16-inch softball
This is proper softball, none of that 12-inch nonsense. The original game was played using a wrapped up fielder’s mitt as a ball. Although the rules are similar to baseball, it’s a very different game, one much more about fielding and base running than baseball which is ultimately a game about pitching.
Apparently a dislocated or broken finger is commonplace if you've played enough years.
> and played with no gloves or mitts on the fielders
I've played in several leagues that use 16 inch clinchers and we used gloves. I hate them, but at least as it was explained to me, clinchers don't go as far when they're hit, so they're better for small fields in Brooklyn like McCarren Park.
I grew with the game blooperball but nobody ever seemed to know what it was. I had no idea it was a name specific to Bay City, Michigan. Also strange to see my hometown pop up on Hacker News.
A fun game we used to play as kids was a similar variety, but with a home made "ball". The ball would be a balloon that was tension wrapped in duct tape. They'd last about a single game, but were incredibly light.
It still had enough mass to be thrown, but it also had so little mass that spin would drastically change the trajectory. It made for more interesting pitching and strategy.
So similar to Canadian slow-pitch? Of the 4 distinctive features differentiating from softball (arcing pitch, larger ball, smaller field, lack of gloves) slow pitch has the first, may have the second and third depending on league, but always uses gloves AFAICT.
I'm disappointed to read that 16 inches is referring to the circumference, not the diameter, of the ball.
The game I was picturing in my head seemed far more exciting.
The great thing is, no gloves required--just a ball, a bat, a vacant lot, and a handful of players of almost any age.
The article sure could use a picture.
Edit: now that I realize from the article its 16" circumference it's less surprising, and I can imagine what it would look like. The title should mention it is circumference.