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by Art Weinstein
Racing and baseball
April 1, 2008
More blog postings from Art Weinstein
The 2008 Major League Baseball season gets under way this week, and not for the first time, I marvel at the amazing similarities between NASCAR and baseball.
Granted, racing takes place at high speeds, and baseball players spend much of their time walking to and from the dugout, or standing in the field, waiting for a play to develop.
Beyond that, success in both sports depends heavily on good strategy. Should the baseball manager leave his starter in, or bring in a reliever? If he goes to the bullpen, should he call the right-hander or left-hander?
Crew chiefs face the same crucial decisions, but they often have much less time to react. Should we pit now or wait? Two tires or four, or no tires? Adjust the car on this pit stop, or wait five minutes for the sun to drop behind the grandstands and the track to cool, so no adjustment is necessary?
Casual fans sitting in the stands, or those watching on TV, can't appreciate all these little nuances that make these two sports special. That's why you'll often hear people talk about how boring baseball is or how "Nothing happened in the race; it was boring."
Well, something happens in every game and every race. It just takes a little effort to learn and appreciate both sports.
Now, for fans who watch the TV promos for NASCAR races, or watch highlight videos, you'd almost expect cars to spin and crash and bump each other every lap. It doesn't happen that way. As in baseball, races will go countless laps between big incidents, be they passes, crashes, whatever. A driver can get hooked up and bolt out to a 5-second lead. Same as in baseball. Three up, three down. Pop fly to center. A grounder to second base.
But while some would call these types of routine moments "boring," they define both sports. And even if the casual fan isn't paying attention, you can bet the gears are turning in the manager's, and the crew chief's, head.
Granted, racing takes place at high speeds, and baseball players spend much of their time walking to and from the dugout, or standing in the field, waiting for a play to develop.
Beyond that, success in both sports depends heavily on good strategy. Should the baseball manager leave his starter in, or bring in a reliever? If he goes to the bullpen, should he call the right-hander or left-hander?
Crew chiefs face the same crucial decisions, but they often have much less time to react. Should we pit now or wait? Two tires or four, or no tires? Adjust the car on this pit stop, or wait five minutes for the sun to drop behind the grandstands and the track to cool, so no adjustment is necessary?
Casual fans sitting in the stands, or those watching on TV, can't appreciate all these little nuances that make these two sports special. That's why you'll often hear people talk about how boring baseball is or how "Nothing happened in the race; it was boring."
Well, something happens in every game and every race. It just takes a little effort to learn and appreciate both sports.
Now, for fans who watch the TV promos for NASCAR races, or watch highlight videos, you'd almost expect cars to spin and crash and bump each other every lap. It doesn't happen that way. As in baseball, races will go countless laps between big incidents, be they passes, crashes, whatever. A driver can get hooked up and bolt out to a 5-second lead. Same as in baseball. Three up, three down. Pop fly to center. A grounder to second base.
But while some would call these types of routine moments "boring," they define both sports. And even if the casual fan isn't paying attention, you can bet the gears are turning in the manager's, and the crew chief's, head.
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