Whats so different between baseball and softball and how are they similar?
94857
Well...This is what I found:\n\nThe ball is always pitched underarm while in baseball the ball is released in any position, usually overarm or sidearm.\n\nThe ball is larger, softer and less dense than a baseball.\n\nThe playing field is a lot smaller than a baseball field.\n\nThere is fast pitch and slow pitch.\n\nThe size of the ball varies according to the classification of play; the permitted circumferences in international play are 12 in (30 cm) and 11 in ( 28 cm).\n\nHome plate is one corner of a 60 foot square (sometimes 65 foot) or diamond with bases at each corner.
54686
Before I got to the United States, I had seen only highlights of baseball games on TV.  All that music and fanfare had me believing baseball is paced like football, with lots of action.  Imagine my surprise when first watching an entire baseball game, to discover it has almost the leisurely, gentlemanly pace of cricket.  These two sports are said to have common origins in the English game of rounders, and they do invite comparison - the one choosing to run up and down on a single line, the other taking it to two dimensions and running around an entire square (or "diamond").\n\n\nIt's time we faced that all-important question: \nWhich is the "better" sport, baseball or cricket?\nSports fans - it's up to you to decide!\n\n\nWhen making your choice consider these factors:\n\nwhich sport is more fun to watch? \nwhich sport attracts the best fans? \nwhich sport generates the most interesting statistics? \nwhich sport requires more skill to play
714237
In any form of fast-pitch softball and baseball the single most important thing is hand to eye coordination. Most people can be taught the basic fundamentals of fielding, hitting, throwing, game awareness, etc. Hitting a fast pitch is the single most difficult skill in all of sports.
1009568
The difference is that MLB is a real sport;\n\nrounders is just a throw away game.
847192
The ball size.  A softball is I think double the size of a baseball.  The size of the barrol of the bat.  A baseball bat has a bigger barrol then a softball bat.  The pitching styles.  Baseball is overhand and softball is underhand.
658690
Softball pitches are thrown underhand, with a bigger ball. Also, they use wooden bats.\nBaseball pitches are thrown overhand, hard, and with a smaller ball. They use metal bats. (I think...)
385309
provide some more info if your talking using a slow pitch soft ball bat for fast pitch its probably not and any softball bat is not aprooved for baseball so provide some extra info and you might get better results most bats say on them what their aprooved for so take a look at all the crap you have nevered really looked at on it
1161196
By far MLB with NFL a close second.  Baseball is a very strategic game.  Most of all it is a great one-on-one matchup and mindgame between the batter and the pitcher.  The managers always seem to be very cerebral to when it comes to calling plays, lineups and substituting players.\n\nFootball is a close second because there are so few games that every week is an important matchup.  Playing/coaching football is like chess in that you may have to setup the big play by sacrificing a few small ones.\n\nBoth are great sports with talented athletes.
