Category Archives: baseball

September 23, 2023

Beep Baseball (Salem, MA)

Date Of Event: Sep. 17, 2023

Location: Salem Commons, Salem, MA

Summary: Beep baseball made its first appearance in Salem, MA last weekend.

Beeps, pylons and eye masks may not be the first things you think of when you think of baseball. But they are some of the key components to Adaptive Sports Beep baseball or baseball for the blind. But there are so many more elements to the game. In fact, beep baseball has many rules from the amount of fielders to the number of innings that differentiate it from traditional baseball.

Each team has 6 fielders including a first base and third base fielder, a shortstop, a left fielder, a right fielder, and a center fielder. A player is ruled out if one of these fielders controls the ball before the hitter makes it to a base. And each game generally lasts 6 innings, although the game I went to was only 3 innings.

Each team has a pitcher designated to them. While the exact protocol may differ from each league or organization, generally the pitcher says “Ready…set…pitch” or a variation of this series of words to let the batter know a pitch is on it’s way. According to Joe Quintanilla, a captain for Boston Strong, one of the 29 teams in the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA), a hitter will often wait for the “pi” in the beginning of the word “pitch” to for his or her swing. While the beeping is of the ball is important for the fielders to locate the ball, it may be less important for the hitter’s swing.

Both hitters and fielders wear eye masks when they play and no applause or cheering is allowed during plays or during at bats as it may interfere with the ability of the hitters and fielders to hear the ball or the beeping of the base they will have to run to. The hitters are allowed up to 4 strikes and while they can take pitches for balls there are no walks in the game. Each team is allowed 3 outs each time they come up to bat. Timing, experience and dexterity are key to making contact.

After hitting the ball, hitters can run to either first or third base, which are located 100 ft from home plate, depending on where the ball is hit. A nearly 5 ft blue base buzzes when a ball is hit near it and the runner runs to that particular base as long as the ball travels 40 feet (otherwise it is considered a foul ball). Each pylon is wired to a controller that cause it to beep when a fair ball is hit near it. If the hitter makes it to the base before the ball is fielded and controlled by a fielder it is ruled a run. If he or she does not make it to the base before the ball is controlled by a fielder, he or she is out. There are “spotters” who help guide the hitters if they go out of the base paths. Also, if the hitter doesn’t make it to the base in 30 seconds he or she is ruled out. If a batted ball travels at least 170 ft in the air over fair territory before settling, it is, upon declaration of the umpire considered a home run.

The fielders rely on the beeping off the ball, skill, instinct, experience and team work to locate the ball and record an out.

You may see in the photo below there are little holes on the side of the ball where the beeping sounds emit from.

During the game, you may see players positioning the bat against home plate. This is done to help orient the batter so they can have a better feeling for where they are positioned.

The coaches, volunteers and teammates have strong bonds with each other, support each other and they even make sure to add humor and sportsmanship to the games, even playing and singing “Sweet Caroline” during the 7th inning (in this case 3rd inning stretch)

The Boston Strong team won, with team captain Joe Quintanilla fielding the game ending out. But it was a nail biter to the end!

Beep baseball’s beginnings can be traced back to 1964 when an engineer for the Mountain Bell Telephone Company named Charlie Fairbanks heard the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind needed ball to play sports with. Although footballs had been made with bells attached to them, there weren’t any baseballs that could be used effectively for visual impairments. But, this didn’t deter Fairbanks. After experimenting with various components, Fairbanks ended up using spare telephone parts to use as the inner components for the baseball. After Charlie would deconstruct softballs and add the appropriate parts. his wife, Vi, would stitch the balls together. Since then, the baseball and the game has gone through a lot of transformations. And it’s more popular than ever.

Below are some highlights from the Beep baseball event.

9 Comments | tags: baseball, Beep baseball, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, Photography, photos, Salem | posted in baseball, Beep baseball, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Salem

November 11, 2016

Vintage Baseball (Salem, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Event: October 22, 2016

Location: Salem Commons, North Washington Square, Salem, MA (about 30 minutes north of Boston)

Cost: Free

Parking: Parking Is Available at the Liberty and Congress St garages and on street parking is available.

Handicap Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Web Site: Mid Atlantic Vintage Baseball League

Seeing people in costumes and uniforms in Salem during the month of October is not unusual. However, the people in uniform at Salem Common this past October were dressed up for a very different purpose.

