I WANNA BE A KID AGAIN

Old Wiffle ball takes new flight (Robert Gavin, 7/6/2003, Boston Globe)

The ball is smaller than a baseball, made of hard plastic, with 22 holes and raised seams, and somehow this design enables a
transformation which, if not remarkable, is at least very cool. Throw it, and it curves, knuckles, and flutters like a Wiffle ball. Hit it, however, and it takes off from the plastic bat like a baseball, flying true, straight, and fast.

The ball represents a key advancement to a game that has been played in backyards for decades, and if its maker, Yomega Corp. of Fall River, has its way, its new, somewhat faster version of the old standard will be just as popular. Tested by former major leaguer Bill Ripken, and endorsed by his brother, future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., the game, which Yomega calls Ripken Quickball, should be on the shelves of sporting goods and specialty stores next month, complete with plastic bat, rule book, and six of the newfangled balls. Ripken Quickball is just the latest product for a company that has made its mark by adding innovation to time-tested toys and games. Yomega started in 1983 with the yo-yo, advancing the state of the art with centrifugal clutches, roller bearings, and other patented technology. It has followed in recent years by reengineering the Frisbee, so the flying disc flies farther with less wobble, and introducing several advancements to paddle ball that make it easier to hit the ball attached to the paddle by a rubber band.

Next year, the company plans to bring out a top -- under top-secret development -- which Yomega founder and owner Alan Amaral promises will almost certainly revolutionize both the art and science of top throwing.

You've gotta read about the other toys they're making too...at least very cool. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 6, 2003 2:38 PM