The Wolverine Wake-Up Issue 82
4-14-23
History of Baseball
The history of baseball can be broken down into various aspects: by era, by locale, by organizational-type, game evolution, as well as by political and cultural influence. The game evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States. Baseball is popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, particularly in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. References to baseball date back to the 1700s where in England it was referenced in 1744 in the children's book A Little Pretty Pocket-Book. In the early 1800s "baseball" and a game first mentioned in 1828 as "rounders" may have been the same or very similar. During the 1830s and 1840s organized amateur club baseball grew up in eastern United States cities, and the rules innovations made by New York City clubs became the basis for the modern game, far removed from its English ancestor. These clubs formed a national governing body with uniform rules in 1858, the National Association of Baseball Players. In 1871 the first professional league, the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, was founded. Five years later, the Major League Baseball was created; it was followed by the American League in 1901.
-Oliver McKeon
The History of Softball: How Did It All Get Started?
Softball was not actually born as a derivative of baseball, but rather was created spontaneously inside of the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago, IL. It all began in 1887, when a crowd of people gathered inside the Farragut Boat Club to await the result of the Harvard vs Yale Football game. The initial game of softball ended with a final score of 41-40, and thus a new sport was invented. Ball to Kitten Ball to Playground Ball to Diamond Ball. People also called it Pumpkin Ball, Recreation Ball, Twilight Ball, Army Ball, Lightning Ball, Mushball, Big Ball and Night Ball. The tournament included 55 teams, divided into three groups: fast pitch, slow pitch, and women's softball. They used a 14-inch ball for this tournament -- we now use 12-inch balls. The ASA has remained in place to this day, although since 2016 it has gone under the name of USA Softball. Softball is now one of the biggest and best sports in the world, and there is no reason to believe it won't continue to grow in the future.
-Leatta McKeon
Affecting Baseball Friction with Different Substances
These findings, published in Communications Materials, also highlight how rosin powder can help maintain more constant friction when pitching. This could support a fairer playing field in Major League Baseball MLB in the USA. During pitching in baseball, the friction between the fingertips and the ball at the time of release can significantly influence both ball spin and ball control. More friction tends to increase the rate of ball spin. This can put batters at a disadvantage. Takeshi Yamaguchi and colleagues assessed the effects of different substances on the friction between the index fingertip. Nine male participants and a baseball leather sheet which represented a baseball. The authors report that the application of rosin power increased friction between the fingertip and the leather surface by more than 20. Rosin powder also reduced the variation in friction. between different participants and among different pitches by the same participant.
-Carson Ososki