Scorekeeping

Well, the broadcasters probably either carry their own score cards or, more likely, have use of a computer system with input from the official scorer.

As for fans, they improvise. At the SeaRex vs. Lotte game (2-gun) game I attended a couple of weeks ago, one fan in front of me had graph paper with line-ups written down the side and 12 boxes across pencilled in. For the enthusiastic fan, it really isn't hard to make.

What was more interesting than his score card, though, was what his wife was up to. She had a couple of stuffed horses with her and, when Yokosuka too the lead, they were facing forward watching the game. When we fell behind the next inning, the horses turned around, with their trailing end to the field (representing that we were "behind"?). We took the lead back, and the horses turned back around. Then, after the game became a run away (we won 12-2 or so), the horses laid down and went to sleep. (Was it a sleeper for them?)

Fans have all kinds of ways to watch, and participate, in the games. Not many keep score with a score card. But those who do buy or create the necessary resources themselves.

In the many games I have attended at the Fukuoka Dome, I have seen very little score keeping by fans. I believe that the main reason for this is that the major activity at a baseball game is group cheering, which leaves no time for such things as scoring, or sometimes even no time for such things as watching the game. This was driven home to me when I once saw a fan who was sitting directly in my line of view when looking at home plate who, 90% of the time, was looking at the right field stands where the cheerleading was occuring so he could keep up with the choreography, only occasionally glancing toward the field to see what actually happened.