I am a big fan of the Backyard Baseball series and Backyard Baseball 2003 is one of the more fun entries in the series. Many people do not realize just what a big deal this series was. It lasted for around a decade and showed up on a ton of different systems over the years.

Batter Up!

Jun 18, 2018  The Original Backyard Baseball Characters, Ranked. Years ago, I remember seeing a video of Vlad Guerrero throwing a ball from the third-base foul line over the right field wall. Nov 02, 2019 Backyard Baseball is a baseball game created by Humongous Entertainment and released for Windows and Macintosh in 1997. It's the first of a long series of successful titles, the last one of which was released in 2015. I’ve spent most of my life thinking about baseball and the baseball swing. I played 4 years of Div. 1 baseball at Boston College where I was a Big East Academic All-American and hit.300 over my Junior and Senior seasons. Despite the success I had as a player, I wish I could go back and do it all again with the information we have now.

The point of Backyard Baseball 2003 is to give players the chance to play baseball like they did when they were kids. It is such a clever idea as when it comes to kid sports there is just something so very wholesome, fun and adorable about baseball. While the game is all about kids, it features kid versions of some of the players of the day and that is pretty awesome if you ask me.

Like A Cartoon

One of my favorite aspects of the series is the presentation. I know that you could easily make the argument that Backyard Baseball 2003 does not look a whole lot different from the previous game and that is fair. However, there is so much charm here and I do think that things look that little bit sharper and the kids look awesome and just like the kids you would play with at recess when you were at school.

Speaking of recess that is what the graphics actually remind me of, Recess the TV show. That along with other late 90s early 00s kids shows like All Grown Up.

Step Up To The Mound

While it has a cutesy kind of art style and a look like it is a game for kids. Backyard Baseball 2003 actually plays a really great game of baseball. This is the perfect blend of realistic baseball action and arcade fun and as a result, it is very addictive. No matter if you are pitching or batting, the gameplay is nice and tight and you have plenty of different moves that you can do so you can play the game just the way you want.

Plenty To Do

The main game mode is your season. Here you make up your team and then try to take them to backyard baseball glory. It is awesome how they managed to use actual teams in the game and it does make it that little bit more fun if you ask me. The season is very addictive, but if you want to just jump in and have a quick game you can do that. What is neat about that is you can pick all kinds of options ranging from the park you play in, the difficulty, how long the game lasts and so on.Backyard Baseball 2003 also puts a lot of effort into the actual players. You can customize them if you want and that is cool, but what I really like is the way the game will track stats and it even has a hall of fame which for a stats nerd like me was a lot of fun.

In all, I feel that Backyard Baseball 2003 is another solid entry into the series. It is a fun baseball game and the kid style it has really does have a lot of charm. This is a game that can be found on many old game sites, but even tracking down a physical copy is easy and cheap to do. If you like older baseball games, you know before they got all serious. Backyard Baseball 2003 is one that you will have a lot of fun with.

8/10

Pros:

• I really do love the presentation
• Kid versions of the pros are adorable
• The season mode is very addictive
• The actual baseball is a lot of fun
• Getting players into the hall of fame

Cons:

• Not a whole lot different to the last game
• Despite the kiddie look, it can be tough

Long before the days of PlayStation 4s and Xbox Ones, computer games were king. And the king of kings was 'Backyard Baseball.' The game was simple: a bunch of good friends hitting the diamond to play the game they loved.

As the years went by, the game got more fancy as MLB stars were added to the mix, but true fans of the game remember the OBBGs (Original Backyard Baseball Gangsters). Here is a definitive list of the top 10 Backyard Baseball players:

1. Angela Delvecchio

Angela often gets lost in the mix. That's mainly because players don't utilize her strong suits. Everyone's looking for the guy or girl who can park the ball 500 feet or fly around the bases. Delvecchio won't give you that, but she sure as hell can give you a dominating performance on the mound.

If you never sent Angela to the hill, you were missing out. The right-hander sits down batters left and right. Don't overlook AD because of her small frame; she can hurl with the best of them.

