Saturday, July 17, 2010

Know Your Balls - The Baseball

At Whitey’s prompting due yet again to his incessant quest for knowledge, I have been asked to provide a report on the history of balls. So…I’ll do some research and compile a bit of knowledge in multiple posts (maybe).

Baseballs, basketballs, footballs (both kinds), tennis balls, golf balls, even hockey pucks (a version of the ball)…they each have their own unique history.

With most of these sports there is an equally important evolution of other equipment, most notably the items one uses to whack these balls around. Bats, sticks, clubs, shoes - they have all progressed along with the balls. For our purposes we’ll limit our discussion of those aspects.

The Baseball. The baseball has had many different versions, most notably before and after 1872 and 1911.  Before 1872 they pretty much played with whatever they had on hand as long as it resembled a ball. The formation of professional leagues in the 1870's somewhat standardized the baseball at that time, although you wouldn't recognize the thing today. In 1911 baseball adopted a cork-center ball - offense and the game's popularity exploded.

Baseball evolved from various games, particularly Rounders, a variation of which was played in England, Germany, and possibly other places as early as the 16th century. In America, Rounders was called a variety of things including Town Ball in the early 1800's. The game was massively popular, and the locals turned out from miles around to watch the contests...


Not really. The first record of a game closely resembling baseball as we know to today is in 1829, although at that time there were some crazy rules like you ran the bases clockwise, they only played two or three innings in which everyone batted every inning, and a guy was out if you hit him with the ball. It's likely they just made the rules up for every game within a loose framework. Canada actually makes some claim to the first recorded account of a baseball game, in 1838, but that can't possibly be true. And even if it is I choose to ignore it. The earliest known newspaper account of a baseball game in the U.S. dates from 1845.

In 1869 Harry Wright got serious, found some sucker to pay the guys to play baseball, and the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first "openly" professional baseball team (teams had paid players for years, but not all of them, and they didn't admit to doing it.) Before this time I guess it was a lot like watching your dad's rec softball team.

The National Association of Professional Base Ball was formed in 1871 (not including, oddly, the Cincinnati team.) And thus, we have the first league set to give us our first rules concerning what we're here to discuss: the baseball.

But let's not jump ahead of ourselves. At this point there were teams all over the place and the National Association only lasted until 1875. Many of the teams didn't show up for games, left in the middle of them, and/or nobody bothered to show up and watch. That can happen when you have a team from Ft. Wayne, Indiana and another from Boston at a time when America's most popular form of transportation was still the horse.

Undaunted, in 1876 some guys with deep pockets and a love for balls and bats founded what remains today the National League (You wondered why it's called the senior circuit? That's why.) The only original teams still left in the NL are the Cincinnati Reds (Red Stockings) and the St. Louis Cardinals (Brown Stockings), although both teams left the NL for the American Association in 1882 to return later. The organization that spearheaded the formation of the National League is actually the team we know today as the Chicago White Sox. And, in truth, the White Sox could make a very hearty claim as the oldest consistent team - a claim the Reds make but is very shaky considering the facts.

So...the National League quickly became full of themselves and booted a few teams, including St. Louis (they may have just left) and Cincinnati (definitely booted), due to their 'lower moral standards'. [SOURCE] Cincinnati sold beer at their home games and all "river cities" were considered backwoods idiots unworthy of inclusion in their pristine league. The Philadelphia Athletics, an original NL team, also joined the American Association in 1882.

Thus the American Association was formed as a response to the NL's puritanical regime. At the end of the 1882 season Chicago (NL) and Cincinnati (AA), the two best teams of their respective leagues that year, split a two game series to end the season. Some consider this the first whiff of the World Series we know today.

A great quote to give you an idea of the times:

The National League appealed to more middle-class audiences by requiring its teams to charge fifty cents admission, banning the sale of alcohol, and refusing to play on Sundays. The rival American Association appealed to immigrant and working-class audiences by charging only a quarter, selling liquor and playing Sunday ball.[SOURCE]


From 1880, and even before, until about 1900-01 leagues formed, folded, teams switched leagues, changed names, disbanded, came back again with the same name, a new name...it was all complete chaos. If I were to attempt a full account of everything it would be Master’s Degree worthy. So I won’t.

