Tee Ball or
T-Ball is a
sportSport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as...
based on
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
and is intended as an introduction for young players to develop baseball skills and have fun. The name Tee Ball is a registered trademark while T-Ball is the generic name, although many sources use Tee Ball as a generic title.
In T-Ball, there is usually no
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
; except perhaps for defensive purposes. The
ballA ball is a round object with various uses. It is usually spherical but can be ovoid. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
is placed on an adjustable
teeA tee is a stand used to support a stationary ball so that the player can strike it, particularly in golf, Tee Ball, American football, and rugby.- Etymology :...
atop the home plate at a suitable height for the
batterIn baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher...
to strike.
Tee Ball or
T-Ball is a
sportSport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as...
based on
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
and is intended as an introduction for young players to develop baseball skills and have fun. The name Tee Ball is a registered trademark while T-Ball is the generic name, although many sources use Tee Ball as a generic title.
Description
In T-Ball, there is usually no
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
; except perhaps for defensive purposes. The
ballA ball is a round object with various uses. It is usually spherical but can be ovoid. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
is placed on an adjustable
teeA tee is a stand used to support a stationary ball so that the player can strike it, particularly in golf, Tee Ball, American football, and rugby.- Etymology :...
atop the home plate at a suitable height for the
batterIn baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher...
to strike. (In some clubs, adult coaches give the batter an opportunity to try and hit a few pitched balls before going to the tee in the hope that this will further develop batting skills.) Most of the other rules are similar or identical to those of baseball, though the game is played on a smaller field.
In many organizations, score is not kept and rules are designed to maximize participation: an
inningAn inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring...
is completed once each child has had a turn at bat and all extra players of the defensive team play in the
outfieldThe outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
every inning. (In some clubs, an inning is played similar to baseball, which is once the defensive team has made three outs, the team at bat plays defense and the defensive team takes the bat.) To encourage the defensive team to try to make plays, there are typically no extra bases on overthrows and runners may not advance after the ball is in possession of an
infielderBaseball teams take turns, one "out" in the field and one "in" at bat. The nine fielding positions are commonly grouped as three outfielders, four infielders, and "the battery"...
.
T-Ball allows male and female players too young to participate in baseball to enjoy a game posing many of the same challenges, and to develop skills that will later be useful in playing baseball. It has become an important part of many baseball clubs, particularly in countries where there is no strong tradition of a sporting
draftA draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
and where it is therefore more important for clubs to develop junior players.
Kit specification
Bats: 25" to 26" long, 2¼" diameter, maximum weight 17 to 20
ounceThe ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 30 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
s:
image.
Balls: typically appear identical to baseballs but are slightly softer to reduce injuries: 9" to 9½" around, 4 to 6 ounces weight, with a molded core or sponge rubber center.
Footwear: Athletic, rubber cleats
Helmets: May require face masks and may be required for the hitter, the catcher, and the defensive pitcher.
History
A Tee Ball trademark was registered with the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government by Dayton Hobbs in the early 1970s, but the game's origins date back to at least the 1940s and 50s with several people claiming to be the father of the game. Claude Lewis, director of the Warner Robins, Georgia Recreation Department, formed a tee-ball league in March 1958. 20 children played the first year. Lewis designed rules for the new game and mailed the rule books out to rec departments all over the country and overseas.
Albion, MichiganAlbion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,144 at the 2000 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area...
claims to be the place of invention for the sport in 1956, though
Starkville, MississippiStarkville is a city in and the county seat of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 21,869 at the 2000 census.The campus of Mississippi State University is located adjacent to the east of Starkville...
makes a similar claim that Tee Ball was invented in their town in 1961. According to the Starkville Rotary Club's website: "In 1961, when it was apparent that younger children needed some way to participate in the program, Rotarians Clyde Muse and W. W. Littlejohn devised the game of T-Ball and added it to the summer baseball program." Dr. Hobbs has credited the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
with spreading the game overseas. U.S. presidents since
Ronald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California .Born in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s...
have hosted T-Ball games on the South Lawn of the
White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., it was built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian style and has been the residence of every...
.
External links