Radio broadcasts had not begun and most devotees of baseball attended the games near home, in the town park or a pasture, with perhaps two or three trips to the city each season to see the Cubs or the Pirates or the Indians or the Red Sox.

Even a city of thirty thousand might have six baseball teams, sponsored by grocers and hardware merchants or department stores, that played two or three times a week throughout the summer, usually in the cool of the evening, before an earnest and partisan audience who did not begrudge a quarter each, or even more, to be dropped into a hat when the game was half over.

The business of baseball began to prosper along with other entertainments, and performers -- thanks partly to George Herman Ruth's spectacular efforts each season to run his salary higher and higher -- prospered too.

In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance ( denoted by PA ) each time he completes a turn batting.

Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of each other, and that the game's most direct antecedents are the English games of stoolball and " tut-ball ".

Subsequent professional black baseball clubs played each other independently, without an official league to organize the sport.

The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball ( MLB ), one each for the American League ( AL ) and National League ( NL ).

For example, the computer baseball games Earl Weaver Baseball and Tony La Russa Baseball each had highly detailed simulations of the game strategies of those two baseball managers.

In 2003, the Owls won their first national championship in baseball, which was the first for the university in any team sport, beating Southwest Missouri State in the opening game and then the University of Texas and Stanford University twice each en route to the title.

Despite initial excitement, the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman and Buzzie Bavasi as well as a new playing field, the team struggled ; the Padres finished in last place in each of its first six seasons in the NL West, losing 100 games or more four times.

The playing of the song two years later during the seventh-inning stretch of the 1918 World Series, and thereafter during each game of the series is often noted as the first instance that the anthem was played at a baseball game, though evidence shows that the " Star-Spangled Banner " was performed as early as 1897 at opening day ceremonies in Philadelphia and then more regularly at the Polo Grounds in New York City beginning in 1898.

In a graphic from 1968 that accompanied an article in Sports Illustrated magazine, Williams divided the strike zone into 77 baseballs, with each baseball containing his projected batting average for pitches thrown in that location.

The rest of the roster was made up of " limited service " or " LS " players, each having a number from 1 through 5 attached to the LS depending on how long they had been in pro baseball.

The main differences between baseball and the NRA version of the game are that the bat is much shorter and is usually swung one-handed ; misses or strikes are not called, so there are no walks or strike-outs ; each batter receives only one good ball and must run whether he or she hits it or not.

They yell at each other, threatening, until Sal, in a fit of frustration and anger, calls Radio Raheem a " nigger ," then snaps and destroys Radio Raheem's boombox with a baseball bat.

The infield in softball is smaller than in baseball ; each base is 60 ft ( 18 m ) from the next, as opposed to baseball's 90 ft. ( 27 m ).

In the fashion of baseball cards, the back of each card contains a short bio written by Stephen Calt.

The school's sports programs ( represented by their mascot the Trojan ) have seen considerable success over the past few years with the baseball and boy's basketball teams each winning their respective district and conference championships during the years of 2002-2004, with the baseball team taking 1st place at the MSHSAA Class 1A State Championship in 2003 and 4th place in 2004.

They each include one or more baseball fields and at least two tennis courts.

The Spartanburg Parks Commission hosts several travel baseball and softball tournaments each year, helping brand the city as one of the Southeast's most reputable tournament locations.

Building on early success, Dwelle and Slackford continued to expand the park each year and added picnic tables, cleared acres of brush, and built a baseball diamond.

Fans responded well to the return of baseball to the city, evidenced by Nashville leading the Southern League in attendance in each of their seven seasons as a member of the league.

During sporting competitions, such as the Olympic Games, the national anthem of the gold medal winner is played at each medal ceremony ; also played before games in many sports leagues, since being adopted in baseball during World War II.

It will forever be a baseball mystery how a team will suddenly start hitting after a distressing slump.

** Aberdeen IronBirds, baseball team

The Auburn Doubledays are a minor league baseball team based in Doubleday's hometown of Auburn, New York.

ASU has won 23 national collegiate team championships in the following sports: baseball ( 5 ), men's golf ( 2 ), women's golf ( 7 ), men's gymnastics ( 1 ), softball ( 2 ), men's indoor track ( 1 ), women's indoor track ( 2 ), men's outdoor track ( 1 ), women's outdoor track ( 1 ), and wrestling ( 1 ).

Having played baseball throughout his youth, Spalding first played competitively with the Rockford Pioneers, a youth team, which he joined in 1865.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix.

The first serious attempt to land an expansion team for the Phoenix area was mounted by Elyse Doherty and Martin Stone, owner of the Phoenix Firebirds, the city's triple-A minor league baseball team and the top affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

In 2001, the team was led by two of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball: Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

* Indianapolis ABCs, a Negro league baseball team that played in the early to mid 1900s

The first team to play baseball under modern rules were the New York Knickerbockers.

Barred by a court injunction from playing baseball in the state of Pennsylvania the next year, Lajoie was traded to the Cleveland team, where he played and managed for many years.

* Columbia Blowfish, baseball team

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball ’ s American League Eastern Division.

The nickname was first used for a baseball team by the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who were members of the pioneering National Association of Base Ball Players.

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States.

This period included eighteen consecutive winning seasons ( 1968 – 1985 ) -- an unprecedented run of success that saw the Orioles become the envy of the league, and the winningest team in baseball.

When his quest to keep the team in Milwaukee finally failed after the 1965 season, he changed the group's name to Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, Inc., after the minor league baseball team he grew up watching, and devoted himself to returning Major League Baseball to Milwaukee.

It has become a symbol of the Mets baseball team, recognized throughout the league as an iconic feature of the Mets ' stadiums.

* Orix Buffaloes, a Japanese professional baseball team

* Kintetsu Buffaloes, a former Japanese professional baseball team

However, many major league baseball and NFL teams in the United States also promote 24 ounce cans marked with team logos.

* Edmonton Capitals, a baseball team

* Columbus Clippers, International League minor league baseball team