Baseball vs. Football

[64Cards]

The NFL season begins today [well, ok it began Thursday night] and for those of us who love both sports, it's truly the best time of the year, for the next couple of months, as we go into MLB post-season and all of a sudden every game becomes crucial, and of course we have plenty of great football, NFL, college and High school. I thought I would list things that are better about baseball than football and vice-versa, would like to see some others. For the record, virtually all of my baseball rooting interest is confined to watching the Cardinals, while in football, I am more of a fan of the sport and usually have several teams I find myself rooting for. [I'll start in the NFL this year with the Packers in the NFC and KC in the AFC]

Baseball is better than Football because:

baseball season means spring's here, summer's coming. Football means winter is around the corner. [stole that from Tom Boswell]

baseball stats are much more interesting and can be placed in greater historical perspective. football has changed rather radically over the years, plus the NFL schedule has jumped from 12 games to 16.

baseball is played by men with normal physical proportions. Virtually all NFL and major college lineman are 300 lb. behomeths.

generally, baseball is better to watch in person. the crowds are more civilized than football spectators, some of who use a game as an excuse to see how much they can drink, while dressing up like it's Halloween and generally making fools of themselves.

I'd still go for the WS being better than the Super Bowl. Baseball has the LCS, and then the WS begins a couple of days later and has 7 games played in a 9 day period [if it goes 7] The NFL has the title games, then we have 2 weeks to sit around and wait and listen to media hype for 2 weeks about the SB.

Because much of baseball is played in warm weather, especially here in St. Louis, the females tend to be exposing more parts of their anatomy.

Beer is better sitting out at a hot bb game than at a freezing football game.

baseball telecasts don't have dunces like the "sideline reporters" who breathlessly tell you that so and so has turf toe, but is expected to return. Or the quick interview with the coach at halftime, "Coach, what are you going to tell your team?" "Well, Susie, I'm gonna tell them we need to cut down on the mistakes and keep up our intensity, we can get right back in this one"

Football is better than baseball because:

Football is just so much better to watch on tv.

Football is much more fun to bet on, with point spreads, over-under, etc.

Is there anything much better than to gaze at than a line of long-legged, luscious cheerleaders?

Is there anything better than USC cheerleaders?

College football is so much better than college baseball.

Friday night high school football is a wonderful part of Americana.

Monday Night football.

Saturday night college football, with a great matchup [like OSU & UT, last night]

Overtime in football is better than extra innings in baseball, which tends to be tedious.

Sitting in my basement on a late fall or winter saturday or sunday afternoon, a couple of games on the tube to switch back and forth, an adult beverage of choice, a cigar, and the fireplace going. Don't watch many bb games with the fireplace on.

Sitting in my basement, with the fireplace going, a drink, a cigar and watching football being played in the snow or a rain.

I got some more, but I gotta get going, going to go watch the Cards & Mets at Busch, then come home and watch the Rams-49ers, then the Colts & Ravens tonite.

[Victory Faust]

One thing I can never understand about clock-based games like football, basketball, etc:

If there is absolutely NO WAY a team can win a game, why do they finish it out?

If the Rams are losing to the Patriots, 44-0 with 1:22 left on the clock, there is no way possible the Rams can win that game. So why bother finishing the game? It just seems so ridiculous to me to continue playing.

In baseball, the game is never over until it's over. And that's what makes it the greatest game of all time.

My favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, were perfect examples of this in their very first American League game in 1901. They were at home, losing to the Milwaukee club by nine runs going into the 9th inning, and the Tigers scored 10 runs in the 9th inning to win their inaugural AL game.

You can't do that in football.

[DoubleX]

Living in New York, almost every September there is a wonderful Sports Sunday like today:

- The U.S.Open Mens Final is being played
- The Yankees and Red Sox are playing in the Bronx
- The Giants and Jets are kicking off their seasons
- The Mets are playing too

Now these four things don't always allign quite like this (usually it's the Yankees/Red Sox schedule that is the difference), but it seems to often happen this way.

