Sunday May 18th I attended the Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park in which they beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-7! I wasn't surprised that I was the only one in sight who was scoring the game with pencil and paper. Although there is not one "standard way" to score a game, there are common principles. Such activities helps keep a person focused on the attention on the field and away from mindless chit-chat and "people watching." Unfortunately the people I was with and those around me have never scored a game. I was more than happy to teach them the basics.
I was more then edified to learn that Art of Manliness has recently posted "How to score a baseball game with pencil and paper" as a definite manly activity! (Women are surely capable of scoring as well. I recall seeing both men and women scoring in the past.) It also gives a very well done guide to the basics of scoring a game.
Scoring a baseball game with paper and pencil is a tradition that goes back to the early days of the game. Keeping score is a great way to get more involved as a fan. You’ll get really engaged in the game. Moreover, each scorecard is a story of each game that you go to. Scorecards make a great memento of all the baseball games you’ve attended. Unfortunately, with the rise of high tech scoreboards and cell phones that can give updates right in the palm of your hand, keeping score with a game card is becoming a lost art.Image: Red Sox home scorecard (Sunday May 18, 2008)
