The Game that Originated in Charleston, South Carolina - Half Rubber

Locals to the coast of South Carolina and Georgia will consider the title of this article quite provocative. See, there is a generations-old debate about the origins of Half Rubber, the game that is so loved by the good old boys here in the South. To be specific, the bickering is between Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina as to where Half Rubber got its wobbly beginnings. My vote is that Half Rubber began in the great state of South Carolina but it is impossible to trace the roots of this crazy game, I mean organized sport.

I am qualified to write about this sport because my husband is a legend among Half Rubber players. He is the all-time best catcher the game has ever seen. If you don't believe him, just ask. Like all Half Rubber players, he will be delighted to talk to you for hours, even days, about the game these guys love so well. In fact, I've always known there is one thing my husband prizes over our marriage. Even over our dog. It's Half Rubber. He has been playing (sorry - I mean winning) Half Rubber tournaments for over 40 years. Like so many of the players, it is a big part of what defines him. And I learned this early in our courtship.

The subject of Half Rubber dominated many of our first few conversations. Having grown up in a sports-minded family, I've always considered myself well versed in this area. Even the most obscure team activities have captured my attention along the way. But when I first started hearing about Half Rubber I honestly thought it was a joke. I was convinced my husband-to-be was an imaginative prankster (this happens to be true, but that's beside the point). Firstly, I couldn't believe there was a game with such a rabid following that I didn't know about. Secondly, I couldn't really grasp what he was telling me. That's when he pulled out a Sports Illustrated article about Half Rubber. And of course, his picture was prominently featured (hey, we were courting). The proof was staring back at me from those ratty, yellowed Sports Illustrated pages. Half Rubber is a real sport.

There are 2 pieces of equipment in the game of Half Rubber; a wooden pole about the diameter of a broom stick and one half of a red rubber ball (hence the name Half Rubber). The poles, which the guys call bats, are intensely personal pieces of property. A 'regulation' bat can be up to 48 inches long and one-and-a-half inches in diameter. You don't mess with a man's bat.

To understand the game, you must imagine a modification of baseball or stickball. Or maybe imagine baseball and stickball merged together and then morphed into something similar but different.

A Half Rubber team consists of four men; a pitcher, a catcher and two fielders. Pitching half of a rubber ball isn't easy and the good pitchers can get that ball in very fast. The uneven nature of the ball causes it to sail erratically through the air, and it comes over the plate in the most unusual ways. The ball dips and curves and wobbles as it approaches the batter, so making contact with the skinny pole requires tremendous skill. A good pitcher can sling a ball side-armed with a one finger grip that's almost impossible to hit. And to catch. The catcher catches these rockets bare handed (gloves are not allowed). I've spent many summer evenings icing broken fingers. At a tournament last weekend my husband broke a finger during a particularly heated match-up. Another very good catcher handed him some tape and said "tape it to a good one and keep catching".

Because of the crazy approach of the ball and the small diameter of the bat, swings and misses are common. That's where the skill of the catcher is important. According to my husband, a good catcher can win or lose the game. See, if a batter swings and misses and the catcher catches the ball - it's an out. Even better, if the batter swings and pops a foul ball and the catcher still catches it - it counts as two outs. The only other way for an out to occur is when a fly ball is caught by the pitcher or the fielder. There are three outs per inning.

Half Rubber demands intense concentration and excellent hand-to-eye coordination.

As opposed to baseball, you swing where you think the ball is going to be in Half Rubber. You must anticipate which way the ball is breaking before you swing. The old timers say they can 'read the ball'. As an onlooker, I have to believe this is true. Otherwise, nobody would ever get a hit. I've seen this game shame many big-time sluggers.

It can be said that a solid relationship between the pitcher and the catcher is the backbone of a strong Half Rubber team. Competitively, if the pitcher and catcher have played together a long time they are hard to beat. As a spectator, it is a thrill to watch a good pitcher and a good catcher play together, especially if they have played together a long time. My husband has been catching his pitcher and best friend for over 30 years. They can read each other's minds. It's incredible to watch.

No matter how good the pitch is, there is no such thing as a strike. I've sat in the blistering heat of the Charleston, South Carolina sun and watched while batters just stood there waiting for the perfect pitch. And if the perfect pitch came and they still didn't swing, that's okay too. Wait for the next one. This is where most good Southern gals perfect their beer drinking skills. Did I mention that this game can last a looooong time?

Oddly, nobody actually runs bases in Half Rubber. This is where I originally doubted the validity of the game. Really? If there is no running, how do you score? With each hit, imaginary runners are forced around 3 imaginary bases. A 'single' is a hit that travels past the pitcher, located approximately 60 feet away from the batter. There is also a designated home run mark which is about 150 feet from the batter. If a batter manages to hit an airborne ball over this mark it counts as a home run. In Half Rubber there are only 2 ways to advance the imaginary bases, single hits and home run hits. Since the game is mostly played on the beaches in the summer, it's a good thing that nobody has to run.

Have I convinced you how much fun this game is?
This is a real sport. ESPN, are you listening?

Half Rubber Details:

Tournaments play an important role in keeping the tradition of Half Rubber alive. Players of the game certainly enjoy the competition but also very much appreciate the charitable nature of the organized sport.

Last year, the inaugural Charleston Nine Memorial Half Rubber Tournament raised money for the families of the fireman that perished in last year's Sofa Super Store fire.

This year's competitive Half Rubber season kicked off last weekend with a tribute tournament honoring a fallen member of my husband's team, a Half Rubber institution and a close personal friend. Fittingly, his team won. It was a wonderful day.

Arguably the most popular tournament, The Man of the Sand, is next weekend on Folly Beach. Over 40 teams are expected. Man in the Sand raises money for Camp Good Times, a summer day camp for nearly 100 autistic children. Last year's tournament raised $8,000 for the camp.

Check out the official Half Rubber site for this year's tournament schedule:
http://www.halfrubber.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=14&Itemid=28

Players' ages range from 16 - 66. Everyone is welcome.

Half Rubber is played:
Most Saturdays at 10 a.m. at the Elks Club on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard in Charleston, South Carolina
Most Sundays from mid-April to the end of October on Folly Beach, near the front of the Holiday Inn parking lot.