2. Dmitri Petrovich

It was always hard to figure out Dmitri. We know he's one of the smartest kids of the bunch, always carrying a couple pens within his pocket protector. He's a baseball brainiac, who sometimes shows some upside. He certainly has home run power, and can play a little first base and catcher, but his poor stamina often comes back to bite him. Regardless, Dmitri was always a good player for the team.

3. Sally Dobbs

You know those players who don't make consistent contact, but send the ball to the moon when they do? The Adam Dunn's and Wily Mo Pena's, if you will. That is Sally Dobbs.

Sally won't provide you many base knocks, but when she connects, she puts it over the fence. She's kind of a high risk, high reward player to have in your lineup. Not to mention, she plays a pretty solid third base and it's always nice to have a sure-handed stud at the hot corner.

4. Mikey Thomas

Mikey is your classic men's softball league catcher. He's the short, pudgy guy who you can't really stick anywhere else. Mikey is not very versatile and is painfully slow, but the kid can swing the stick.

Sporting a rarely seen closed batting stance, Mikey can spray the ball to all fields. You better hope he hits it out of the park, though, because his cement feet won't let him get anywhere past first.

5. Amir Khan

Amir Khan is your stereotypical utility player, an unsung hero, if you will. He's not going to wow you with any particular skill, but he is consistent in all facets of the game. He's best used in the middle infield positions, or corner outfield spots and isn't a bad choice for a leadoff or second man in the order.

Fundamentally sound players are hard to come by, but Amir is one of them. He just could never escape his brother's shadow.

6. Jocinda Smith

Jocinda may very well lead your team in batting average. She's not going to hit the long ball, but her high contact rate made her a top of the batting order fixture. Jocinda is more than capable of setting the tone and even swiping a bag or two.

Not to mention, she's a sure-handed fielder who can play any of the outfield positions. Jocinda is what they like to call in the baseball world a “five-tool player.”

7. Keisha Phillips

Keisha Phillips changed the game. Anyone who thinks baseball is strictly for men has obviously never watched Keisha play. The girl can absolutely rake, a perfect fit for either the third or cleanup spot in the batting order.

Not only that, but she also has great speed. We hadn't seen this power, size and speed combo since the Barry Bonds days (Pittsburgh Pirates Barry Bonds, that is).

8. Achmed Khan

They don't call this guy “The Axeman” for nothing. Achmed certainly hacks the axe up at the plate. One of the more natural hitters in the game, he has the ability to send the ball into orbit on a consistent basis.

His raw power makes him a natural middle of the order guy, and is more than able to rack up the RBIs. Not to mention, he was one of the first athletes in history to rock large headphones on game days. I think Dr. Dre and his Beats need to show some respect to one of the founding fathers.

9. Pete Wheeler

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Pete is arguably the most well-liked player in the game. His youthful aura and childlike approach to the game makes it hard for you not to root for him.

The first thing you think of when you hear 'Pete Wheeler?' Speed. The dude can jet around the bases like no one we've seen before. He has the ability to stretch singles into triples in the blink of the eye. Also, his fleetness of foot makes him an absolute vacuum in the outfield, a perfect fit for center field.

10. Pablo Sanchez

Once in a while, athletes come around that transcend the game; Willie Mays, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady and Pablo Sanchez. Nicknamed “The Secret Weapon,” he was simply an hombre amongst chicos.

Backyard Baseball Game

No one holds a candle to Pablo's skill set; he can do everything. He can hit for contact and power, play any position, has exceptional speed and can even pitch. When you were fielding a team, he was your first pick 10 times out of 10. A sure first ballot hall of famer, 'MVPablo,' indeed.

Honorable Mention

He didn't make the list, and didn't even come close in fact, but kudos to Kenny Kawaguchi. The kid was wheelchair-bound for Pete's sake, and still took the field day in and day out. He is a true warrior who displayed endless passion for the game.

Backyard Baseball was a staple of many kid's childhoods, and these 10 players sure made the game fun to play.