From changing your batter's stance (closed, open, squared) or choosing the type of hit needed for the situation (power, line drive, grounder, bunt) to controlling the type of pitch and positioning fielders, Backyard Baseball 2003 is surprisingly adept at including the most meaningful elements of baseball. But certain tenets of baseball are left alone: batting order remains sacrosanct after the game begins, bunting and stealing is allowed, pitchers tire, and players can have a 'bad day' causing their skills to suffer. The designers have settled on a perfect blend of rules that allow you to experience baseball kid-style - everyone plays, tagging up is required, no leading off, and so forth. Purists may find the mix of pro rules and little league rules irritating, but purists most likely won't play backyard baseball anyway. Using a gamepad requires more control in specific plays, but the point-and-click mouse interface is the easiest way to play the game and allows you to concentrate on playing rather than controlling. Underneath the kid-level gameplay, though, is a solid baseball game with strategic options for pitching, batting, running, and fielding. The level of play is basic sandlot baseball with accompanying oddities, rule changes, and appropriate depth of talent. And therein lies the unmistakable hook - baseball played for the sheer enjoyment of the game, by kids who occasionally throw to the wrong base or not at all, who play on dirt lots as readily as parking lots, and aren't afraid to mix it up. Such is the basis for Backyard Baseball 2003, despite the presence of MLB players disguised as kids.

Fortunately, amateur, little league, high school and college, Babe Ruth, pony leagues and legion ball still retain the 'love-of-the-game' feel for players and fans alike, and may ultimately save the venerable pastime from complete ruin.īut the real roots of the game can be found in 'backyard' pick-up games played by competitive, taunting, fun-loving kids who don't give a damn about salaries, endorsements, or primping for the camera. Remember the days before baseball succumbed to greed, player pampering, and steroid-inflated statistics? While that sentiment may be germane to Backyard Baseball 2003 for the fact you can play 31 Major League Baseball pros as kids, overall public opinion of the sport has waned considerably in recent decades because of feuding owners and players.

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