FUNGOMAN JOURNAL

Did you know that Indoor Baseball is an official game all its own? Did you know that the same day America consumes 46 million turkeys is also the birthday of Indoor Baseball? That's right, indoor baseball, first conceived by George Hancock, became a game with an official rulebook and everything back on Thanksgiving 1887. (Click image to read the full rulebook, provided by The Library of Congress) Today young players and baseball's best still seek to play no matter the storm. In fact, 6 out of 30 Major League Stadiums have retractable or fixed roofs, making for much happier players and fans in the colder and more tropical states. The likes include: Rogers Centre, Toronta Blue Jays Chase Field, Arizona Diamondbacks Safeco Field, Seattle Mariners Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros Marlins Park, Maimi Marlins Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay Rays For those who want to play better no matter the weather, the rest of baseball turns to indoor training facilities, where young players fire up their game in the warmth of air-controlled facilities, with excellent turf, and other training tools. So, on the Eve of the day our American culture ackowledges those to whom we are most thankful, FungoMan would like to give these awesome customers a hattip for making baseball practice engaging and possible for their players, and for allowing us to help do exactly that. To find out just how many FungoMan's help assist indoor baseball facilities, read on.

Ever heard something about baseball that you didn't understand? You're not alone. As a kid growing up around baseball, you'd hear phrases like "he's got soft hands" or "that ball was smoked!" and maybe scratch your head wondering what all this meant? Was it good or bad that his hands where soft? Is a "smoked ball" a fast pitch or a hard hit "zinger"? While language is always evolving, so does baseball slang among players and fans. So until further notice, here's a little examination on the taken-for-granted baseball terms that baseball enthusiasts know, leaving the rest "caught looking."

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." The source of all baseball wisdom, Yogi Berra, couldn't be more accurate. Especially when it comes down to the practice of communication plays. It's absolutely vital to carve out practice time for plays that rely on the verbal aspect of making the out. In the heat of the game, unprepared players panic with the pressure, forget to broadcast their presence, and inevitably find out all too late that their fellow comrades either assumed the other would rise to the occasion, or inevitably make contact with more than just the ball. So when it comes to focusing on communication, how do you educate your players on the most successful protocols for each game situation? Take a look at this infographic to discover the simple ingredients to instill confidence in your players when these fielding situations arise.