[Sportsandrec] Beep Baseball Regs

Tue Dec 30 17:38:34 UTC 2008

Sure blind people should try to uphold the same high standards as anyone
else but within the boundaries of reality. If you've been smacked enough
times with a big hard beep ball, you understand that pitchers need to be
sighted or you need to self-pitch. One of my friends and I play beep ball
one on one all the time. I am totally blind and he is fully sighted, however
his vision has been getting bad since he's getting old. 
This is how we used to play:
Sighted guy would pitch to me, i would hit the ball and he would field it.
Then we would switch and he would throw the ball for himself, hit it and I
would field. 
Then his vision goes:
He throws the ball, sometimes at my knees, hands, head, or three feet away
from my strike zone. 
So now I pitch for myself by throwing up the ball and hitting, as he was
doing during his turns. 
If you don't agree with this then please send a totally blind pitcher to
teach me how to do it right If you don't want things to be different for
blind people you might as well not even use a beeping ball either or, heaven
forbid, invent an entire sport like Goal-Ball just for blind people, since
we can't play normal sports. 
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter Donahue
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 2:13 PM
To: Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Beep Baseball Regs

Hello Jennifer and listers,

    Beep Baseball is a wonderful sport, but could be made better if the 
rules for playing standard baseball and softball are applied. What bothers 
me is the underlining assumption that the blind cannot compete as well as 
the sighted so should not be held to the same standard as sighted players. 
If the game for sighted adults is played in nine innings so should the blind

be expected to play on the same terms. If baseball for the sighted requires 
runners to traverse three bases so should it for the blind. We manage 
collisions in everyday life just fine so why not on the baseball diamond?  I

thought the use of beeping bases was to minimize collisions in addition to 
helping the blind player locate them. If the pitcher is tired what do teams 
for the sighted do? They bring in another one. The same thing should happen 
in Beep Baseball.

When blind persons participate in activities that allow them to get away 
with less than what is expected of the general public the downward spiral 
begins. They're not expected to play the game on the same terms as the 
sighted so why not ask the professor for extra time to complete a class 
assignment, why not ask the employer for extended breaks and lunch, why not 
sit out the laboratory assignment the teacher believes is too difficult or 
dangerous for a blind student to engage in. This is a very dangerous path to

tred. I'm saddened that those who created the rules for playing beep 
baseball failed to recognize this and allow blind children and adults to 
play the game on substandard terms reinforcing the old myth that the blind 
cannot compete on terms of equality with the sighted. That's my rant for 
this afternoon.

Peter Donahue

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jennifer Boylan" <jaboylan at gmail.com>
To: <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Beep Baseball Regs

Hi Peter!
I think beep baseball is exciting and has realistic regulations.  All
modifications seem to be necessary for a blind version of the sport or for
keeping the game moving along, which keeps it exciting.  We do use blind
catchers and base operators.  There is one legally blind pitcher in the
league who has been injured numerous times but toughs it out.  We don't need
to kill ourselves out there!  It is nearly impossible to hit the pitch by
sound, so the timing and accuracy of the pitcher are essential for putting
balls into play.  Pitchers stand only 20 feet from home plate so need to be
able to get out of the way quickly when the 1 pound ball is smacked at them
by a 38 oz bat.  The ball is heavy, since it must contain a charger, speaker
and beeping mechanism.  Let me tell you it hurts to stop a line drive in the
outfield, let alone at 20 feet.  Sighted help is not intrusive, but
complements what we can do ourselves and keeps the game moving.  Setting
fielders up is mostly done by players talking, listening and orientating
themselves to the sound of the ball or catcher's signal of "Set".  Sotters
help with minor repositioning to keep the game running and prevent some of
the dead time between plays.  Base-running is all you and the buzzing base.

Regular softball has 6 innings, too.  We don't want to wear the pitcher out
with extra "balls" when we're not trying to get walked and he's on our
team.  There are only 2 bases because there would be many collisions in
center field with a 2nd base, and we don't throw the ball to try to throw
people out or tag them.

I could go on; basically I really don't feel any of us that play the sport
feel coddled in any way.  Sighted teams come out to play us under blindfold
and have great respect for what we do.  I am interested in any discussion
about blind sports, and would like to hear opinions about NFB philosophy
anytime.  There's always a balance to be found.
Jennifer
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