Our original lineups once we made it to circa 1900-01:

NATIONAL LEAGUE

• Boston Beaneaters (Atlanta Braves)
• Brooklyn Superbas (Los Angeles Dodgers. This name is open to debate, as there was no ‘official’ nickname of the team until 1932 when it became the Dodgers. They were known as the Atlantics, Grays, Grooms, the Bridegrooms, the Superbas, and the Robins.)
• Chicago Orphans (Chicago Cubs. When the great Cap Anson left the team they were dubbed the Orphans. By 1902 they were the Cubs.)
• Cincinnati Reds
• New York Giants (San Francisco Giants)
• Philadelphia Phillies (first known as the Quakers as early as 1883)
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• St. Louis Perfectos (the Perfectos name lasted one year, 1899, before being changed to the Cardinals in 1900)

AMERICAN LEAGUE

• Boston Americans (Boston Red Sox)
• Baltimore Orioles (New York Yankees. Huh, you say? True. The Yankees were originally the Orioles, moved to New York in 1903 becoming the Highlanders, and were renamed the Yankees in 1913.)
• Chicago White Stockings (Chicago White Sox. In fact, it could be argued that the White Sox are the actually the oldest team in baseball, a title the Reds claim.)
• Cleveland Blues (Cleveland Indians)
• Detroit Tigers
• Milwaukee Brewers (Baltimore Orioles. Crazy eh? The Orioles became the Yankees and the Brewers became the Orioles. Go figure.)
• Philadelphia Athletics (Oakland Athletics)
• Washington Senators (Minnesota Twins. Curious? So was I. Different incarnations of the Senators have the dubious distinction of failing and birthing two current franchises – the Twins in 1960 and the Rangers in 1972.)

NOW THEN. I started this with the idea of discussing the actual baseball, not baseball as an organization. But I think the history of the game is important  to see the progression the actual baseball. Plus, it’s my blog and I can do what I want.


What you see today, at least on the outside of the baseball, is very similar to what the baseball was in the late 1800's. You can actually purchase reproductions of early versions of the baseball HERE.

As mentioned earlier, for the most part the baseball was standardized in the 1870's. The ball in the picture at the beginning of this post is a pre-1872 ball. The figure eight design we know today was not adopted until 1872, although supposedly there were versions of it before then.

Harry Wright tried to kick-start offense in the game by introducing a cork-center ball instead of a rubber-center ball in 1880, but no one liked it (Well, no one playing defense liked it, which is understandable considering the gloves they used.) The cork-center ball would not be officially adopted until 1911.

Around 1920 they stopped (well, they tried) letting the pitchers do whatever they liked to the ball (scuffing, spitballs, etc.), and also began changing out used balls for new balls during the game. Thus, Baseball is split into the “Dead Ball Era” pre-1920, and pretty much what we have had up to the present day. If one looks at the just home run stats from this time, it's fairly obvious the impact. From 1901-1918 the American League high for HR's in a season was 16. In 1919 Babe Ruth hit 29, and followed that up with 54 in 1920. In the National League the all-time high for HR's was 27 from 1876 until 1921 (that's 53 years.) In 1922 Rogers Hornsby hit 42 homers, and from that point on the NL leader in HR's would hit 27 or more every year except two (21, Hack Wilson in 1926 and 23, Ralph Kiner in 1946.)

Around 1930 they changed from a cork to a “cushioned cork” center, and in 1974 there was a change from a horsehide to a cowhide cover. From what I can tell, the baseball has had those 108 stitches (each hand-stitched) at least since the 1920’s and probably before then - see the pictures from 1878 and 1889 above.


Whitey pointed out that should they change the stitching in any way the ball might be made to perform unnatural acts, and since Baseball is very keen on its history changes are highly unlikely. There was much discussion about MLB having done something to the ball in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s due to the meteoric rise in home runs. We now know something was done, but not to the ball.

For now, the baseball is #1 on the list of most consistent game balls still in use.

