Introducing BetaBall: Part Four

Three programs for BetaBall coaches and teams:

1.    Coaching Ambidexterity: I strongly encourage all BetaBall coaches to teach all their players to become ambidextrous so that their back, shoulder, forearm, leg, and foot muscles develop in symmetry. This is an attempt to avoid back, joint, and muscle problems later in life. Two examples are Tiger Woods in golf and Rafael Nadal in tennis. 

Only one out of one hundred people are naturally and fully ambidextrous. Most of us are naturally ambidextrous in juggling, swimming, typing, keyboard music, texting, touch screens, buttoning, pouring, paintball, boxing, and martial arts.  Here are some benefits to being ambidexterity in sports:

            BetaBall and Cricket:          Throwing, catching, and hitting.

            Football:                                 Passing, punting, hand-off, place kicking.

Basketball:                            Layups, field shots, free throws.

            Tennis:                                   Running forehand on both sides

                                                            Returning center line serves.

            Squash                                  Replacing difficult back hand returns.

            Bowling:                                Symmetrical arm and leg development.

            Curling:                                  Left and right in turns and out turns.

Strengthen the non-dominant arm. Lift weights with your opposite hand to help strengthen the muscles. Start with light weights and as you get stronger, use heavier and heavier ones.  Start by brushing your teeth, cooking and eating utensils, comb your hair, paint or trim your nails, soap in the shower, shaving, signing your name, drawing, using home tools.

2.   Coaching Diet, Eating habits, and Nutrition.

Coaches may request a plan to teach good diet and eating habits to all players.  Your players will become role models in their schools, colleges, and communities.  The fundamentals are:

1.    Food: 1 bite per 1 minute. Slow to let mouth bacteria work.

2.    Equal volume of water before each cola, beer, or juice.

3.    Eat all snacks with chop sticks. Left handed for Asians.

4.    No “screens”, and no texting while eating.

5.    No cardboard, foil, plastic or paper wrappers. Plates.

6.    Eat in a respectful environment and with tableware.

7.    Develop a deep respect for food and your body.

I recommend serving lentil soup, pot roast, or roasted vegetables plus nano-fizz water after each practise and game. Replace the custom of the whole team heading to a fast food joint after practise or a game to load up on sugar, fat, breaded flour, and salt.

This program is based on my pamphlet titled “The 10,000 Meal Diet” currently in English and Chinese.

3.   Measuring the Benefits of BetaBall:

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

BetaBall videos now on You Tube and sport video sites.

BetaBall was created by Denis Braun.     (soon to be formed)

BetaBall Supply Depot in the USA, Canada, Zhongshan, and Zurich.

Left:    A traditional baseball field with an infield that is part grass and part turf. Bases are 90 feet apart in a square box shape. Foul lines extend at a 90 degree vector from home plate. Distances to the outfield wall differ from stadium to stadium.

Right: A new BetaBall field with an infield that is part grass and part turf. Bases are 28 meters apart in a slight diamond shape. Foul lines extend from home plate. Distances to the outfield wall be standardized eventually at approximately 100 meters to the right field and left field corners (foul poles) and 120 meters to the center field wall.

A painted arc in the outfield defines the area that outfielders can catch and throw balls during a DPP.

The invisible pathway in the infield is a running swath unique to each player and defines the 3.5 meter wide swath inside which the DPP in progress can be voided if the runner can touch the ball or touch any defensive player.

Home Plate and Batters Boxes

Left:                Home plate in traditional baseball. 17” wide and 8.5” sides.

Center:           BetaBall home plate expansion. 18-19” wide and 17” sides. The front “square” is layered and hinged on the front side so the top layer can be opened 180 degrees like a toilet seat to extend the plate to + 34”.   The catcher touches the top of the plate and the runner touches the bottom of the plate.

Right:             BetaBall home plate during DPP. The top layer of the plate is flipped over by the home umpire when a DPP initiates. 

BetaBall Sevens:  7770.  7 players, 7 innings in a 70 degree vector field.

Left:  A 70 degree vector field for 7 players.( 2 outfielders. 3 infielders, a pitcher, and a catcher).  7 innings. 2 strike strikeouts. 3 balls to walk.

Right: A 3 field BetaBall Sevens complex. Center core double octagon for restaurants, utilities, washrooms, press box, studios, and sponsor suites.  From Megazebo.ccm  (concept)

Stands and spectator seating along the foul lines of each field; and adjoining bleachers beyond the outfield walls allow fan movement around the outer circumference of the complex. Two level corporate suites will top each spectator stands. Up to 200 suites in the complex. 40,000 spectator seats.

Note #1:  Some measurements may be in metric; others in English measure. Our primary target market is Asia, India, and Europe where baseball is declining or in its infancy.

