>> THIS IS CHRONICLE ON WCVB CHANNEL 5.
ANTHONY: PUT TOGETHER A GUYS, A BROOMSTICK AND THIS AND YOU ARE BACK IN THE 1960’S.
COLLECT COLORS FROM EVERY ERA.
>> 1958.
ANTHONY: AND ONE MAN’S PASSION BECOMES A TELEPHONE MUSEUM.
>> THE FIRST COMMENT, WHAT IS A PHONE BOOTH?
ANTHONY: LET TED ROMAN NUMERAL BE SURPRISED WHAT HE FINDS.
THE PAINSTAKING ART OF A WOOD TURNING.
THE BAY STATE’S BIRD MAN, PLUS IN FRANKLIN, THE CASE OF THE MISSING THEY’LL.
-- MISSING BELL.
ANTHONY: GOOD EVENING.
WHO SAYS YOU HAVE TO PUT AWAY THE GAMES OF CHILDHOOD WHEN YOU BECOME AN ADULT?
NOT TED REINSTEIN.
TED FOUND A GROUP OF MEN IN EAST BOSTON WHO’VE FOUND A WAY TO BE KIDS AGAIN, THANKS TO HALF A BALL.
TED: THIS STORY IS A LITTLE LIKE BASEBALL, 50% LIKE BASEBALL, LITERALLY.
HALF THE BALL.
IT IS NOT NEW AND AT FIRST GLANCE, YOU WOULD ASSUME YOU’RE LOOKING AT STICKBALL, THAT TIME-HONORED, URBAN TRADITION, BASICALLY BASEBALL FOR SMALL SPACES, NO GRASS OR EQUIPMENT
EXCEPT FOR A BROOMSTICK AND A RUBBER BALL.
THE BROOMSTICKS ARE THE SAME, ABOUT THE BALL -- WELCOME TO HALF BALL.
>> THIS GAME GOES BACK A LONG WAY.
WE PICKED IT UP AS KIDS BACK IN THE 1960’S, 1970’S AND EARLY 1980’S.
TED: A FEW YEARS AGO, THIS IS BOSTON NATIVE ORGANIZED FRIENDS TO RECONNECT OVER A CASUAL GAME OF OUTDOOR HALF BALL.
THE RESPONSE WAS SO GREAT THAT ONE PICKUP GAME HAS GROWN INTO AN ORGANIZED LEAGUE OF HALF A DOZEN TEAMS COMPLETE WITH TOURNAMENTS AND TROPHIES.
>> YOU COMPLETE THIS ANYWHERE.
IMPROVISE, PUT DOWN TAPE, MAKE SOME LINES, HAVE A COUPLE OF GUYS THERE AND HAVE A BALL OR A COUPLE OF HOURS.
TED: THEY HAVE A BALL ALL RIGHT.
ON A WEEKDAY AFTERNOON, WE DROPPED IN ON THE ACTION AT THIS COMMUNITY CENTER.
IT IS FOR ON FOUR, EACH HAS A PITCHER, CATCHER AND TWO FIELDERS.
AFTER THAT, IT’S LIKE IT WAS BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
MOM SUPPLY THE BAT, WHETHER SHE KNEW IT OR NOT.
>> MY MOTHER USED TO SAY TO ME, I HOPE THAT IS NOT MY BROOMSTICK.
NO, IT IS NOT.
TED: THE GROUND RULES, IT DEPENDS ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> IF YOU STOP THE BALL FROM HITTING THE BACK WALL, IT IS IN NOW.
LIGHT BLUE IS A HOME RUN.
THE GLASS AND ABOVE IS AN AUTOMATIC HOME RUN.
TED: HITTING A HOME RUN IS HARDER THAN IT LOOKS.
HITTING IT AT ALL IS NOT EASY, TRUST ME.
THAT IS HARDER TO HIT THAN A FULL BALL.
THIS GUY WHACKED A BALL INTO INFINITY COME OUT THE DOOR, NOT SURE ABOUT THE RULES ON THAT ONE.
THE CROWDS ARE SPARSE, BUT APPRECIATIVE AND MOSTLY RELATED.
HALF BALL IS HAVING A BIT OF A REVIVAL, STARTING WITH THE FAMED BALL ITSELF BEING BACK IN PRODUCTION, ALONG WITH THE NEW BOOK BY THE SPORT.
IT’S UNCLEAR WHO FIRST HAD THE DUBIOUS IDEA OF CUTTING THE HOLLOW BALL IN HALF, BUT IT WAS DIABOLICALLY BRILLIANT.
>> IT COULD BE COMING IN LIKE THIS, LIKE THIS, IT COULD DIVE ON YOU REALLY EASILY.
TED: I DID NOT LOOK LIKE ONE OF THOSE GUYS ON THIS BENCH.
THAT HAVE DISTINCT.
NOT THAT THEY DON’T TAKE THEIR STATS SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE TRUTH IS, FOR A LOT OF THESE GUYS OF A CERTAIN AGE, PITCHING AND HITTING IS NOT WHAT DRAWS THEM.
YOU GUYS GO BACK?
>> ABOUT 50 YEARS.
WE PLAYED LITTLE LEAGUE TOGETHER, ON THE SAME TEAM.
AND THEN WE HOOKED UP THROUGH THIS.
>> THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE.
TED: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT IT?
>> IT BRINGS ME BACK TO WHEN I WAS YOUNG.
AND THIS PLACE HAS BROUGHT BACK MY YOUTH.
TED: IT’S ALSO DRAWN SOME GUYS WHO STILL HAVE THEIR YOUTH.
>> I CAME IN HERE AND I SAW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, AND MY INTERFERING?
BUT THEY LOVED THAT THE GAME IS BEING PASSED ON.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE 30 YEARS OLD TO PLAY, IT BE SIX YEARS OLD.
IT IS GREAT.
TED: THINGS DID START TO COME BACK TO ME.
I WON’T SAY HOW MANY SWINGS IT TOOK.
MY PITCHING IMPROVED ENOUGH TO GET ONE DONE THE MIDDLE FOR BELL -- BILL.
IN MY THE HALF OF ALL, BUT IT HAS COME FULL CIRCLE FOR THE SLUGGERS.
>> WE ARE ALL IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF EAST BOSTON.
THEN WE ALL GREW UP, WE HAD FAMILIES, AND THEN WE RECONNECTED.
YOU WOULD THINK WE WERE 14 YEARS OLD AGAIN.
TED: KIND OF LIKE A HALF BALL FIELD OF DREAMS.
ANTHONY: THE HALF BALL LEAGUE, THE ONLY ONE IN THE CITY, TAKES THE SUMMER OFF.
THEN PLAYERS COME BACK IN THE FALL FOR AN OUTDOOR TOURNAMENT IN SEPTEMBER AT SHADES BEACH IN EAST BOSTON.
AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A CHILD OF THE 1960’S TO PLAY, THE LEAGUE IS OPEN TO ANYONE INTERESTED.
AS FOR THE TRADITION OF STICKBALL, WHEN THE YOUNG WILLIE MAYS WAS PLAYING FOR THE-THEN NEW YORK GIANTS, HE USED TO STOP AND PLAY STICKBALL WITH KIDS IN THE STREETS OF HARLEM.
TO SAVE HIS MARRIAGE, VINCENT VALENTINE CREATED A MUSEUM.
♪ >> THE ENTIRE COLLECTION IS HIS.
>> THIS IS AFTER YOU WIFE INSISTED YOU GET THIS OUT OF THE HOUS