23 ways to reach first base
We're talking baseball here, so settle down.
I just bought a sports encyclopdedia called "23 ways to get to first base".. it contains tons of uselessly fascinating sports trivia, including.. you may have guessed it.. the 23 ways in which a baseball player can reach first base.
Starting first with the mundane (single, walk, hit by pitch, error) it then moves into the somewhat unique (obstruction of runner, fair ball hits umpire, spectator interference).
But what has to be far and away my favorite way is #23
"Game suspended with runner on first; if he's traded prior to the makeup game, another player may take his place."
In other words.
- Guy A, a player on the Blue Jays, reaches first base (say, through one of the other 22 methods)
- As he's on first, the heavens open up, it starts pissing rain. The game is scheduled for a restart at a later date (probably the next day) (I think after a certain amount of innings they would just make it a final score (assuming it wasn't tied) so this would have to happen early on)
- Before the restart.. say the following afternoon.. the player who was on 1st base is traded.
- Game restarts that evening.. but Guy A no longer plays for the Blue Jays. Yet the Jays are entitled to have someone on 1st base since that was the scenario when the game stopped. So...
- Guy B takes Guy A's place!
Congratulations Guy B. You just made it to first base in the most obscure fucking way possible.
I just bought a sports encyclopdedia called "23 ways to get to first base".. it contains tons of uselessly fascinating sports trivia, including.. you may have guessed it.. the 23 ways in which a baseball player can reach first base.
Starting first with the mundane (single, walk, hit by pitch, error) it then moves into the somewhat unique (obstruction of runner, fair ball hits umpire, spectator interference).
But what has to be far and away my favorite way is #23
"Game suspended with runner on first; if he's traded prior to the makeup game, another player may take his place."
In other words.
- Guy A, a player on the Blue Jays, reaches first base (say, through one of the other 22 methods)
- As he's on first, the heavens open up, it starts pissing rain. The game is scheduled for a restart at a later date (probably the next day) (I think after a certain amount of innings they would just make it a final score (assuming it wasn't tied) so this would have to happen early on)
- Before the restart.. say the following afternoon.. the player who was on 1st base is traded.
- Game restarts that evening.. but Guy A no longer plays for the Blue Jays. Yet the Jays are entitled to have someone on 1st base since that was the scenario when the game stopped. So...
- Guy B takes Guy A's place!
Congratulations Guy B. You just made it to first base in the most obscure fucking way possible.