Mar. 19 – Mar. 25, 2000
Baseball
BASEBALL HECKLE DEPOT
Sa-winggggbattabattabatta! Like Arlie Latham, infamous for his antics at the plate, the creators of this terrific humor site know that distracting the other team is just as much a part of baseball as hot dogs are. Visit the heckle Hall of Fame, memorize jeers and sneers for umpires, batters or pitchers, or read the hilarious archive of fan posters. More than 500 heckles and a pile of articles on legendary loudmouths, various cities’ bleacher creatures and fixtures such as the San Diego Chicken make this clever site a must for fans with attitude.
CNNSI.COM: BASEBALL
Drawing from Sports Illustrated’s mother lode of baseball writing and photos, this site always has interesting content. CNN’s global focus contributes information on college to world baseball, something most other big baseball news sites don’t have. The mix of stats, scores, features, fantasy sports and chat here is top-notch, but the site has more. As teams gear up for opening day, fans can take their turn at bat in the message boards and interactive polls, or see videos and photo essays.
FASTBALL
The Web is rich with quality baseball sites, and Fastball is one of them, with a solid mix of news, stats and features. It has thorough spring training coverage that will keep you on top of all the developments in these final two weeks before Opening Day. And for some great belly laughs, check out the treasury of quotes in the Foul Pole feature from the master of baseball malapropisms, Casey Stengel.
MAJORLEAGUEBASEBALL.COM
If no one will take you out to the ballgame, there’s always big-league baseball’s official Web site. Majorleaguebaseball.com offers one thing others can’t: live audio feeds of games and video of key plays. You can even follow live coverage of every pitch in any game or tune in to MLB’s weekly press conference. Little Leaguers and other young baseball fans have their own pages, where they can ask questions and get help with their game. The breaking news, features, player stats, schedules and an archive of historic video and broadcast calls at this superprofessional site are hit out of the park.
STRIKETHREE.COM
This refreshingly smart baseball news and commentary site has a major-league sense of humor and a number of original resources. Chief among these is strikethree.com’s savvy and well-informed Rumor Mill, which collects and comments on anonymous tips on everything from player swaps to pitching order. Talented columnists mix humor and wit in writing about team performances and baseball happenings. Acres O’ Baseball Links thoroughly covers official sites but also has a bundle of pointers to interesting fan pages as well as books and videos.
THE SPORTING NEWS BASEBALL
TSN’s revered baseball coverage comes to life on this excellent site that is a long way from the magazine’s stodgy print personality. Read expert analysis from TSN’s veteran reporters, who offer in-depth team coverage, player profiles, scouting reports, stats, news and rumors. The site’s minor league coverage is among the most comprehensive you’ll find.
BASEBALL STUFF
Here’s a deep-thinking site that’s a change of pace from the straight-ahead news and scores. Its strength is a deep archive of thought-provoking essays on such subjects as the unique effects of ballparks and quantifying a player’s salary against his production. Many of the site’s resources are links, and though some are dated, the subject matter is timeless.
JOHN SKILTON’S BASEBALL LINKS
Updated frequently, this vast links site gets you out of the dugout and into the Web’s galaxy of baseball pages. Boasting more than 6,000 links that are indexed by category and fully searchable, Baseball Links’ collection ranges from obvious destinations to obscure fan sites and baseball music. For those overwhelmed by the directory’s vastness, the Link of the Week singles out choice surfs.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Baseball and radio share a long, rich history, and this offering from Major League Baseball ensures the tradition will continue into the new century. Click on Live Game Audio from atop the main page menu and tap into live radio play-by-play from around the league. The broadcasts feature the home team announcers and cover just about every game on the schedule, with occasional exceptions. Whether you’re following your team from afar or keeping track of your fantasy players, this is a top-notch resource.
NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
For those who can’t make it to Cooperstown, N.Y., the online Hall of Fame is an easy way to cover the bases of baseball his-tory. Biographies of Hall-of-Famers from Hank Aaron to Cy Young, virtual exhibits and introductions to the museum’s vast research collections give the feel of an actual visit. The online museum store sells an extensive selection of baseball gifts and memorabilia.
ROTONEWS FANTASY BASEBALL REPORT
RotoNews is just one of the many great all-around forums available to the growing legions of fantasy baseball nuts. It offers plenty of pre-draft guidance and analysis, player values and evaluations, and some news updates. One of the great features with many of these sites is that they help players find available leagues on the Net, and RotoNews’ matchmaking service offers extensive options.
BASEBALL: THE GAME AND BEYOND
ThinkQuest, a group dedicated to education on the Web, offers this interesting site that is helpful for students, those just learning the game or those of us who simply want to know what makes a curveball curve. You can learn how to calculate ERA, throw different pitches or swing a bat correctly through helpful graphics and simulations.
USA TODAY: BASEBALL
The familiar national news-paper used its considerable editorial resources to build this capacious, if predictable, baseball news and trivia site. Daily features are the heart of this year-round source of online baseball coverage, but the site also rallies a stadium-sized audience on its baseball message boards and fantasy baseball pages. Diamond Nuggets–short features about players, teams and leagues–and a salary index spruce up the scoreboards and statistics.