Note #2:  All players and teams who register with BetaBall will receive the following:

1.    An opportunity to borrow 20 medical and heart monitor wrist bracelets for 1 week to evaluate the conditioning benefits of BetaBall.

2.    A  pamphlet on diet and eating habits called the “10,000 Meal Diet”

3.    A core curriculum that we feel is essential to all BetaBall players and athletes seeking higher education or employment in a foreign country.  This study highlights the 5 most important relationships (pillars) that need to be understood in the international world.

The 5 Pillars of BetaBall’s education philosophy.

1.    Space plan.  The full metric system and the relationship between distance, volume, and mass.

2.    Health plan.  The relationship between food, health, and  productivity.

3.    Priority environments. a) your body. b) your home or apartment; and c) the 100mile radius around your home or school.

4.    Economic plan. The relationship between work, discipline, and reward.  This is Asian education philosophy 101.

5.    Civility Plan. The relationship between respect, war, and revenge.  ………….  the consequences of dis-respect.

4.    Free tuition to Sam McGee University when it opens on line in 2017. This School of Communications is for senior students seeking employment or further education abroad. 12 optional languages, text, voice, and facial recognition, sign language, dress, dinner table, signature communication, and VOP Vow of Poverty.

Introducing BetaBall: Part Three

Probability of scoring a Defensive Point

DPP Scenarios with           Running distance        Probability of a point

Strike-out                               120 meters                            65%

Ground out to first                 95 meters                              40%

Line drive out                        100 meters                            50%

Infield Fly out                                    70 meters                              30%

Short Foul out                       80 meters                              30%

Long fly or foul out                70 meters                              30%

Pick-of at first base               80 meters                              25%

Pick-off at second base       60 meters                              <5%

Pick-off at third base            28 meters                              <1%

Scoring Example:

Assume the league has declared that 5 Defensive Points (DP) will convert to 1 run. But DP are still cumulative so the score is always quoted to the first decimal place.  To explain, let’s say the score after the top of the 9^th inning is  5.0 to 4.6 for the home team.  Game over?  No. The home team must hit in the bottom of the last inning because the visiting team could score 2  Defensive Points and tie the game; or score 3 DP’s to win the game. In tie situations after 9 innings, the top half of the 10^th inning will almost always decide the game since both teams can score.  Extra innings are very rare in BetaBall. As Yogi said: “It’s never over until it’s over”.

Worst Situation:  In BetaBall, a hit or lead-off walk is the worst scenario for the defensive team. It negates the possibility to score any defensive points in that inning unless the runner is picked-off, or doubled-off, or scores on a home run thereby reopening the possibility of defensive points in that inning.

Therefore the strategy for the batting team in BetaBall is to get a lead-off walk or a runner on base at any cost. The fielding team then has no opportunity for further defensive points in the inning unless there is a home run.

BetaBall rules deliver a very different game than baseball. New scoring, new strategies, new skill priorities, new statistics, faster action, different skills (a 120 meter dash 40 times a game), and a faster pace, (3 strike outs; and 3 ball walks).  The pprobability that an offensive run will be scored when the lead batter walks or hits safely is 38%.

DPP:   Defensive points are possible in all situations where the bases are empty and the batter is out by strike-out, line drive, fly out, ground out, or a foul ball is caught; then the batter must round and tag the bases and tough home plate before each defensive player has handled and touched the ball.  If the batter is successful, his team avoids a defensive point. If each defensive team player can handle or touch the ball and return it to home plate before the batter; then the defensive team is awarded a defensive point. Cumulative defensive points convert into “runs” at benchmark levels determined by each league.

Conclusion: The result  is a game where both the offense (batting team) and the defence (fielding team) can score; and during an eligible play (DPP)  The offensive batter will suddenly be on defence defending his team to avoid a defensive point; while the fielding defensive team is suddenly on offense and into a routine that can win them a defensive point.  This substantially differentiates BetaBall from traditional baseball.  The scoring, strategy, skill sets, physical and endurance parameters of the game are dramatically different. Running ability is a priority while batting power is less of a priority. This caters to Asian players who are smaller, faster, and less powerful then their North American counterparts.

BetaBall Statistics:

Statistics are a hallowed part of all sports. BetaBall will stimulate some new data for individual players and teams:

1.    Individual base running speeds.

2.    Number of Defensive Points per inning:

3.    Number of DPP points per game / season:

4.    Percentage of DPP opportunities that resulted in Defensive Points

5.    Percentage of DP’s on strikeouts / ground balls, pop-ups, fly outs, lie drives, foul balls caught/ etc.

6.    Base running time from home plate /first base / second base/ etc.

7.    Catching errors on DPP’s per 1000 opportunities.

8.    Throwing errors on DPP’s per 1000 opportunities.

9.    Player rankings by team for base running speed.

10. Team rankings for base running speed.

11. Team rankings for all 9 fielders to touch or handle the ball and get it to home plate.

BetaBall Sevens 7770.  Format for weekend Tournaments

BetaBall Sevens is a smaller shorter version of the 9 player BetaBall game previously described. It is designed for fast paced weekend tournaments for 16 – 24 teams over a 3 day weekend.  Games are normally 30-45 minutes.

