New balls please!
October 2, 2015 9:14 AM Subscribe
What kind of ball would you reccomend as suitable for playing with in the office?
I have a habit of playing with a ball while I'm at my desk at work.
I have baseballs, cricket balls and a couple of softballs in my drawers which I enjoy because the texture of the seams are fun to play with. They're a bit heavy though so I can't really toss them around for fear of breaking something or hurting someone, probably me.
I also have some tennis balls but the fuzziness appeals to me less than the smooth, harder balls and those inevitably get stolen and destroyed by the office dogs. Which is fine but I get through them pretty quickly
I had a couple of slow squash balls which were nice and smooth and squishy and bouncy but a bit too small and I lost them quite quickly.
So, in conclusion, can you reccomend me something like a tennis ball sized squash ball preferably with some kind of texture that I can play with in the office?
Bonus points if it's brightly coloured or used for a sport I've not heard of/don't know much about.
(I promise the above innuendos are all unintentional, it turns out it's much harder than I though to write about balls without getting sucked into a testicular quagmire...as this sentence aptly demonstrates. Apologies)
I have a habit of playing with a ball while I'm at my desk at work.
I have baseballs, cricket balls and a couple of softballs in my drawers which I enjoy because the texture of the seams are fun to play with. They're a bit heavy though so I can't really toss them around for fear of breaking something or hurting someone, probably me.
I also have some tennis balls but the fuzziness appeals to me less than the smooth, harder balls and those inevitably get stolen and destroyed by the office dogs. Which is fine but I get through them pretty quickly
I had a couple of slow squash balls which were nice and smooth and squishy and bouncy but a bit too small and I lost them quite quickly.
So, in conclusion, can you reccomend me something like a tennis ball sized squash ball preferably with some kind of texture that I can play with in the office?
Bonus points if it's brightly coloured or used for a sport I've not heard of/don't know much about.
(I promise the above innuendos are all unintentional, it turns out it's much harder than I though to write about balls without getting sucked into a testicular quagmire...as this sentence aptly demonstrates. Apologies)
Best answer: Handballs? Here's a multicolour assortment on Amazon US.
Raquetballs may also work for you - here are some in a hi-viz shade of pink.
posted by gox3r at 9:18 AM on October 2, 2015
Raquetballs may also work for you - here are some in a hi-viz shade of pink.
posted by gox3r at 9:18 AM on October 2, 2015
There are "sensory" balls made for infants/toddlers with fun nubby textures in bright colours. Lots of companies make them.
posted by stowaway at 9:19 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by stowaway at 9:19 AM on October 2, 2015
Best answer: So, the fact that you have specifically said that the office dogs are already prone to taking your balls makes this kind of a funny suggestion, but, uh, dog balls.
Dogs like to chew things and I guess different textures and weights are supposed to be interesting for them or something, and toy dog balls come in a lot of really neat surface configurations.
Like this and this and this. If they weren't always covered with that gross shellac of dog spit crust and hair I'd play with my dog's balls a lot just to entertain myself.
dog balls heh
posted by phunniemee at 9:21 AM on October 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
Dogs like to chew things and I guess different textures and weights are supposed to be interesting for them or something, and toy dog balls come in a lot of really neat surface configurations.
Like this and this and this. If they weren't always covered with that gross shellac of dog spit crust and hair I'd play with my dog's balls a lot just to entertain myself.
dog balls heh
posted by phunniemee at 9:21 AM on October 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
Best answer: These "indoor snowballs" are AWESOME. The texture is great, the heft is perfect, and they are squishy. Plus you can throw them at people who annoy you.
posted by nkknkk at 10:08 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by nkknkk at 10:08 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
We've been playing with rubber band balls where I work lately. They have a satisfying - to me - texture and are pretty bouncy. You can make your own with any color rubber bands you like and replace them easily. The big drawback is that they are not dog-safe. Not that rubber bands are poisonous as far as I know. If a dog would happen to ingest a rubber band it could cause intestinal blockage.
posted by S'Tella Fabula at 10:13 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by S'Tella Fabula at 10:13 AM on October 2, 2015
Highly recommend playing with a Hoberman sphere. It's my favorite thingie.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:16 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by Sophie1 at 10:16 AM on October 2, 2015
Best answer: I use a racquetball for this purpose. It has a satisfying bounce off of things.
posted by craven_morhead at 10:29 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by craven_morhead at 10:29 AM on October 2, 2015
Best answer: My dog is a heavy chewer, so I'm well-acquainted with balls that'll hold up to dogs.
If you can keep it away from the dogs, the Foot Rubz massage ball linked early on has a great texture for fiddling.
