Introducing BetaBall: Part One

So I was casually checking my email yesterday afternoon at lunch and I received an email with the subject "BetaBall. Adapting baseball so both the batting AND fielding teams can score runs" and that was enough to gather my attention. When I clicked the attachment the first line in the article was "Medical Note: If you are a baseball purist you may find it difficult to hold down solid food for 2-3 days after reading this press release and the coaching notes that follow. I apologize."

which made me rather intrigued. So over the next few days I am going to share the work of Denis Braun, the brain behind BetaBall. Keep an open mind and jump into it as we go over the new game, BetaBall, over the next few days.

A new outdoor team sport is available to baseball leagues, baseball teams, as well as national state and provincial sport development agencies around the world.  The sport utilizes the same players, fields, skills, and equipment as baseball; but 1 simple new rule allows both the batting team and fielding team to score runs.  The new game will get young people away from their “screens” (phones, tablets, video games, monitors, computers, television, and home theatres) and back into parks, playgrounds, baseball fields, and recreation facilities.

Phase One BetaBall can be played on any existing hardball or softball field with the adoption of 1 new rule and a visible throwing arc in the outfield (OTA) where all points on the arc are equidistant from home plate.  All as described in my Patent Pending (USPTO) and 100% owned by Denis Hugo Braun; a Swiss Canadian designer, author, and sport innovator.

In brief, the rule change occurs 40-60 times a game when there is a new batter and the bases are empty. (Example: All lead-off batters in each inning)   If the batter is declared OUT by strikeout, ground ball, line drive, caught foul ball , fly ball; then the play becomes a DPP (Defensive Point Play) and  the batter must immediately run and touch all remaining bases and touch home plate before all 9 members of the fielding team have touched or handled the ball. If the batter achieves this feat his team avoids a defensive point (DP). If all players on the fielding team handle the ball and get it to home plate before the runner, then they are awarded a defensive point. Points accumulate from inning to inning and at thresholds (set by their League), they convert into runs. Example:  5 or 10  DP’s may convert into run.

Full conversion to BetaBall means a larger and expandable home plate, the home plate touch not tag rule, adopting the 3 ball walk rule, an invisible 3.5 meter wide swath around the bases to protect runners in a Defensive Point Play, an electronic strike zone, video confirmation on all plays, playing the bottom half of the last inning even though the home team is winning, and on-deck boxes much closer to the dugouts and hosting a stationary bike.

All rule changes are designed to generate a faster and safer game with more action by more players using new skill sets, new strategies, and new priorities while teaching players the basic skills of running, catching, throwing, hitting, and fielding.

We request a  special introductory Royalty Fee for the 2015 season  for amateur, high school and college teams of Euro 20,  ($USD 25,   CAD $20,   RMB 100,   Yen 2000,   Won 14000,  Dong 200,000.).  Pro and semi pro teams pay a flat 5000 Euro; or 6% of the marginal increase in ticket sales and advertising revenues above the 2014 audited numbers. If there is no increase, there are no additional fees above the 5000 Euro.

BetaBall Sevens 16 team tournaments will start around the world in 2016 with a 70 degree field; 7 players for 7 innings and 30-40 minute games. The influence is Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong. Google it. 

Contact: Denis Braun.    denisbraun@hotmail.com    sammcgeeuniversity@gmail.com

Download videos and power Point Presentations from:  YouTube.com. Search: BetaBall

WEB site under construction:   www.BetaBall. We need a Wikipedia author and publicist

            Calgary    Canada   Phone: 1 403 608 8278     or  Skype:  denishugobraun

                                                                                 

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Coaching BetaBall:     

Terms:           DP                  = defensive point.

DPP                = defensive point play

OTA                = outfield throwing arc

HP                  = home plate

RS                  = runners swath

BOS                = batter-out scenario.

How to get a feeling for BetaBall:

Imagine baseball if both the batting AND fielding teams could score runs. More action. Faster pace. New strategies. More physical. More safe. And additional throwing and catching skills

BetaBall is significantly different from baseball. It has its own scoring, strategy, pace, execution, action, and participation by more players in more plays providing more opportunity for players to exhibit their skills of running, throwing, catching, hitting, and fielding.

Baseball and cricket are unique an only the offense batting team can score. In all other action sports like football, rugby, soccer, hockey, and basketball the defense can intercept a pass or recover a fumble or block a kick and score points during the play. In my new game, we extend the OUT rulings when  there are no base runners. In these 40-60 plays each game, the complexion of the game changes instantly as the fielding team has the potential to score and accumulate defensing points that convert into runs at a chosen threshold. 

Our Goals:

Motivation:   What motivated me to design BetaBall was a frustration with young and old people fixated to their “screens”, their bad diet and eating habits, and their declining physical condition.

In Baseball, concentration is on the individual player. The batter on offense; and on defence, only the 2-3 players recorded as getting the batter out.

In BetaBall.  The same concentration is on the individual batter. But during a DPP, each defence play has 2 parts. The first part is getting the batter out. The second part is a catching and throwing routine where all 9 players must catch the ball cleanly, transfer the ball to their throwing hand, and throwing it accurately to the next player in the circuit. All 9 players must execute perfectly to get the ball to home plate before the runner. Therefore a full team effort is needed to score a defensive point. All 9 players take pride. Every player is equally celebrated 15-20 times a game. There is no equivalent feeling in baseball.

BetaBall will contribute to the success of all national and provincial youth development programs around the world. We will try to fund these programs from royalties received from professional and semi-professional leagues in Asia and Europe that may accept new game. However, BetaBall will not be promoted to MLB or its affiliates to avoid interfering with the purity of the traditional game for North Americans. To do so would be cultural disrespect.

Research to back my claims:

Each team paying a BetaBall royalty for the 2015 season will be offered 20 wrist bracelets on loan free for 1 week. The bracelets measure distance, heart rate, calories spent, and hopefully blood pressure over a 2 hour time period for each player. Coaches will play an inter mural standard baseball game on day one; followed by game of Phase One BetaBall on day two.  Compare the readings for each player; and return the bracelets.