Everybody wins with Beep Baseball. It makes baseball accessible to those who otherwise would not be able to play the game.
Have you ever heard of Beep Baseball? It’s baseball for the visually impaired.
Courtesy: Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) was organized in 1976 to support and promote the game. The association coordinates local, state, and regional tournaments, and sponsors an annual World Series.
What are the rules of the game?
-The game is played on a grass field with six fielders.
-Six batters to fill a line-up card. If a team doesn’t have six batters, then another player can volunteer to play, but that player must wear a blindfold to make it fair.
-The ball is a modified, oversize softball. A pin activates the sound in the ball.
-There are two bases–first and third–and no second.
-The bases are blue, nearly 5′ tall, and have mostly foam interiors with electronics that buzz once the batter hits the ball.
-The bases are placed 100′ from home plate.
First base, Beep Baseball (photo, Outdoor News)
Scoring tends to be high. Once a batter hits the ball, he or she has to listen to determine where to run–first or third base–depending on the direction of the sound. It’s a score whenever a batter touches a base.
To get a batter out, one of the six fielders has to follow the sound of the baseball to find it. If the fielder grabs the ball before the runner makes it to the base, then that runner is out.
Are there home runs in Beep Baseball? Yes! If a ball travels over 170′ in the air and remains in fair territory, then it’s a HR upon umpire declaration.
Are there any strikeouts? Yes! Four strikes and you’re declared out in Beep Baseball.
How many innings are there in Beep Baseball? The answer is six innings. There are extra innings, too, if needed.
A big difference in Beep Baseball is what’s called “The Twelve Inning Rule.” If a team is up by twelve or more runs, then the other team has an opportunity to catch up by what’s called “short innings.” In that instance the losing team bats and the winning team fields for the rest of the game.
There aren’t any age limit or gender-based restrictions in Beep Baseball. Athletes as old as 70, and as young as 12, have played the game.
Beep Baseball is popular. Over 200 teams are playing currently around the country, including several teams in my home area of Texas. Those teams include the Austin Blackhawks, Bayou City Heat, San Antonio Jets, Tyler Tigers, and the Lone Star Roadrunners.
Everybody wins when baseball is accessible to those who otherwise would not be able to play the game.