Racquetballs hold up really well to chewing and they are very cheap - you could get a tube of them at a time so it's no big deal if (when!) the dogs end up carrying it off. Plus it'd be easy to rinse off the saliva.
Chuck-It! Ultra balls are also very good at holding up to dog chewing - I've had some going on 3 years still in perfect condition. They have a little texture and some give when squeezed.
posted by bookdragoness at 11:17 AM on October 2, 2015
If you can keep it away from the dogs, the Foot Rubz massage ball linked early on has a great texture for fiddling.
Racquetballs hold up really well to chewing and they are very cheap - you could get a tube of them at a time so it's no big deal if (when!) the dogs end up carrying it off. Plus it'd be easy to rinse off the saliva.
Chuck-It! Ultra balls are also very good at holding up to dog chewing - I've had some going on 3 years still in perfect condition. They have a little texture and some give when squeezed.
posted by bookdragoness at 11:17 AM on October 2, 2015
The smallest of dodge balls? Squishy, bouncy, texturey, and with that so-satisfying PINGGG!
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:20 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:20 AM on October 2, 2015
Best answer: How about a pimple ball? You can play with it at work and you can use it to play stick ball, half ball, wall ball, wire ball, and step ball.
posted by Rob Rockets at 11:31 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by Rob Rockets at 11:31 AM on October 2, 2015
Lacrosse balls. Jai-alai balls might be a fun diversion too, though I'm not sure they meet the "likely not to break anything" criterion.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:44 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:44 AM on October 2, 2015
Seconding the infant sensory ball!
The office dogs will steal the infant sensory balls (or, at least, my dog has one at home that he found at the park and loves it), but they're easy to get back because dogs can't quite get a solid grip on them. They're very satisfying to play with because they're a little squishier than a normal ball, plus they almost certainly won't break anything.
posted by snaw at 11:52 AM on October 2, 2015
The office dogs will steal the infant sensory balls (or, at least, my dog has one at home that he found at the park and loves it), but they're easy to get back because dogs can't quite get a solid grip on them. They're very satisfying to play with because they're a little squishier than a normal ball, plus they almost certainly won't break anything.
posted by snaw at 11:52 AM on October 2, 2015
Koosh Balls appear to be around, still. They've got enough heft that their obvious aerodynamic deficits don't preven them from being hucked across the office. On the other hand, it's a mass of rubber string that's squishy and deformable; it only hurts feelings if you bean a coworker. (Don't bean coworkers.)
Office dogs could steal them or be really put off by their existence. Comedy might ensue either way. It also appears that they are cheap, judging from a quick amazon search.
Alternately, how about the classic wiffle-ball? It's hard plastic but has a holey texture, it slows way down when you throw it hard, responds superbly to spin applied to the ball for curving throws, and it's lightweight, so it's great for (and made for, really) indoor sports in general. They can endure some dogplay and minor chewing. A dog with some time and dedication will chew it to pieces and leave the pieces everywhere (sorry mom, I thought it was on the roof somewhere), but it's not likely to get swallowed-- it's still hard plastic. "Plastic Baseball" will also work; hard plastic sphere with regular holes punched through-- the dogs are going to wonder where those've been all their lives.
Beanbag Balls would be good...until the dogs get them open, and then you've got a superfund-scale cleanup operation.
posted by Sunburnt at 12:38 PM on October 2, 2015
Office dogs could steal them or be really put off by their existence. Comedy might ensue either way. It also appears that they are cheap, judging from a quick amazon search.
Alternately, how about the classic wiffle-ball? It's hard plastic but has a holey texture, it slows way down when you throw it hard, responds superbly to spin applied to the ball for curving throws, and it's lightweight, so it's great for (and made for, really) indoor sports in general. They can endure some dogplay and minor chewing. A dog with some time and dedication will chew it to pieces and leave the pieces everywhere (sorry mom, I thought it was on the roof somewhere), but it's not likely to get swallowed-- it's still hard plastic. "Plastic Baseball" will also work; hard plastic sphere with regular holes punched through-- the dogs are going to wonder where those've been all their lives.
Beanbag Balls would be good...until the dogs get them open, and then you've got a superfund-scale cleanup operation.
posted by Sunburnt at 12:38 PM on October 2, 2015
Pinkies! Extra points for the nostalgia appeal.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:48 PM on October 2, 2015
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:48 PM on October 2, 2015
These are super soft, yet will still bounce in a satisfying (to me) way. They have fake seams that are raised.
posted by freezer cake at 11:56 AM on October 5, 2015
posted by freezer cake at 11:56 AM on October 5, 2015
« Older Lowish carb/cholesterol weeknight dinner recipes... | Blues Brothers Hat: the real deal Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by moonmilk at 9:17 AM on October 2, 2015