"Pitch 'me to me Jimmy Boy"

Cue (NZERS), Issue 24, 31 May 1945, Page 29

"Pitch ' me to me Jimmy Boy"

A GAME which has already gained a certain amount of popularity with New Zealanders in Italy and promises to make a wide appeal in the Dominion when sport is once again established on a pre-war basis is softball, the sturdy offspring of American baseball. It is a game that is popular both at the picnic and on the sports ground and provides excellent entertainment for those who watch as well as for those who- play. The advantages of this American game are that it requires very little equipmenta bat and a ball are really sufficient—a game lasts less than an hour, and it can be played on an area less than half the size of a football ground. Softball introduces to the New Zealander a new attitude towards what is known as good sportsmanship and provides him with a new way of enjoying a game. Those who- have played it or seen it played have learned that barracking one’s opponents is recognised as fair tactics. ”He can’t hit it. He’s swinging like a rusty gate. Three -up, three down.” These are quite permissible comments aimed to affect the batter’s aim and nerve. ’’The pitcher’s had it. Take him off. Take a walk, Tom.” Anything may be called to the 'unfortunate pitcher trying his best to avoid giving the batter a ’’walk”. And the umpire, too. It is quite ’’done” to hurl all manner of abuse at the umpire, before and after he makes his decisions. In British sport this would be

’’scarcely cricket, old man”, but all seems to be fair in love, war, and soft,, ball. The offshoot of the great American game has a language and appeal all of its own. That is why five million Americans play it. and five million Americans can’t be wrong. Softball was originally played indoors and was known as indoor baseball. The first game on record was an impromptu affair in the rooms of a Chicago boat club in 1887 when some members started hitting a boxing glove about with a broomstick. As a p cnic sport, it became popular in America in the early part of the century, and in the past fifteen years has become highly organised. From the United States it has spread to South America, to England, and to some of the Dominions. The game has gained popularity in 2 N.Z.E.F. as a pastime providing healthy exercise under conditions not suitable for cricket and football. A pick-handle and a ball and any open field are all that are necessary for a game of softball —a marked contrast with the level pitch and cumbersome gear required for cricket or the goalposts and marking-out of a football ground. Before the full enjoyment can be derived from the game it is essential to- have a good grasp of the rules; otherwise play will be held up while the experts argue whether a lost ball counts four runs or whether two men are allowed on the same base. The rules are comparatively simple. Nine players constitute a team (more or fewer may be played without spoiling

the game) and they must bat in the same order each innings. When three men arc out, the innings is finished. The ’’diamond” formed by the home base and first, second, and third bases is fifty feet square and the pitching distance is thirty-eight and a-half feet. The umpire stands behind the catcher and declares every pitched ball a ’’strike” or a ’’ball”. A strike is a pitch which passes over the home base between the batter’s knee and shoulder, whether struck at or not, any pitched ball at which the batter strikes, or a pitch which he strikes at and misses, the ball hitting his body. A foul-hit ball is one that lands to the right of first base, or to- the left of third base, or one which lands in the infield and rolls into foul territory. A foul hit ball which is not caught is a strike, unless two strikes have already been called on the batter. A batter caught off a foul hit ball is out, except where the hit is merely a tip. and is caught by the catcher. A batter is also out if, after three strikes have been called, the ball is held by the catcher.

A pitched ball which docs not pass over the ’’plate” (or home base) or which passes above the batter’s shoulders, or below his knees, is a. ’’ball’’. If four balls are pitched, the batter moves to first base, batters already on bases moving on to the next if necessary. The batter must run after he has made a fair hit, or after the third strike has been called, providing the catcher has not caught the ball. When a batter starts to run, if there is a man occupying first base he must also run, and similarly in the case of men on second and third bases. This is a ’’forced run”, and a man making a forced run is out if a fieldsman in possession of the ball touches the base before him. A run is scored each time a runner reaches the home base, after having touched each base in turn. Softball at its best is a fast-moving, exciting sport, and, moreover, is one which can be enjoyed by men and women alike, and by young and old. In America there was a ’’ThreeQuarter of a Century Club’’, the youngest member of which was seventy-five years old. The game is becoming popular among women in New Zealand and competitions and representative fixtures are well organised. It is possible that when the recreational value of softball, is more fully realised in the Dominion, the men will follow the lead given by the women of the country. Maybe a social note will be introduced, as has happened in tennis 1 , with the appearance of mixed teams. It certainly appears that softball has come to stay among New’ Zealanders.