Author: Daniel

In American football there are a variety of different defensive positions, each having their own unique role and responsibilities on the football field. One of the most important positions on any defense is the defensive line. These players are tasked with shutting down the run and putting pressure on the offense during passing plays.  There are two main defensive line positions in football, defensive tackles (DT) and defensive ends (DE). Defensive tackles are also referred to as nose tackles or left & right tackles depending on where they line up on the defensive line.  In this article, we break down…

Two of the most important defensive positions in football are the linebacker and safety positions. Due to the similarities people are often confused on what the differences are between these two defensive positions. A safety is the defense’s last line of defense and are faster and better at covering receivers than linebackers. Linebackers on the other hand are typically bigger and better suited to stop the run. Linebackers line up in the middle of the defense while the safeties are lined up at the back.  In this article, we will discuss more in-depth on what the differences are between a…

You are enjoying a baseball game on TV when the pitcher makes a tiny movement on the mound, and the umpire stops the game and advances all the runners by one base, then the TV commentators go into an explanation of a strange word called the ‘balk.’ A balk is an illegal action performed by the pitcher with a runner or runners on base, allowing each runner to advance one base. A balk in baseball is called when the pitcher fakes a pitch or a pick-throw or makes any movement on the mound after he has confirmed the pitch call…

In 1964, Ken Johnson made baseball history while pitching for the Houston Colt.45s. Johnson had thrown a nine-inning no-hitter, yet his team had lost to their opponents, the Cincinnati Reds. Pete Rose had made the single run of the game. It was the first time such an anomaly had occurred in the MLB, but it beautifully illustrated why a no-hitter is not the same as a perfect game.  A no-hitter in baseball means the pitcher(s) gave up no hits during a complete game, thus a minimum of nine-innings. However, unlike a perfect game, players on the opposing team may have…

All games have their ‘fair’ and ‘foul’ rules and areas, and baseball and softball are no different. Players and officials need to understand where these areas are and the laws that govern them so there is no confusion during play. In baseball and softball, a foul ball is any ball that lands in the designated foul area without landing in the field of play or without touching a fielding player. It is also foul if it strikes the batter in softball or a batted ball makes contact with the batter while he is still in the batting box. The rules…

Baseball has a few confusing terms, one of which is the ‘complete game’ or CG. You may think this means what it says that the game has been completed with both teams batting and fielding for nine innings, but this is not the case. A complete game or CG is used when the pitcher completes the full game without being substituted or replaced by a relief pitcher. For a normal game, this is where the starting pitcher starts the game, throws for all nine innings, and ends the game on the mound. Let’s get on the mound and understand the…

Baseball and softball coaches have many strategic options during the game, and using a pinch hitter is one of those. The pinch hitter will be ‘announced’ when taking the plate and designated as ‘PH’ on the scorecard. The pinch hitter is used to replace another player that is characteristically a weaker hitter. This can be a pitcher or another defensive player. The pinch hitter is typically used toward the end of an innings when either a sacrifice bunt or a higher probability for a base hit is needed. However, there are rules and regulations that define the use of a…

June 3, 2022, Jameson Taillon had baseball fans holding their breath. The New York Yankees pitcher had faced 21 hitters from the Los Angeles Angels. Was the world witnessing their first perfect game since 2012? Alas, for poor Taillon, Jared Walsh batted that possibility away in the eighth inning. But what is a perfect game, and how is that different from a no-hitter? A perfect game in baseball means a pitcher prevented a runner from reaching a single base by hit, error, or base-on-balls. In contrast, a no-hitter means the opposing team never managed to hit a single ball the…

Like the Slugging Percentage for hitters, the WHIP in baseball is a measure of the pitcher’s effectiveness in keeping runners off the basepaths, which is the main goal for any pitcher during the game. The WHIP is an acronym for Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched and calculates how many baserunners the pitcher accords in an innings. Achieving a low WHIP means pitchers must record as many outs as possible during the innings, whether by strike out, ground out or fly out. To understand the WHIP, we will look at how to calculate it, what counts for and against the…

Like all other sports, baseball has its own set of metrics designed to communicate the effectiveness or efficiency of players in the roles, whether pitching, batting, or fielding. The slugging percentage is a key metric in the game. The baseball slugging percentage or SLG measures the number of bases a player achieves with each at bat. It measures the player’s proficiency at hitting the extra-base hits such as doubles, triples, and home runs, and any SLG over .450 is considered good, and .550 or better is exceptional. Let’s get gloved up and ready to bat as we look at the…