by John Lykowski
The best blind and visually impaired athletes in the world will converge on Chicago this summer. Teams from cities across the country and Taiwan will be traveling to Glenview, Ill., a suburb northwest of Chicago, to compete in the 27th annual World Series of Beep Baseball, being held the week of July 26 through August 3.
Beep baseball is a modified game of baseball that uses a ball that beeps and bases that buzz. The National Beep Baseball Association is the non-profit charitable organization that organizes the tournament, standardizes the rules and provides the officials.
Spectators who witness a beep baseball game are generally amazed at the speed and bravery of the players. They see blind athletes dive onto the ground to stop a beeping ball and run full speed toward the sound of a buzzing base to score a run. They see desire, determination, teamwork and in many cases skilled performances of visually impaired players having fun in the midst of extreme competition. They also witness an occasional injury. Beep baseball is not a game for those who are concerned about a scraped elbow. Safety precautions are high priorities, but due to the nature of the game, some injuries do occur. Players fully accept these risks for the sake of playing America's oldest sport.
Players openly admit they enjoy the thrill of a hefty swing at a pitched ball and making solid contact and then charging down the base path to score a run. On defense, players absolutely love the exhilarating feeling of diving for a hit ball and picking it up, sight unseen, to record an out.
For more information on this year's tournament, call Dave or Terri Smolka, (708) 424-2133. To make a donation, send it to John Lykowski, NBBA, P.O.Box 290, Glenview, IL 60025.
To learn more about the game of beep baseball or obtain a copy of the official NBBA playing rules, write to Jeanette Bigger, Secretary, NBBA, 2231 W. First St., Topeka, KS 66606. You are also invited to visit the NBBA's web site, http://www.nbba.org, for more information.