I’ve been searching high and low for info/references on a game I played a lot in 5th and 6th grade called Goofball.

As I remember, it was a played with a wiffleball bat and a tennis ball. No gloves were allowed. First and third base were the same, but second base was like out in center field or even beyond, usually a big tree or piece of playground equipment. The batting team had three outs to work with, supplied the pitcher and generally played by three-pitch rules. However, you could hit it anywhere: in front of you, behind you etc so no such thing as a foul ball. Like three-pitch, you had three pitches total to hit the ball “safely” (meaning not caught by the fielding team or not hitting a runner), and could be called out if you swung/missed or didn’t swing on the third pitch. Outs were made by pop flys or line drives caught, force outs (1st base only as I remember), not hitting safely by the third pitch, being tagged by the ball (with the ball in hand by an opposing team member, or getting hit by a thrown or batted ball), or not returning home before your next at-bat.

If you made it to first base, once you left first (or any) base, you couldn’t return to it. However, you could have multiple players on a single base, and it didn’t matter whether the guy/gal that batted behind or ahead of you scored or was called out before you. It made for some crazy chases where runners who left first or second would run all over the place, towards the school corridors, hiding out, until they knew it was safe to advance to the next base. I do remember that you had to get home before your next at-bat or it was an automatic out.

If anyone has any additional info on this, or knows where I can go to find some, please email me at gobruins99 [at] yahoo [dot] com. Thanks.