons, what is the difference between softball and baseball (apart from the ball being softer, presumably).


glass.

 

[dragonhead]

The ball is not softer in softball, it is actually a little harder. softballs are about 2 times bigger then a baseball, baseball is thrown faster and softball is thrown by rotating your arm in a circle and throwing the ball. the rest is pretty much the same other then the fact the softball is a female sport and baseball is a male sport. (not saying one cant play the other, its just how the teams are set up.)

 

[kenobi65]

The ball is not softer in softball, it is actually a little harder. softballs are about 2 times bigger then a baseball, baseball is thrown faster and softball is thrown by rotating your arm in a circle and throwing the ball. the rest is pretty much the same other then the fact the softball is a female sport and baseball is a male sport. (not saying one cant play the other, its just how the teams are set up.)

In high school and college, this is generally true.

Once you get into "adult recreation leagues", there are relatively few folks who play baseball, but a lot of folks (both men and women) who play softball.

The type of softball that high school and college women play is called "fastpitch" softball...the ball is pitched underhand, but in a fairly straight line.

Most rec-league softball is what's called "slow-pitch"...you still pitch underhand, but the ball has to have an arc to it.

In most of the US, they use a 12" circumference softball, which is what you describe. In Chicago, they use a bigger, softer ball (16" circumference, IIRC), and they don't wear gloves.

Most of the basic rules of baseball and softball are pretty similar (shape of the field, batting rules, etc.)

 

[Morrus]

i'm not familiar with rounders.

You are. you know it as "baseball".

The games are incredibly similar.

Rounders -> baseball.

Netball -> basketball.

Rugby -> american football.

Rounders and Netball are primarlily girls' school games here. Rugby, of course, is primarlily a male sport (although there are some female rugby teams - rounders and netball aren;t often played by adults, though).

 

[Spud]

Not sure about rounders, but netball is played quite a bit (least round here) by adults, my mum played quite a lot (i think to county standard). So i got dragged around to watch netball when i was younger, fond memories.

Also i think after last nights showing i may start watching netball again..

 

[OakwoodDM]

Not sure about rounders, but netball is played quite a bit (least round here) by adults, my mum played quite a lot (i think to county standard). So i got dragged around to watch netball when i was younger, fond memories.

Also i think after last nights showing i may start watching netball again..

Of course, there's still a chance you have to watch a member of the Neville clan playing for England if you watch netball...although Tracey'll never score an own goal like her brother (admittedly that might have something to do with it being impossible in Netball )

 

[glass]

Of course, there's still a chance you have to watch a member of the Neville clan playing for England if you watch netball...although Tracey'll never score an own goal like her brother

Aaaargh! I left work early to watch that rubbish! England lose two-nil to Croatia, and the goals are scored by an Englishman and a Brazilian.

You really don't have to be a genius to work out that a competitive away game against formidable openents who haven't lost at home for 12 years is not the time to experiment with oddball formations. Especially not oddball formations that require you to play lots of people out of position.

(admittedly that might have something to do with it being impossible in Netball )

Is it literally impossible (ie balls through hoops that come of defening players don't count)? Or just really, really unlikely?


glass.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

OK, so explain to me cricket, rugby, and Australian-rules football.

- Olgar, the sports-confused (though after the last Olympics, I now understand curling! Or at least the rules to curling, not the "why" of curling ...)