h a l f b a k e r yRomantic, but doomed to fail.
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The exact same baseball we know and love, but with a magnet inside the ball. The gloves have electromagnets in the palm, with a power pack worn on the back, in a non-bulky, form-fitting pouch like a Camel-Bak. When the ball comes close, the magnetic field grabs it and pulls it into the palm.
I
realize
it's not exactly perfect, but it'll help little kids get the gist of the game, so they learn easier without getting as discouraged, and give the fielders the same assistance that pitching machines give the batters.
Note: Not for use around anybody with a pace-maker.
Kiddie Camel-Bak
http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm
Click on "Sports-Recreation", select "hydration packs" from the drop-down list, the select "just for the kids" from *that* drop-down list [21 Quest, Nov 10 2006]
[link]
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I like it, training wheels for baseball. |
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They also have velcro balls and gloves to promote "learning to play" as well. |
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//Baseball apparatus including a bat, ball and glove; wherein they are magnetically arranged... //
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How did that get a patent with such ambiguous description? |
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I agree, Ra, believe me, but my little brother loves sports of any kind. |
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There's no way that a fast-moving baseball would be appreciably altered by a magnet in a mitt as it flew towards the ground. Unless superconductors were involved somehow. |
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I thought about this as well phlish, but then I thought about getting my first bike that had training wheels on it. And btw..Some kids are retarded. |
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//they all suck at the same time//
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That's not true... I remember very well being a kid, and being on several sports teams (T-ball, baseball, soccer, etc..) and there were always kids who were better than everybody else. And it was very discouraging.
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The simple fact is, a lot of kids have parents who practice with them every day to develop their skills. A lot of kids have parents who could care less. There is naturally going to be a huge difference in the level of skill between these two groups of kids. |
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..."and there were always kids who were better than everybody else. And it was very discouraging."
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I'm sorry 21, and I know I'm going to sound very harsh here, but, well in life, there are always people who are better at things than others. I object to the direction we are taking with kids, where they can't fail a test, can't be told not to do something in preschool, etc. Basically we're setting children up with a scenario where they never have to face failure until adulthood.
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I worry about how well the next generation will handle the big, bad world, if we keep coddling them like this.
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mountains and molehills and all that I know but, I simply don't agree with that kind of reasoning. I faced many failures (and many successes) in my childhood, and believe I am a stronger, better adjusted person for that reason.
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Oh yeah, I doubt portable magnets could help anyways. |
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I'm not talking about coddling normal kids with normal athletic abilities. But have you never heard of the Special Olympics, where they have specialized sports for the mentally handicapped? This is something that allows slower children to play, children who don't care about the competition, and just play for the sake of playing. |
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The magnets aren't going to do much more than Velcro would, as far as catching goes. Magnets would make it a lot harder to get the ball out of the glove, unless there is an easily-operated switch in there somewhere.
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BTW, I think training wheels on bicycles are a very bad idea. |
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Yes, I tend to clip pedestrian's ankles on the way to work. Damn things. |
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Well they've been around for a long time, so obviously there's something good about them. |
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