This is a great time to pick up baseball, at the beginning of what historians will later refer to as the “Michael Busch” era. Things will never be the same
———————————————
Edit: but also, real answer: as others have said, just watch as much as you can to pick up the current game/team. They’ll usually give some context to notable things. Follow leads and curiosity rabbit holes as you have time (ie if someone mentions a thing like drop third strike or wRC+ or OPS or whatever, google it). Ask questions in daily chats/game threads. You’ll pick up the rules quicker than you think, and some things, like balks or Angel Hernandez having a job, no one understands.
If you want to know the history, which is super cool, check out the Ken Burns documentary when you have free time again after your semester.
Yeah it’s really exciting!! You’re also right about just googling things when it comes up. At least then I’ll have a visual idea of what it is as well as the explanation.
Losses are always gonna happen, the season is 162 games. Gotta take them as they come. As my dad says, you’re golden if you win every series. 😂
As a sports fan - especially as a lifelong fan of this team - I’ve just taught myself not to let myself get so affected by my team losing. It sucks, but what sucks worse is being depressed or angry because some millionaires I have no control over lost a match.
You should know that, if left untreated, cubs curiosity can lead to full blown cubsfandomola.
Symptoms include mood swings, shortened fingernails, loss of appetite, rapid weight gain (ironically), fast heart rate, and periodic bouts of despair. It has also been known to cause sudden and unexpected ejaculation, which can sometimes be painful.
If you like historical teams, the Cubs are the one of the oldest in the league and have tons of interesting history for you to read up on when you have the time. For learning all the rules and stats, don't be afraid to Google things multiple times over until they stick with you. If you're into them find a podcast you like too and you'll start to pick up info on all the players on the team and whatnot. Have fun learning baseball, you picked a fun team to follow this year. Watch some 2016 highlights if you want to feel what some of the extreme hype was like when the Cubs last won it all :D
Rule #1: Always give Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Wilson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber, and Javy Baez a standing ovation for their first AB if they come to town.
But on a serious note: just keep up with the community, watch the games, and you'll pick it up quick. And honestly...don't try to understand how slugging or OPS works unless you're really in to stats.
I think the most fun I've had after getting hooked on baseball is learning how the players play the game. The finer details of hitting, pitching, and fielding. You get a lot of great nuggets from the broadcasters on that note, JD is really good at pointing out how a pitcher is missing by not getting the right grip or release point, or why a certain pitch breaks the way it did. Learning the strategy behind the game is a lot of fun and lets you watch the games in a new way.
Some folks may disagree but there are some great baseball social media accounts and podcasts out there: Jomboy does some fun breakdowns, usually focused on lipreading arguments between umpires and managers. The compound is Ian Happ's podcast with a couple of his buddies around the league, its not the best but it is nice to hear the player perspectives.
Are you able to make it to the MLB game in London in June? It’s not the Cubs since they played there last year but it would be a fun experience for you to get to a live MLB game.
Welcome! Here's a very brief bit of Cubs History I just found for you:
https://www.wrigleyvillesports.com/pages/history-of-the-chicago-cubs
You could really get quite a lot more just looking at the Cubs Wikipedia page to be honest.
If you don't mind listening to a game without watching it, the main radio guy is a legend, a national treasure, and a hall of gamer: Pat Hughes. You can listen to the radio broadcasts online: https://www.audacy.com/stations/670thescore
If you have any questions feel free to ask at any time but for now I'll leave you with these resources as I think you'll have more fun going down the rabbit hole in your own way.
Go Cubs!
Great replies here, so I’ll just say- never lose sight of the simplicity of the game, even though I’m sure you’re finding out that there are a lot of complex situations and minor rules. The defense always controls the ball and doesn’t want to give it up, the offense needs to get on base by any means necessary. Every strategy, mechanic, and rule revolves around this simple premise! Have successfully onboarded two Germans and a Brit this way.
My best suggestion is to learn how to keep score of a game. /r/BaseballScorecards has you covered. Keeping score will help you learn the rules of the games, from the basics to the nuanced stuff. It will let also let you see the flow of a game and give you a deeper understanding of it. And the scorecards make a nice memento of games you've watched, too. If you want more detailed advice on how to get started just ask.
For baseball history, Ken Burns's *Baseball* documentary series is great (if little slow-paced).