QUICK NOTE: I wanted to mention a few things concerning the recent bounty of perfect games in baseball and this discussion about the ball seems as good a place as any. There have been 20 perfect games in baseball history, the first of which was recorded in 1880. If we begin there that's a span of 130 years, meaning baseball has averaged one perfect game every six and a half years for 130 years

The National League actually had two perfect games in 1880...and didn't have another one for 84 years. The American League's longest drought was from 1922-1956. The 19 teens (?), 1930's, 1940's, and 1970's saw zero perfect games.

In the past ten years we have seen four perfect games (should be five, but so be it.) The previous high was three in the 1960's, maybe a contributing factor (along with Bob Gibson) to the lowering of the mound. In the past twenty years we have seen eight perfect games. But in the past 30 years, since 1980, there have been 11 perfect games. So, for the first 100 years (actually more, but I won't nit-pick here) of baseball there were nine, that's right, nine perfect games. 55% of MLB's perfect games have been thrown in the past 30 years.

We could talk explanations for this til the cows come home. One of my top reasons would be the expanding number of teams, but the equipment has changed, technology has made scouting better, new pitches come along (remember Mike Scott, Roger Craig, and the split-fingered fastball hype?) The list can go on and on. But the ball...the cowhide...who knows...

Good references:

For exact dimensions and stats of the ball go HERE.

For a good early history of the baseball and other equipment go HERE.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Don't Be a Freddy - Part 2

Last night at the Ranger's game we had a few notable events occur outside the actual game on the field. One was the fan falling from the upper deck after trying to lean over a railing to catch a foul ball. Luckily everyone seems to be ok, both the guy who fell and those upon whom he landed.

The other incident is where we find Freddy. The video is below. Don't be this guy. If a foul ball or home run ball lands within your wingspan, feel free to reach out and try to haul it in. If you need to simulate a rugby scrum to get a ball and you're over, say, ten years old, stay in your seat. The announcers say the guy did end up giving the kid the ball, but it's still inexcusable.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Don't Be a Freddy - Vote Votto!



Such a nice looking young man...Vote for me!
Whitey is in a crazy fantasy baseball league with some guys who are just stat freaks. Some of us are like Christmas ornaments: just there for decoration. That said, the stats tell the story.

Which guy would be starting for you if you had the pencil? Look at it like the Reds Fan we'll call “Freddy”. There is a running joke that Freddy is a bandwagon jumper. He'll wear a Reds hat for a week when pitchers and catchers report. He'll be telling us how good the squad looks, the pen is on fire, and the Redlegs are going to the Ship. Lose two, Freddy is ready to fire the skipper and Dusty is the worst manager in the league.

Along comes June and in most years past, the Reds have been less than stellar in Great American Ballpark - but the ladies are o' so cute. Freddy at this point becomes the Freddy we all know and loathe. He pulls out his Cubbies hat and heads to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, only to be let down by another team in the Central Division of the Senior Circuit.

For reasons I can't figure out, the people of Cincinnati aren't jamming the ballot box for their boy! The Reds are in first place, and this guy is a huge reason why. Come on Freddy! Vote for Votto!

PROFESSOR'S NOTE: I'll get this out of the way first - I am an unabashed Reds fan. If you're looking for someone without a horse in this race I am not that person.

I just happened to tune in to Colin Cowherd this morning and voila! Votto had taken over the show. Whitey and I discussed it for a few and decided to run with it.

Cowherd's first point (at least the first one I heard) blamed Votto's snub on Reds' fans sleeping on the job - they should have stuffed the ballot box. In fact, he referenced the famous ballot stuffing campaign Reds' fans pulled off in the 1957 season. That year seven of the eight starters voted in were Reds (the odd one out? Stan Musial made the starting lineup.)

Subsequently the Commissioner at the time, Ford Frick, took the vote away from the fans and substituted two players (Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, I don't know about those choices...) for two of the Reds. The vote returned to the fans in 1969.

Anyway, in 1957 there were only eight NL teams and none west of St. Louis. My point is it was a little easier to do back then. Not that it can't be done now though, and it has happened a few times. I think Votto deserves to be there and will most likely get in with all the publicity this is getting.

Cowherd went on to list three criteria which get you in to an All-Star game - popularity, stats, and legacy - and claimed Votto was short on two of the three. I'll give him that. Usually the manager's picks solve the fans' shortsightedness, but Charlie Manuel took Ryan Howard. Shocker.

