[Sportsandrec] Beep Baseball Regs

Thu Jan 1 02:51:49 UTC 2009

Good evening again everyone,

    We had both blind and sighted pitchers. The statements below bode well 
for the concern I've raised. Sighted people believe blind people can't pitch 
the ball and the blind players lap it up.

    Being smacked by a beep ball is no more a big deal than a sighted player 
having the same experience. In fact some players have been killed by 
well-aimed fast balls that struck them. Big deal!! They don't complain about 
it. They recognize that it comes with the game and play ball! The blind 
should do likewise!

Peter Donahue

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List" 
<sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 6:28 PM
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Beep Baseball Regs

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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