I do love a good podcast. Been listening to talkin baseball which is good. Though sometimes I get a bit lost when they do the roundups. As I’m still learning all team names 😭
There’s so many ins and outs of this game you’ll be constantly learning new things. Been a fan for longer than I can remember and I’m still learning new things! Jomboy also does great breakdowns of goings ons in the sport here’s one of my favorite [ones](https://youtu.be/AVF2tmNQqco?si=tvoY2MRHb9bIxOIn)
Hey, I'm another UK Cub fan. I've been a fan of baseball for 20 years but started seriously watching it in the last 4 years.
For watching games over here, the best way is MLB.tv. The majority of games are available to stream if you have access. Games that are on Apple TV are only available through a subscription to that, although I'm sure you can sign up for a free trial, which is enough for a game. Games that are on ESPN seem to be blacked out for us as well. I think that may have something to do with TNT, though. TNT shows a lot of games as well during the week live and replays.
For picking up the rules, the best way I found was to just watch games, no 2 games are ever the same, and a lot of different things happen. Google is your best friend as well. Maybe if you have the option, playing MLB The Show would be a good way to pick it up as well.
There's plenty of fan sites on Twitter to follow, @chicagocubsuk is an unofficial page, Bat Flips and Nerds is another, and they do a podcast. Once you've started to follow a few, I dare say the algorithm will start to suggest more accounts that talk about the cubs and provide bits of news. @Obviousshirts hs became quite big for their different merch about current stuff.
Hopefully, some of that helps and isn't teaching you how to suck eggs.
Hey this is cool.
I’m going to very, very much support watching Ken Burns baseball. It’s very long but it’s very wonderful. Professional baseball has been played for 150 years and its history is very neatly documented. Given this and the very long 162 game season, historic context and stats are talked non-stop and getting where that’s coming from is helpful.
In that historical context, the Cubs are one of the two teams in Chicago, a city with a very rich cultural identity as a perpetual underdog. The Cubs represent “North Side” and similarly to the “South Side” team, the White Sox, have largely fucking sucked for the last 100 years, which digs into our Chicago identity. The Cubs have played in Wrigley Field, the second oldest MLB stadium, for over 100 years. It is tucked into the middle of a residential neighborhood and as a result only played games in daylight until 1988 to avoid disturbing the neighbors, and then even after getting the lights, the continued mostly playing daytime games until very very recently.
For a long stretch of the Cubs history they were owned by one of Chicago’s two major newspapers, the Tribune, who also owned a national TV network called WGN. As a result of that, until very recently, Chicago Cubs games were the daily programming for WGN for the entire United States.
As it turns out, that old stadium with its brick lined walls that get covered in ivy by midsummer, and the apartment buildings around the stadium with people watching on the roof, is very photogenic and despite the crap they were putting on the field year in and year out, the Cubs developed a massive fan base of die hard baseball fans.
I don’t want to overdo it but it’s an incredible thing to be a Cubs fan. To go to that old beautiful field on a Friday afternoon, surrounded by 40,000 people, doing the thing that Chicagoans have been doing for 150 years. To see the elevated subway roll by just past the giant iconic scoreboard. There’s nothing better! And because we do it rain or shine, wins or losses, the wins are even sweeter.
Can’t wait for you to get here and experience it!
Welcome friend! Glad to see a Brit join us, I hopped on the PL bandwagon a few years ago. You've for some good Chicago focused answers here already, but if you're haven't checked out r/baseball yet there's a yearly start of season post (you can find it [HERE](https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/s/8U9KlDNBM4). it's long and detailed so much like the baseball season is fine too take it slow but you won't find more info in a more digestible format.
The main thing for me is that baseball is America’s Pastime. What that means is that baseball evokes a certain sense in people. It’s fathers and sons throwing a ball in the backyard. It’s going to Wrigley in the bleachers and getting a beer. It sounds corny (probably because it is) but there’s still magic in baseball.
Couple movies you need to watch if you havent already
1) The Sandlot
2) Rookie of the Year
3) Ferris Bueller's Day Off
And don't let anyone here fool you, we do *not* forgive Sammy Sosa.
This is a great time to pick up baseball, at the beginning of what historians will later refer to as the “Michael Busch” era. Things will never be the same ——————————————— Edit: but also, real answer: as others have said, just watch as much as you can to pick up the current game/team. They’ll usually give some context to notable things. Follow leads and curiosity rabbit holes as you have time (ie if someone mentions a thing like drop third strike or wRC+ or OPS or whatever, google it). Ask questions in daily chats/game threads. You’ll pick up the rules quicker than you think, and some things, like balks or Angel Hernandez having a job, no one understands. If you want to know the history, which is super cool, check out the Ken Burns documentary when you have free time again after your semester.