7 players play for 7 innings on a narrower 70 degree vector field. All 7 players must handle the ball on all DPP plays. 2 outs per inning. 2 strikes you are out, and 3 balls to walk. Bases are laid out in a diamond shape rather than a square box shape; and are approximately 28 meters to first, 24 meters to second, 24 meters to third, and 28 meters to home. Base runners cannot lead off from first or second base.  The game is about 30-45 minutes in length.

To repeat, BetaBall 770 is a modified game designed for 3 day tournaments with 7 players (2 outfielders, 3 infielders, a pitcher and catcher) on a 70 degree vector field with 4 bases in a diamond shape; in contrast to the regular BetaBall 90 degree vectored field with 4 bases in a square shape and 3 outfielders, 4 infielders and a pitcher and catcher. 3 field complexes may eventually be built that accommodate 3 or 4 x 70 degree vector fields and their spectator areas that divide the fields. 

The inspiration comes from Rugby Sevens in Asia where the most popular 3 day tournament is in Hong Kong every year. The normal 15 player rugby rooster is reduced to 7 players. The standard 8 person scrums are reduced to 3 players. The scoring, kicking, field size and rules remain the same. Speed and nimble running are the featured skills. The clocked games are 15 or 20 minutes in length divided into 2 halves. Sevens is fast, exciting and enormously popular. Research Hong Kong Sevens on Google.

Introducing BetaBall: Part Two

We're back with the second part of our introduction to a new sport called BetaBall. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the first part of this series and will enjoy this one as well, and if you don't please let me know and I will scrap the idea. Without further delay here is part two of the BetaBall introduction as we wait for the Yankees to take the field in Bradenton before facing off with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Key rule in Phase One BetaBall:

Start today on any hardball or softball field in the world.

·         When the bases are empty and a batter is OUT by strike-out, ground out, fly out, line drive, caught foul ball; or pick-off at any base, the fielding team has the opportunity to score a Defensive Point.   The play is extended after the OUT is declared requiring the out batter or picked-off runner to immediately proceed to run all the bases (or remaining bases in case of a force out or double play ball or pick-off) and touch home plate BEFORE all the players on the field have handled the ball and returned it to the catcher at home plate. In that frantic 8 -16 seconds, the batter can AVOID a defensive point by reaching home plat before all the field players have handled the ball.  But if all the field players do handle the ball and get it home before the batter or runner; then the defensive field team is awarded a Defensive Point. Defensive points accumulate and convert into runs.

·         A throwing arc painted on the outfield surface defines the zone the outfielders must occupy when their team is attempting to win a defensive point. They must catch and throw from beyond the arc.

·         For long fly outs or foul outs beyond the throwing arc, only the outfielders (and perhaps 1 cut-off infielder) need to touch the ball before throwing it to home plate.

·         Defensive points SCORED by the field team accumulate and convert into runs at agreed benchmarks set by the League …. Perhaps 5, 6, or 7 defensive points will convert to 1 run. A league office will determine this threshold.

Defensive point situations:

1.    Strike out or foul tip caught.  Batter immediately starts a 14-18 second circuit around the bases. All defensive field players must handle the ball and throw to home before the batter gets there to be awarded a defensive point.  If the batter gets home before all players handle the ball, then his team avoids a defensive point.

2.    Pop up, line drive, or ground ball to the infield  All 9 fielding players must handle the ball.

3.    Foul ball out within the OTA arc. All 9 players must handle the ball

4.    Long fly out or foul out to the outfield beyond the OAT arc. Only the 3 outfielders and catcher must handle the ball to be awarded a defensive point.  Sometimes a cut off infielder may be used to get the ball to home plate if the outfielders are near the outfield wall.

5.    A force-out or double play ball and both runners are out with no other runners ahead of the out-base runners; then all 9 players must handle the ball to get a defensive point.

6.    Fair ball hit as a double play ball and only the lead runner is out (normally at second base) with no other runners ahead of them. All 9 players must handle the ball.

7.    A pick-off at any base when there are no other runners ahead of the pick-off victim.

For example, in a hit-less inning without a base on balls, at least 3 defensive points are possible. Once there is a runner on any base, no defensive points are possible until the next inning.  Only when there is a home run will defensive points again become possible in that inning.

