OT--wiffle ball birthday

[uconn13]

way off topic here...but today is the anniversary of the invention of the wiffle ball, from Shelton CT....a tip of the cap to the gentleman that invented it.
as a youngster visiting my cousin in Wallingford back in the 70's/ early 80's, we had some serious, serious backyard battles...same as when he visited us here in PA...don't know how many rolls of electrical tape I went through, adding to the bats, the balls really traveled!
shame of it is, where I live here in PA, I just don't see any kids playing wiffle ball...too busy with electronics, I suppose.
nonetheless, a reflection on a priceless childhood treasure, born in CT, and enjoyed all over this country

 

[mauconnfan]

way off topic here...but today is the anniversary of the invention of the wiffle ball, from Shelton CT....a tip of the cap to the gentleman that invented it.
as a youngster visiting my cousin in Wallingford back in the 70's/ early 80's, we had some serious, serious backyard battles...same as when he visited us here in PA...don't know how many rolls of electrical tape I went through, adding to the bats, the balls really traveled!
shame of it is, where I live here in PA, I just don't see any kids playing wiffle ball...too busy with electronics, I suppose.
nonetheless, a reflection on a priceless childhood treasure, born in CT, and enjoyed all over this country

Backyard battles with cousins, neighborhood battles with strike zones and you needing to bat the same as the hitter for the lineup you choose. Scorebooks, HR numbers kept, BA's etc etc........can you catch it off the roof or not? Is that a double or a triple - no running bases just using the parks fences, the houses you were at, the hedges anything at all.

I was Bobby Murcer, Tresh and I was Yaz, Reggie Smith. Yankee fan vs my Sox friends. I was also Roberto, Oliva, Carew and made sure the stance,, the holding of the bat were as accurate as we could get them.

Wiffle Ball where for art thou?

 

[Rico444]

Backyard battles with cousins, neighborhood battles with strike zones and you needing to bat the same as the hitter for the lineup you choose. Scorebooks, HR numbers kept, BA's etc etc...can you catch it off the roof or not? Is that a double or a triple - no running bases just using the parks fences, the houses you were at, the hedges anything at all.

I was Bobby Murcer, Tresh and I was Yaz, Reggie Smith. Yankee fan vs my Sox friends. I was also Roberto, Oliva, Carew and made sure the stance,, the holding of the bat were as accurate as we could get them.

Wiffle Ball where for art thou?

I remember playing my cousin as a kid. He was a Sox, I was the Mets (both of us were Mets fans, but he liked the Sox too). I remember one "World Series" we played against each other, "Trot Nixon" batted about .900 against my Mets. I couldn't get him out! Great memories.

 

[Stainmaster]

Wiffle ball with friends has been my main source of physical activity this summer. Great fun.

 

[Deepster]

We bought wiffle balls by the case for the local drugstore as a kid. I can't count the time spent playing it. We had one small tree in the right field corner and I learned to hit lefty to hit it because it was the "triple tree". I still grab a ball at a cookout and mow down the youngsters with my unhittable riser. Great thread.

 

[Rico444]

We bought wiffle balls by the case for the local drugstore as a kid. I can't count the time spent playing it. We had one small tree in the right field corner and I learned to hit lefty to hit it because it was the "triple tree". I still grab a ball at a cookout and mow down the youngsters with my unhittable riser. Great thread.

I used to throw sidearm; I'd grip the ball with the holes just above my fingers when I released the pitch, and I'd aim at the batter's ankles, and the pitch would end up neck-high. Loved that one.

 

[Dove]

any grounder = out
fly ball caught = out
woods in left = home run
roof in center and right = home run
fly ball to left not in woods = fly out
liner off house above 1st floor windows = double
Fly ball landing on 10 x 12 deck = triple
liner off house at 1st floor level = single

Muell Stadium was a blast in the late 70s btw the Sox and Yanks.