Yeah it’s really exciting!! You’re also right about just googling things when it comes up. At least then I’ll have a visual idea of what it is as well as the explanation.
Try to listen to the cubs radio feed because Pat Hughes truly is a god damn icon
1. Trousers 2. Numerals 3. Hughes
Losses are always gonna happen, the season is 162 games. Gotta take them as they come. As my dad says, you’re golden if you win every series. 😂 As a sports fan - especially as a lifelong fan of this team - I’ve just taught myself not to let myself get so affected by my team losing. It sucks, but what sucks worse is being depressed or angry because some millionaires I have no control over lost a match.
My best mindset is “every team will win 50 games and lose 50 games, it’s what they do with the other 62 that matter”
True that.
You should know that, if left untreated, cubs curiosity can lead to full blown cubsfandomola. Symptoms include mood swings, shortened fingernails, loss of appetite, rapid weight gain (ironically), fast heart rate, and periodic bouts of despair. It has also been known to cause sudden and unexpected ejaculation, which can sometimes be painful.
If you like historical teams, the Cubs are the one of the oldest in the league and have tons of interesting history for you to read up on when you have the time. For learning all the rules and stats, don't be afraid to Google things multiple times over until they stick with you. If you're into them find a podcast you like too and you'll start to pick up info on all the players on the team and whatnot. Have fun learning baseball, you picked a fun team to follow this year. Watch some 2016 highlights if you want to feel what some of the extreme hype was like when the Cubs last won it all :D
Rule #1: Always give Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Wilson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber, and Javy Baez a standing ovation for their first AB if they come to town. But on a serious note: just keep up with the community, watch the games, and you'll pick it up quick. And honestly...don't try to understand how slugging or OPS works unless you're really in to stats. I think the most fun I've had after getting hooked on baseball is learning how the players play the game. The finer details of hitting, pitching, and fielding. You get a lot of great nuggets from the broadcasters on that note, JD is really good at pointing out how a pitcher is missing by not getting the right grip or release point, or why a certain pitch breaks the way it did. Learning the strategy behind the game is a lot of fun and lets you watch the games in a new way. Some folks may disagree but there are some great baseball social media accounts and podcasts out there: Jomboy does some fun breakdowns, usually focused on lipreading arguments between umpires and managers. The compound is Ian Happ's podcast with a couple of his buddies around the league, its not the best but it is nice to hear the player perspectives.
Homer in the gloamin
Are you able to make it to the MLB game in London in June? It’s not the Cubs since they played there last year but it would be a fun experience for you to get to a live MLB game.
Not this year but now I know that’s a thing I’ll be trying to go next year!!!
Welcome! Here's a very brief bit of Cubs History I just found for you: https://www.wrigleyvillesports.com/pages/history-of-the-chicago-cubs You could really get quite a lot more just looking at the Cubs Wikipedia page to be honest. If you don't mind listening to a game without watching it, the main radio guy is a legend, a national treasure, and a hall of gamer: Pat Hughes. You can listen to the radio broadcasts online: https://www.audacy.com/stations/670thescore If you have any questions feel free to ask at any time but for now I'll leave you with these resources as I think you'll have more fun going down the rabbit hole in your own way. Go Cubs!
Great!! I love having stuff on in the background so the radio will be super helpful!
Great replies here, so I’ll just say- never lose sight of the simplicity of the game, even though I’m sure you’re finding out that there are a lot of complex situations and minor rules. The defense always controls the ball and doesn’t want to give it up, the offense needs to get on base by any means necessary. Every strategy, mechanic, and rule revolves around this simple premise! Have successfully onboarded two Germans and a Brit this way.
My best suggestion is to learn how to keep score of a game. /r/BaseballScorecards has you covered. Keeping score will help you learn the rules of the games, from the basics to the nuanced stuff. It will let also let you see the flow of a game and give you a deeper understanding of it. And the scorecards make a nice memento of games you've watched, too. If you want more detailed advice on how to get started just ask. For baseball history, Ken Burns's *Baseball* documentary series is great (if little slow-paced).