I won't run down the stats because if you want them you'll find them elsewhere. Suffice it to say, as Whitey put it, don't be a Freddy...vote for Votto at the link below:


Monday, July 5, 2010

Whitey & The Professors’ All-Time Arcade Game Challenge

Here they are - all the first round match-ups. The original post with some of our criteria is HERE. A look at the brackets is HERE.





PAC-MAN REGION




#1 Pac-Man v. #8 Frogger. Poor Frogger, you couldn't ask much more of a game based on frogs and dodging traffic. It has pulled a bad first round matchup against arguably the best arcade game of all-time. Should Frogger pull a first round upset over Pac-Man it would be historic – or slightly noteworthy.


#2 Gauntlet v. #7 Double Dragon. I remember playing Gauntlet. At Kings Island. Let me tell you, there are a lot of things to do at Kings Island (just ask the Brady Bunch) other than play a video game, but I was hooked. Double Dragon was one of the first of its kind and certainly popular, but doesn’t take out Gauntlet for me.


#3 Ms. Pac-Man v. #6 Dragon’s Lair. Yep, Ms. Pac-Man got seeded in the same region with her overbearing other half (we're not having a Pac-Man/Ms. Pac-Man final.) Dragon’s Lair was such a weird game – I remember putting money into this thing and having no idea what I was supposed to actually do. Not that this should sway you, but there are three games on permanent display in the Smithsonian: Pong, Pac-Man, and...Dragon's Lair. Ms. Pac-Man, well, those intermissions did it all didn’t they?



#4 Defender v. #5 Tron. Whitey is calling it, Tron pulls the upset. It was based on a movie, bad as that movie was. Defender is defending a plant, and for the entire game you travel on a horizontal plane. Most Defender machines had burns on the playing panel. These were left by: 1) people who let a perfectly good smoke go to waste, just to smell melting plastic, as they were trying to prove the world was flat; or 2) stoners that had a good game going. Whitey takes two. Tron was certainly one of the best looking arcade games of all time. The game itself was kind of blah though.






SPACE INVADERS REGION






#1 Space Invaders v. #8 Jungle Hunt. Space Invaders had one of those sounds that haunt you in your sleep. It wasn't a matter of if the Invaders were gonna get there, just when. Try as you might, I only saw the screen cleared a few times before the quarter dropped again. Space Invaders is notable for many reasons, but one you might not know is it was the first game that saved hi-scores and, in a later incarnation, became the first game in which you could also enter your initials. [If you're one of those people wondering why games like, say, Golden Tee aren't ranked higher in the tourney imagine Golden Tee with no hi-scores or, god forbid, no option for initials.] Jungle Hunt was swinging. And swimming. And running and jumping. Timing was everything in this one - never did find out what happens at the end, or even if there is an end. But I did like knifing sharks.


#4 Tempest v. #5 Duck Hunt. Tempest really had one goal: spin the dial in a circle and run the outer edge of different shapes shooting at projectiles, but it was the first vector game in color (Tempest, Star Wars, and Asteroids are our only vector games in the tourney, so they represent.) Duck Hunt was great due to the fact you had a gun in hand - Duck Hunt was one of the pioneering 'shoot the screen' games. "Bang," as that dog laughs at you for missing. But you couldn't trust the hi-score as you could put the gun literally on the screen and kill everything. Didn't stop us.


#3 Mario Bros. v. #6 Missile Command. Missile Command was a tricky little game. Three shooting stations with ten shots in each - and you talk about a loud game - if you sent everything off it was like a static explosion. Chances were after you cleared the early stage you were hooked for a dollar and it was gone in a hurry. Toughest game in the bracket. Mario Bros. spawned what could be considered the most successful franchise in history - Nintendo was (and still is) built on Donkey Kong...and Mario. Whitey majored in Mario Bros. for two semesters in college. We would stay up even if we weren't playing, and you couldn't get guys out of the dorm with a cattle prod. [Remember: we're not voting on the game you could play in your dorm room...]


#2 Dig Dug v. #7 BurgerTime. I don't remember BurgerTime, but I saw it on so many lists I figured we had to include it. Maybe it was a good game. Whitey remembers Dig Dug was everywhere. Most enjoyable was the one by the baseball field in the High's Ice Cream. Man, after a hot day at the park, a Sherbet Freeze, Dig Dug, and a hand to squeeze. Ah, summertime.





