beeper ball
n.— «Staying in the vein of special needs, four teams of visually impaired baseball players met Saturday for New York’s first ever blind baseball tournament. Unlike traditional versions of our national pastime, beeper ball (or “beep ball” as it’s called) discourages crowds from cheering since sounds from buzzing bases and beeping balls are used in place of vision. The hometown Long Island Bombers kicked off the round-robin tournament with an 8-6 victory over the visiting Chicago Comets. And just in case you were wondering, National Beep Ball Association rules do not consider hearing aids performance enhancing devices, though steroids are frowned upon.» —“Real, Strange News: Monday Breakfast Bender” by Emil Steiner Washington Post June 25, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Quiz Guy John Chaneski was inspired by his college-age son’s remote classes, which he could hear but not quite make out through the wall. For this week’s puzzle, he offers a similarly garbled description of a college course. For example, which...
The expression to go chalk has to do with rankings in an athletic tournament and harks back to when seeded teams or players were listed on a chalkboard. To pick chalk means to choose one’s favorite competitor, and you can also speak of a chalk...