My Dad's Aunt Jean and Uncle Jimmy had a small cottage on the Juniata River in a town outside of Huntingdon called Ardenheim. Various families on my Dad's side would use the cottage during summers and I have some vivid memories of those times. Unfortunately, Hurricane Agnes produced major flooding in 1972 which wiped out the cottage (and our sole vacation destination).
Outside of one infamous trip to Ocean City, MD in 1976, my summer vacations from 1973 through 1980 consisted of basically day trips 2 or 3 times a year to Pittsburgh each year for Pirate games. There wasn't any disposable income for exotic traveling or planned activities to enrich the children. (Somehow I survived.)
Our summers were spent playing outside in our neighborhood Alley (imagine that). Once I really got into basketball around 74 or so (and later when our backyard was paved), I spent a fair amount of my summer playing hoops and improving my game.
But the biggest summer game in the Alley during the years between 72 and 76 had to be Wiffle Ball. This is how I spent basically every day of my summer vacation in those years (7 days a week from the first week of June until the Tuesday after Labor Day).
Balls
The Wiffle Ball Classic - There were several variations of the ball, but by far, the most popular and best ball was the classic holes on one side ball. I will refer to this as the Wiffle Ball Classic.
- Classic curves
- Reverse screwballs
- Coming from the side, you could make it rise.
- Drop balls coming straight over the top.
- Knuckle balls were a bit riskier with this variant. I don't think anybody ever really figured out a good grip on the ball to get a consistent flutter type of knuckler going.
By the way, when I talk about good movement, I am really referring to predictable and reproducible movement under the control of the thrower (both the pitcher and the fielders). The standard definition of movement usually refers to the ability of the thrower to not throw a ball in a straight line. If you couldn't control the ball, it didn't matter if the ball exhibited the property of good movement. Hell, by that standard definition, you could argue that Steve Blass had good movement in 1973 :-)
The ball was durable and rarely would dent. In terms of quality control, this ball was able to sustain some serious game play. Everything about this ball said top-of-the-line. Even the packaging was first rate:
The ball was durable and rarely would dent. In terms of quality control, this ball was able to sustain some serious game play. Everything about this ball said top-of-the-line. Even the packaging was first rate:
When you went to Thrift Drug at the Cricket Field Plaza to get a new ball, you would see gorgeous stacks of these boxes on store shelfs along with the other high end stuff (like cans of tennis balls). You would never see these in the bins holding the other balls.
But engineering is all about trade-offs. There were some high-stress areas on this sphere. The areas of plastic between the holes would tend to get cut up first.
The Taped Ball. So we adapted and improvised. Duct tape and electrician's tape could be used to patch up a cut ball. (Electrician's tape by far was preferable - the duct tape would easily peel off.) While tape could be used to extend the playable life of a ball, after extended use and patching, the ball would become completely covered in black tape.There were several disadvantages to having to play with a ball in this condition:
- The ball became much heavier.
- The ball could be hit farther.
- It was impossible to get good movement with such a ball.
As a result, games played with such a ball resulted in much more offense. Essentially, taping the ball violated the perfect equilibrium that existed between the physical dimensions of the Alley, the physicial properties of the ball and bat, and the physical capabilities of the players. (Think of this as our own Juiced Ball Era).
In addition to damaging the purity of the game, there were other more practical disadvantages to playing with a taped ball:
- It lessened the reaction time that a pitcher had when one of those bad boys was drilled though the box. Think about it. You are throwing essentially a batting practice watermelon with no movement to a hitter that is standing 15-17 feet away. I can still feel the welts that those tape balls could leave.
- The taped ball was quite difficult to track in our twilight games after supper.
- The opportunity for property damage increased. The taped ball was hit harder and could travel longer. I need this confirmed, but I recall that it was a taped ball that once broke a window in Charlie Perry's house (this was dead center field in the main Alley field - think Monument Alley in Yankee Stadium). The window was actually covered with a screen but didn't stand a chance against that plastic and electrical tape missile).
The Too Many Holes Ball. There were several other types of balls that we used as well. The following ball got used a bit (when no one had a Wiffle Ball Classic).
This ball shared the same high-quality plastic of the Wiffle Ball Classic but that is where the comparison ends. One had no chance to get consistent movement with this ball. The additional holes led to more cuts and less durability.
I have to think that the Product Manager for this ball just didn't get what Wiffle Ball was about - the movement of the ball. Probably some bean counter who saw an opportunity to reduce costs by reducing the quantity of plastic required to produce a ball and thought that his target customer wasn't discriminating enough to care.
This ball was OK to use in a pinch or as a teaching tool - Hell, we all used training wheels at one point learning to ride a bike - but not for serious game play.
The No Holes Ball. The last type of ball featured a hard plastic with no holes and a hollow interior. Some of these balls had seams that simulated a real hardball. The ones with seams permitted decent movement and this ball also had higher durability (better than the Wiffle Ball Classic).
The main disadvantage was this ball's high dent-quotient. Nothing would kill the pace of a good Wiffle Ball game more than having to call time and work out the dents. Of course repeated dents would significantly stress a ball to the point where you would see one of these balls lying in the Alley, beyond all repair and in a grotesque form.
This ball had a high welt-quotient as well. When early season games were played with this ball in April, prudent players would make sure that as much skin as possible was covered. This ball could tear through a windbreaker.
The No Holes Ball. The last type of ball featured a hard plastic with no holes and a hollow interior. Some of these balls had seams that simulated a real hardball. The ones with seams permitted decent movement and this ball also had higher durability (better than the Wiffle Ball Classic).
The main disadvantage was this ball's high dent-quotient. Nothing would kill the pace of a good Wiffle Ball game more than having to call time and work out the dents. Of course repeated dents would significantly stress a ball to the point where you would see one of these balls lying in the Alley, beyond all repair and in a grotesque form.
This ball had a high welt-quotient as well. When early season games were played with this ball in April, prudent players would make sure that as much skin as possible was covered. This ball could tear through a windbreaker.
