Halfball

Halfball

Halfball is a sport that is a variant of baseball.

The sport is typically played on a city street. There are two opposing teams, typically composed of two players each (a pitcher and a catcher). The equipment for the sport consists of a bat (normally a broomstick or bladeless hockey stick and a ball. The distinctive features of the ball give the sport its name: it is a half (hemisphere) of a hollow rubber ball (such as a pimpleball or a tennis ball).

Play consists of the pitcher throwing the ball to the catcher on his (the pitcher's) team, while a batter from the opposing team attempts to bat the ball, as in baseball.

Pitchers try to strike out batters; one strike is an out, BUT the missed halfball has to be caught by the catcher to make an out. If the catcher misses the pitch, the batter is not OUT and gets another chance. Obviously, a half of a ball can be made to sail ---upshoot, left-curve, right-curve, drop balls etc.-- in countless directions, and some pitchers get to be extremely good. Batters, meanwhile, attempt to make contact. No baserunning is involved in the game; a grounder past the pitcher is a single. If the pitcher fields it before it gets past his position, it is an out. Fly balls past the pitcher, unless caught for outs, are doubles, and balls hit to a pre-designated distance are home runs. Triples can be agreed upon prior to games.

Another popular street game, at least in Philadelphia was "tire ball." Originally it was played with a cut-up balloon bicycle tire, usually about 4 inches in length. But bicycle tires were more often repaired, or their innertubes were, because they were expensive. So "tire ball" was usually played with cut up rubber garden hoses. Unlike half ball, tire ball couldn't be played against a wall, or the end house in a row, because it was hard, and likely to break windows. It couldn't be played across a street because the hose ball would travel three times the distance of a half ball. So it was usually played lenghwise in a driveway.

External links

*http://www.streetplay.com
*http://www.halfball.com


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