Metz. Baseball: America as if you were there
-battait-beziers-et-si-vous-alliez-au-stade-ce-samedi-photo-hugo-azmani-1746813342.jpg)
It's America in Metz! The city is hosting the French Baseball Cup. The semifinals and finals take place this Saturday, May 10th, and Sunday, May 11th. The challenge brings together the eight best teams in the country, including Metz. For the uninitiated, this is a chance to get caught up in the game. Pierre Cezard, a leading figure in the "Cometz" club, sheds some light on the subject.
The baseball stadium is located next to the "L'anneau" athletics track, near Borny. Called "Cometz Field," it has the feel of rural America: a wooden stand, passionate volunteers, a large net behind the batter to prevent accidents (the balls are thrown at 150 km/h!), a field of orderly beauty. The green of the lawn, the ochre of the earth in a perfect geometry. "A game has no time limit," comments Pierre Cezard. "Teams play nine innings, it can last 2 hours or 4 hours. In the United States, you go with your family, without looking at your watch too much, telling yourself that you'll see some great action. More than a sport, it's the national pastime."
You'll quickly understand the rules, explained in a printed leaflet at the entrance. The soul of baseball is more subtle to grasp; it's the essence of the discipline. "On offense, failure is the norm. The best batters hit three balls out of ten. On defense, success is the rule: a handling error, a ball that goes between your legs, it severely penalizes your team. Mentally, the alternation of the two phases is very strong." Add another perspective: "Baseball is an individual and team sport. During the batter-versus-pitcher phase, it's one-on-one. All the players come up to bat; you can't escape it; it's your moment of solitude. During the defensive phases, collective intelligence dominates (Editor's note: throwing the ball to intercept an opposing player running around the bases)." Each player who circles the four bases scores a point. We then say that he "goes home": quite a poetic, very American thing.
Semifinals this Saturday, May 10, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., especially to cheer on Metz. The final will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Real Americans on the team!
Cameran Brantley plays for Metz. He's 25 years old and comes from North Carolina. He's one of those French D1 players (usually five per team) who are foreigners. Americans and South Americans come to spend a year in Europe, hoping to break into independent leagues in Japan or the United States afterward. "I signed for a year in Metz," explains Cameran. "I wanted to travel!" How do you develop a passion for baseball in the USA? "You watch a game on TV and one day, they give you tickets to go to the stadium. And that's it (laughs). For me, it was in Washington." Each team plays 162 games in six months; baseball is a permanent fixture in the USA. "My favorite team is still the Boston Red Sox. Watching a game up there is like touching history. It's the oldest stadium in the country, with the Boston skyline behind it... and cars that get hit when there's a homerun!" (shoots outside the stadium)”.
Hubert Gamelon
These “things” to know
• There are only two colors in baseball: the home team wears white, the visiting team wears dark.
• A cap is mandatory: it is essential with the sun shining in your face.
• When a batter misses his third ball, a guy imitates a teacher tearing up a copy: it's the umpire, who theatrically adds to it, so that the pitcher understands that he must pass his turn.
• The game never stops completely. A player who wanders away from his base and daydreams can be eliminated by being hit.
• A pitcher who throws his ball at the batter (and not beside it) is not done! The batter earns the right to go to first base directly.
• Baseball cannot be played in the rain; the ball is too slippery. Hence the championship is held from April to October.
Le Républicain Lorrain
%3Aquality(70)%3Afocal(838x857%3A848x867)%2Fcloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com%2Fliberation%2FJPZECTUMTBCGPKC5S5F7BUZGRY.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
