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Welcome to our monthly newsletter series on optimizing your Wiffle Ball/Backyard Ball experience. We provide monthly tips and information on the sport of Wiffle Ball, everything from pitching, hitting, building fields and more. This month we have a very special edition that brings a little poetry to Wiffle Ball.
We also want to hear from you. Do you have a story about WIFFLE, tips on playing, pictures of your field, or information about an upcoming tournament or event, let us know and we'll share it. |
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We would like to thank Brian Wilhorn for letting us reprint his Two Boys at the Bat article below. Brian Wilhorn writes a monthly column for the local newspaper in central Wisconsin and last month's article was about Wiffle Ball. Enjoy...
Two Boys at the Bat
A Poem by Brian Wilhorn
 The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Vesper Two that day.
The score stood eight to one, with but one inning left to play.
The old man's pitches jumped and dove and drifted through the zone
And left the boys no chance to get the tying runs to home.
Still, eight-year-olds are vessels where hope quickly comes to nest
And hope can grow to certainty within the human breast.
"It's Wiffle Ball," they said and thought, "There's no doubt we can score."
The mound, though, held their elder who was set to slam the door.
His fast ball was a pitch no normal eight-year-old could see,
His breaking ball broke right or left, two feet, yea, even three.
Two boys came up, two boys went down, two boys without one hit.
But when one out remains, the door lies open just a bit.
For then the crack of plastic ball upon a plastic bat
Propelled the sphere a-hurlin' past the maple, meaning that
The old man's Son had smacked a timely, rally starting double.
That well-timed two-base hit foretold the man's impending trouble.
Then Neighbor Boy let rip a shot that severed off some leaves,
A frozen rope unhindered by the stiffly blowing breeze.
An added single punched to left by handsome, eldest Son
Resounded off the porch and cut their deficit by one.
The man then muffed a pop-up. Yes! A gaffe he could not fix
Nor could he blame it solely on the Wiffle's aerobatics.
Imaginary runners filled imaginary bases.
A blind man could have seen the joy displayed on both boys' faces.
The old man, once so self-assured, now was clearly shaken
Due to chances lost and opportunities not taken.
"Momentum must be changed to get my one-man-team on track!"
His Son was up. What did he do? He plunked him in the back.
The Neighbor Boy cried, "Charge the mound!" His fists displayed his form.
His words were meant to trigger the potential building storm.
But tranquil tempers held; the Son refused to take the bait,
With courage, grit, and fortitude, he squared up to the plate.
"This kid is tough," the old man thought, "I'm proud to be his dad,
"When they go down to grim defeat, I may feel slightly sad."
His sympathetic ramblings, though, evaporated when
His son, a backyard legend born, let loose a hit again.
Then Neighbor Boy, that rotten kid, (this once I must opine)
Stepped up to bat and promptly sent a screamer down the line
That added one more run, another came without delay
When Son's base hit allowed the boys to live another day.
The stage was set for Neighbor Boy to end this backyard contest,
And hit a shot that would cap off this epic comeback conquest.
A fastball came, and most would think 'twas from a cannon shot.
The Neighbor Boy was many things, but Casey he was not.
The shot rang out and echoed through the neighborhood that day,
A blast to let all comers know these boys were here to stay.
That Wiffle Ball sailed 'cross the yard, majestically divine,
Until it came to rest beyond the distant, planted pine.
The comeback one boy did begin, 'twas finished by the other!
"One more at bat is all I need. I wish I had another."
His chance would come, he knew, as if told by some distant drummer
Of multiple rematches stretched throughout the rest of summer.
Thanks again to Brian for this article. To see the original article click here Two Boys at the Bat
In addition to writing his newspaper column, Brian also runs Help Readers Love Reading, a website devoted to children's literature and children's book recommendations. For a tour of the backyard field where Two Boys at the Bat took place, visit his other site, Help Readers Too. |
Customer Corner
We're looking for your comments, feedback, advice, pictures and anything related to Wiffle ball. Do you have an interesting use for a Wiffle ball or bat...we've heard quite a few through the years, share yours with us. This month we are devoting the Customer Corner to Brian Wilhorn for submitting the above article plus a tour of his backyard field and equipment below. See a more detailed tour of his field and equipment at this link... Help Readers Too The Two Boys at the Bat Field The scoreboard is home made. In this picture it shows no outs in the bottom of the seventh with the score 15 to 8. The green clothes pin used to mark the inning is kind of hard to see.
All the kids in the neighborhood have their own bat, and when people from outside the neighborhood come over to play, the kids take great pride when their bat is chosen by someone else. Here's a close-up of a couple bats.
Take the detailed tour of his field to get more ideas for your own backyard field... Help Readers Too |
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Featured Products of the Month
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Thank you again for shopping at EXCURSIONS Journey To Health...Featuring the Complete Line of Official WIFFLE Ball Products Plus an extensive lineup of related products to optimize your backyard ball experience.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter along to your friends and family, we're always happy to see new faces here!
Sincerely,
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Brian Krilivsky
EXCURSIONS Journey To Health
WIFFLE is a federally registered trademark of The Wiffle Ball, Inc. Shelton, CT 06484 and used with permission |
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