When I coached a T ball team of 5 year olds at one of our first practices we played tag where the player who was “It” had to tag people with the ball and the players were safe when standing on a base. So yes a big game of tag.
Also, I have 5 writers who earn a purchase from me whatever they write no matter what. Joe is one of those. Glad to be here.
Yeah, that's the first (missing) one that came to mind. They even use the word "tag." Sending and interpreting signs from third base is a kind of game. Charades, maybe.
Calling an outcome. The game is so tied to the ability to imagine what might happen next. You know you're getting it when you successfully call a home run, a strikeout, whatever.
We called this game Indian ball. (Don't know why. I lived in Akron so it might've had to do with the Cleveland Indians?)
Someone would hit a ball to the field and lay his bat on the ground. Whoever caught/chased it down, would roll it towards the bat and try and hit it. If it hit it and was not caught in the air by the hitter, the thrower would become the hitter. If it missed the bat or was caught in the air after hitting the bat, the hitter would continue to hit.
"We came here many years ago with the spirit of: How can we make the games of baseball and softball better in our community? We want boys and girls playing the game. We never want to stop looking at this game from the eyes of our youth." -- Dayton Moore
100% agree! Loved the athletic articles, but this time of stream of consciousness from Joe Pos is why I love this blog (and plenty happy to have more of it).
As the dad of a baseball-obsessed 6-yr-old, a few to add: Pretending to be a catcher, asking me to pitch to him, throwing for the out at 2nd. Emulating his favorite players, dressing like them (he used to insist on wearing his batting helmet and gloves to bed). Fielding grounders and throwing for the out at 1st.
This might be a stretch but the game is "keep the ball in the air" and in baseball you only see it on blooper reels but when a popup comes out of one fielder's glove and is caught by another. I love those.
Tag
I like how players develop elaborate ways of celebrating after a homerun. Miguel Cabrera has a different ritual for every player in the dugout.
Rundown!
Haven’t thought about it for years but boy as a kid did I love to play whiffle ball in my neighbor’s back yard.
When I coached a T ball team of 5 year olds at one of our first practices we played tag where the player who was “It” had to tag people with the ball and the players were safe when standing on a base. So yes a big game of tag.
Also, I have 5 writers who earn a purchase from me whatever they write no matter what. Joe is one of those. Glad to be here.
Definitely tag. Baseball is a very weird game of tag.
Yeah, that's the first (missing) one that came to mind. They even use the word "tag." Sending and interpreting signs from third base is a kind of game. Charades, maybe.
Pickle
Stoop Ball
Street Ball
.500
Pepper
Indoor baseball with ping pong ball
Bat bouncing (think Tito Fuentas)
Home Run at the fence (pretend to be Devon White)
There is eight
Calling an outcome. The game is so tied to the ability to imagine what might happen next. You know you're getting it when you successfully call a home run, a strikeout, whatever.
I think you forgot one: Pickle!
First one I thought of …
We called this game Indian ball. (Don't know why. I lived in Akron so it might've had to do with the Cleveland Indians?)
Someone would hit a ball to the field and lay his bat on the ground. Whoever caught/chased it down, would roll it towards the bat and try and hit it. If it hit it and was not caught in the air by the hitter, the thrower would become the hitter. If it missed the bat or was caught in the air after hitting the bat, the hitter would continue to hit.
"We came here many years ago with the spirit of: How can we make the games of baseball and softball better in our community? We want boys and girls playing the game. We never want to stop looking at this game from the eyes of our youth." -- Dayton Moore
How about running bases
This is the kind of thing that we haven't seen on the Athletic. And this explains why Substack may work very well for us all.
100% agree! Loved the athletic articles, but this time of stream of consciousness from Joe Pos is why I love this blog (and plenty happy to have more of it).
As the dad of a baseball-obsessed 6-yr-old, a few to add: Pretending to be a catcher, asking me to pitch to him, throwing for the out at 2nd. Emulating his favorite players, dressing like them (he used to insist on wearing his batting helmet and gloves to bed). Fielding grounders and throwing for the out at 1st.
This might be a stretch but the game is "keep the ball in the air" and in baseball you only see it on blooper reels but when a popup comes out of one fielder's glove and is caught by another. I love those.
In New Jersey, we called what others are referencing as "pickle" as "running bases." Loved it.
That's what we called it in Philadelphia, too. I had no idea what people were talking about with "pickle."
Occasionally an announcer will describe a rundown play as the runner being "in a pickle." Used to hear it more often, maybe it's dying out.