Home Brew Forums - Am I the only one on here involved in Vintage Base Ball?

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Am I the only one on here involved in Vintage Base Ball?

I don't know why I never asked this before. I know I've posted about my involvement in historical base ball on here for years and no one's jumped in and said they play or umped or whatever, but I've never asked as a thread title that might reach out to more on here.

I've been involved with it since 2007. My team is the Welkin BBC of Port Huron, we play teams in the Metro Detroit area and Ontario Canada.

We're an original team, in that we're modeled after a team that played in Port Huron in the 1800's, in fact, in 1867, the Detroit area hosted the World's Base Ball Tournament, and 24 clubs from the United States and Canada took the field to compete in the game that was fast becoming the national pastime. And we were one of the teams involved.

In 2009 our team hosted the VVBA's annual convention. And we had a great match with 200 costumed players taking the field.

I'm the team's umpire, and I also ump on occasions for other teams as well. If anyone is familiar with Mackinac Island, they started hosting Vintage Teams from around the country 3 years ago, last year I went up to ump for one of the tourney weekends, and this year I will going up to do it for at least 3 weekends.

On my team we have 2 other homebrewers. Actually one of the wives of a player on another team homebrews and was on here for awhile.

Here's my base ball card.

http://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/images/1...-2x3-57233.jpg

Umping on Mackinac Island in the shadow of the Grand Hotel, with Jason "Gypsy" Kladiva the creator of Vintage Base Ball at the Grand Hotel, and former team mate.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...09087438_n.jpg

Our spouses and Gf's often get involved too.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3534550_n.jpg

Our team at a Tournament at Greenfield Village.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...11501260_n.jpg

Anyone else on here involved????

Here's an explanation of the game from the Vintage Base Ball Associations' Website.

Quote:

Vintage Base Ball is base ball (yes, it was spelled two words prior to the 1880s) played by the rules and customs of the 19th Century. Our players (sometimes called ballists) wear period reproduction uniforms, either with long trouser and shield shirt, or a later style lace shirt and knickers. They recreate the game based on rules and research of the various decades of the mid-to-late nineteenth century. The playing of vintage base ball can be seen at open-air museums, tournament re-enactments and city parks. It is played on both open grass fields and modern baseball diamonds. Spectators may consider vintage base ball to be a new sport, however, some clubs have been in existence since the 1980s. Vintage base ball is a reflection of how baseball existed at an earlier time.

Most vintage base ball clubs in the VBBA play the game of base ball according to the rules of the late 1850s, 1860s and 1880s. Many clubs have adopted the rules recorded in the first Beadle's Dime Base Ball Player, published in 1860, which recounted the third meeting of the National Association of Base Ball Players. Proper rules interpretation is an important aspect to our game.

The mid-nineteenth century game was considerably different than today’s game. Most ballists played with bare hands until the mid-1880s, but starting in the late 1860s a few catchers with raw hands needed to wear thin buckskin gloves to keep on playing. Until 1865, fair or foul balls caught on one bound were outs. However, the more skilled players always attempted to catch it "on the fly" which eventually made the bound rule unnecessary. More and more vintage base ball clubs play the late 1860s style fly game. Balls are also considered fair by where the ball first touches the ground. That is, a ball hit in front of home plate that then spins into foul territory is still a fair ball. Talented vintage base ball strikers take advantage of this rule and use the bat to swat at the ball, creating what is known as a "fair-foul" ball, which first lands fair and spins foul, forcing either the first or third baseman off their base. Historically, this technique was abused forcing the fair ball rule to be changed for 1877. There are numerous other differences in the all-amateur games of baseball prior to 1869, but modern spectators would still recognize vintage version as base ball.

When baseball leagues allowed overhand pitching in 1885, the game took on a more modern appearance. Vintage base ball clubs will often play 1884 rules to interpret the last year of side arm pitching or 1886 rules to interpret early overhand pitching. 1886 is also the first year a pitcher could deliver the ball with one foot off the ground. Historical research is an interesting part of our sport and we invite you to uncover more information on the evolution of base ball.

We play the rules from 1860-1875. Players do NOT wear gloves, helmets or masks of any type.

That´s so cool Revvy is there anything else you do? Full of surprises

Never heard of anyone doing historic baseball. That's very wierd and kinda cool.

I fixed post two and put in a explanation of vintage base ball.

It mentions the 1860 BEADLE’S DIME BASE-BALL PLAYER Rules which I've linked here if anyone's interested.

Not involved personally, but I do know that my town has a team, "The Decatur Ground Squirrels". My parents have been to see them a couple times.

Never realized my home town was "Detroitish" Michigan, but I get it "I'm not from Chicago"

I figured you might get a kick out of these, especially since you just linked to him. ;)

Conan O'Brian did a segment on the sport, I believe it is on youtube. Looks like great fun.

I'd love to go up to Mack and see you guys play. You should remind me in advance so I can arrange for me and the old lady to have a romantic get-away at the same time.

It could certainly be a crazy random happenstance!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homercidal (Post 4588366)

That would be awesome. Our weekend July 27th. I'll be there for a couple more, but that is when the Welkins play.

July 27
10 am Springfield (IL) Long Nine vs. Welkin BBC of Port Huron
12 pm Walker Tavern Wheels vs. London (ON) Tecumsehs
2 pm Welkin BBC vs Walker Tavern Wheels
4 pm London (ON) Tecumsehs vs. Springfield (IL) Long Nine

It's going to be fun because the Wheels are the team that hit me in the face with the Base Ball that cause the doctors to discover my heart issue. They've become part of my family as well as the Welkins. When we're at tourneys together and not playing, usually we'll watch each other's games. And their pitcher usually stays with us when we're playing the Greenfield Village Tournament.