Half Rubber

Originally Posted:
Monday, July 23, 2007

1:29:00 PM CDT

Hearing sweat trickle down my face because the AC is broke at my internship & it's HOT up in here!!!

I learned a new game this morning. It's called half rubber. I know, silly name, but it is what it is. Tommy, a salesperson at my internship and true southern gentleman, came in proudly toting his new half rubber balls this morning and couldn't wait to explain it to me. Now, Tommy is about 65 years old yet looks like he's 40, is very active with sports and up until recently, the National Guard, is into saving the world from global warming by doing his part through recycling and keeping a compost pile with worms to fertilize his garden, and has a very deep southern drawl. I've never seen him wear seersucker, but it wouldn't surprise me if he owned a few suits made of the light weight fabric because deep down, he's all Southern.

Anyhoo, Tommy loves to play Half Rubber, a game who's early 20th century origins are in dispute between Savannah and Charleston. Each of the cities claim to have invented it and won't back down. In a nut shell, here's what you need to play: three players---pitcher, catcher and batter (which is great if you don't have many friends), half of a broom stick (which is great if you are poor) and half of a rubber ball (which is really great if you are really poor and can't afford a whole ball!). That's it. It's like a poor and lazy man's baseball. No mitts, no athletic cups, no catcher's equipment, just bare hands and quasi-consistent rules. To play, the batter stays at "home plate" and keeps hitting until he/she swings and misses and the catcher does not catch the ball. When there is a hit, it's called a single with one-man on base (but there's really no one on base- there's no running or anything!). If the half rubber ball goes over the pitcher's head, about twice the distance from the pitcher to home plate, then it's a home run (Again, no running involved). Pitching the half rubber is the same motion as trying to skip a stone across a pond. It's a side arm pitch rather than an over or under-handed motion. A good pitcher will be able to keep the half rubber "flat" rather than throwing it like a regular baseball which gives it more surface area to hit for the batter. And that's it! For the past thirty minutes Tommy and I have been practicing our pitching technique in the showroom. I'm getting pretty good!

The Rules:

1) Three person teams

2) Three innings w/ three outs per team each inning.

3) No called balls or strikes "Gentlemans play" (if it's close, you swing).

4) Home Plate to pitcher is sixty (60) feet (roughly 20 big steps).

5) Home plate to home run line (120) feet (roughly 40 big steps).

6) Only two types of hits possible; singles &home runs:

a) singles - must pass the pitchers line on the ground or in the air.
b) home runs - must pass the "home run line" in the air.

7) "Outs" are achieved in one of three ways:

a) pitcher throws the ball, batter swings and misses, then the catcher "catches" the ball before it can touch the ground. one pitch, one swing, one catch, one out.
b) batter hits the ball and it is caught in the air by a member of the opposing team (anywhere on the field) fielders must stay even with pitcher until ball is released.
c) DOUBLE OUTS can be achieved if the batter tips a pitched ball and thecatcher is able the catch the ball before it hits the ground behind thebatter. if the ball is caught in front of the batter, only one out is achieved.

8) Free Swing - If the pitcher throws the ball and it hits the ground before itreaches the batter, the ball is considered a "dead ball" at this point thebatter, "at his option" can swing at the ball , If the batter does not makecontact with the ball, the ball remains "dead" and therefore even if thecatcher catches the ball, the batter is not considered out. However if the batter makes contact with the ball the ball is brought back to"Life" or considered back in play. which means all standard rules now again apply, (home run or double out,) once contact is made the ball is back inplay.

9) If at the end of three(3) innings the two teams are tied the fouth (4th) inning begins the start of "hit is a run" At this point all hits are concidered runs &at the end of the inning the team with the most runs is the winner.

10) Ten Run Rule - At the end of any inning if one team has a ten (10) run leadthe game is over.