Spring fever is here, everyone! That brings up a great question: What’s as much caught as taught? Yes, it’s a baseball.
We love hearing the pop of the ball in a glove or the crack of a bat. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in Little League, high school, college, or the pros.
Did you know before that there’s an adapted sport for blind and visually impaired athletes that goes by the name, beep baseball? That’s tonight’s feature for Fitness Friday. You can check out this video before reading on.
The design and the sound of the field may get you thinking this a different game. Bases buzz to let runners know where to go. There are two bses, not three. And while the bases buzz, a softball sized ball flies through the air beeping. The pitcher (who is sighted) is on the same team as the players up to bat with the goal of putting the ball where the hitter can best make contact. Six fielders wait on defense each ready for the ball to come into their assigned zones.
With all the adaptations in place, it’s still baseball, America’s pastime. Strikes versus balls matter. Outs happen when a player reaches the ball before the runner reaches base. You can find more about the specific rules to beep baseball here in a user-friendly narrative style. Snapshots along the way illustrate how these rules make the game unique and competitive..
So what’s the history of this thrilling sport?
While the first beep baseball made its now familiar sound in 1964 thanks to members of Southwestern Bell wanting to create an equivalent game for the blind to America’s pastime, the first full season and World Series took place twelve years later. That’s when the National Beep Baseball Association was formed. The team from St. Paul, Minnesota defeated the team from Phoenix, AZ to capture the first league title. Since then, some teams have created dynasties for themselves like the Austin Blackhawks (seven in a row) and the current titleholders, the Indy Thunder (currently on a streak of four).
Living in the United States, are you interested in playing the game yourself? Or do you have a friend or family member who’s blind and wants to be taken out to the old ballgame as much as possible? Check out this list of teams to see if one of them is near you.
Maybe, you know enough people in your area who’d like to play beep baseball but you don’t have a team you can join. Perhaps, it’s time to form one as this page shows you how.
I hope this has helped give you a snapshot of playing beep baseball. For more information about the National Beep Baseball Association go to:
Play ball, folks!
Boldly Blind 