Major League Wiffleball
Wiffleball photos, tips, and product reviews

• Why don’t you guys use a real Wiffle Ball ®?
• Where do you guys play?
• That yellow backstop looks really cool. Where can I get one?
• Will you play our league in an interleague game?
• Are your photos with MLB players and musicians real?

Q: Why don’t you guys use a “real” Wiffle Ball ®?
A: After testing several types of balls, we chose the Easton practice baseballs as our official ball. The Easton, or “Swiss cheese” ball acts more like a baseball than a traditional Wiffle Ball ®. Unlike with a Wiffle Ball ®, it can be thrown hard and accurate over a 40 foot distance. And the Easton ball is heavier than a Wiffle Ball ®, so it will travel farther when hit and is not as affected by the constant, swirling winds at The Sac.

We also tested out the Sandlot “Diamond” balls, which are even heavier than the Easton balls. At first, many of the players liked these balls, but similar to the Wiffle Balls ®, they curve with little or no effort, something that most of the players were against. These balls also dent quite easily, and they are not as economical as the more durable Easton ball. They also travel a lot farther, meaning almost every hit was a towering home run on our field.

Another ball tested was a purple Chuck-E-Cheese ball, stolen from their famous “Sea of Balls.” This ball was light, and featured amazing, Tim Wakefield-like movement when thown with some effort. Unfortunately, it rarely traveled past the pitcher’s mound when hit.

Finally, Jason Engle of Little Kids, Inc. provided us with some free Junk Ball samples. This ball is mostly solid, with holes across the center that can be covered or exposed by a rotating red ring which controls pitch movement. We really liked these, however they travel too far for our field. Also, many pitchers preferred to keep the holes closed on the ball when pitching because of the uncontrollable curve action that led to many walks.

Q: Where do you guys play?
A: Well, we don’t play anymore. However, all of our games were played on a cul-de-sac, nicknamed “The Sac”, in the city of Cohoes, NY. Cohoes is about 10 miles north of Albany, NY.

Q: That yellow backstop looks really cool. Where can I get one?
A: We bought ours at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Albany, NY. It’s a mesh screen with a strike zone pouch made by a company called Sandlot and came in a package that cost around $70, however it can be purchased separately for about half that cost. The original frame was made out of plastic and cracked and tipped over quite easily, so a $30 Franklin “pitch-back” with a metal frame was purchased prior to the 2001 season and the mesh screen was slipped onto that.

Q: Will you play our league in an interleague game?
A: Sorry, but we’re no longer accepting any challenges. Our playing days are over.

Q: Are your photos with MLB players and musicians real?
A: Yes, all of them. We’ve actually met these people and they’ve been kind enough to pose with a wiffleball for this site.

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