 

[intlzncster]

This is backyard wiffle ball at his finest. Guy bought his house because the 2 telephone poles in the back were positioned perfectly for foul ball lines.

http://www.barstoolsports.com/phila...iffle-ball-field-in-the-history-of-backyards/

 

[intlzncster]

Stealing from barstool again, how about this wiffle ball out?

 

[UCFBfan]

Love whiffle ball. As a kid, we used to take all the Vote For.... Signs off yards and use them to create the outfield wall in my buddies dead end street. Use a lawn chair for a strike zone and tape up the bats. Awesome fun. Hope to teach my little girls the joys of whiffle ball when they get older.

 

[mauconnfan]

Love whiffle ball. As a kid, we used to take all the Vote For.... Signs off yards and use them to create the outfield wall in my buddies dead end street. Use a lawn chair for a strike zone and tape up the bats. Awesome fun. Hope to teach my little girls the joys of whiffle ball when they get older.

Lawn chairs for strike zones - nice did that also.

 

[mauconnfan]

Stealing from barstool again, how about this wiffle ball out?

Nice swing off the riser but hit it too hard not enough air.

Learned a lot from wiffle ball, keeping the hands back on a curve ball when you had a guy who also threw peas. Switch hitting, smaller field created fast reactions with the hands on D. While fun it was a serious game when you had good players and helped develop some baseball skills as we matured. Just glad I never saw anyone who could throw the "riser" with a 2 seam Spalding ball later in life

 

[mauconnfan]

I used to throw sidearm; I'd grip the ball with the holes just above my fingers when I released the pitch, and I'd aim at the batter's ankles, and the pitch would end up neck-high. Loved that one.

Sidearm on the cross seam, holes up was my riser, hold it the same overhand it was a nasty slider or screw ball as they say depending on which side the holes were.

 

[mauconnfan]

Don't want to start another thread but what about "cotton ball"? Anyone get into that? It was with a ball of cotton (few of them) and just winding electrical, masking (didn't last as long) or adhesive tape around the ball until a small round ball. Basically stick ball with a cotton ball but you could hum the rock at high velocity. Much more of a pitchers game than wiffle ball but the speed and hand/eye coordination you learned from it was great as a kid growing up. I am sure there were other variations depending on where you were brought up. Our summer camp counselor (UConn grad and catcher there) was also the JV coach at Maloney then and soon to be many of our head coach in HS in a few years, just had us playing baseball and cotton ball every day in the summer at 10-13 years old it was great. Games, HR derby's etc etc. Not sure this happens as it used to and its too bad.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Don't want to start another thread but what about "cotton ball"? Anyone get into that? It was with a ball of cotton (few of them) and just winding electrical, masking (didn't last as long) or adhesive tape around the ball until a small round ball. Basically stick ball with a cotton ball but you could hum the rock at high velocity. Much more of a pitchers game than wiffle ball but the speed and hand/eye coordination you learned from it was great as a kid growing up. I am sure there were other variations depending on where you were brought up. Our summer camp counselor (UConn grad and catcher there) was also the JV coach at Maloney then and soon to be many of our head coach in HS in a few years, just had us playing baseball and cotton ball every day in the summer at 10-13 years old it was great. Games, HR derby's etc etc. Not sure this happens as it used to and its too bad.

We did some variations of that with duct tape and basically any other form of adhesive.

Later on in life while in the US Navy we'd take some ordnance tape (think Gorilla Glue brand duct tape; thicker and sturdier than the basic grey stuff) wrap it up in to a ball and throw it at each other. That would definitely leave a mark. Probably a good thing we didn't have whiffle ball bats and electric tape. Everyone would be walking around with welts and a limp from the whacks you'd take to the calf.

 

[Greathusky]

I was raised in Shelton CT. This is my only claim to fame.

