by Paul Tukey
ALSO KNOWN AS
Junk Ball, Lawn Ball, Stick Ball
After experimenting with several variations, Mr. Mullany came up with the now-famous Wiffle Ball, a white sphere with slotted oval holes on one side, named for the “whiffing” or striking out that often happens when players swing wildly at the ball, which curves easily and unpredictably. More than a half-century after its invention, at least a half-dozen imitators manufacture plastic baseballs and bats, but scarcely anyone calls the resulting game anything other than Wiffle Ball.
THE SETUP
BASIC IDEA
Played like baseball or softball but with a light plastic bat and slotted ball
PLAYING AREA
Any grassy area where 3 bases and a home plate can be set up
EQUIPMENT
• A plastic bat (or thick, straight stick)
• A Wiffle ball (or a round wad of paper, cloth, or elastic bands)
AGES
4 and up
PLAYERS
1 on 1 to teams of 9 or more
With tens of millions of players of nearly all ages and worldwide leagues, the Wiffle Ball craze shows no signs of abating. At its core remains the game of stickball: a piece of a tree limb or a broom handle and some paper, rubber bands, or cloth bunched up and bound into a ball is all you need for a one-on-one game of toss and hit, or a full sandlot slugfest.
How to Play
The official game rules of Wiffle Ball roughly mirror baseball, but call for “ghost” runners and award singles, doubles, triples, or home runs depending on where the ball lands. House rules typically dominate backyard games to accommodate varying lawn sizes and the proximity of fences and neighbors, as well as the ages of the players.
Many backyard versions of the game do allow for base runners, for example, who can be called or tagged out in several ways, among them:
A player in the field catches a batted ball in the air.
A player in the field catches a ball that has hit the ground and throws it to a teammate covering the base before the runner arrives.
A player throws the ball and hits the base runner before he or she arrives safely at the base. (This method is predictably frowned on by many adults and should be monitored if older, stronger players are competing against younger players.)
Before Wiffle Ball, kids played stickball in the streets.
A MAN OF MANY TALENTS
Whether baseball was really invented in Cooperstown, New York, will forever be debated. The English claim that baseball derives from their sport of rounders and a group of Manhattan dwellers were reportedly playing a game of “town ball” long before Abner Doubleday, a major general in the U.S. Army, was credited with developing baseball around 1839. The accomplished General Doubleday, whether he invented baseball or not, did fire the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter in the opening battle of the Civil War, and he also patented the cable car railway system of San Francisco.
General Abner Doubleday
Wiffle around the World
Although star baseball players including Ted Williams and Pete Rose were once spokesmen for the Mullany family’s new game in the 1950s and 1960s, the arrival of the Internet has caused the popularity of Wiffle Ball to explode since the mid-1990s, even without advertisements. Go to www.wiffleball.org for details on the World Wiffle Ball Championship, which attracts more than 170 teams each year.
Five Prized Pavement Games
Many of the games described in this book can be played anywhere on lawn or pavement, though some are particular to the softer surface of turf. Here we briefly highlight a few classic playground games that just don’t work on grass. But any safe sidewalk or driveway surface will do.
1. ROMAN BALL
All you need is chalk and a bouncy ball and at least a couple of players, although the more the merrier. Draw one circle two to five feet in diameter inside of another larger circle 10 to 15 feet in diameter depending on the size of the players.
PLAYERS
All players stand outside the outer circle and the player with the ball must bounce the ball so it bounces inside the center circle and outside the outer circle. If a player standing outside the circle catches the bounced ball before it hits the ground, the catcher gets a point. If the ball isn’t caught, the bouncer gets a point and gets to bounce it again. Players are free to change their positions outside the circle to anticipate where the bounced ball will land.
If the ball misses the inner circle or doesn’t reach outside the outer circle, the bouncer loses a point, but keeps bouncing the ball until a player catches a ball and earns the next turn. The first player to obtain a certain number of points is the winner.
2. TIC-TAC-TOSS
Combine tossing skill with tic-tac-toe strategy in this great game for all ages. Simply draw out a tic-tac-toe board on the driveway or sidewalk and find pebbles, bean bags or some other implement to toss from a reasonable distance. If a player lands a pebble inside a square, that player can mark the square with an X. The opposing player then tries to land the pebble in another square and mark it with an O. If pebbles land on the chalk lines or outside the board, a player loses his or her turn. The first player with three Xs or Os in a row is the winner.
3. THE RUNWAY GAME
In this team game, one blindfolded player (the pilot) can move but not see and the other teammate (the air-traffic controller) can see but not move. The object is to help the blinded player navigate along a predetermined length of sidewalk or driveway without stepping on objects which have been strewn along the “runway” by players from the opposing team or teams.