DONKEY KONG REGION 




#1 Donkey Kong v. #8 Tapper. Tapper? Really? Frogger at least had a chance to upset Pac-Man. Although Tapper was one-of-a-kind, and the cabinet came complete with a coaster for your drink and a railing for your feet, this is a no-brainer. The big monkey rolling barrels down the grades, and who could forget the best pulley-lever system in gaming. Donkey Kong also has the unique mystique of having introduced us to the main character of another game in the tourney: Mario. And even though I can't stand when people use this, it's still relevant today: it's on like Donkey Kong!


#4 Joust v. #5 Golden Tee. Joust was one of the games Whitey lived on. It was at the 7-11 a block from school. My study hall was Joust. I never questioned what would make a guy get on a flying ostrich and engage in level to level combat. It just worked. Joust gets a leg up on Golden Tee. The Professor says Joust is one crazy game, and one of the first co-operative games that I remember. I was not good at it, but that didn't stop me. Golden Tee is the only true sports game in the tourney and while it is a classic, its popularity seems to have spiked fairly recently. That said, Golden Tee's many offspring have stood the test of time - a great initial idea which I don't see going out of style anytime soon. Whitey says just spin the ball as hard as you can and most of the time it goes straight. I say, remember that hole-in-one? Pure skill. 


#3 Street Fighter v. #6 Pole Position. A battle between two icons of their respective genres: driving games and fighting games. Street Fighter was a double joystick machine, meaning there were some 64 possible moves. However, it could be defeated using about five of them (and while the original Street Fighter was ok, Street Fighter II is really where this franchise took off. Again though, a la Golden Tee, the first game spawned a monster.) Pole Position was the perfect game of its day - the game gave you more time for hangin' it all out for your quarter. Before Pole Position the only driving games were staged at night due to the limitations of technology. Pole Position is the original modern driving game - that's a steering wheel!


#2 Star Wars v. #7 Q*Bert. One of two games in the tournament which originated as a movie (Tron), Star Wars is a classic, even for people on the Dark Side of the Force. Q-Bert is just Pac-Man on a pyramid. I dropped a lot of quarters into that machine; however, most were for my girlfriend.





PONG REGION




#1 Pong v. #8 Moon Patrol. Wow, Pong v. Moon Patrol - where does one start? Pong is the grand-daddy of them all and may be the sentimental favorite in the tournament. Moon Patrol is Defender on wheels. Sure there was a catchy tune, and the way the buggy kinda floated when you hit the jump button made you think you were driving in space. Pong was just two lines that bounced a block back and forth. And back. And forth. But take a look at Brick Breaker on your phone. Look familiar? This is a knockout! Whitey says Pong!


#4 Centipede v. #5 Rampage. Rampage - what more could you ask from a game but to trash buildings? Kong, Wolfman, and Zilla could bring down the house. One player wasn't enough though, you needed 2-3 to really beat the machine. Centipede was chaos, but it’s the all-time trackball/single-shot game. And the mushrooms gave you a fit. Whitey remembers when Centipede came out - Milton's pizza had one, and as the speed increased so did your heartbeat.


#3 Galaga v. #6 Spy Hunter. Spy Hunter was a great game if you had a lot of time to kill. Like Pac-Man, there was a pattern, but it was much easier. The Professor says Spy Hunter is one his favorite games of all-time, and if there was some discernible pattern I didn't discover it.. Oil slicks? Rotating blades from your wheels? And when you died you got dropped off from the moving semi. As a Bond fan, this was a great game, although I was not good at it. Galaga was awesome! When you doubled up your ship…awesome! From that point the challenge stages got easier and the points racked up. The Professor forgot about the double ships...that was pretty sweet.



