Wiffle Ball

Tonight, I got home and was greeted by my son and his friend. They were looking to install a video baseball game on the computer and were asking for my permission. My response, "No. By the way, go outside and play catch or something." Amidst the grumbles and huffs, I decided it was time to teach the boys a new game. Wiffle ball. Yeah, they've messed around with it, but they've never played with the lawnchair, 1 pitcher, and 1 fielder.

I changed clothes, asked my wife to hold dinner for a while, and proceeded to explain the rules of the game. Within a matter of minutes they were hooked by the game and the physics of the pitches. While I'm no pitching ace with the ball, I can make it move around with enough movement to buckle your knees or fool you into thinking this pitch has no chance of making the strike zone. After 1 hour of playing, we had a brief intermission for dinner and resumed the game. The boys love it now. Hopefully, they'll play during the day, but I think the video games may lure them back. I recall my father and his best friend taking me, my brother, and the best friend's son on in a game of wiffle. They beat us like rented mules. They could hit and throw mesmerizing pitches. After that, we played for hours on end trying to get good enough to beat them. It never happened.

In an attempt to learn even more pitches, I stumbled across this dude's video which shows how to really throw a wiffle ball. Amazing stuff. Perhaps with a little practice, I'll be in his league. More likely, the boys will learn how to throw it like this and start schooling me.