Are you freaking kidding me? You have stuff like hit and runs, bunting, double steals, sending pinch hitters for a righty vs lefty matchup, going with a lefty reliever against a lefty hitter, having the infield play in on the grass when the bases are loaded, etc. To me, nothing is better than watching a close baseball game in the last 3 innings. It is a chess match and it is something that is unique in all sports, IMO. Nothing compares to it.
I like hockey, but am no where near it to see it live... But, this is the year for the Stros', so MLB it is...
All those things you listed don't sound all that complicated to me. The offense and defense have little interaction, it's more about playing the numbers than playing the game, and I'd call those things tactics rather than strategy. Given your moniker though, I doubt I could persuade you.
like Hockey I would enjoy baseball more if they randomly beat the crap out of each other. And no using baseballs or bats. these wussy baseball players have to fight like real men. since that doesn't happen much I would have to put baseball just a bit ahead of curling and synchronized swimming.
How can you say there is no interaction between the offense and defense, Juan? If the bases are loaded and the infield is playing in, it is up to the pitcher to try to get a ground ball. He is interacting with the offense by forcing the batter to do something he doesn't want to do. The batter trys to avoid swinging at a low pitch or outside/inside pitch and either makes him throw a strike down the middle or draws a walk. If the batter gets a pitch he can handle, he then tries to hit it to the outfield (preferably in the air). But if he hits it on the ground, it is up to the defense to decide on just going to home for the out to prevent a run from scoring or trying to turn a double play. I mean I really can't see how you can dismiss that aspect of baseball so easily. Something tells me that I am wasting time doing this post so I will stop.
In the example you cite, the pitcher and the hitter are interacting, but the rest of the defense is waiting and most of the offense is sitting in the dugout. Compare that to a sport like basketball or hockey where every player uses his position on the floor to create spacing and angles. That's interaction. Boxing is interaction. The unusual thing about baseball is they managed to have an offense and a defense without having them touch. That's beautiful in its own way, I suppose, but doesn't provide for the layers of strategy you see in a more true team sport. This is certainly true. I appreciate they you can like the sport so much. But, you won't be winning any convert here.