The option is a dual award system where total defensive points count for 1 point in league standings; and total runs count for another point.

Start today on any hardball or softball field in the world. Get a dozen small plastic garden markers and plant them each 200 feet from home plate (OTA) A temporary throwing arc.

Scoring:   Coaches, you have at least 2 scoring options when introducing BetaBall to your league.

1.    Assign two points for every game in the league standings. Award 1 point to the team scoring the most pure runs on offence; and another point for the team who achieves the most defensive points (DP)

2.    Test a league rule that converts each  5 defensive point (DP) into a run and the team with the combined score wins all 2 points.

Rule Options for Converting to Full BetaBall: 

Summary

Full BetaBall is a team sport with 9 players, 9 innings, similar playing field, similar skill sets, and same equipment as traditional baseball.  The game is still a demonstration of 5 basic skills …….  running, fielding, hitting, catching, and throwing.  But for BetaBall, we use:

Enlarged strike zone. 18.5 inches wide and + 34 inches long. Expanded.

3 balls to walk;

Electronic pitch calling with overhead and side electronic cameras.

Touch not tag at home plate.

Batters must stay in the batter’s box;

Designated hitters;

Intentional walk on request;  No 4 pitches.

Time clock between pitches; About 20 seconds

2 warm up pitches for relievers from the bull pen;

Limited visits to the mound;

Plate umpires are 50% ceremonial and 100% theatre.

A running swath 3.5 meters wide protects runners as they dash the bases.

90mph is the maximum pitching speed. Fewer blown arms.

 

Runner Swath:  In DPP situations, the batter / runner cannot deviate from a 3.5 meter (12 ft. ) wide invisible  “swath” while rounding the bases. Fielders must avoid this swath because if the batter /runner can touch either the ball or a fielder within the swath, the DP opportunity is automatically avoided.

Outfield Throwing Arc:  In BetaBall , a throwing arc (OTA) is painted on the surface of the outfield and all outfielders must remain beyond the arc during a DPP to catch a ball from the “infield horn” or to throw the final DP ball to the catcher. All points on the arc are equidistant from home plate and this distance may vary according to the age or skill level of the players; little league to college to professional to senior leagues ….. hardball and softball.

Home Plate:  The home plate dimensions change to avoid collisions on DPP situations.  The catcher need not tag the runner. Home plate has a hinged front edge or be layered and the top layer attached to the bottom layer by tongue and groove. The umpire manually extends the plate when a DPP is under way. The catcher “owns” the front part of the plate; while runner “owns” the rear part to touch the plate. No tag necessary.

To repeat, in DPP situations in which the bases are empty and the batter is “out” by strike-out, line drive, fly ball out, ground out, foul tip, foul ball caught, or a base runner is picked-off; then the batter or runner must immediately run and tag the remaining bases and touch home plate before each defensive player has handled and touched the ball. This will avoid a DP.

In DPP routines, the first baseman usually handles the ball first and the catcher last. Most balls will go “around the horn” and then be thrown to the outfield culminating in a long throw to the catcher. The outfield throw to home plate is the most exciting play in BetaBall as well as in baseball. BetaBall will showcase at least 40 of these throws per game.

In BetaBall is the Defensive Point Play (DPP) comes into effect when a new batter comes to the plate and there are no base runners. 

Sample DPP situations in a typical 9 inning game are as follows:

1.    The lead-off batter in each inning:

Team A          9 batters                     Team B          9 batters

2.    The second batter in each inning. (Assume a team batting average of .333)

Team A          6 batters                     Team B          6 batters

3.    The third batter in each inning.   (Assume a team batting average of .333)

Team A          4 batters                     Team B          4 batters

4.    The next batter following a home run which clears the bases. (Predict 3 home runs per game on average)

5.    Special cases. a) Double play ball when there is a runner on first base;  b) pick-off  at any base and no runners ahead of the pick-off victim;  In a successful double play when both the lead runner and batter are out; then both must run the bases and touch home plate before the defensive team can touch and handle the ball to both avoid a DP.  In extremely rare situations the defensive team can score 2 DP’s on the same play. 

Safety features of BetaBall:

3.    Maximum pitch speed at the professional level will be either 90 or 95 MPH.  Slower speeds for minor and college leagues. Fewer blown arms.

4.    Runners Swath.  An imaginary lane 3.5 meters wide protects the runner. If a runner can touch the ball or any infielder during a DPP, he is automatically awarded home plate and the DP is voided.

5.    Each On-Deck box is located much farther away from the batter’s box. Both boxes are shaded and host an exercise bicycle. Better leg muscle preparation for a DPP.

6.    A larger and extendable home plate for the runner and catcher to share. No tag at the plate is necessary in BetaBall.