No Pepper

[Jon]

From baseballtips.com:

 

pepper -- Pepper is a common pre-game exercise where one player bunts brisk grounders and line drives to a group of fielders who are standing about 20 feet away. The fielders try to throw it back as quickly as possible. The batter hits the return throw. (Some ballparks ban pepper games because wild pitches could land in the stands and injure spectators).

Huh. Makes sense. If pepper was used to entertain the crowd, they would obviously do it close to the stands and pepper at a good speed. I guess I never thought of the risk.

 

And there's not much point in advanced players doing it by themselves since it's not really a useful activity to practice skills.

 

Also, the pepper is used in other sports. I used to do it every day in volleyball practice.

Edited July 7, 2005 by Jon

[biittner77]

Interesting. We played what we called "pepper" as kids, but it was nothing like the above described situations. Our version basically involved 3 guys. Two with gloves and a third who would get between the guys with gloves and get a run down going. The objective for the runner was to get to one of the bases safely, while the two guys with gloves tossed it back and forth attempting to tag the runner out. Once the guy was tagged out, everyone switched places and started a new run down.

 

Maybe "pepper" is defined as different versions of practicing in game situations?

 

We used to call it "running bases". Not the most original name, I know. We'd have more than one baserunner. We'd have about 5-6 kids (really anyone that wanted to) and we'd use squares of the sidewalk as large bases. The two guys throwing the ball would sometimes lob it to try to entice one of the would be base stealers to run. If the ball got away from someone we'd run as many bases as possible until the guy got the ball and threw it back.

[Springfield_CUBBY]

Interesting. We played what we called "pepper" as kids, but it was nothing like the above described situations. Our version basically involved 3 guys. Two with gloves and a third who would get between the guys with gloves and get a run down going. The objective for the runner was to get to one of the bases safely, while the two guys with gloves tossed it back and forth attempting to tag the runner out. Once the guy was tagged out, everyone switched places and started a new run down.

 

Maybe "pepper" is defined as different versions of practicing in game situations?

 

We used to call that game "Running Bases" (lame Suburban Chicago name)

[JC]

Interesting. We played what we called "pepper" as kids, but it was nothing like the above described situations. Our version basically involved 3 guys. Two with gloves and a third who would get between the guys with gloves and get a run down going. The objective for the runner was to get to one of the bases safely, while the two guys with gloves tossed it back and forth attempting to tag the runner out. Once the guy was tagged out, everyone switched places and started a new run down.

 

Maybe "pepper" is defined as different versions of practicing in game situations?

 

We called that "running bases", and others call that pickle. And it wasn't just 3 guys, it was 2 fielders and 1 or (more often than not) multiple baserunners. Great game.

 

We had a ton of kids in my neighborhood, so we would have multiple people running as well. Sometimes, we'd add a "third" base, but the runner wasn't allowed to cut between first and third although you could throw between the two.

 

Creatively, we most often called it "Rundown".

[biittner77]

I can't believ running bases was so popular!

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

[Springfield_CUBBY]

This is the BEST thread NSBB has had since the loosing streak started!

[Springfield_CUBBY]

I can't believ running bases was so popular!

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

No, but could you hum a few bars?? :P

[JC]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

[biittner77]

I can't believ running bases was so popular!

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

No, but could you hum a few bars?? :P

 

I'm pretty sure this game never made it to the suburbs- at least none of my friends in college ever had heard of it.

 

Johnny tackle was like it except that instead of tagging someone you had to tackle them. That person then would also be "it" with you and the two of you would try to tackle everyone else. When someone yelled "Johnny" everyone had to run to the other side of the field/ parking lot. The last guy to get tackled won.

[Chocolate Milk]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

 

Smear the Queer was the best game ever.

[biittner77]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

 

Funny, that's what my friends from the suburbs called it but there was no ball involved.

 

We did play a game called "spud" that involved a ball but no tackling.

[Springfield_CUBBY]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

 

Smear the Queer was the best game ever.

 

I agree, it was a great way to spend a hot Saturday in 1977 . . .

[imb]

id go out and play smear the queer right now, that game was a blast.

[JC]

 

We did play a game called "spud" that involved a ball but no tackling.

 

IIRC, Spud involved the most popular big red ball. Each kid was designated a color or number or something without the Spud thrower knowing who was who. The Spud thrower would then toss the ball straight up and yell a color, number, etc. The kid assigned to that choice had to retreive the ball and yell, "SPUD!" Meanwhile, all the other kids would scatter. The Spud kid would then have a predetermined number of steps/jumps to get in range to drill another kid.

 

Good times.

[Knightlife_in_Lubbock]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

 

Smear the Queer was the best game ever.

 

Wow you can still call it that today? On this board?

[dalgreen]

When I was younger, my dad told me pepper was a game where everyone stood in circle, bent over, batting the ball back and forth bare-handed. He said it was banned because the ball would get away, and hit fans in the stands.

 

I've seen that, don't know what it's called.

 

I thought pepper was a game where you practice rundowns.

That's pickle. That's why it's called "getting in a pickle."

 

I never heard it called "pickle". We always called it "pepper".

 

That's what we called it, too. Maybe there are a combination of games and they were all lumped together and called "pepper".

[dalgreen]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

 

We called that "Kill the man with the Ball"

[JC]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

 

We called that "Kill the man with the Ball"

 

But, that doesn't rhyme!

[UMFan83]

This is the BEST thread NSBB has had since the loosing streak started!

 

I thought this would be the one thread without mention of the losing streak

[Knightlife_in_Lubbock]

This is the BEST thread NSBB has had since the loosing streak started!

 

I thought this would be the one thread without mention of the losing streak

 

Way to go. You were the first to mention it. :wink:

[circlechange]

Running bases was the greatest simple game involving more than two people. "Catch" was the greatest for 2 people. Simply shooting baskets was the greatest for one. I'd venture to guess that I spent about 85% of my free time as a young'n doing one of those three things.

 

Here's the question: Did you guys enjoy running the bases more or being the fielders?

[JC]

 

Here's the question: Did you guys enjoy running the bases more or being the fielders?

 

I enjoyed being a fielder more, but there was a higher level of esteem if you could keep from getting tagged out for long periods of time while running the basis. Tough question.

[JC]

This thread has made me realize that I had a lot more fun doing things that required a lot less money than I do now.

[dougdescenzo]

Because pepper is where you stand in a semicircle and have a guy hit the ball right at the fielders i always thought the sign "No Pepper Games" was sort of in jest, meaning the fans don't want the players to just hit it right back to fielders the entire game they want to see some action. If you guys are right then I was way off, although I really can't see any ballpark actually banning pepper.

[Lauf45]

 

Have any of you ever played "Johnny Tackle"?

 

Pardon the expression, but if its anything like "Smear the Queer", then yes. (Basically, a kid runs around with a ball until he gets flattened. The ball is then tossed up in the air and the process begins again. Sometimes it involved teams a la rugby; however, sometimes is was twenty against one.)

 

We called that "Kill the man with the Ball"

 

We had a few names for this game...Was also referred to as "Demolishion" or "Maul Ball"...It was also one of my favorite games to play. Now i would hurt myself if i played it.