Haddonfield Lions Support Beep Baseball
06/24/2009
The sports fields at Crows Woods in Haddonfield will be buzzing and beeping when the National Beep Ball Association comes to town on Saturday, July 11th. This event, "The Philly Hall of Fame Classic," is sponsored by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and presented in conjunction with the Blind Sports Organization. Two teams will compete, the Pennsylvania Wolfpack and the Boston Renegades. The first game will begin at about 8:30 AM; the second game between 11:00 and 11:30. Each game lasts approximately two hours.
Members of the Haddonfield Lions Club will be pitching in on game day to help with set-up, refreshments and other activities. Haddonfield Lion Bill Hansen is among those from the Club who attended the tournament in the past. Hansen was so impressed with the event that he has been encouraging other Lions and members of the community to come and check out the games this year. "This event is really something to see," Hansen said.
Greg Gontaryk, who coaches the Pennsylvania Wolfpack, reports that the tournament is scaled down some from previous seasons. "We’ll have just the two teams playing in Haddonfield this year," Gontaryk says. "I contacted several other teams, but wasn't able to find any others that were available that day." But Gontaryk expects a pair of competitive games between his Wolfpack and the Renegades. "We added five new "kids" – ages 15 to 18 – to our team since last season," he says. "One is a terrific defensive player, and another is really fast." he adds. "They add a lot to the team."
Beep baseball is a form of the popular American sport adapted for play by blind and visually impaired players. The game is played using standard softball bats, a 16" round ball that makes a beeping sound, and bases, which are technically poles, that buzz.
To ensure a fair contest, each athlete wears a blindfold. There are six blind or visually impaired players in the field, plus one or two sighted spotters. The field is divided up into sections and each section has a number. When a ball is hit, the spotter calls out the number of the area and the fielders go for the ball. An out occurs either after four strikes or when a fair ball is fielded before the batter reaches the base. A run is scored when the batter hits a fair ball and reaches a base before the fielder gets control of the ball. As in a traditional baseball game, the team with the most runs at the end of regulation play is the winner.
Umpires are an important part of any baseball game, and equally essential in beep baseball. The field umpires watch the defensive players and announce that a ball is "caught" after a fielder gains control, which means holding the ball off the ground and away from the body. The base umpires watch the batters and announce "there" when any part of the runner's body makes contact with the base. And just like in the traditional game of baseball, the home plate umpire has the final say on whether a batter is safe or out.
To find out more about this event or to help on game day, contact Haddonfield Lions Club member, Christine Clancey, at 856-429-4447
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