 

[coachRD]

way off topic here...but today is the anniversary of the invention of the wiffle ball, from Shelton CT....a tip of the cap to the gentleman that invented it.
as a youngster visiting my cousin in Wallingford back in the 70's/ early 80's, we had some serious, serious backyard battles...same as when he visited us here in PA...don't know how many rolls of electrical tape I went through, adding to the bats, the balls really traveled!
shame of it is, where I live here in PA, I just don't see any kids playing wiffle ball...too busy with electronics, I suppose.
nonetheless, a reflection on a priceless childhood treasure, born in CT, and enjoyed all over this country

I suspect I grew up under similar conditions to a lot of posters here: the unstructured days of the 70's & 80's and playing an INSANE amount of backyard & street sports with the tried and true "Get home when the street lights come on" requirement and an occasional attitude adjustment received from any neighbor when I was being obnoxious.

Many great memories, and I am currently trying to see where that childhood experience fits in for my 9-year old son in 2015. Like a lot of things from days of yore-it's probably a good thing that SOME of those things have gone by the wayside, but MOST of that childhood experience is worth keeping. Inspired by UCONN13's initial post, and the subsequent responses from many of you, my wife and I organized a 70's/80's style, UNstructured, NON-Pinterest-inspired play vs "play DATE" for our son and about 10 of his friends at our house. Hide-n-Seek in the woods & trail in our backyard, a yard that has PERFECT wiffle ball dimensions, a soccer goal, multiple footballs/soccer balls/etc. laying around the yard....Go play, and you're only coming in the house to use the bathroom!

This has been one AWESOME thread! Thank you.

 

[uconn13]

glad to see so many positive wiffle ball memories being recounted here...for a brief moment, it made me feel like I was back to being 8 years old, and not 45 with multiple sclerosis and legally blind...but I digress.

I know for a fact, that just about every penny of my snow shoveling, grass cutting and multiple other chore money was spent on wiffle ball "materials", be it scorebooks, tape, what have you, in relation to playing wiffle ball non stop, while on summer vacation from school.

oh, and throw in packs of baseball cards, WITH CARDBOARD TEXTURED GUM...that would definitely be the summation of where my childhood money was spent.

thanks for sharing all of your remarkably similar stories, fellow boneyarders

 

[David 76]

Sounds like life growing up in the 60s too. When did playing sports come to require adult coaches, adult audiences,uniforms with your name on it, and umpires/ refs.
I mean, we had organized leagues but that was 10% of our ball playing.

 

[mauconnfan]

glad to see so many positive wiffle ball memories being recounted here...for a brief moment, it made me feel like I was back to being 8 years old, and not 45 with multiple sclerosis and legally blind...but I digress.

I know for a fact, that just about every penny of my snow shoveling, grass cutting and multiple other chore money was spent on wiffle ball "materials", be it scorebooks, tape, what have you, in relation to playing wiffle ball non stop, while on summer vacation from school.

oh, and throw in packs of baseball cards, WITH CARDBOARD TEXTURED GUM...that would definitely be the summation of where my childhood money was spent.

thanks for sharing all of your remarkably similar stories, fellow boneyarders

Thank you for starting it. The memories of the fields we played at and the one's we created - "hit it here it's a double, from here to here triple and over a HR". These kids who sit on their XBox's and now computer high tech games have no idea what they're missing. Actually it's pretty simple too, the great outdoors is what they're missing. Grab a wiffle ball and bat, make the bat your own with black electrical tape and a barber's swirl on the handle and go out and have some REAL FN fun.

I was talking on the phone with my brother last night and discussed this and we started reminiscing about the fields we made at our house, our aunts and uncles house, gramps and the local park Washington Park in Meriden where there were many wiffle ball tourneys in the late 60's early 70's - just huge memories.

Oh and by the way, none of these new bats with real sized barrels guys, just the original yellow skinny bat we all grew to love. No other way.

 

[intlzncster]

I suspect I grew up under similar conditions to a lot of posters here: the unstructured days of the 70's & 80's and playing an INSANE amount of backyard & street sports with the tried and true "Get home when the street lights come on" requirement and an occasional attitude adjustment received from any neighbor when I was being obnoxious.

