My new baseball league

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

OK, folks, here’s the idea:

I am going to start a new baseball league. Not a nationwide league, but one just here in Memphis (for now). And we will play, not by the current rules of baseball, but by the original rules of baseball, circa 1845. It’s taking some digging to find out what exactly these rules were, and I’m still working on it, but some glaring differences include:

[ul]
[li]A batter may not refrain from swinging at “good balls repeatedly pitched to him, for the apparent purpose of delaying the game.” [/li][li]A batted ball, caught on the bounce, is an out.[/li][li]Batters may call for either a high (above the belt) or a low (below the belt) pitch.[/li][li]The batter has to receive three balls for a walk, but the pitcher is not assessed a ball until he has been warned an unspecified number of times by the umpire for not delivering good balls or delaying the game. [/li][li]All pitching must be underhand. Not overhand, not sidearm.[/li][li]Baseball is to be spelled “Base Ball.”[/li][/ul]

And whatever others I can dig up. (We will, of course, ignore the jive rule that players must be white.)

Oh yes, and as soon as I can find out what the price of admission was, we will strictly charge that. (Fifteen cents? Ten? Whatever it is, NO FREELOADERS is our rule.)

I’m thinking the place to start is (a) figure out what the rules are; (b) send e-mail to everyone I know about it; and © finally, place an ad in the local weekly looking for players.

Anyway, I’m doing research on original rules, and have a couple of scholars helping me out. What do you think? Would you pay ten cents, or even FIFTEEN (oh, my dreams of wealth!), to watch this game played? What if it were played in a field that overlooked the mighty Mississippi River (I have such a field in mind), and you could bring beer? Personally, I think it sounds terrific.

Sound off, baseball fans (and those who might become baseball fans if it were played this way)! Zev_Steinhart, I hope to hear from you in particular!

2

This is a great idea. If you wanted to earn a little extra money at your “base ball park,” perhaps you could sell sausages in buns. If you sell them in a bun, it’s easier to hold while enjoying the game. Just make sure they are red hot when you serve them.

3

I should have titled this thread “Half baseball, half performance art.” I think I would have gotten a far better response that way.

(And thanks, Hugh Jass!)

4

Sounds like a nifty idea. I don’t have a cite for this, sorry, but I recall reading somewhere that under the original rules a fielder could get a runner out by throwing the ball at the runner and hitting him. That should make your games interesting…

5

Base Ball leagues are a big thing in the midwest, apparently, and are starting to take off in New England, as well.

I would recommend getting in contact with these people: http://www.essexheritage.org/PDFs/619EBBC-brochure.pdf

They could probably help you out some.

6

Well, DAMN! Here I thought I’d had a truly original, groundbreaking idea, and these folks are already doing it. In fact, it ocurred to me to do a Google search for “base ball” (with quotes, to find the exact phrase) instead of baseball original rules, and what’s the first hit that comes up? The Vintage Base Ball Association. I guess it’s cool that people are doing this already (some of them even dress up in 1850s period costume and such), but I’m also kind of disappointed. Anyway, I’ll get in touch with them. And I do note that there are no VBBA chapters in Tennessee, so maybe I can be groundbreaking in at least one way.

Thanks for the tip, Flymaster; it never occurred to me to see if anyone else was already doing this.

7

1ST. Members must strictly observe the time agreed upon for exercise, and be punctual in their attendance.

2ND. When assembled for exercise, the President, of in his absence, the Vice-President, shall appoint an Umpire, who shall keep the game in a book provided for that purpose, and note all violations of the By-Laws and Rules during the time of exercise.

3RD. The presiding officer shall designate two members as Captains, who shall retire and make the match to be played, observing at the same time that the player’s opposite to each other should be as nearly equal as possible, the choice of sides to be then tossed for, and the first in hand to be decided in like manner.

4TH. The bases shall be from “home” to second base, forty-two paces; from first to third base, forty-two paces, equidistant.

5TH. No stump match shall be played on a regular day of exercise.

6TH. If there should not be a sufficient number of members of the Club present at the time agreed upon to commence exercise, gentlemen not members may be chosen in to make up the match, which shall not be broken up to take in members that may afterwards appear; but in all cases, members shall have the preference, when present, at the making of the match.

7TH. If members appear after the game is commenced, they may be chosen in if mutually agreed upon.

8TH. The game to consist of twenty-one counts, or aces; but at the conclusion an equal number of hands must be played.

9TH. The ball must be pitched, not thrown, for the bat.

10TH. A ball knocked out of the field, or outside the range of the first and third base, is foul.

11TH. Three balls being struck at and missed and the last one caught, is a hand-out; if not caught is considered fair, and the striker bound to run.

12TH. If a ball be struck, or tipped, and caught, either flying or on the first bound, it is a hand out.

13TH. A player running the bases shall be out, if the ball is in the hands of an adversary on the base, or the runner is touched with it before he makes his base; it being understood, however, that in no instance is a ball to be thrown at him.

14TH. A player running who shall prevent an adversary from catching or getting the ball before making his base, is a hand out.

15TH. Three hands out, all out.

16TH. Players must take their strike in regular turn.

17TH. All disputes and differences relative to the game, to be decided by the Umpire, from which there is no appeal.

18TH. No ace or base can be made on a foul strike.

19TH. A runner cannot be put out in making one base, when a balk is made on the pitcher.

20TH. But one base allowed when a ball bounds out of the field when struck.
Zev Steinhardt

8

**

This isn’t in AC’s rules.

**

Actually, this rule did not go into effect until 1867 and removed in 1887. In 1845, a batter could not call for a high or low pitch.

**

I don’t think this is right either. The number of balls is not specified in Cartwright’s rules, but the number of balls to a base on balls was 9 in 1879 and steadily dropped until 4 balls = walk became the rule in 1889.

**

There wasn’t any admission to games in 1845. The game, at that point, was still an amateur sport played among gentlemen’s clubs. It wasn’t played in stadiums.

**
[/QUOTE]

Zev Steinhardt