Current Event #1

Did baseball begin in 18th-century England?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/06/01/lords.museum.baseball.cricket/index.html?hpt=C2

This article talks about the fact that while Americans claim baseball is an All American classic, with the sport originating in America, baseball may have been in fact invented by the English. One evidence of this was a diary found, written in the 18th century by William Bray. In his diary, he wrote, "Went to Stoke church this morn. After dinner, went to Miss Jeale's to play at base ball with her the 3 Miss Whiteheads, Miss Billinghurst, Miss Molly Flutter, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Ford and H. Parsons. Drank tea and stayed til 8." There have also been many other artifacts found which provide evidence of this, such as the sport of baseball being depicted on hankerchiefs. Apparently, the similar sport of cricket diverged from baseball but then when baseball emerged and flourished in America, the two sports went their seperate ways. Baseball became American and cricket became English.
I thought this article was well written. It was interesting and informative, and even came with a video, provding visual effects. I thought it was effective at getting across information to viewers, and I found it interesting that England probably invented baseball rather than America, since many ideas were brought across the Atlantic to America.