Originally posted by StarrmanYeah, I usually field in gully and point and I've had a fractured and a few dislocated fingers before.
I just don't believe this can be true. I've seen players like Jonty Rhodes catch full powered hits at close fielding positions which must be travelling over 100 miles an hour in cricket matches. I msyelf have taken catches that admitedly hurt like hell from shots hit with great zeal and at close range, but correct catching technique can avoid damage. T ...[text shortened]... lright, it would happen occasionally, it does in cricket, but it is hardly a matter for concern.
I once caught a blinder at school after the batsman smacked a cut shot right at me, it actually left little blood blisters on my hand where the seam hit my hand. My palm turned a pale blue and looked like a christmas card for about a week.
I don't think you can really compare american footbal to any of the rugby disciplines.
In rugby (except that barbaric aussie rules crap) you have rules that protect you from getting hurt.
What I mean is: you can't be tackled around the head or out of the air, you can't be tackled without the ball etc.
That's why american football players have to wear padding. If you have to take some of those hits without padding and helmets you would die. End of story.
Rugby players are chosen for all round ability.
They need to be able to catch, pass and run with the ball (some more than others), put in tackles, some need to be able to kick the ball and perform certain duties at set pieces. All this for 80 minutes.
Most NFL players are chosen for one specific tasks in the game.
These sports can't ever be compared.
Rugby players are hard core...
[i]The whole design of a cricket bat is to make sure the ball travels at the fastest speed possible from the point of impact. A cricket bat is not only constructed of willow, that would be silly. The bats are made of much harder but pliable wood on the outside (I'm really not sure what is used).http://www.laverwood.co.nz/html/batmaking/
According to this site the cricket bat is made entirely of willow. Again people are trying to compare apples and oranges😉
Originally posted by chaswrayYou are both right and both wrong.
http://www.laverwood.co.nz/html/batmaking/
According to this site the cricket bat is made entirely of willow. Again people are trying to compare apples and oranges😉
The main blade of the bat is made of willow (English Willow is best, although some manufactureres use Indian Willow which is substandard), but the handle is often made of a number of different materials, rubber, cane, even thin strips of titanium or composites in some cases. It depends on which bat we're talking about. For example, my Gray Nicholls Powerbow is 5 star English Willow with three black rubber strips in the handle giving it flexibility with the emphasis on power (Same bat Andrew Strauss uses although I warrant his is made with premier class willow and costs a whole lot more). My previous bat was a Gunn & Moore composite (I forget the model) which was 4 star willow and had two strips of red rubber and a strip of composite in the handle and it played entirely differently.
So although there is no material in the middle of the blade, there is in the handle and this affects the way the bat reacts when played against a ball.
The baseball glove does both:protects the hand and makes it easier to catch the ball . It was origionally implimented for padding , and then slowly evolved over time to include features (mainly the web between index finger and thumb) that made it easier to catch the ball . Regulations had to be implimented to regulate the gloves finally , but by that time the game had changed so much with the glove it would have been all but impossible to get rid of it . As far as fielding - in the outfield there's probably not much protection required , and one 'could' get by without a glove . Infield - no way you could survive a game unmaimed without a glove . I'm not talking a few wussy fingers with hairline fractures . I'm talking compound fractures , breaks of the bones in the hand and wrist . One major league pitcher was hit on his throwing hand about 2 years ago while trying to field a ball - It tore the area between the index finger and thumb through 1/2 way to the wrist . One pitcher was hit in the face from a line drive hit . I shattered the orbit bones around his eye and the pressure of the impact forced his eyeball out of the socket . It was just hanging there .I don't care how tough you think you are , no one could play 3rd , shortstop or 2nd without a glove , the physics of a ball move that fast are too much .
PS - The reason so many balls are used ? As a ball picks up small defects and abrasions it's flight characteristics change . The change is many time very predictable . Pitchers are so skilled with the variety of pitches they throw that they can take a ball with a slight scuff , a small cut , or a slick spot and make the ball behave so erratticly hitters would be unable to touch them . Umpires have to be carefull to check balls frequently to make sure deliberate damage isn't done to the ball by the pitcher . Keeping a new ball in play is similar to card dealers opening a new deck to replace the old one often , insuring the cards aren't marked or tampered with .
PS - I've simply GOT to hear about the afore mentioned "scrotum incident" .
Originally posted by StarrmanYou need to check that bat again. My rifle's barrel is steel. Your bat must be aluminum.
I stand corrected, I have a baseball bat and it is steel, hence my assumption that they were made this way.
As to Cliff's point about pay, I think that you'll find there is a certain amount of love and pride a cricketer takes in his game and this is probably more important than money. Why would anyone want to go to America to play a game they don't ...[text shortened]... hes to open this in the debates forum, I would be happy to take part on a less carefree level 🙂
Originally posted by Moldy CrowBoot sprig + Scrotum = Torn Scrotum.
The baseball glove does both:protects the hand and makes it easier to catch the ball . It was origionally implimented for padding , and then slowly evolved over time to include features (mainly the web between index finger and thumb) that made it easier to catch the ball . Regulations had to be implimented to regulate the gloves finally , but by that time ...[text shortened]... mpered with .
PS - I've simply GOT to hear about the afore mentioned "scrotum incident" .
He played on.
I get why baseball uses so many balls but cricket manages using one ball for a long period of time. In fact the deterioration allows different types of bowling. Early in it's life the ball will swing well so pace bowlers are preferred. As the ball gets older and more worn it swings less but bounces slightly differently making spin bowlers more effective. At the very end of it's life reverse swing is possible bringing the pace bowlers back.
Originally posted by StarrmanWhat length of play? They use a lot of baseballs in a game. A baseball may be pitched one time and then it may become a batting practice ball. Watch a game of MLB and see the umpire be given several baseballs several time throughout the game.
[b]Moldy Crow - Cool, I was talking about a baseball not a softball, but it appears you are correct about the bat 🙂 Cricket balls are basically cork and rubber in layers, bound with wet thread and tightened at tension to make an almost rock solid core, this is then covered with seasoned leather, stitched and lacquered to give it a solid exterior with ...[text shortened]... signed to withstand less punishment over a game's length, although I could be wrong about this.[/b]
Originally posted by chaswrayHmm, every day we learn something new.
According to this site the cricket bat is made entirely of willow. Again people are trying to compare apples and oranges😉
This fact still doesn't detract from my original post. The cricket bat is designed to give maximum speed off the blade from the point of impact, meaning cricket and baseballs travel at basically the same speed to fielders.
The difference being: Baseball hitters usually try to hit it as hard as possible whereas cricket players use the blade to direct the ball and don't always try to hit it as hard as they can.
Originally posted by ianpickeringAs a matter of fact, mate, I had originally referred to you as Mr Pickering, but decided it sounded too formal.
Mr Pickering to you sonny! No, keep it open. A (basically) throwaway line has developed into an interesting thread.
Gambit, from what I've seen at the movies, Baseball is very silly. What's the point of playing if the losing team filled with social rejects always comes back and wins?