Balls, rackets, clothing, cardboard boxes, and so on all work great as obstacles. Proper commands are essential, such as “take two short steps in my direction” or “take one long step to your left.” If the pilot “crashes” into an object, he or she must start over or let the other team have its turn.
4. STOOPBALL
Also known as porch ball or the doorstep game, this game can be played as solitaire, or with two or more players in front of any set of steps (where the owner will allow!). Any bouncy ball will work, although tennis balls or small rubber balls are most common. A player begins by tossing the ball at a set of stairs. Catching the rebound after one bounce is worth five points and catching the rebound in the air is worth 10 points. If the ball bounces twice, or just rolls back toward the thrower, no points are scored and the player gives up his or her turn.
The best score of all is obtained when the ball hits exactly on the edge where the horizontal step meets the vertical riser and bounces back toward the thrower who catches the ball in the air. This occurrence, known as a “pointer” is worth 100 points. Games are often played to 500 or 1,000 points.
5. HOPSCOTCH
Perhaps the quintessential pavement activity, this game dates to the seventeenth century. One of a variety of different numerical patterns is drawn on the pavement with chalk and games begin when markers are tossed onto squares 1 to 9. Hoppers pounce from squares 1 to 9 and then back again, stopping to pick up their marker along the way, being careful to land within the squares and to not lose their balance.
“Do the Math” is an educational variation for older children in which the board is drawn to resemble a calculator. Each jumper must take three jumps in succession, with the end result adding up to the desired number. For 1, for example, the jumper might land on the 2 then the minus sign then the 1. To score 6, the hopper could land on 3 then the multiplication sign then the 2. The variations, in other words, are only limited by imagination.
WE WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT . . .
Helping Children: the Annie E. Casey Foundation
When I was eight years old, my foster mother, Agatha Armstead, enrolled me in a classical ballet school where my interest and passion in the arts was nurtured. Not only did I learn how to do a pirouette, but the discipline required in ballet became a fundamental force in my life, conditioning me for many opportunities as well as challenges still ahead.
&n
bsp; I often wonder what would have become of me without Agatha’s support. Studies show that children who are exposed to the classical arts and team sports at an early age acquire life skills that are instrumental in their personal growth and development. In 1990 I started a charitable organization, the Rowell Foster Children’s Positive Plan, to offer scholarships to help children in foster care thrive through participation in fine arts classes, sports and summer camps, and cultural enrichment activities. I also serve as a national spokesperson for the Annie E. Casey Foundation (www.aecf.org), the direct charity arm of United Parcel Service, as well as Casey Family Services (www.caseyfamilyservices.org).
My goal is simple: to help children who would otherwise not have a chance to reach their full potential, striving to offer these youth the same long-term commitment and opportunities that foster parents, social workers, and mentors can provide. I believe that exposing them to these various disciplines at an early age enriches their lives more than we know, by providing invaluable structure, support, and encouragement.
I am proud to say that many of the children we have helped have gone on to careers in the arts and hundreds of other successful pursuits. Children everywhere need our help more than ever to reveal the hidden possibilities of life on this glorious planet. We all need to do what we can, from nudging them off the couch and outdoors, to encouraging them to pursue higher education, to ultimately making the same kind of dreams come true that Agatha made possible for me.
— Victoria Rowell
AND . . .
The SafeLawns Foundation
I can’t recall when lawns and fields were not a significant part of my life. Whether playing primitive games on the lawn as a toddler, assisting my grandfather in harvesting hay for the cows as a young boy, or mowing lawns for clients during my teenage years and well into adulthood, grass has probably always been more on my mind than the average guy’s.
By the mid-1990s, however, I found myself in a doctor’s office receiving a severe diagnosis: acute chemical sensitivity. The cause, according to the physician, was exposure to the chemical weed and insect killers I had used on customers’ properties. Since that time, I’ve been on a mission to let North American homeowners know about the health and environmental risks associated with these dangerous types of products — many of which are banned in much of Canada and other countries.
In 2006 and 2007, I took my antipesticide advocacy to another level with the formation of The SafeLawns Foundation and the publication of my first book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual. At www.safelawns.org, information is published almost daily about how to care for lawns without dangerous pesticides and how to advocate for safer lawns, parks, and playgrounds in your communities. The Organic Lawn Care Manual is full of tips about how to create a beautiful lawn naturally, so that when you send your children outside to play games, the toxicity of the grass is the least of your worries!