401741
Here are some basics:\nBaseball is a game between two teams of nine players each, under direction of a manager, played on an enclosed field, under jurisdiction of one or more umpires.\n* 9 innings, each inning has a top & bottom with 3 outs each, the visiting team is first at bat.\n* 4 bases the one where the catcher stands is called home. Counter-clockwise from home there are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.\n* each pitch can count as a ball, strike, foul ball, hit, homerun. \n   -3 strikes=1 out\n   -4 balls = player at bat walks to first base, \n   -1 foul ball = 1 strike if strike count is less than 3. Otherwise it doesn't count. There are "foul lines" marked on the ground, if the ball lands outside of the territory marked by these lines the hit is considered a foul ball. If a foul ball is catched before it hits the ground it is an out.\n   -a hit ball is an out if it's catched before it touches the ground. If the ball hit the ground it can get a player out if it reaches the base before the player.\n   -Homerun, the ball leaves the park in the area marked between the foul lines. All the players in the bases (including the player at bat) get to score a run and they HAVE to walk through all the bases (from the base each currently stands on to home)\n* You can steal base -> run from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd while the ball is being pitched to home.\n* Players on the field and on the bases can be switched around as many times as desired. \n* Usually you get starter pitchers and closer pitches.\n* In baseball 1 run difference is enough to win the game. If it is the 9th inning, and the home team is winning once the visiting team has its 3 outs the game is over. If the game is tied and it is the last inning, the home team turn and there is a run scored the game ends regardless of outs.\n\n***** Once you get a basic understanding of the game you have to start watching some games to get a better grasp of it. Most tv stations broadcast the city's home team games. There will be some things you don't get, ask your BF about them. Specially in pitching there are many different ways to pitch a ball and you can get to identify them once you watch tons of games. \n\n***** ALSO - find out the team your BF is going to be playing with, read about them, which players they have, who's their best player, their stats, their standings, etc.. Checkout the MLB website for team sites. http://mlb.mlb.com\nFind out if there are any teams out there with famous rivalries (NY Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox). For most of the teams the official website will give you tons of usefull information and stats.\n\n* The MLB site also has an explanation on all the stats that are kept for the different positions. For the pitchers the ERA is the most important: Earned Run Average (ERA): Multiply the total number of earned runs by nine, and divide the results by the total innings pitched. (also explained in detail on the MLB website)\n\n* The MLB has a very easy graphical explanation on Baseball basics (select from the left hand side menu) http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/baseball_basics/on_the_field.jsp\n\nEnjoy the game!!!
990982
Baseball, also know as "hardball" is where the game is played with a smaller ball, and the pitcher throws the ball overhand.  The second difference, and ofter forgotten, is that the base runners can leave the base to steal at any time they choose.  Also, "leading off", or standing off the base is allowed.\n\nSoftball uses a ball with a larger diameter, and the pitcher throws the ball underhand.  \n\nThere are 2 types of pitching styles allowed in softball.  First, "Fastpitch" softball allows the pitcher to wind their arm over up and over their head and pitch the ball in straight line.  Speed is the focus on pitching.  The strike zone is the same in baseball, which is throwing the ball over the plate, above the batters knees, and below their elbows.  As for base running, the runner must stand on the bag until the pitcher releases the ball towards home plate.\n\nThe second is "Slowpitch", where the pitcher throws the ball underhand,  up in the air towards the batter, and must reach an arc between 9 to 12 feet.  Different then "fast pitch", a strike is called when the ball "falls" and hits the plate, and a 1 foot extension on the back of the plate.  \n\nFor base-running in "slowpitch", a runner can not leave their base until  the ball crosses the plate.\n\nLastly, in Professional Baseball, you have 9 innings.  In Softball, you only have 7 innings.\n\nI also think in baseball you can do a lot more spitting :)
670673
softball game consists of at least 7 innings. In each inning, each team bats until three batters have been put out (see below). The teams take turns batting. Officially, which team bats first is decided by a coin toss,[2] although a league may decide otherwise at its discretion. The most common rule is that the home team bats second. Batting second is advantageous.\n\nIn the event of a tie, extra innings are usually played until the tie is broken. If the home team is leading and the road team has just finished its half of the seventh inning, the game ends because it is not necessary for the home team to bat again.\n\nIn all forms of softball, the defensive team is the fielding team; the offensive team is at bat or batting and is trying to score runs.
630928
Ummm, well you could do the internet search, or just get the official softball rulebook.  Both are good.
176707
I love playing softball, i play for my high school team, it is awesome.
556788
Softball is not a sport?\n\nYou should have seen Jenny Finch strike out Jeter, A-Rod and some others with her wicked pitches!\n\nSome may just be played for recreation, but so is some baseball. Fastpitch softball is a very intense sport and is a great game to watch. I love calling baseball games (as an Umpire) but give me a good fastpitch game anytime!\n\nGo to this site for some good fastpitch stuff;\n\nhttp://eteamz.active.com/fastpitch/boards/fastpitch/
344674
Women do play baseball. One woman got as high as double recently. Women lack the upper body strength to play on the same level as men in baseball. Women strong enough to hit it out of the infield, who have the reflexes to hit major league pitching and are fast enough to play a posisition are extremely rare. That one would go through all the publicity and harrassment is even rarer. So if women do find a niche it'll likely be as under arm pitchers. Some ladies softball pitchers can whip a softball close to 100 mph. Not quite the same as doing it in baseball but close enough that you will likely eventually see a woman pitching for a major leage baseball team.
