About Vintage Base Ball

The mission and purpose of the Belleville Stags Vintage Base Ball Club is to preserve, perpetuate and promote the game of base ball as it was played during its formative years in the 19th century.

Playing by rules drafted in "Beadle's Dime Base Ball Player," 1860, the basics of the vintage game make it recognizable as our nation's pastime. But it won't take more than a half an inning for cranks (that's the 19th century term for "fans") to notice differences both subtle and obvious.

The bases remain 90 feet apart, but you won't find dirt infields during matches played with historic accuracy. Vintage Base Ball (yes, it's two words) was played in open pastures with ground rules that fit the terrain. The hurler (pitcher) makes a gentlemanly point to deliver the ball to the liking of the striker (batter). The striker is out if a struck ball is caught on a fly or on a single bound (bounce). A struck ball is determined to be fair or foul based on where it first hits the ground. There are no walks and, really, no umpire, just an official arbiter who intervenes only when the ballists can't agree on the proper call.

A major difference between modern baseball and vintage base ball is in the equipment. The balls are made from wool twine encased in a single piece of leather stitched in an "x" across the middle so that it resembles a lemon peel. The bats are similar to modern wooden bats, apart from the imperfections of hand-scraped woods and, frequently, painted decorations.

As for baseball gloves? Well, there are none. They weren't used until the late 1870s and were not commonly used until the 1880s. The 1860 ballist did it bare handed, and so do we.

The Belleville Stags begin their inaugural season on April 14, 2012 at its home field behind the Belleville Swansea Moose Lodge off South IL-159, right next to the Swansea Metro Link Station. There will be seven to eight home dates throughout the season. Keep visiting us for new details.

"Huzzah!"