BASEBALL SCOREKEEPING

I know the idea of keeping score in baseball can be intimidating.  When I ask a parent if they would be able to keep score, I see the hesitation and sometimes fear in their eyes.  It’s understandable.

If you have never kept score, you have no idea what it entails, what to expect and you may feel too much responsibility.  But, if you are a baseball fan and/or parent, I really think you would get a kick out of knowing how to score a baseball game.  It is not as difficult as you may think.  It is a great way to learn baseball and keep track of the game.

The scorekeeper knows every count, every out, every player, the lineup and of course the score.  Heck, even the umpire needs the scorekeeper to verify the count, outs, and sometimes just to chat.  Umpires need friends too, you know.  How important would you feel then?!  You can even say “Hey, Blue” without getting a stern look and being thrown out of the park if you were one of the “ordinary just sitting in the stands” parents.  How many times have you been in the stands and have to ask, how many outs are there?  What is the score? Didn’t this kid have a hit last time?  If you keep score you will know this and just about everything else related to the game before anyone else and I promise, you will enjoy the game more because you are involved.  I know, it will require you to actually pay attention to every pitch and every play in a 2+ hour marathon game.  But you can also use the excuse of keeping the score-book to have someone else run and get you nachos and a soda…yes!  Maybe they would even pay for the grub to thank you for your work (if they were a cool “ordinary just sitting in the stands” parent).

One of the mom’s from my team does a great job score-keeping   Because of her, Mrs. RustyArm is inspired to give it a shot.  She is excited to learn the game and be more involved.  Needless to say, this is thrilling to me and Lefty.  We will be able to say the count was full and she will know what me mean..how fun will dinner conversations be now!?

Okay, so it will take a little bit of work and time to learn.  But honestly, if you sit with someone who knows how to score for a game, you will have it down.  I found this video from MikeScottBaseball.com to help you and Mrs. Rusty Arm get to know the basics.  Mike Scott has a two-part series on Keeping A Scorebook on YouTube you can checkout.

Play Ball!