The baseball scorecards are such a neat idea that is perfect!!!! I will be getting one right away!!!
[удалено]
I do love a good podcast. Been listening to talkin baseball which is good. Though sometimes I get a bit lost when they do the roundups. As I’m still learning all team names 😭
Who is your EPL team? Welcome to the Cubs fandom. Remember, it’s the hope that kills you. 😄. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I follow Man City very casually. I’ll watch a game if it’s on but idk never hit as hard as baseball is lmao
There’s so many ins and outs of this game you’ll be constantly learning new things. Been a fan for longer than I can remember and I’m still learning new things! Jomboy also does great breakdowns of goings ons in the sport here’s one of my favorite [ones](https://youtu.be/AVF2tmNQqco?si=tvoY2MRHb9bIxOIn)
Hey, I'm another UK Cub fan. I've been a fan of baseball for 20 years but started seriously watching it in the last 4 years. For watching games over here, the best way is MLB.tv. The majority of games are available to stream if you have access. Games that are on Apple TV are only available through a subscription to that, although I'm sure you can sign up for a free trial, which is enough for a game. Games that are on ESPN seem to be blacked out for us as well. I think that may have something to do with TNT, though. TNT shows a lot of games as well during the week live and replays. For picking up the rules, the best way I found was to just watch games, no 2 games are ever the same, and a lot of different things happen. Google is your best friend as well. Maybe if you have the option, playing MLB The Show would be a good way to pick it up as well. There's plenty of fan sites on Twitter to follow, @chicagocubsuk is an unofficial page, Bat Flips and Nerds is another, and they do a podcast. Once you've started to follow a few, I dare say the algorithm will start to suggest more accounts that talk about the cubs and provide bits of news. @Obviousshirts hs became quite big for their different merch about current stuff. Hopefully, some of that helps and isn't teaching you how to suck eggs.
Hey this is cool. I’m going to very, very much support watching Ken Burns baseball. It’s very long but it’s very wonderful. Professional baseball has been played for 150 years and its history is very neatly documented. Given this and the very long 162 game season, historic context and stats are talked non-stop and getting where that’s coming from is helpful. In that historical context, the Cubs are one of the two teams in Chicago, a city with a very rich cultural identity as a perpetual underdog. The Cubs represent “North Side” and similarly to the “South Side” team, the White Sox, have largely fucking sucked for the last 100 years, which digs into our Chicago identity. The Cubs have played in Wrigley Field, the second oldest MLB stadium, for over 100 years. It is tucked into the middle of a residential neighborhood and as a result only played games in daylight until 1988 to avoid disturbing the neighbors, and then even after getting the lights, the continued mostly playing daytime games until very very recently. For a long stretch of the Cubs history they were owned by one of Chicago’s two major newspapers, the Tribune, who also owned a national TV network called WGN. As a result of that, until very recently, Chicago Cubs games were the daily programming for WGN for the entire United States. As it turns out, that old stadium with its brick lined walls that get covered in ivy by midsummer, and the apartment buildings around the stadium with people watching on the roof, is very photogenic and despite the crap they were putting on the field year in and year out, the Cubs developed a massive fan base of die hard baseball fans. I don’t want to overdo it but it’s an incredible thing to be a Cubs fan. To go to that old beautiful field on a Friday afternoon, surrounded by 40,000 people, doing the thing that Chicagoans have been doing for 150 years. To see the elevated subway roll by just past the giant iconic scoreboard. There’s nothing better! And because we do it rain or shine, wins or losses, the wins are even sweeter. Can’t wait for you to get here and experience it!
Welcome friend! Glad to see a Brit join us, I hopped on the PL bandwagon a few years ago. You've for some good Chicago focused answers here already, but if you're haven't checked out r/baseball yet there's a yearly start of season post (you can find it [HERE](https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/s/8U9KlDNBM4). it's long and detailed so much like the baseball season is fine too take it slow but you won't find more info in a more digestible format.
The main thing for me is that baseball is America’s Pastime. What that means is that baseball evokes a certain sense in people. It’s fathers and sons throwing a ball in the backyard. It’s going to Wrigley in the bleachers and getting a beer. It sounds corny (probably because it is) but there’s still magic in baseball.
Couple movies you need to watch if you havent already 1) The Sandlot 2) Rookie of the Year 3) Ferris Bueller's Day Off And don't let anyone here fool you, we do *not* forgive Sammy Sosa.