| Is there a better backyard game than playing | | | | came from the fact that a swing and a miss in |
| wiffle ball with an official wiffle ball bat? | | | | baseball is called a "whiff". And because it |
| I can remember as a kid playing wiffle ball | | | | can be difficult to hit a curving wiffle |
| day after day during the summer in our | | | | ball, the name was a natural for it.The game |
| neighborhood. What started in the 1950's has | | | | itself is very simple. The only equipment is |
| sure exploded today.There are now so many | | | | the ball and the bat. There is no need for |
| competitive wiffle ball leagues throughout | | | | baseball gloves, uniforms, or cleats. As for |
| the U.S. and it just continues to grow. Do | | | | the wiffle ball bat, they are manufactured |
| you know how the game of wiffle ball got its | | | | for the wiffle ball company by someone else. |
| start?It all began back in the early 1950's | | | | The standard yellow wiffle ball bat is 30" |
| when David A Mullany and his good friends | | | | long and only 1.25" in diameter. It is made |
| would get together and play baseball in the | | | | as a hard hollow plastic.There are many other |
| yard. Instead of using a hard baseball they | | | | types and brands of plastic baseball bats, |
| used an old plastic golf ball along with a | | | | but the wiffle ball bat is the one I would |
| broom handle for a bat. (No wiffle ball bat | | | | stick with. Not only is it a little tougher |
| yet) Haven't we all done that before? Well, | | | | to hit, but it makes the game more fair. If |
| trying to throw a curveball with a plastic | | | | you are using one of those jumbo orange bats |
| golf ball just doesn't work out too | | | | then you're not playing a real game.The |
| well.David's father got an idea to change all | | | | original yellow wiffle ball bat has the pop |
| that. He had used to be a semi-pro baseball | | | | and the crispness that all other bats lack. I |
| player and knew a lot about pitching. He went | | | | have also seen others using a metal wiffle |
| down to a local factory and took some plastic | | | | ball bat, but again, that is a little unfair |
| tooling designs and came home with a plastic | | | | to pitchers and the game in general. Plus, it |
| ball. Using a knife he cut eight oblong | | | | can easily break the wiffle ball itself with |
| perforations into one half of the ball and | | | | its power.The original wiffle ball rules are |
| tested it out.The ball curved beautifully | | | | still available from the company today. You |
| without a lot of effort. They had what they | | | | can write to them and have them sent to you. |
| wanted for their game. Of course, what they | | | | Here is the company address. The Wiffle Ball |
| didn't know at that time was that they had a | | | | Inc., PO Box 193, Shelton, CT 06484.Wiffle |
| whole new way of playing baseball! A year | | | | ball is just flat out fun and exciting for |
| later they began packaging and selling their | | | | both kids and parents as well. Hopefully you |
| wiffle balls.Today, they are sold literally | | | | have taken the opportunity to play the game |
| around the world. The name for wiffle ball | | | | yourself. |