Wiffleball
Wiffleball or Whiffleball is a variant of baseball that is played with a light special ball and bat and therefore requires less space and fewer field players and is particularly suitable for children or inexperienced players. There are now also competitive game types and organized tournaments.
history
The ball used for the game is an invention from 1953 by David N. Mullany of Fairfield, Connecticut , who wanted to give his 12-year-old son the opportunity to throw balls with spin . The ball is the size of a baseball, but is made of about 3 mm thick plastic and is hollow. A hemisphere has eight rectangular holes; this construction gives the thrower a wide range of possible flight paths. The wiffle ball was the basis for the ball used in floorball .
The racket is also made of hard plastic and is hollow. It is typically 32 inches (about 813 mm) long with a diameter of about 1¼ inches (about 32 mm).
The game owes its name to the fact that Mullany's son and friends referred to a strikeout as a “whiff” .
In the 1960s and 1970s, the game became popular in the United States as a playground, backyard, and picnic game; since 1980 also in organized competitions, with tournaments and own leagues . The game was also spread outside the USA, for example a tournament took place on August 16, 2010 in Berlin. There are currently no standardized rules.
Since the ball cannot be hit far, about two field players per team are sufficient. Another simplification compared to baseball is to define the strike zone with a fixed frame so that no referee is required.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 50 Years of Wiffleball ( Memento of the original from June 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Popular Mechanics , December 2003. Retrieved June 16, 2007