— Paul Tukey
Resources
BADMINTON
USA Badminton http://usabadminton.org
World Badminton http://worldbadminton.com
BOCCE
Collegium Cosmicum Ad Buxeas http://bocce.org
United States Bocce Federation 630-257-2854 www.bocce.com
CAPTURE THE FLAG
U.S. Scouting Service Project BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA http://usscouts.org/usscouts/ games/game_cf.asp
CHEROKEE MARBLES
Cherokee Nation 918-453-5000 http://cherokee.org
CORNHOLE
American Cornhole Association http://playcornhole.org
American Cornhole Organization 888-563-2002 http://americancornhole.org
World Bean Bag Association 708-425-5454 http://thewbba.com
CROQUET
United States Croquet Association 561-478-0760 www.croquetamerica.com
DODGEBALL
National Amateur Dodgeball Association 847-985-2120 http://dodgeballusa.com
National Dodgeball League 952-931-0404 http://thendl.com
DOUBLE BALL
Native Wellness Institute http://nativewellness.com
Traditional Native Games Society 406-226-9141 http://traditionalnativegames.org
FIELD HOCKEY
Planet Field Hockey http://planetfieldhockey.com
U.S.A. Field Hockey http://usafieldhockey.com
FLAG FOOTBALL
United States Flag & Touch Football League 440-974-8735 http://usftl.com
United States Flag Football Association http://usffa.org
FLYING DISC
Disc Golf Association 831-722-6037 www.discgolfassoc.com
Freestyle Players Association http://freestyledisc.org
USA Ultimate 800-872-4384 www.usaultimate.org
World Flying Disc Federation http://wfdf.org
HASHING (FOX AND HOUNDS)
http://half-mind.com
HOOP TRUNDLING
Cooperman Fife & Drum Company 802-463-9750 http://cooperman.com
HORSESHOES
National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America http://horseshoepitching.com
JUMP ROPE
The Jump Rope Institute 703-580-6302 http://jumpropeinstitute.com
USA Jump Rope 936-295-3332 http://usajumprope.org
KICKBALL
DCKickball DCK SPORTS LLC http://dckickball.org
Mojo Kickball http://mojokickball.com
World Adult Kickball Association www.kickball.com
KUBB
Old Time Games 800-833-1448 www.oldtimegames.com
PlayKubb UK [email protected] http://kubb.co.uk
LACROSSE
Federation of International Lacrosse 302-652-4530 www.filacrosse.com
Lacrosse Information www.lacrosse-information.com
U.S. Lacrosse 410-235-6882 http://uslacrosse.org
LADDER TOSS
Ladder Golf Inc. 866-710-2582 http://laddergolf.com
Monkeyball 517-449-8256 http://playmonkeyball.com
MINIATURE GOLF
Big Birdie Golf 800-275-0591 http://bigbirdiegolf.com
Miniature Golf Association of the U.S. 817-738-3344 http://mgaus.org
Professional Miniature Golf Association 866-627-5233 http://thepmga.com
QOLF BONFIT AMERICA 888-426-6348 http://qolf.com
MÖLKKY
www.molkkyusa.com
www.molkky.com
QUOITS
United States Quoiting Association http://usqa.org
SACK RACING
Griffith Bag Company 800-433-2615 http://griffithbag.com
SEPAK TAKRAW
USA Takraw Association [email protected] http://takrawusa.com
TUG OF WAR
Tug of War International Federation http://tugofwar-twif.org
United States Amateur Tug-of-War Association 800-884-6927 http://usatowa.com
VOLLEYBALL
International Fistball Association www.ifa-fistball.com
United States Fistball Association 262-677-4254 http://usfistball.com
USA Volleyball http://usavolleyball.org
Volleyball World Wide [email protected] http://volleyball.org
WIFFLE BALL
The Wiffle Ball, Inc. 203-924-4643 http://wiffle.com
Acknowledgments
As odd as it may be to first and foremost say thank you to a place and time, Vicki and I need to do that for Maine from the 1960s to now. We have both moved away, but without our mutual and lasting connection to the Pine Tree State’s fields, forests, streams, lawns, and playgrounds of our youth, the spirit that brought this book to life might not have endured.
You don’t make it through countless hours of fun and games without amazing memories of family and friends. For Victoria, Agatha Wooten Armstead’s Forest Edge Farm nurtured her soul and laid the foundation for the joy she has brought to her own beautiful children, Maya and Jasper. For me, the outdoor adventures have moved from the dairy farm and Mom’s backyard in Maine to Dad and Marny’s backyard in Gloversville, New York, to a quarter-century of summer days a
nd nights at the Lessels camp in Belmont, New Hampshire. Thank you, Jane, Uncle Allen, and Elaine for always making my family — Katie, Christina, Duke, Aimee, and Angie — feel like your family.
Beneath the joyful veneer that springs forth from this book, another reality must be addressed: children are not outside playing like they used to be, and that’s a big problem. Physiologically and psychologically much is lost when children spend too much time in front of the computer, television, or other electronic devices. Our admiration and praise go to the research and outreach of Dr. Rhonda Clements and others involved with the International Play Association, which is dedicated to the advancement of real, unstructured free time for children.