July 13, 2011
August 6, 2014
Vol 13 No 28
Nostalgia Through Wiffle® Ball?
Recipes
Tackle a Winning Taste
Around Town
3
Business
7
Around Town
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Back to School Fair
Photo courtesy Alex Tessmer
Go back to the time of long summer days spent under the sun enjoying a variation of America’s pastime at this local field of dreams. By Dave Welborn and Jonathan Tessmer “If you build it, they will come.” This well-known (and oft-overused) line from the movie Field of Dreams is precisely what Joe Nevins was banking on when he set out to design and built a baseball field adjacent to his father’s newly built establishment called The Penalty Box in O’Fallon, Mo. And from the looks of things this summer, they are coming in droves to play a sport many of us know as “Wiffle ® Ball.” The field, with its meticulously manicured natural grass, stadium lights, green walls and perfectly straight foul lines, was designed to look and feel like a scaled-version of the old Sportsman Park. And it does, even replicating the nuances of the outfield walls of the storied ballpark St. Louisians came to love. “Prior to building,” said Nevins, “I did a lot of research on similar establishments around the country, especially those on the East Coast where the sport is most popular,” Nevins said. “The most well-known is a place called ‘Little Fenway’ in Vermont. It is beautiful. I looked at that and thought we can do something similar, only better.” According to several reports, “Wiffle Ball,” was created in 1953 in Fairfield,
Conn., by David Mullany, a semipro pitcher, after watching his 12-year-old son and some friends playing a baseballlike game with a perforated plastic golf ball and a broomstick. The boys were trying to get pitches past each other by throwing curveballs and sliders, but to no avail. Knowing the damage the boys could do to their shoulders and elbows by overthrowing, Mullany set out to create a ball they could use that would curve and bend on its own. After having the boys experiment with various designs, Mullany hit on the Wiffle Ball.” The ball is named after the word “whiff ” the sound made when a batter missed the ball. After more than one year of working with the city of O’Fallon to make sure that all “I’s” were dotted and “T’s” were crossed on both the bar–which was relocated from Bridgeton after a tornado destroyed the building in 2011–and the field, Nevins’s dream became a reality. “We’ve done our best to create an incredible facility for competitive and recreational Wiffle Ball leagues, youth and adult parties, and corporate events,” Nevins said. “Our facilities include a dedicated pavilion, a partnership with The Penalty Box for great food and drinks, stadium lights for night games, a
vibrant atmosphere for league play, and family-friendly environment that’s great for parties of all kind.” Nevin even hired Wiffle Ball enthusiast, Derek Dust, to add “play-by-play” and “color” throughout each game. Dust’s quick wit and knowledge of the game adds to the overall experience for players and fans. See BACK TO SCHOOL on page 8
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