When I was in a store a couple of weeks ago, I came across something that I haven't thought about in over 30 years – a display of Wiffle Ball bats and balls – triggering a memory of the joys I experienced playing the game so long ago.
What is Wiffle Ball?
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| Classic Wiffle Balls and yellow plastic bats |
Wiffle Ball is a game played with a plastic bat and white plastic ball with holes in it. Invented by David N. Mullany in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1952, as an alternate game to baseball that his 12 year old son could play in their backyard – without breaking the neighbors' windows. The name derives from what his son and friends called "a whiff" when they would swing and miss the ball.
The ball is about the same size as a baseball, with one side solid plastic and the other side having oblong holes in it. This ball design – as someone who extensively played the game – enables the pitcher to get the ball to make impressive curves and other motions that can indeed cause the batter to "whiff" when trying to hit it.
Great Memories
Seeing the display of Wiffle Balls and bats brought back great memories. Growing up in the NYC borough of Queens – a bus ride away to our beloved Shea Stadium where our NY Mets played – the dead end street where we lived provided us a field for sports of all kinds.
Our main sport was stickball – we even spray painted bases on the street. We played this game with a rubber ball and usually did so when we had enough players. I can still hear us yelling and laughing and the distinct clack of the bat hitting the gutter after a batter got a hit and ran toward first base.
We also played touch football and hockey there in the winter months. The street was our playing field, and sometimes parked cars changed the rules – a ball hitting a parked car could be considered a foul ball or cause a do-over – depending on the opinions of who was playing that day. Boy, I wish I could get a do-over now and then these days.
Wiffle Ball Days
On the days when we had fewer friends hanging out, Wiffle Ball was a good alternative to stickball. Instead of using the full street from homeplate to the dead end sign at its end, we would play sideways from sidewalk to sidewalk. We used chalk to make home plate and two bases – first and third only – and a pitcher's mound in the center of the street.
Wiffle Ball had two things going for it – it could be played with two or three players on each team and the ball couldn't break windows. The game was fast paced and was played without a glove – as opposed to stickball when we used our baseball gloves. Home runs were hit when the ball sailed over our heads and fell into the front gates of the houses across the street.
Wiffle Ball Inside
The great thing about Wiffle Ball is that it can be played inside on a rainy day. My basement was big enough to play the game even if there were just two to four kids. Yeah, it was a little cramped, but it was still fun.
At school we sometimes played Wiffle Ball during gym classes. There we had more room and a bigger playing field. It was exciting but the balls sometimes hit the cieling – that was always considered a foul ball.
Back in the Store
After I checked out, I stared at the Wiffle Ball display one last time. It had triggered all those memories, and then I realized something. It was late August and only two bats and balls had been purchased. Almost an entire summer had passed, and if it was back in my time as a kid that display would probably have been empty or almost empty.
Sad Realization
I
walked out of store and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful late summer day and, if I were still a kid, I would have been outside playing all day on a day like this. I got into my car and started driving around the neighborhood. The streets were eeriely quiet – no kids were out playing any games. Despite all its advantages, phones and technology had snatched childhood from today's kids. They were all inside on a gorgeous day with back to school time only a week away. I felt bad about those Wiffle Balls and bats going unused. They would never know the joy I had from playing that game and many other games.
Happy with My Memories
I went home, put my things away, and I sat out in the yard looking up at the cloudless blue sky. I took a deep breath, and I knew how lucky I was to have the memories about playing with my friends. I can still hear our voices across time, and I cherish that I experienced those childhood joys.
I got up to go inside but I felt thirsty. Instead of going into the house, I went over to the garden hose, turned on the faucet, and let the water flow onto the grass. I took a long drink of water, savoring the cold water from the hose the same way I used to do so many years ago. For just a moment, I was a kid again, and it felt damn good.