[efin98]

Baseball is better than Football because:

baseball season means spring's here, summer's coming. Football means winter is around the corner. [stole that from Tom Boswell]

Can't argue that, but I prefer winter over summer(I hate the heat! I love the cold!)

baseball stats are much more interesting and can be placed in greater historical perspective. football has changed rather radically over the years, plus the NFL schedule has jumped from 12 games to 16.

12 games to 16 games in a span of 54 years to compensate for the larger number of teams and a new league. Baseball has done the same over the years as well and in their early years expanding the number of games far more than the NFL ever could going from 70 games(1876) to 84 games(1879) to 98 games(1883) to 116 games(1884) to 126 games(1887) to 133 games(1889) to 152(1898) to 140(1900) to 154(1909) to 162(1962).

baseball is played by men with normal physical proportions. Virtually all NFL and major college lineman are 300 lb. behomeths.

Misleading, as the linemen make up only about 1/3rd of the roster. The rest of the team are slim speed deamons that can usually run circles around baseball players.

generally, baseball is better to watch in person. the crowds are more civilized than football spectators, some of who use a game as an excuse to see how much they can drink, while dressing up like it's Halloween and generally making fools of themselves.

And outside of Oakland(where only the Halloween garbage occurs) it's just as any baseball game. Folks get drunk at both, and funny you mention getting drunk since baseball fans boast at it being a "requirement" to have a beer or two or more at a baseball game . Folks also arrive early and leave late to "sink in" both games.

I'd still go for the WS being better than the Super Bowl. Baseball has the LCS, and then the WS begins a couple of days later and has 7 games played in a 9 day period [if it goes 7] The NFL has the title games, then we have 2 weeks to sit around and wait and listen to media hype for 2 weeks about the SB.

Never played football have you? Stategy meetings, rehabilitation from the previous games, travel arrangements, forced media days- stuff baseball doesn't even come close to.

Because much of baseball is played in warm weather, especially here in St. Louis, the females tend to be exposing more parts of their anatomy.

Nothing wrong with that They get a nice visit from security and a uniformed police officer after I hope

Beer is better sitting out at a hot bb game than at a freezing football game.

Personal preference. I'll take a cold coke at a cold game enjoying a nice tight football game than a back and forth run scoring fest out in the exposed sun.

baseball telecasts don't have dunces like the "sideline reporters" who breathlessly tell you that so and so has turf toe, but is expected to return.

Ha! Network games do. Along with Boston and other cities. It's the new norm, the "man in the stands"

Or the quick interview with the coach at halftime, "Coach, what are you going to tell your team?" "Well, Susie, I'm gonna tell them we need to cut down on the mistakes and keep up our intensity, we can get right back in this one"

As opposed to the in-dugout interview with the manager who should be focusing on the game at that time?

Football is better than baseball because:

Football is just so much better to watch on tv.

Tailor-made sport for television, has some of the basic things folks look for in TV programs(violence, drama, bloodshed, etc.)

Football is much more fun to bet on, with point spreads, over-under, etc.

Argh! Betting is a curse and no sport should cater to it! Besides, it's no good unless it's a preseason Super Bowl pick contest among collegues

Is there anything much better than to gaze at than a line of long-legged, luscious cheerleaders?

Ones who can actually cheer and are not there just to only look good or to just dance

Is there anything better than USC cheerleaders?

Boston College cheerleaders, but I may be a bit biassed

College football is so much better than college baseball.

immediate impact from when football players go pro in football than in baseball...plus $$$$$ all around

Friday night high school football is a wonderful part of Americana.

Everyone should experience it at lease one time, you never know what you will see depending on the teams playing

Monday Night football.

just ain't what it used to be, and after this year it's not really worth watching since it will be going to cable

Saturday night college football, with a great matchup [like OSU & UT, last night]

Coolest prime time viewing on Saturday night, and never a dull moment regardless of who is playing!

