Half-rubber

Half-rubber, also known as halfball or halfies,[1] is a bat-and-ball game similar to stick ball or baseball. The game was developed in the American South around the beginning of the 20th century, moving north with the Great Migration in New York City and Philadelphia where it was widely played by the 1950s in addition to stick ball. It can be played with as few as three players and involves no running of bases.[2]

The sport was typically played on a city street, now played in parks or the beach, using a baseball-sized rubber ball, that has been cut or sawed in half. Legendary origins of this "half-ball"' vary: from kids splitting a ball so that two games could be played at once;[3] to an accident where a pimpleball broke in half and kids had no money to buy a new one so they played with a half-ball;[4][5] to an innovation by adults who wanted to reduce the chances of the ball breaking windows on nearby buildings.[6]

  1. ^ Gerard, Shields (16 September 2011). "Revisiting a very obscure sports rivalry". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Half What? was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Quick, David. "Half-rubber going strong at home base". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  4. ^ Callahan, Kevin. "Halfball but not half-hearted". Courier Post. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  5. ^ "All About Halfball". halfball.com. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  6. ^ Mihal, Dave. "Halfball FAQ". streetplay.com. Retrieved 13 October 2012.