Watch The World Series With A Score Card

With the World Series beginning tonight, now's as good of a time as any to track a ball game with a score card. And while it's not BaseWars, it's still a pretty geeky way to appreciate sports: stats, mapping, cryptic notations ... the only thing missing are the dice. (In the post-season, Alex Rodriguez would have just 3 HP and his only weapon would be the Epic Whack of Wimpy.)

Baseball scoring has many variations for keeping score, so you can do what makes sense to you. Modify & adapt as you see fit - there really is no right or wrong to keep score. All you need is a pencil and a score sheet. For the card, there are plenty of free options on the Web, or - if you're really serious about it - you can buy a book. Plus, I found a really great score card for kids - it ignores all the detail and keeps the action concentrated on hits and runs. I can attest it works very well for six-year-olds. If you're a little higher tech, there are some Pocket PC and old Palm apps out there, but nothing for the iPhone ... yet.

Scorekeeping adds another dimension to watching a game. Since baseball can be slow moving at times, keeping score can help you and a wee one maintain concentration and interest. So print out a card, pop some popcorn and find someplace comfy to sit. It's World Series time!