Overtime in football is better than extra innings in baseball, which tends to be tedious.

Fair and ballanced and goes by pretty quick. Score and keep the going or you lose, simple as that.

[64Cards]

Efin, I did play quite a bit of football, albeit back in the days when we wore leather helmets and didn't have facemasks.

And I fully realize you can't come back after playing the conference champioships on Sunday and play the Super Bowl on a Wednesday night. But the point of the post was that I prefer WS week, rather than having to listen to the talking heads for 2 weeks, we have a couple days off, then we get the show going, with games going on, rather than speculate on what might happen. I don't know, I guess some might prefer 2 weeks of hype. But there have been several SB games played with only a one week layoff and they have some very good games [the 2 STL Ram SB games, the Giants-Bills classic, around 1990, and couple others, I believe] There weren't any empty seats because there was only 1 week between games. And I thank God the 2 times the Rams were there I didn't have to listen to 2 weeks of analysis before the damn thing started.

[Bluesteve32]

Baseball vs. Football:

1. First of all, why can't you enjoy both sports for different reasons?

2. Comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges, sometimes I'd rather have an orange and enjoy it, but an apple can be good, too.

3. A football game is an event once a week that you have several days to prepare and the anticipation can be quite thrilling. The atmosphere for a football game, be it HS, College or professional is fantastic, albeit once a week.

In baseball, life is not over after one loss, you come out the next day asnd start over. Baseball is a very cerebral game, you can socialize with friends or even broker deals at a ballgame, which at a football game, really is not quaite as posible.

4. Both sports exhibit great skill and athleticism, in very different ways. Baseball requires a bit more hand to eys skill, and a football player must be more resilient to collisions, especially for those of whom carry the ball. Both sports possess paople of great speed, which is exhibited in various ways for each sport.

5. Both sports cause certain frustrations for their fans in different ways. A poor football game caused you to live in aguish for a whole week, whereas a baseball fan it is over in a day or two.

6. Both sports are purely American in nature. I can understand people complaining about soccer and let me tell you that most HS baseball coaches and HS football coaches tend to agree about how much they really "love" soccer.

My personal preference is baseball, overall. I can almost watch a baseball game between any two teams and football, I tend to watch those teams in which I have some kind of attachment. LEt me put is this way, when I was in HS, every week waiting for that game was almost torture, but going on the field on Friday night, the band playing, cheerleaders, the atmosphere and having a good team, was quite thrilling. Baseball was different, it was a more laid back, playing two or three games every week, and playing in the afternoon just was not as special (we had a good team as well), but playing and learning the game was among the best experiences anyone would ever have.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying both sports. My remote was being switched between innings to see a bit of football.

[64Cards]

BTW Bluesteve, do the Rams still have much of a following in the LA area, 10 years after they split? I went to see a Rams-Cards game at Sun Devil Stadium in 2001, couldn't believe how many California license plates were in the lot, I'd say of a crowd of about 45K, more than half were rooting for the Rams.

[LouGehrig]

Baseball players do not dance over their fallen opponents.

[efin98]

And I fully realize you can't come back after playing the conference champioships on Sunday and play the Super Bowl on a Wednesday night. But the point of the post was that I prefer WS week, rather than having to listen to the talking heads for 2 weeks, we have a couple days off, then we get the show going, with games going on, rather than speculate on what might happen. I don't know, I guess some might prefer 2 weeks of hype. But there have been several SB games played with only a one week layoff and they have some very good games [the 2 STL Ram SB games, the Giants-Bills classic, around 1990, and couple others, I believe] There weren't any empty seats because there was only 1 week between games. And I thank God the 2 times the Rams were there I didn't have to listen to 2 weeks of analysis before the damn thing started.

Agreed. Just saying that alot of work goes into those two weeks behind the scenes, especially when the two teams have not faced each other nor have they faced the type of offense or defense the other team uses.

Efin, I did play quite a bit of football, albeit back in the days when we wore leather helmets and didn't have facemasks.

