finch studios » Games

The Wiffle Ball – A Summer Backyard Classic

admin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:45:42 +0000

Growing up amidst three family houses there wasn’t much yard space to play baseball. So as kids we choose to play Wiffle ball. We made up our own rules. In fact I can’t remember any Wiffle ball set coming with rules. We kept it simple. A batter had to bat from his non-dominant side of the plate. If you were a right-handed batter like me, you had to bat from the left side of the plate and vice versa. Since other surrounding houses kept our field dimensions in check, we had to invent ways to take advantage of these circumstances and we did.

If you were to hit a ball off of any home that was in fair territory above the first floor that was ruled an automatic double. If you punched one out above the second story window, you were rewarded with a triple. And if you had reached over the third story window that constituted a home run. It wasn’t about running the bases, it was about how much distance you could send that Wiffle Ball through the air.

The Wiffle Ball was born in 1953 in Fairfield, Connecticut by inventor David Mullany who designed a ball that would curve easily for his 12 year old son. Today Wiffle ball is not just for kids any more. There are Wiffle ball tournaments run by associations dedicated to keeping this sport alive and unlike when I was playing with friends there are rules to play by and specially built fields of play. But no matter what anyone does to further the sport into modern times, I much rather hit one off a three family home then over a fence.

The Hula Hoop And Now Hooping

admin — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:33:44 +0000

Back in 1958 Americans were crazy about a large plastic hoop ring that made shaking one’s hips in public all the rage. The hula hoop as it was known sold millions to children and adults. In the ensuing years the fad was so popular that hula hoops competitions were popping up in major cities. Today the hula hoop is once again generating attention, but now it’s called hooping.

So what exactly is hooping? Hooping lovers use a heavier hoop. The extra weight makes the hoop go slower as it rotates around the body thus you have more control. And it makes it easier to do tricks. Hoopers can get a good cardio workout. Some find it relaxing and some find that it gives them a massage. Hooping clubs and even a hooping magazine along with thousands of hooping YouTube videos are out there in the mainstream. It’s safe to say hooping is now a part of pop culture.

How A Pie Tin Became An American Classic

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:41:05 +0000

A simple pie tin created in the late 1800′s by a baker named William Russel Frisbie became a favorite play toy for Yale students more than a half century later. These Yalies tossed these reusable saucer shaped tins for fun through the air and catching them. Later Walter Frederick Morrison, a UFO aficionado, developed the toy flying saucer and sold it to the Wham-O company. The Frisbee as American as apple pie, was born in 1957. Today children and adults can be seen tossing these discs to each other in parks, beaches, and still on college campuses.