Every country has a National game. Just as cricket is the national game of England, baseball can be termed as the national game of America. Baseball became widely popular after the Civil war, and it was introduced to all parts of the country. The soldiers learned the game in their camp. Today, every village and town has its own baseball team, and the interest in the game is general. Baseball is a game for the youth, and it is not meant for middle-aged men, unlike golf. The chances are that if a man plays baseball in his youth, he is most likely to stay interested in the game throughout his life. Baseball requires a lot of skill. Baseball does not provide as much exercise or physical activity as tennis or football. Baseball may not be conducted with a very high regard for sportsman spirit, but the American public is captivated by it, and winning of championship series in the professional league is a celebrated national event.
A baseball team consists of nine players. The various positions of the game are the pitcher, first base, catcher, second and third base, shortstop. These are called the in-field, right-field, left and centre-field, and left-field. The position of an umpire in the baseball game is of utmost importance and his verdict on the game can result in either victory or a defeat for the playing teams. Hence, it is very important for the umpire to know the rules of the game very well and he should be impartial to both the teams. The umpire should be fair in all decisions and should stick to his decision even if the entire team opposes his decision by "kicking." The cause of rowdyism in baseball is mainly due to this cause. It is important for a good player to show himself as a gentleman, whatever may be the circumstance.
Like in any other game, winning becomes the most important thing in baseball which results in a desire to score higher than the opponent becomes more important than fair play or focus on the real benefits of the game. In fact, most of the clean-cut games are played by school and college teams, and these are mostly amateurs.
