User:SmartAnarchy

Police Ball is an adaptable sport based on baseball and cricket, and has recently been sweeping the Sandy Springs, GA area. The game can either be played as a free for all game or on teams. The objective of the game is to score points by having players from one team hit a pitched ball with a bat and then run from the home base to the other base and back. Meanwhile the opposing team tries to prevent this from happening by getting two players of the batting team out.

History:
Police Ball originated at Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs, GA. It was founded by four students of class of 2008, whose names are Jason Hayet, Andrew Clark, Danny Walden, and Justin Mills. The name came from the difficulties the founders had with the school police about playing the game in the school's bus lane, as it is located next to one of the parking lots.

Game play:
Police Ball draws most of its rules from baseball and cricket. Police ball is typically played on a concrete strip, such as a flat drive way, a small road, or a bus lane. The equipment necessary to play includes: 1. a trash can, preferably metal and with a lid 2. some tennis balls (only one is necessary, but you might need extra) 3. some sort of plastic bat, or other material (however full wooden and metal baseball bats are discouraged) 4. some sort of base, a speed bump is preferable. 5. a stick, or other marking device The trash can, which is used as home base, is set up 15 paces from the base which is also used as the pitching mound. The stick is placed approximately 3 paces in front of the can. Foul lines should also be determined before hand, based on the local environment, like trees or signs.

The pitcher tries to bounce the ball before the stick, in the 12 paces between the base and the stick, and hit the can, while the batter tries to prevent this. If the ball hits the can, regardless of whether or not the batter swings, the batter is automatically out (provided the ball only bounced once and before the stick). If the batter swings and misses the ball, and the ball misses the can, then it is a strike. Three strikes and the batter is out, as in baseball. Every other pitch (when the batter does not swing and the ball misses the can) is a ball. Four balls means the batter's strike count is reset. For example, if the count is 3-2, and the pitcher throws a ball, the count is now 4-0. Eight balls, the batter walks. If the ball bounces after the stick, i.e. between the stick and the can, then it is a ball, unless of course the batter swings, in which case it is a normal strike. Similar to baseball, if the batter hits a foul, it is a strike for the first two strikes, but not for the third. However, if the ball goes behind the batter, provided it goes directly backwards, it is not a foul and is the catcher's responsibility to get the ball into play. The batter can also get out if he/she hits a fly ball and it is caught, or if he/she is tagged with the ball, or pegged with a thrown ball. If the trash can in use has a lid, then the batter can grab the it, after having hit the ball, to use as a shield against pegs. However once the ball comes off the lid, it is free to be caught for an out, and there are no foul boundaries for a ball hit from the lid, so feel free to smack a blocked peg out of the park. Also, if the batter bunts, he or she can use the shield to hit the ball away from fielders, and, again, foul rules no longer apply.

Special bats and rules, up to players discretion:
A typical plastic wiffle ball bat is best, and has the standard rules mentioned above. Larger bats that are capable of hitting the ball more easily or especially far deserve special rules to limit how much they can be used. For example, the founders used a water cooler, as well as a broomstick wrapped in foam, as "power" bats and had a certain set of rules that accompanied them. The batter only had one swing with a power bat, whether it be a foul or a strike, before the batter was out. Full sized baseball bats and/or cricket bats are discouraged because they would be too powerful for a tennis ball, but it is truly up to the players' choice.