Heartland -- Thunder Rolls: The World of Blind Baseball

Blind Indianapolis players strive for a second World Series championship in Beep Baseball in this good-feels documentary.

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It’s been a long time since the Colts won a Super Bowl, the Pacers have never gotten to an NBA championship, the Indians are a middling triple-A ball club and the Fever are in rebuild mode. So glum local sports fans may not be aware that Indianapolis is, in fact, home to a team that has won a world championship — five in a row, in fact.

That’s the Indy Thunder, titans of Beep Baseball, a variant of the game designed specifically for blind and sight-impaired people to play. They are also the subject of a documentary by Robert Arnove and Susanne Schwibs, “Thunder Rolls: The World of Blind Baseball.”

This good-feels doc looks at the players, supporters, sponsors and fans of the Thunder during their season in pursuit of their second World Series win. It follows the classic sports story arc involving changes to the team, challenges, setbacks and (no spoiler needed) ultimate sports glory.

Most of all, it’s a portrait of Darnell Booker, the Thunder’s indefatigable manager. A former player himself, now retired, he lives and breathes beep baseball, waking up at the crack of dawn, arranging practices, interviewing potential new players, chasing sponsors and willing his team to excellence, year in and year out.

Beep baseball was invented in 1964 as a way for the blind to enjoy the competitiveness and athletics of the game. There are two bases instead of three, fielders spread out to catch the ball, and a pitcher who is actually on the same team as the batter. The name comes from the beeping device incorporated into the ball so the blind batter can swing as it approaches.

There are four strikes instead of three, and most of the time the batter connects since the pitcher is on their side. The batter runs to one of the two bases at random, which squawk their own distinctive tone telling them where to go. If a fielder gets to the ball before the runner does their base, they’re out. Otherwise it’s a run.

We get to meet a number of the players, including some young newcomers this season. Some are completely blind while others are legally blind. Those with some vision wear masks to level the player field. The Indiana School for the Blind has proven a reliable recruiting ground for the Thunder.

Each has their own reasons for playing, enjoyment and challenges. One young player from Pakistan struggles to adapt his swing from playing cricket. Another newcomer has never played any kind of sport and has to hone his mechanics from the ground up.

Adam is one power player veteran who’s a software developer for Salesforce by day. We follow him on his daily journey and understand a little what it’s like to navigate Downtown Indianapolis without sight. With his seeing eye dog, Adam’s as much of a seasoned pro off the field as on.

Speaking of, when the teams get together for the world series tourney, there’s literally an entire team of volunteers to take care of the service dogs used by the various players.

Jared, the main pitcher for the team, is a sighted young man but is taking lessons in orientation mobility. This will allow him to become a teacher to the newly blind. He wears his own mask and tries to navigate the busy streets with a cane — sometimes with hilarious results.

Once you get past the different rules, watching a game of beep is much like any other baseball pitch. The players beef at the umpires, cheer encouragement for their own and sing praise to their opponents, win or lose. The one key difference is fans are expected to keep quiet until after the play is over, since those on the field need to hear the beeps.

If you hear a comforting, familiar voice narrating the film, that’s none other than Jesse Eisenberg, sometime Hoosier State resident and sports fan. Nice get!

Of course, there’s plenty of on-field action in the film… possibly to much. Basically the last third of the film covers the World Series play, especially a three-time matchup with their biggest challengers from Taiwan. This could probably have been condensed down to highlights for better onscreen play.

“Thunder Rolls” is a straightforward, heartwarming look at a bunch of people determined to play sports to the best of their abilities. Sometimes you don’t have to see to believe.