Herb Wyland hopes an old softball injury will lead to a successful business venture. After undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder in 2000, Wyland wanted to find a way to play catch without a teammate.
A paddleball Wyland’s wife, Loretta, gave him sparked an idea.
“If I could attach a ball to a glove, I wouldn’t need anyone to play catch with,� said Wyland, a pharmacy technician at Altoona Regional Health System.
Hence the birth of Back-At-U-Baseball — a rubber baseball anchored on a 10-foot bungee cord that attaches to a baseball glove with a piece of self-contained Velcro.
Wyland Enterprises secured a Chinese manufacturer that has produced nearly 5,000 Back-At-U-Baseballs. About 500 have been sold to date.
The Wylands are optimistic that their invention will be a success.
“Our goal is to go national, that is the ultimate goal. Our target audience will be 6- to 10-year olds in the developmental stage, something to help them develop their game,� Herb said. “I would like to license this through Major League Baseball and have it sold at ballparks across the country. This thing could skyrocket if we get the right outlets.�
Photo by Altoona Mirror.
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