Staff writer

DANVERS -- A ball, but no diamond. A bat, but no gloves. No second or third base, for that matter. Just first, and it honks when you step on it.

Were he alive today, Alexander Doubleday might kick dirt at the founders of this stripped-down form of baseball. But for kids at Endicott Park starting May 7, it could be a blast.

They call it BlastBall, and it's coming to the Danvers Recreation Department for the first time this spring.

Senior recreation staffer Ben Goodhue will oversee the six-week program, which is aimed at kids 4 to 7 and costs $40.

The game is like T-ball, only easier. Here's how a typical at-bat might play out:

1. Little Suzie steps up to the tee, holding a bat of foam-covered nylon.

2. She takes a mighty swing but hits mostly tee. The soft foam ball dribbles about 11 feet from the plate, just far enough to be in fair territory. She drops the bat and sprints toward the BlastBase.

3. Little Jimmy, one of five fielders arranged in no particular order on the grassy field, is the first to reach the ball. He grabs for it, but it is too late.

4. Because Suzie has already stomped on the BlastBase, and everyone knows it. The loud honking sound the base let out when her foot touched it told them so.

5. Simply by reaching the base, Suzie has scored a run. If Jimmy had grabbed the ball, held it up in the air and yelled "Blast!" before Suzie reached base, she would have been out.

BlastBall was born in 1999 when an Iowa father named Bryan Bravard got sick of watching his kid play T-ball.

"Basically, they stand around," BlastBall marketer Ed Scott said of kids in T-ball games. "It's extremely boring."

Bravard spent a weekend drawing up what he hoped would be a faster, easier introduction to baseball. Key to his design was the honking base, which is said to delight young BlastBall participants.

Kids flocked to join leagues Bravard set up based on his new concept. He eventually sold the idea to Sports Supply Group, which sells pitching machines to Major League Baseball.

Its subsidiary, the Nevada-based Athletic Training Equipment Co., brought the product to market about 18 months ago. Since then, Scott said, ATEC has sold untold thousands of BlastBall kits at $109 -- the majority to buyers in foreign countries like Australia and Canada.

To the best of Recreation Director David Mountain's knowledge, Danvers is the first town on the North Shore to sponsor a BlastBall program.

He says the game lets youngsters learn to hit, throw, catch and run -- without being scared of the ball or bored.

Mountain also coaches T-ball.

"There's oftentimes a lot of standing around," he said. "This makes it a little quicker."

Parents have responded quickly to news of the BlastBall program. As of last Friday, just six spots remained for 6- and 7-year-olds. There is already a waiting list for 4- and 5-year-olds.

But BlastBall will not replace its tee-based predecessor.

"We're not out competing against T-ball," Mountain said.

The new game could help ease playing-field shortages many North Shore towns face. According to Scott, five BlastBall games can be played in the same space needed for just one T-ball game.

BlastBall may also be cheaper than its counterparts because it requires less equipment and supervision.

"You don't need an umpire," Scott said. "The base is the ump."

Baseball purists might complain about the single base.

But they'd be hard-pressed to remember the last time a 5-year-old turned a double play.