Frazz by Jef Mallett for March 31, 2024

Hey, kid! Soccer was brand new when I was a kid (well, in America, anyway). Even the PE teachers didn’t know how to play it. So we spent the period running around aimlessly.

They stop playing most outdoor sports now if there is even a hint of lightning 10 miles away !

Also baseballs are made of material that explodes when wet .

It’s called Football.

Burned to a Frazzle.

I’ve never understood why some of my friends like baseball. I was very nearsighted, probably from birth, but certainly by the time other kids were playing throw and catch… and I was, if allowed, playing throw wrong and miss. So by the time I could see (with glasses) I was hopelessly inept physically. But since my big brother was sports mad and my parents were big on supporting their kids, the whole fam damly went to watch him play summer baseball. Talk about BORING! I’d rather watch grass grow (in fact I kind of enjoy watching TV golf w/ spouse)… but I’d MUCH rather read. Which my mom disallowed when we were there to watch Bro sit on the bench… or occasionally play.

And that’s why I don’t care about baseball./

Why only baseball? Because the other outdoor sports play on grass, not dirt and mud.

The field gets wet and slippery and players pulling in millions a year could slip and hurt themselves. That’s why baseball isn’t played in the rain. Besides, games in the rain score big numbers because it’s so easy to misjudge where the ball is going. Ruins the averages.

In America, it’s football and soccer. In the rest of the world, it’s American football and football.

Hey kid, try hitting a spitball. Now throw it in the rain. If you are the pitcher, try to avoid a face-plant when you slip. And make a clean throw from shortstop (or even second) to first with a wet ball with mud orsand on it. let us know how that works for you.

(Makes me wonder if the 3 Stooges ever did a baseball in the rain flick.)

Ageist_ remarks_!!!!!

My dad took me to a baseball game when I was ten. I fell asleep.

No, soccer isn’t complicated. Just not worth watching.

I’ve given up supporting pro sport teams. Too many lock outs, player strikes, multi-multi million dollar contracts, and public paid stadiums for billionaire owners.

Also, one day I realized I was watching millionaires playing a kids game. Turned off the set and did something else. Occasionally will watch for a great play, but not for the team.

A GREAT COMIC. I hope Frazz coaches again this year. It has been awhile since I last saw their uniforms, Hawaiian Shirts, and they had the name Mahi-Mahi if I recall correctly. (I need Frazz search engine by topic). Thank goodness there are plenty of Mahi-Mahi, being of LC least concern on their conservation status. :-)

Soccer is simple and cheap, that’s why it’s the most popular sport in the world. All you need is a ball and a flat surface.

Pitchers are throwing 90 mph bullets at the hitters. If the ball is wet, the pitchers’ control tanks, and the hitters are at severe risk of injury.

I remember seeing one major league game that was played during a very light rain. The game was called after only four innings, but there had already been half a dozen hit-by-pitches. Imagine nine innings in a heavier rain.

Cricket is complicated.

The best time of the year, English football and baseball!

I don’t think soccer is complicated, I think it’s about as exciting as watching paint dry.

Well if we allowed baseball to be played in the rain, they wouldn’t have had to outlaw the “spitball” from pitchers. Wet balls give pitchers a distinct advantage over batters. Just one reason not to play in the rain.

Many years ago I was hosting the Dutch owners of our company to a Cleveland Indians game. I tried to explain the rules of the game to them and they stopped me after about 5 minutes and said, “You Americans have strange games.” I replied, “That’s funny coming from a nation that plays Cricket.” There was a sudden silence then, “Yes, vell. . . . Good Point.”

Caulfield isn’t the only kid at that school who thinks way too much.

We sure played in the wet. I remember the ball burning a trail through the rain on its way to the plate.

No, we think cricket is complicated.

It’s not complicated. It’s boring. Soccer / football – whatever.

Have you ever seen a futball fixture in the rain. Brutal.

Explain cricket to an American

if a pitcher loses his footing on a wet mound he not only can injure himself ..…..but a wild pitch caused by his slipping can hurt a batter… the same goes for fielders or batters or base runners… slipping on a wet infield can cause a significant injury…( just one old baseball coach’s experience…)

Football has a bunch of rules. I assume soccer does too. I know some of the football rules. I’m ignorant of the soccer rules.

And yes, I’m American (smile). And too old to have played soccer as a child.

The main reason for baseball rainouts is; Summer storms tend to be very intense and produce lightning… and mud.

Let’s see, when it rains at a baseball game they bring out a huge tarp to cover the infield. Maybe there’s a clue in that.

Who thinks football (soccer) is complicated? It’s a bunch of people running back and forth on the large field, doing not much else. About two or three times a game someone yells out GOL. Oh, and there’s no way to know if it was a close game or not. Best team doesn’t always win.

Most sports are boring if you don’t understand what’s going on. Any sport can be exciting if you understand the nuances (except maybe golf, but the scenery is always pretty).

When I was in London a number of years ago, I decided to take in a football / soccer game; it was an “international friendly” match between the USA and England national teams. I enjoyed it, but I had no idea when to get excited (other than from the reactions of the crowd) because I couldn’t see the players setting up scoring opportunities, and so on. Over the passing years I’ve watched more than a few Premier League games on TV, and I have a much better feel for the flow of action.

Your favorite sport is probably the one you understand best (which is self-reinforcing), and the one you understand best is probably one you were exposed to as a kid.

Ok Jef, you seem to be going down the ageism’s trail. You should know that those of us “old ones” raised kids in the last 4 decades and we spent a hellofalot of our hard earned pesos and time making sure we got our kids to soccer games and practices. Many times out of town or out of state. Yeah we under the rules of soccer! We get the game. Its still is boring. Try hockey! Let’s hear it for the “Old Ones” who took their kids to their sports activities for years!

Happy Easter!

She’s right about that.

I teach “Intro to Pickleball” classes. The thing I always save to the end is what I call “the most terrifying aspect of pickleball”. It’s the scoring system. Just to give you a hint, every game starts off with a score of 0-0-2. (No, that’s not one of James Bond’s predecessors.)

Not particularly complicated, or interesting either. Baseball is if you’re into the stats, if you aren’t – not so much…

I looked up the scoring rules for tennis once, but still don’t get them…

Americans don’t think soccer is complicated. Just boring, compared to the better sports which we follow.

They do play baseball in the rain.