Bay Area Vintage Base ball Returns to Stroll and Clark Field
Woodland's 2007 Stroll Through History celebration provides area Base ball fans with the opportunity to turn back the clock and see the game as it was played 120 years ago.
The teams represent the Bay Area Vintage Base ball Association, and play the game by 1886 rules. Admission is free.
Vintage Base ball is just three years old on the West Coast, and interest is growing, says Tom Aulman, 1996 graduate of Woodland High School who pitches and plays outfield for the Jaspers.
The league emphasizes that its 10-member teams play "in a fun, relaxed atmosphere, where true grit is displayed and sportsmanship is the holy grail."
Umpire Jim Saeger wears an authentic top hat and frock coat. Players sport historically accurate baggy uniforms with long socks and use the unpadded gloves, 50-ounce bats and scuffed-up balls that were state-of-the-art in 1886.
"It was a different sport in the 1880's. The players are out here to have a good time and honor the game the way it was played 120 years ago," Aulman says. "With these little gloves, no play is routine. You don't see many one-handed catches, and jammed fingers are just a part of the game."
Victorian-era Base ball indeed was a whole different ball game. Some differences included:
- Batters were called "strikers". Instead of calling "batter-up", the umpire's command was "striker to the line."
- Strikers specified their preferred strike-zone - either low or high.
- While an out required three strikes, a walk took seven balls.
- Being hit by a pitch did not entitle a striker to first base.
- The pitcher could fake a throw to any base, and quick-pitches were legal.
- Catchers wore an old-fashioned mask, but no shin guards.
- Bases are filled with sawdust or sand and are not tied down.
- The ball was never thrown out of play, no matter how scuffed or dirty it got.
- Gentlemanly behavior was expected at all times. Spitting or bad language drew an automatic $5 fine, and criticizing the umpire was strictly forbidden.
Since the national Vintage Base ball Association formed 11 years ago, the popularity of this throwback sport has surged in the Midwest and New England. More than 170 ball clubs are now active in 25 states.
Bay Area Vintage Base ball was launched in 2004 after Silicon Valley sales executive Steve Gazay saw a game televised on ESPN Classic between the Hartford, Conn. Senators and the Pittsfield, Mass. Hillies.
The teams are open to men 18-50. For more information, visit the association's web site: http://www.bavbb.com or contact Gazay at (408) 378-1872.
Vintage Base ball_Batter
Throwback - Tom Aulman, 1996 graduate of Woodland High School, plays for the South County Jaspers, one of several clubs who will play at Woodland&s Clark Field on Saturday September 8, 2007 9:30 a.m. as part of the 19th annual Stroll Through History. The teams play by 1886 rules. Clark Field is California's oldest public Base ball facility in continuous use. Admission is free.
