Teeing it up from Albion to the White House

Nearly 50 years after local resident created youth game, program has expanded globally

December 3, 2004
Corey Crowley
Copy Editor

From Albion to the White House lawn, the game which would eventually become known as tee ball has come a long way. Created by Jerry Sacharski, director of Albion’s Department of Recreation, in 1956, it provided an opportunity for young, aspiring baseball players to learn the basics of the game.

According to Sacharski, baseball in the area was played primarily by older children through Little League. Unless the younger children played in their neighborhood, they had no opportunity to play because of the lack of a league geared toward them.

“The way it all started out was the kids under 12 came down to the park and wanted to play baseball,” Sacharski said. “I didn’t want to tell the kids they were too young so we had them come two afternoons a week [to play].”

That was when a problem arose. Because the players were so young, many had trouble executing fundamental aspects of the game. The pitchers couldn’t throw strikes consistently, the batters couldn’t hit the ball and the fielders had trouble making outs.

As a result, Sacharski created a style of play in which certain rules of baseball were altered to make it easier on the young athletes. There was no pitcher; instead batters hit off a tee. Fielders only had to step inside a circle surrounding the base to make an out, rather than touching the base. These adjustments made it possible for beginners to learn the basics.

For Sacharski, the new game was not solely about hitting the ball off a tee—the original league was named the Pee Wee League—but rather about making it possible for those who weren’t old enough to play regular baseball to still have the opportunity to participate.

This new style of play caught on in nearby communities, eventually spreading across the globe. According to www.whitehouse.gov, “Tee ball is played in every state and territory and in dozens of countries around the world.”

Albion baseball player James Garlick, ­­­­Highland sophomore, started playing tee ball when he was 5 years old and credits it with developing his love of baseball. It also played a key role in teaching him the basics of the game.

“Tee ball is where the fundamentals are taught and the earlier a player starts playing baseball the better he will be as he gets older, because what usually separates the good players and the great players is the assertiveness on the field and knowing what to do based on instinct...” Garlick said in an e-mail response.

The game has received attention in recent years when President George W. Bush began hosting tee ball games three years ago on the South Lawn of the White House. U.S. Representative Nick Smith even spoke about the game in congress.

Sacharski does not know if anyone else around the country was developing the game at the same time as him, but said that the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. has a video of the first tee ball game played in Albion. He received further recognition for his contribution when, at the beginning of the 2001 tee ball season, the city of Albion had a day in his honor.

As the game of tee ball spread across the country over the years, it nurtured young athletes’ love of baseball while providing a testament to the history of athletics and creativity in Albion.