Who said baseball wasn't worth fighting for? The Marine Corps is ready at any called moment. If the Corps is needed then fight it will. Baseball the game the world over knows and loves is certainly worth fighting for. Now ! Let's keep it's honor clean.

The ball takes an unmerciful beating but it keeps right on ticking. We hit that little hosshide as hard as we possibly can with an aluminum or a wooden bat. All it does is take off like a rocket. We even throw it in the dirt. We put pepper on it during our bunting practices. Can that little feller take the abuse it gets? It does until the umpire looks it over and decides to throw it out of the game.

It is only fitting that the little baseball says, "Now it's my turn to play tricks, I'll do my thing." The environment, the heat index, the cloud cover, the background stadium paint color, the wind, the altitude of the field, and the humidity are all allies of the little baseball doing it's thing.

Reason with me a little and hear me out. The baseball is our little buddy and we need to learn that under different conditions he does strange little tricks. It behoves us as players to listen to what the Thinker is thinking and learn some things.

Stay right there and you will get information which little baseball thinks is comical when you don't pay attention and be heads up. Different conditions require different ways to play that ball and his tricks.

Environment The weight of the atmosphere is different in a clean clear air of the countryside compared to the smog filled city. Smog filled air is heavier and makes, the baseball jump or curve more precisely. The tropical climate near our equator is heavy moist air and makes little baseball jump like a jelly bean. Our island countries again have heavier air and more predominant wind currents and causes the ball to move quicker and jump like a flicker.

Heat Index High heat means dryer air and lesser lift or drag on the ball. The pitcher cannot make the ball dance a butterfly dip in dry air. A cold day is normally more moisture laden than the hotter day with dry air. This colder air will give a good lift to the ball sailing deep into the outfield. The ball may even continue it's journey and clear the fence.

Cloud Cover causes a multitude of problems during the game.You will hear the term "high sky" and you must be aware that little white pebble will go up up up and the ball player is trying his best to find and see it. Low clouds or good cloud cover is an outfielders paradise for he sees the ball clear as a bell. The clouds hanging up there, lazy and serene, mean calm winds. Clouds moving across the skies above the stadium like they are in a hurry and will be late for the dance, better look out. The ball hit high into the air will catch a gust of wind and will out run you.

Stadium Paint Color/Background will affect your ability to pick up the ball (see it) leaving the bat. Players move by instinct on the sound of the "crack of the bat" and the body language of the hitter. This move by instinct is one thing but he has to immediately see that ball to move just right. The white ball and a white painted stadium for background is trouble. It is hard to quickly see and judge the flight of the ball with a white or light background. Day time games and night games are effected differently in the various parks around the playing league. The color scheme of stadium painting should consider the effects on seeing the ball by the ball players.

Wind Where does it come from and where does it go ? It is one of the mysteries of the universe. One thing for sure you know when it's with you. The neighborhood reaps destruction when it gets too rowdy. Baseball players quickly learn it makes the little baseball go here and there and even changes it's mind and little ball has you tricked. It will blow like "Moby Dick" snorting or be as calm as a lamb lying on the hay. The ball cares less. It's along for the ride. Catch him if you can.

Altitude changes everything on the baseball playing field. Denver, Colorado and Mexico City, Mexico with their high above sea level altitude allows the little baseball to streak high and wide across the sky. Jacksonville, Florida home of the Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League is slow down time but watch out for that low hanging bright sun. The altitude in relation to sea level changes the habits of the ball. Higher altitude with the less dense air mass lets the little ball just keep on trucking. Low altitude and more dense air mass impedes the travel distance of the little baseball.

Ball players with the "want to" and burning desire to be All Stars and later on, make the "Big Show", must pick up the habit of the Thinker and ponder those things which separate the winners from the losers. Teams and teammates should in unison gain the winning edge. Learn all about baseball.

Batter Up---Let's Play Ball...