Second Life Tree Sock Ball

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Second Life Tree Sock Ball

(Told by a Scoutmaster)

Correlation of Ball Game with Leaf Identification Leaders should be very familiar with trees Equipment - home made soft ball

This game may be played at camp and at indoor and outdoor Troop Meetings. During daylight saving-time play it for about an hour before Troop Meeting. It may be correlated with knot tying and first aid, but Scouts like it best applied to trees.

The Ball

You need a softer ball than you can buy, so make one by winding one layer of friction tape loosely around a wad of cotton batting to produce a very soft ball about 4" in diameter. The rules of the game are similar to those of baseball with the following exceptions:

1. The ball is batted with the hand or fist.

2. A fly ball caught off a fence or wall is out.

3. Bunting and base stealing are not allowed.

4. In addition to the regular baseball methods for putting out the batter, he may be put out by being hit with the ball while running bases.

5. The first time a player is put out in any inning he is given a chance to save himself for a "second life" by some Scouting method previously agreed upon. For example, in a tree game the player who puts him out shows him a leaf which he must name correctly. A player is entitled to only one second life in any inning.

The Players

Players take positions as in baseball, except that there is a left shortstop and no catcher. The pitcher, acting as both pitcher and catcher, is stationed at home plate and stands outside of the diamond and in front of the batter. He tosses every pitch so that the batter can hit it.

The Playing Field

A large one is not necessary nor desirable. 60' x 60' is large enough outdoors; indoors use whatever space you have. Start with bases 40' x 45' apart. As players improve make it 50'.

The umpire will slow down this game if he does not know his subject or if he fails to rule quickly, whether upon leaves, knots, first aid, etc. When in doubt, he should not hesitate to say, "I don't know," declare the question void and permit the batter to bat over, or, if a base runner is involved, let him return to the base he left.

When we first played Tree Sock Ball in our Troop we had no one who knew trees well enough to umpire so the boys asked an expert tree man in the neighborhood whom they knew to be the umpire. Once we got a doctor to umpire our first aid game.

It is suggested that a Scout be required to tell at least one thing about the wood of a tree in addition to identifying its leaf, to conform to the tree requirement for a First Class Scout.

Boy Scout Games