#2 Asteroids v. #7 Paperboy. A true test of old/new school. Well, new school circa 1987. Not many of us have driven a spaceship through an asteroid field, but most of us had a paper route. You could just chuck papers at windows, flower pots, and front porches. The only thing missing was the old man yelling because it wasn't on his doorstep, or the lady who always waved hello. Asteroids was a game that really put your head in a vice. Since we were all teenagers, we knew nothing about space propulsion. The second button, that allowed you to move, caused more problems than Felix the Cat. You couldn't stop on a dime, Whitey got crushed, and reached for another quarter. And the Professor did the same.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Whitey & The Professors’ All-Time Arcade Game Challenge

Well, well, well. Whitey was stirred by the references to the Commodore 64/VIC-20 in my last post to discuss computer/video game systems. Tandy, Odyssey, Colecovision, Intellivision, Atari, Sega, Nintendo, and you get the idea. This conversation quickly moved from computers to video games, on to arcade games and...

So…due to the incessant quest for knowledge that makes Whitey who he is we present for you: Whitey & The Professors’ All-Time Arcade Game Challenge. We have collected a cast of 32 classic arcade games, every one of which saw its inception before 1990. During the ‘90’s video gaming systems advanced to the point where, well, you might as well just play the thing at home.

But before then we had two options: put in a quarter, or go home and play a lame knock-off of your favorite game. Yes kids, there was a time when there were video games and VIDEO GAMES. Sure, you could play Pac-Man or Donkey Kong on your Atari in the basement, but they were terrible. Nintendo made everything much more palatable in 1985, but it would be many years later before home systems matched what you could find at the local 7-11.

SO…here we go. Whitey insisted that every game involved cost a quarter to play in its heyday. We have eliminated games released after 1990 (so sorry Mortal Combat. And NBA Jam, although not so much.) Golden Tee and Dragon's Lair are slight exceptions to this. Golden Tee didn't used to be the money pit it is today, and Dragon's Lair was so revolutionary at the time that it has to be in the tourney. Off to the NIT go Kung-Fu Master, Zaxxon, Breakout, Berzerk, Track & Field, Armor Attack, Battlezone, Vanguard, Lunar Lander, Commando, Phoenix, and the ultimate bubble game on the bubble, Bubbles. We might be willing to have a play-in game if there is significant uproar.

We ranked the 32 games in a painstaking process involving, in no particular order, perusing other websites and beer. Four regions will play off against one another for the chance to be crowned The Best Arcade Game of All-Time.

The four regions are each named for their respective #1 seed: Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Pong, and Space Invaders. Each game has an overall seed, but we seed them here in their corresponding regional bracket. Should you wish to see the big picture and where we are going with this it is HERE.

ALL of the brackets can now be found HERE.

Soon to come, Whitey wants board games and pinball!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sport or Skill? Jay Asked, We Respond

We have had a request to revisit Sport or Skill? with an eye toward deciding the most physically demanding Sport. This request comes courtesy of Jay who, at last check (probably 20 years ago), was settling in to life as a Canadian. But before he opted for a life of ice and G8 summits we had a lively childhood in Mariemont. (Update: he lives in Buffalo now...maybe it wasn't Canada...oh well.) I have a few great memories involving Jay, which I’ll enumerate here:

1. HBO. I had never heard of HBO before – we certainly didn’t have this thing in our house. But one evening we were herded out of the living room – I recall something like sliding doors between the living room and where we were – as his parents settled in to watch…I want to say it was Flashdance. I remember trying to peek through the doors to get a glimpse of whatever untold forbidden things had to be on display in the other room. I still haven’t seen Flashdance, and I don’t think I’m missing much.

This brings to mind another scenario involving Brian and Rex watching Purple Rain with Mrs. Hawk in the room. She would throw a towel over the TV during the racy parts. Oh, to be young again.

2. Commodore 64. We had a Commodore VIC-20. I remember playing games that you loaded with a cassette player. In fact, you had to pop the tape out and put in another every so often. But Jay had a Commodore 64, with a color monitor, and I remember playing Monopoly on the thing. Monopoly? On a computer? God has surely smiled upon us.

3. I remember thinking Jay’s mom was going to beat the tar out of Jeremy Drake one day (she didn't.) I don’t remember what he did, but man was she mad.

4. Jay came back to visit when we were in high school and introduced me to this new rap group. Two chicks. Believe me when I tell you I didn’t think they were saying, “Push It.”

