baseball trivia, baseball spring training

More than fans of any other sport, baseball fans are obsessed with baseball trivia, facts, statistics and information about America's Favorite Sport. Well, baseball may no longer be America's Favorite Sport in terms of game attendance and numbers of people watching on TV, but it still holds a special place in the hearts of Americans, especially during baseball Spring training, the World Series, the All-Star game, and other highlights of the annual baseball season. And speaking of trivia, do you know when baseball spring training actually started? Well, in 1885 the Chicago White Stockings went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to escape the cold weather in Chicago and get ready for the upcoming season. And while every baseball fan knows that the Yankees wear pinstripes on their famous uniforms, do you know which teams were the first to sport pinstripes? It was the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Giants in the year 1911. And speaking of baseball uniforms, let's go wa-a-ay back into baseball history for this bit of interesting baseball trivia. The very first baseball uniforms were worn by the Knickerbockers and consisted of blue pants, a straw hat, and a white shirt. Here's a bit of baseball trivia that I'll bet you didn't know: the Chicago Cubs used to employ midgets as food vendors so they wouldn't block spectators' view of the game. The currently beleaguered Barry Bonds is the 17th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. Terry Adams was the hard-luck pitcher who gave up the hit.

        Baseball really is part and parcel of our country's history, so really learning about baseball tiriva can actually help you learn about aspects of our county's history. For instance, did you know that there used to be seven major league baseball leagues that no longer exist? It's true. They were the National Association of Professional Baseball Players, the National League, the American Association, the Union Association, the Players League, the American League, and the Negro League. Here's a bit of baseball trivia that may require you to put on your thinking cap: do you know what year the World Series began? It was back in 1903. Do you know which player was the biggest draw in the Negro Leagues? It wasn't Jackie Robinson, it was the immortal Satchel Paige. Now anyone who really knows baseball trivia should know that. I'll be back with more baseball trivia in a future installment of this blog. Just like you, I love this stuff and can't get enough baseball history and trivia.