The Providence Grays, a vintage baseball club honoring the original pro baseball team of the same name, were playing their rivals the Brooklyn Atlantics on a crisp fall afternoon.

The Grays became the National League’s newest addition to major league baseball in 1878 when they adopted gray flannel instead of white for their home uniforms and consequently became known as the ‘Grays.’ They would remain in the league until they folded in 1885. During that time frame they won two tiles (in 1879 and 1884),

This isn’t your modern day. Players wear wool uniforms. They don’t wear gloves. And the rules were very different.

One of the rules that is starkly differently from today’s rules is that if you fielded a hit ball after one bounce, the batter was out. Of course, this rule does not exist today and if it did exist today a lot of batters would make many more outs. Another rule that no longer exists is that batters were given 3 balls to earn a walk rather than the 4 balls which is the rule in today’s Major League Baseball. Also, the pitcher pitched from a scant 50 feet away from home plate and there was no mound. In today’s mlb, the pitching mound is 60 feet and 6 inches away from home plate and, although it may vary, the mound is not supposed to be higher than 10 inches above home plate.

Unlike their somewhat drab uniforms, the Providence Grays have a very exciting past. For instance, they were the first team to integrate.

If you asked people who was the first professional black baseball player in major league baseball was many people would say Jackie Robinson, Many people would be wrong. According to Tim Norton , the founder and president of the Providence Grays. The first black American baseball player played for a professional baseball team played for the Providence Grays. William Edward White played as a substitute in one professional baseball game for the Providence Grays of the National League, on June 21, 1879.

Some fans, like the fans of the newly crowned World Series champs Chicago Cubs, are known for throwing home runs balls back onto the field if the opposing team hits a home run to express their dismay at the other team’s good fortune. The fans at Providence Gray games did the same. But for a very different reason.

At the time the team was formed in 1878, the league was still very green and not very profitable. The fans were asked to throw the balls back so they could be re-used.

The players also didn’t wear gloves. So, they pitched underhanded and would often lob the ball as it is easier to catch barehanded that way.

I’m full of all sorts of fun facts today, aren’t I?

On the day I saw them, the Providence Grays split their double header against the Brooklyn Atlantics (aka the Atlantic Baseball Club of New York). The Providence Grays are in the gray uniforms while the Atlantics donned white shirts and black pants.

I thought this resembled a baseball card.

Looking at the players in their floppy socks and uniforms that resemble loose fitting pajamas, I couldn’t help thinking about the characters on “Field Of Dreams.”

The foliage gave a good backdrop to the field.

The teams do take these games seriously and we saw some good baseball.

If you missed them this year, don’t worry. The Grays and other teamss have been playing in Sallem Commons for about 10 years. Check their web site and Salem’s web site for future game dates.

Freya, an 18 month Great Dane (weighing in at 130 lbs already), also enjoyed the game.

Below is a video from the game.

8 Comments | tags: baseball, Brooklyn Atlantics, dog, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, Photography, photos, Providence Grays, Salem | posted in baseball, dog, foliage, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Salem, Uncategorized

March 12, 2016

Nashua Dodgers Mural (Nashua, NH)

By New England Nomad

Date visited: February 27, 2016

Location: 31 West Hollis St., Nashua, New Hampshire The mural can be seen on the east side of the Maynard & Lesieur building

Most baseball fans know the Dodgers were the first American professional baseball team to integrate baseball in decades. However, few people know it was the Nashua Dodgers (the farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers) and not the Brooklyn Dodgers that were the first pro team to integrate an American baseball team in the 20th century (Jackie Robinson, who would later become the first African American to play professional baseball in the United States during modern era, was playing for the Montreal Royals of the International League at this time).

It is said that Branch Rickey and his executive, Buzzie Bavasi, chose Nashua as the location for this New England League team partly because the city had a large French Canadian population and they felt the French Canadian people would be more receptive to an integrated team.

Along the side of the building with the Nashua Dodgers mural is another work of art. The mural celebrates the earlier days of Nashua. Holman Stadium, which is prominently displayed in the mural, is the stadium the Nashua Dodgers played in. It is still in use to this day. It is now the home of the Nashua Silver Lights of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

The mural is such a pretty work of art. Unfortunately, it has sustained some damage due to people defacing the artwork.