Hello everyone

[Jackie-Moon]

Hello,
just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm from the UK, and moved here a few years ago. I missed football( Soccer in Americanese) and so have started to get into Baseball. My wifes co-worker went in with us on some season tickets, and I have to say, I'm really enjoying the game!
I'm not too sure on all the rules yet, so I will have questions from time to time.
They'll be basic questions so go easy on me guys :)
my wife is American and she has an understanding of the game.
I'm really enjoying going to the ball games, Friday night against the sox was a blast, had a good time last night (until the panda issue)
first quick question- what is a change up? And a quick folow up- I noticed Zito last night get to two strikes time and time again, however, the umpire never gave the third strike on multiple occasions. The ball looked like it went tithe same place?

[SF Kid]

Welcome Jackie. You picked a good sport to follow. Lots of things to learn and know about baseball.

Here is a definition I found about the changup...

A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball. In addition, before at least the second half of the twentieth century, the term slow-ball was used to denote pitches not a fastball or breaking ball, which almost always meant a type of changeup. Therefore, the terms slow-ball and changeup could be used interchangeably.

The changeup is thrown with the same arm action as a fastball, but at a lower velocity due to the pitcher holding the ball in a special grip. Leo Mazzone states: "When a pitcher throws his best fastball, he puts more in it; the changeup is such that one throws something other than his best fastball. By having this mindset, the pitch will have less velocity on it in addition to the change in grips. This difference from what is expected by the arm action and the velocity can confuse the batter into swinging the bat far too early and thus receiving a strike, or not swinging at all. Should a batter be fooled on the timing of the pitch and still make contact, it will cause a foul ball or the ball being put into play weakly, usually resulting in an out. In addition to the unexpectedly slow velocity, the changeup can also possess a significant amount of movement, which can bewilder the batter even further. The very best changeups utilize both deception and movement."We look forward to talking baseball with you. Go Giants.

[Jackie-Moon]

Thanks for that :)
I love the mental battles betweenthe pitcher and the batter. It's like a game of chess. The way these guys throw the ball is truely amazing. I'd say that's my favourite part of the sport so far.
How any can hit one of those pitches ( never mind a home run etc) is beyond me.
Fasciniating game baseball, eveyone watches everyone else to see who is going to make the first move. There's so much going on once someone gets a base hit, that it's hard to keep up.

[McCovey]

Welcome to SFGF, Jackie-Moon! :toast:

[GiantsFan2010]

Welcome mate. :D

[jandajuice]

Welcome to the boards

[EIM86]

Nice, welcome dude! I went to England last year, beautiful women. Saw some sites, rode the tube, hit up the clubs. Food wasn't the best but I didn't care since the English girls were complimenting how my american accent was so sexy :D. Nice decision picking the Giants, we have a strong fan base and our pitching rules all!

[McCovey]

Hello,
just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm from the UK, and moved here a few years ago. I missed football( Soccer in Americanese) and so have started to get into Baseball. My wifes co-worker went in with us on some season tickets, and I have to say, I'm really enjoying the game!
I'm not too sure on all the rules yet, so I will have questions from time to time.
They'll be basic questions so go easy on me guys :)
my wife is American and she has an understanding of the game.
I'm really enjoying going to the ball games, Friday night against the sox was a blast, had a good time last night (until the panda issue)
first quick question- what is a change up? And a quick folow up- I noticed Zito last night get to two strikes time and time again, however, the umpire never gave the third strike on multiple occasions. The ball looked like it went tithe same place?
You know the word "scocer" is of British origin. :p

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/its-football-to-you-soccer-to-me--fbintl_ro-soccervsfootball070110.html