Ouch, my regards to your skull But that doesn't have anything to do with anything.

[efin98]

Baseball players do not dance over their fallen opponents.

They don't but they stand in the box and admire their home runs and throw at players heads

[sweaver]

I give George Carlin the last word on this subject: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/humor7.shtml

[efin98]

I give George Carlin the last word on this subject: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/humor7.shtml

He never ceases to amaze me, and he's right.

Apples and oranges and regardless of what you like as long as you team wins the fruits of their victory is alway sweet

[pjf]

The NFL season begins today [well, ok it began Thursday night] and for those of us who love both sports, it's truly the best time of the year, for the next couple of months, as we go into MLB post-season and all of a sudden every game becomes crucial, and of course we have plenty of great football, NFL, college and High school. I thought I would list things that are better about baseball than football and vice-versa, would like to see some others. For the record, virtually all of my baseball rooting interest is confined to watching the Cardinals, while in football, I am more of a fan of the sport and usually have several teams I find myself rooting for. [I'll start in the NFL this year with the Packers in the NFC and KC in the AFC]

Baseball is better than Football because:

baseball season means spring's here, summer's coming. Football means winter is around the corner. [stole that from Tom Boswell]

baseball stats are much more interesting and can be placed in greater historical perspective. football has changed rather radically over the years, plus the NFL schedule has jumped from 12 games to 16.

baseball is played by men with normal physical proportions. Virtually all NFL and major college lineman are 300 lb. behomeths.

generally, baseball is better to watch in person. the crowds are more civilized than football spectators, some of who use a game as an excuse to see how much they can drink, while dressing up like it's Halloween and generally making fools of themselves.

I'd still go for the WS being better than the Super Bowl. Baseball has the LCS, and then the WS begins a couple of days later and has 7 games played in a 9 day period [if it goes 7] The NFL has the title games, then we have 2 weeks to sit around and wait and listen to media hype for 2 weeks about the SB.

Because much of baseball is played in warm weather, especially here in St. Louis, the females tend to be exposing more parts of their anatomy.

Beer is better sitting out at a hot bb game than at a freezing football game.

baseball telecasts don't have dunces like the "sideline reporters" who breathlessly tell you that so and so has turf toe, but is expected to return. Or the quick interview with the coach at halftime, "Coach, what are you going to tell your team?" "Well, Susie, I'm gonna tell them we need to cut down on the mistakes and keep up our intensity, we can get right back in this one"

Football is better than baseball because:

Football is just so much better to watch on tv.

Football is much more fun to bet on, with point spreads, over-under, etc.

Is there anything much better than to gaze at than a line of long-legged, luscious cheerleaders?

Is there anything better than USC cheerleaders?

College football is so much better than college baseball.

Friday night high school football is a wonderful part of Americana.

Monday Night football.

Saturday night college football, with a great matchup [like OSU & UT, last night]

Overtime in football is better than extra innings in baseball, which tends to be tedious.

Sitting in my basement on a late fall or winter saturday or sunday afternoon, a couple of games on the tube to switch back and forth, an adult beverage of choice, a cigar, and the fireplace going. Don't watch many bb games with the fireplace on.

Sitting in my basement, with the fireplace going, a drink, a cigar and watching football being played in the snow or a rain.

I got some more, but I gotta get going, going to go watch the Cards & Mets at Busch, then come home and watch the Rams-49ers, then the Colts & Ravens tonite.

64Cards, Excellent, my compliments.

[ElHalo]

He never ceases to amaze me, and he's right.

Apples and oranges and regardless of what you like as long as you team wins the fruits of their victory is alway sweet

Love the .sig line.

And who cares? Does anybody actually watch football anymore, anyway?

[therealnod]

I object to the entire spirit of this thread. Football should never be mentioned in the presence of die-hard baseball fans. I hate the NFL. Baseball is more important to me than football could ever hope to become.

Oh...it's 14-10 in the 4th with 3:45 to go.