436407
Kickball is a playground game and also a competitive league game, similar to baseball, invented in the United States in about 1942.\n\nIt is typically played on a softball diamond with a 10- to 16-inch (250- to 400-mm) inflated rubber ball. The pitcher bowls the ball towards the catcher, and the "batter" kicks it with his foot. In some games, batters request a certain type of pitch-- rolling, bouncing slightly, or bouncing 1' to 2' off the ground. Once the ball, is kicked, the batter's objective is to get to reach base. In addition to tagging a base to get a forced runner out, or getting a runner out by touching him/her with a held ball, fielders may throw the ball at a runner to get him/her out (though hitting a runner above the shoulders with a thrown ball is often either discouraged or illegal; the latter being the more common rule.). Sometimes, in pickup-type games, a "pitcher's hand" rule may be used. When this rule is in effect, the batter may be out if the pitcher has the ball at the mound before the runner reaches base.\n\n1. A team consists of 8 (eight) players. A minimum of 6 (six) is needed to start and continue the game.\n\n2. The defensive team may be set up in any order the team wishes. There is no set rule for placing defending players.\n\n3. The batter is out in situations similar to softball (force outs, pop outs, etc.) In addition, a runner is out when she/he is hit by a thrown ball below the waist.\n\n4. The ball is put into play when the pitcher (a player on the defensive team) rolls the ball toward home plate and the batter attempts to kick the ball. The batter must wait for the ball to be within three feet of home plate before kicking the ball. If the batter does not like the pitch, she/he should not attempt to kick it, and another pitch will be thrown. There are no strikeouts or walks. Batter gets a maximum of two (2) tries. A missed attempt or foul counts as a try. After two tries, the batter is out.\n\n5. Bunting is not permitted. There will be no infield fly rule.\n\n6. A runner who leaves the base before the pitch reaches home plate or is hit, is out and the ball is dead. Leading off and stealing bases between pitches is NOT allowed.\n\n7. In order to prevent injury and protect the defensive player attempting to make a play on a base runner, the base runner must be called out, if she/he remains on her/his feet, and deliberately, with great force crashes into a defensive player holding the ball, waiting to apply a tag. If the act is determined to be flagrant, the offender shall also be ejected.\n\n8. A designated batter or extra batter is allowed.\n\n9. Teams may bat as many players as they want, but the batting order should never change once the game has begun, unless someone has to leave the game permanently. Players that arrive after the game has begun may be added to the end of the batting order.\n\n10. Forfeit time has been established as game time, teams should report to the field a minimum of 15 minutes before the scheduled starting time of the game.\n\n11. There are no umpires. Each batting team will provide a first and third-base coach. These first and third-base coaches will be responsible for calling runners safe or out when a close play on the bases occurs; they will use an honor system to call plays fairly. The team in the field will not call close plays on the bases and abide by the decisions of the first and third-base coaches.\n\n12. No infield practice is allowed after the first inning.\n\n13. Any player can play any position defensively\n\n14. REPORTING SCORES: Report scores to the supervisors on duty.
279391
Allen Border was skilled in both sports and you could see it in his hitting and fielding.  Baseball skills give you good fielding skills, either as an infielder who can throw down the stumps or an outfielder who has a strong arm and can calmly catch the skiied balls.  The world champion Australian cricket team currently use a US baseball fielding coach.\n\nBatting is harder to learn as it requires a lot of technique coaching but the core skills such as hand eye coordination and power crossover.  A strong baseball hitter could become a very effective batsman.\n\nBowling is the hardest skill of all to pick up and there is nothing in baseball that maps across.  Baseball pitching is nothing like cricket bowling.