[Sportsandrec] Beep Baseball Regs

Thu Jan 1 00:28:54 UTC 2009

I think pitchers should be sighted for the accurracy and aiming.  Good post 
mike!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Sivill" <mike.sivill at viewplus.com>
To: "'Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List'" 
<sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 12:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Beep Baseball Regs


> 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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