By Francis Kelly

All bases covered: Work goes on to prepare the Oval for baseball in 1993 and, inset, the souvenir programme

THE last time baseball tried to conquer Britain, it involved a parrot costume, torrential rain, and Alec Stewart attempting to hit a ball out of the Oval.
That was back in 1993 and a weekend exhibition of the US sport at Surrey’s cricket ground, which through dreary October weather, struggled to inspire those already not indoctrinated.
This weekend, Major League Baseball returns to the capital after an almost 26-year hiatus, striving to once again engage w...