Many great memories, and I am currently trying to see where that childhood experience fits in for my 9-year old son in 2015. Like a lot of things from days of yore-it's probably a good thing that SOME of those things have gone by the wayside, but MOST of that childhood experience is worth keeping. Inspired by UCONN13's initial post, and the subsequent responses from many of you, my wife and I organized a 70's/80's style, UNstructured, NON-Pinterest-inspired play vs "play DATE" for our son and about 10 of his friends at our house. Hide-n-Seek in the woods & trail in our backyard, a yard that has PERFECT wiffle ball dimensions, a soccer goal, multiple footballs/soccer balls/etc. laying around the yard....Go play, and you're only coming in the house to use the bathroom!

This has been one AWESOME thread! Thank you.

I laughed out loud when you said you had to schedule and organize a 'unstructured play day'. I completely ran a muck when I was young. Good thing to set up; hope your kids know what to do! ahahah

 

[WillB4]

Don't want to start another thread but what about "cotton ball"? Anyone get into that? It was with a ball of cotton (few of them) and just winding electrical, masking (didn't last as long) or adhesive tape around the ball until a small round ball. Basically stick ball with a cotton ball but you could hum the rock at high velocity. Much more of a pitchers game than wiffle ball but the speed and hand/eye coordination you learned from it was great as a kid growing up. I am sure there were other variations depending on where you were brought up. Our summer camp counselor (UConn grad and catcher there) was also the JV coach at Maloney then and soon to be many of our head coach in HS in a few years, just had us playing baseball and cotton ball every day in the summer at 10-13 years old it was great. Games, HR derby's etc etc. Not sure this happens as it used to and its too bad.

Yep, we used a Spaulding Pink wrapped with a wide cloth tape my dad brought home from work. Wrapped that sucker tight and it did fly. Sometimes we have to wrap that ball a couple of times a game.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Back in the 50' s we played an entire ML schedule .one summer BG( Before Girls)
Wiffle ball was new and we used old broom handles as bats.
2 of us were the American League and the other two were the National we usually played one on one. One friend had a typewriter and we published stats and standings. (With 8 team leagues 4 6 inning games are not that much time)Sports were our life. I also played on a playground team plus multiple pickup games the same summer. Sitting home wasn't an option
Home, was only for meals and bed.
We had an All-Star game and a World Series where we played 2 against 2.
I remember losing the All-Star game on a one hitter
I Struck out 18 in six innings and gave up a home run.
I had a wicked riser. Hits were precious. We could only manage a few weak singles.

 

[UCFBfan]

I suspect I grew up under similar conditions to a lot of posters here: the unstructured days of the 70's & 80's and playing an INSANE amount of backyard & street sports with the tried and true "Get home when the street lights come on" requirement and an occasional attitude adjustment received from any neighbor when I was being obnoxious.

I grew up in the 80's and I clearly remember each of my friends and I had a specific sound that was our cue to get home for dinner or the night. My mom would ring a big bell hanging by our garage, my buddy had a whistle his parents would blow, another had his dad just yell his name and you could hear it from anywhere, and another had an air horn as his cue. I just remember playing any thing until it was almost so dark you could barely see. Specifically remember playing whiffle ball until you could no longer see the ball. At times, some bats would come out and if you tossed that white ball up, the bats would chase it back down. Really yearn for days like that when kids felt safe enough to be out on their own and parents were able to trust that their kids would be safe.

This is a great thread!

 

[Minicoop69]

Playing wiffle ball in the backyard or driveway is where my after school or summer would be spent. Played 1v1 with brother.

Driveway rules.
Pickup a grounder before it gets past is an out. If it makes its way to the garage is a single. Pop fly with a man on 1st is a double play. Ball hit in air that his garage doors is a double. Ball hit on roof of garage that doesn't go over is a triple. Anything over it a home run. Played 7 innings with ghost men. Also played with monkey ball.

Memories! !!