Unit 10 : Tee Ball

Young children have difficulty hitting a moving ball when they first learn how to play baseball. It is also hard to find a pitcher in this age group who can consistently throw the ball across the plate with any speed or accuracy—not to mention a catcher with enough coordination to catch a fast moving ball. Real baseball is just too difficult and a bit too dangerous for youngsters.
To solve these problems, tee ball was created. Parents no longer had to fear that their six-year-old would be hit by a wild pitch and spectators no longer had to endure extremely boring games where hits were about as rare as a boiled potato in a Taiwanese restaurant. It also made the game a lot more enjoyable for kids who weren’t athletic enough to otherwise play.
Tee ball is basically baseball where there is no pitching. Just like the real game there are 3 bases and a home plate. The positions are the same, too. There are 3 outfielders, 3 basemen, a short stop, a “pitcher” (he doesn’t actually pitch), and a catcher. Outfielders don’t tend to see a lot of action though because small children can’t hit the ball very far.

A large tee holds the ball in place at home plate. The tee can be moved up or down, depending on the height of the hitter, to make sure that the ball is always in his or her hitting zone. The ball is in play once it is struck and leaves the tee. At this point the game is played just like regular baseball. Even though the ball is motionless, it is surprising how many children still have a tough time hitting it. They often hit the tee itself and the ball just drops right to the ground.
Organized tee ball leagues are quite common, but not overly competitive. Children usually start when they are 5 or 6 years old and play for 2 or so seasons. Once their skills have developed enough to play real baseball, they can move on.
The game is good for developing fundamentals and learning the rules of baseball. Although some children may never make the cut on a real baseball team when they are finished, at least they’ve had the chance to have fun and get a taste of something that they might not have otherwise had the chance to.

第十課：樂樂棒球

小孩子們在剛開始學習打棒球時，無法擊中移動中的球。在這個年齡層也很難找到能連續投球橫越壘包，並保持速度和準度的投手。更不用說能夠配合接住快速移動的球的捕手了。真正的棒球對小孩來說太困難又太危險了。

樂樂棒的發明就是為了解決這些問題。父母不用再擔心自己六歲的小孩會被狂野的投手打到，而觀眾也不必忍受在極度無聊的比賽中，比燉馬鈴薯在台灣餐廳還稀少的打擊次數。它還讓那些運動能力不足的孩子們玩得更開心。

樂樂棒基本上就是沒有投手的棒球。和真的比賽一樣有三個壘包和一個本壘板。位置也是相同的。有三個外野手、三個壘手、一個游擊手、一個投手(他不用真的投球)，還有一個捕手。外野手看不到很多動作，因為小孩子無法把球打得太遠。

在本壘的大tee座上放著球。根據打擊者的身高，tee座可以上下移動來確保球在他或她的打擊範圍。球一旦被打擊離開tee座比賽就開始。從這時候開始，球賽就像一般棒球賽一樣進行。儘管球是靜止的，令人驚訝的是還是有很多小孩打不到球。他們常打到tee座本身，而球則直接掉到地上。

有組織的樂樂棒聯盟是常見的，但不至於過度競爭。小孩通常在五六歲時開始打，並打兩季左右。依但他們的技巧增進到足夠打棒球，他們就可以去打棒球。

比賽有助於發展基礎能力，還有學習棒球規則。雖然有些小孩可能在結束後永遠也無法加入棒球隊，至少他們有機會獲得樂趣並嘗試一些他們可能沒有機會嘗試的事情。