Many bright, successful people love sports and have in-depth knowledge of players, teams, and stats. If you love hockey and football but don’t follow baseball, that’s OK. Everyone gets to choose their own sporting passion.
But if your partner is a baseball die-hard, a few tips on how to sound smart talking to your partner about baseball can get you through the season (that’s April to October, or in particularly tense and thrilling years, early November). A little bit of learning can earn you points as a stalwart supporter willing to share a spot on the couch for the duration of a double-header, and who knows? Soon you may find your heart is in it just as deeply as your mate’s.
Get the Basics Right
Baseball teams have nine players on the field: pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base, and right, left, and center fielders.
A lot of attention gets put on pitchers. A good pitcher can be the key to winning a game simply by throwing balls that are hard to hit.
Pitchers work hard to perfect various styles of pitches, from curveballs to sinkers to the gold-standard fastball. These balls get thrown hard and go fast, but even fastballs have variations. If you learn some of them and which pitchers are known for throwing which kinds, you can sound authoritative when the pundits start yakking about seams and splitters.
Know Your League and Your Division
Professional baseball in the U.S. is divided into the National League and the American League. Each has 15 teams. For the first time in 2023, every team will play every other team across both leagues.
Know Your Championships
The Holy Grail of hockey is the Stanley Cup. In tennis, it is the Grand Slam – winning the top four tournaments in the same year (US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open, and the French Open). In baseball, it’s the World Series.
League champions who have fought their way to their division championship play each other in the final battle for the title of World Champions.
Who Do We Love? Who Do We Hate?
Baseball engenders passionate, often irrational emotional attachments, from undying love to eternal loathing. Everyone adored those lovable losers, the Chicago Cubs until they won in 2016, but now that they’re losing once more, they’re lovable again. Most baseball fans have a team they can’t stand, too. It may be because the enemy team always beats their favorites or because the hated team has a reputation for ruthless play and management. We’re looking at you, New York Yankees.
It’s OK to ask your partner who they favor and why; just don’t do it during a game! Nod, smile, and match your partner’s emotional level, and you should be fine. That way, you’ll look smart to your partner while talking baseball, even if you don’t say a word.
You can always turn the tables if your partner doesn’t know the difference between a forehand and a volley, or a yellow flag and a yellow card!
