We often think of Baseball as an American sport. While baseball is considered to be America s national pastime, it is also played all over the world, including Canada, Japan, the Caribbean islands, and South America, just to name a few places. This slow moving, nonviolent game has not only captured the hearts of Americans, but has also spread to other parts of the world. In the United States, baseball is still considered to be the ultimate sport. While the Super bowl, which is the final contest for American pro-football, gets more television viewers than any other event each year, baseball is still followed and watched. Boys and even girls of all ages join little league by the time they are around 4 or 5 years old and learn to play this game. Most American children understand the rules of baseball and have, at one time or another, played this game. The rules of baseball are simple. They have changed little throughout the ages, although there are doubts as to the origin of the game. While historians argue over how and when baseball started, one thing is clear, by the end of the 19th century, it was already America s pastime. Baseball field sizes have changed. The size of the bat has changed as have the size of the balls. The distance between the pitcher s mound has been modified throughout the years as has the distance between the bases. But the main gist of the game has remained the same for over 100 years."