Anyway, back to our topic. For our discussion of the most physically demanding Sport we’re going to use a list from ESPN which, in some stroke of serendipity, seems to have some of the same ideas as our original Sport or Skill? post (Whitey pointed this ESPN thing out to me afterwards, of course. And I'll take alliteration for 500, Alex.) I’d like to say great minds think alike, but I’m not willing to give them that praise.

Below is the top 15 - again their entire list is HERE. They asked a panel of experts to rank various “sports” in numerous categories and this was the result.


Boxing
8.63
8.13
8.63
6.38
6.25
4.38
8.88
8.50
7.00
5.63
72.375
1
Ice Hockey
7.25
7.13
7.88
7.75
7.63
4.88
6.00
8.25
7.50
7.50
71.750
2
Football
5.38
8.63
8.13
7.13
6.38
4.38
7.25
8.50
5.50
7.13
68.375
3
Basketball
7.38
6.25
6.50
7.25
8.13
5.63
4.13
7.75
7.50
7.38
67.875
4
Wrestling
6.63
8.38
7.13
5.13
6.38
7.50
5.00
6.75
4.25
6.38
63.500
5
Martial Arts
5.00
5.88
7.75
6.38
6.00
7.00
6.63
5.88
6.00
6.88
63.375
6
Tennis
7.25
5.13
7.13
6.75
7.75
5.63
3.00
5.00
8.38
6.75
62.750
7
Gymnastics
5.38
6.13
6.63
5.00
6.38
10.00
7.50
6.88
4.50
4.13
62.500
8
Baseball/Softball
4.63
5.75
7.63
6.50
6.75
4.75
5.13
5.63
9.25
6.25
62.250
9
Soccer
7.75
4.50
5.13
7.25
8.25
4.75
3.63
6.25
6.50
7.50
61.500
10
Skiing: Alpine
5.13
5.25
6.00
7.38
6.13
5.63
8.38
6.00
5.13
5.63
60.625
11
Water Polo
7.88
6.63
6.88
5.38
6.38
5.00
4.25
6.38
6.25
5.63
60.625
11
Rugby
6.75
7.00
6.38
5.88
6.00
4.13
6.50
7.88
4.38
5.63
60.500
13
Lacrosse
6.63
5.13
5.75
7.00
6.63
4.75
4.38
6.13
7.13
6.88
60.375
14
Rodeo: Steer Wrestling
4.00
7.00
7.88
3.88
4.88
5.00
7.88
6.88
5.13
4.00
56.500
15


I’m very impressed “Steer Wrestling” made the list. I can guarantee you that, had we made our own list, we would have forgotten all about rodeo events. We’re here to give you the most physically demanding Sport, not the most physically demanding activity you can perform with barnyard animals.

Along with rodeo, we can eliminate skiing and gymnastics. Not Sports. ESPN's list has 60 Sport/Skills, and here is our top 10 for Most Physically Demanding Sport:

1. Boxing/MMA/Wrestling/Martial Arts. Instead of listing these items separately we’re going to lump them all together. All are Sports, and all involve two people trying to physically dominate each other. Sure, there are mental aspects, but they ain’t chess. I’m not going to give you a chance against Brock Lesnar because you can outthink him.

2. Rugby. Rugby can be summed up thusly: Take a boxing ring. Now get rid of the ropes, move it outside, expand the ring to about 500 feet, grow grass on it, give each guy 14 friends, throw an oblong ball out there, and blow a whistle. Have fun.

3. Hockey.

4. Football. Unless you're the kicker. Some would argue that football should beat hockey. We say you're wrong.

5. Soccer. Run, run, run, run and run some more.

6. Water Polo. You try treading water for eight minutes. Now, here’s a ball. Oh, and did I mention that guy over there is going to try and drown you…

7. Lacrosse. This is debatable - lacrosse might well deserve to be higher on this list.

8. Swimming. I know, I know, it’s timed, which should technically eliminate swimming from consideration. But they also have relays involving ‘teams,’ and, well, it’s tough. Of course, this opens the door for a whole host of Track & Field events…

9. Tennis. After watching the Isner/Mahut marathon, we’re putting tennis here. That said, some tennis matches, especially for women, seem to involve less work and last as long as, say, washing the dog.

10. Basketball. Suck it NBA.

11. Rowing/Crew. Again, timed. And in boats. And again, I don’t care.

That’s it.