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Courtesy French Lick Resort
Vintage "base ball" is played on the pastoral grounds of French Lick Resort in Indiana.
On Tuesday, Major League Baseball’s All Stars will jet into Phoenix to play the old ball game.
But starting Friday, six teams from around the Midwest will be barnstorming French Lick, Ind., to play the old, old, old ball game.
It’s vintage "base ball" − a two-word construction purists will recognize as the proper way to address the then-nascent national pastime from circa 1864.
No mound. No designated hitter. No lights. No radar guns. No flashy three-story scoreboard. No Miley Cyrus blaring from the loudspeakers.
Is this heaven?
Nope, it’s the pastoral grounds of the French Lick Resort, a place that’s always bingeing on history (the acclaimed resort hosts the throwback U.S. Hickory Open Golf Championship for vintage golfers on its Donald Ross course between July 11 and 13).
The vintage ball players are like Civil War re-enactors but without the lethal weaponry − or the ball gloves.
“Yeah, no one wore gloves until about 1867,” says 38-year-old Matt Moushey of the St. Louis Unions. “The ball’s a little softer, but I’ve still seen it break fingers.”
The man whose vintage name is “Mayhem” is by day an elementary grade school counselor in St. Louis. He’s the kind of baseball nut other baseball nuts compare themselves to when they want to prove they’re normal.
“I’ve just always loved the game,” he says. “I’ve always played it, read baseball histories, studied the game and have season tickets to the Cardinal games.”
But nothing signifies his cheerful devotion like the time he puts into vintage base ball. The team plays 50 games a year April through October with teams from the surrounding states.
So what will casual fans see if they attend one of the games on the lush field outside the resort’s landmark West Baden Springs Hotel?
They’ll see men (and a few women) playing a game so pure it’ll seem somehow holy when compared to today’s often overwrought version.
“To me, the biggest difference is all the sportsmanship,” says Moushey. “There are no balls or strikes and the batters tell the pitchers where they want the ball to make it easier to hit. They get pitches until they get one they like. It was just so much more laid back and gentlemanly. That’s just the way it was.”
The vintage players at French Lick play, not for multimillion dollar free-agent contracts, but for trophies and fun.
Make no mistake: They aren’t acting. They are serious about winning, but not so serious they don’t engage the fans in authentic lingo from the era.
“Runs are aces, pitchers are hurlers and the catcher is called the behind,” Moushey says. “And back then the fans were called cranks. And I’m always happy to talk to the cranks.”
How times change. Back 147 years ago, the cranks would come out to cheer the players. It could be argued today the cranks are the ones getting all the cheers.
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The old old ball game died when outrageous wages became the norm.
I really can't see myself, or anyone else in this day and age, being willing to sit through an entire season of "base ball." A game or two out of curiosity, sure, but watch this on TV?? Gah. The game changed soon enough, long before outrageous wages became the norm, long before there was radio or television, long before there were enormous all-weather stadiums, and from the description here, it's not difficult to understand why :)
Thanks so much for getting the word out about this throwback event. The resort is steeped in history and these type of events are a natural fit. I thought I would share a link to a recent blog post we put together on the Vintage Base Ball event and the US Hickory Open.
more2bits, i agree that the salaries in mlb are high, but we'll never go back to the days when even superstars like mickey mantle had to pump gasoline during the off season in order to live. those circumstances came from decades of greedy owners and the "reserve clause." had it not been for owner greed, we may never have seen the escalating pay of today. and who among us has ever gone to our boss and said that we make too much money. give me a raise, i'll take it. conversely, if you're doing a good job for your company, and want to go to work for someone else who pays more, your company can't say, "no, we own you as long as you stay in this business. capitalism = whatever the market will bear.
ignore the business end and you can still love what happens "between the lines."
I knew it was all over when they put in lights at Wrigley Field...
Great article Mr. Rodell! You summed up the simplicity, history, and enjoyment this game provides for the amature enthusiasts who participate every year. The tournament at French Lick is our favorite which is why my husband offered to make the arrangements from St. Louis when the previous organizer couldn't continue this year. This weekend looks to be another great weekend for vintage base ball. Thank you again for helping to share this quality pastime.
Hey, thanks, Kelly! It was my pleasure. So glad you guys enjoyed it!