August 4 saw a grassy field beside the Ohio State Reformatory filled with old-fashioned uniforms and three matches of vintage baseball between the Mansfield Independents, Cleveland Blues, and Cincinnati Red Stockings.
All three teams have a long history dating back to the late 1800s. As the teams have each been discontinued or folded into the modern era, they have been revived as amateur teams in the Vintage Baseball Association.
The local team is just a few years in progress. Coach Tom Ford began the Mansfield Independents in 2008 at the urging from Paul Lintern, who was organizing parts of Mansfield’s bicentennial at the time. Ford gathered up a group of volunteer players, many from the 179th Airforce Base, and they put on a match for the town’s festivities. The team liked it so much that many of them have continued to play on.
They continue to play on, the faces may occasionally change, but the spirit remains the same. Ford noted that many of the competitors become fast friends who support as well as give each other a good-natured ribbing. In fact, one fan turned out to be just that, Gary “Old Man” Young, coach of the Hoover Sweepers, ventured from Canton to take in the match and support his fellow vintage baseball players.
Young and Ford alternated in explaining the vintage era’s major differences. Fans are called “cranks,” batter are “strikers,” a catcher is a “backstop,” an error is a “muff,” and players wear no gloves. The ball is lofted underhand to batters coiling a wooden bat – a heavier more roughly shaped stick than the well-machined Louisville Sluggers of today. The same ball will be used until water-logged, battered, and torn to being unplayable. Foul and fair balls are deemed by their initial landing spot rather than the confines of the third base line. A ball caught on one bounce will turn into an out rather than a base hit. The full list of rules, customs, and history can be found under the VBBA’s official site. In action, they can make for quite an experience.
“The fun thing about this is, it’s a learning experience. If you’re anybody who enjoys history it’s fun to see kinda how things were done. “ said Ed Gutchall, an player for the Independents since the bicentennial, “In 1860, baseball was in its infancy, you know, so there’s a lot of things that they did back then that have evolved since then.“
The game is vintage right down to the stick and ball. The one used on the field has a tightly wound yarn core with an intersecting “X” stitching pattern across the leather surface. The sound and reaction is slightly different from Lousville Sluggers and Rawlings baseballs of the modern era. Old fashioned uniforms are complete with “bibs,” shirts, and pants designed original to the late 1800s. The slight change in equipment also comes new terms and rules.
Ford explained one difference in strategy that results from the rules. Each team’s shortstop becomes a rover, “He pretty much plays anywhere he wants,” explained the coach. He explained that some vintage players might slap hit the ball from fair play into an open gap of foul territory. The rover might be placed in foul territory to force the
“You hit a lot of homeruns in this game,” noted Ben Cates, a speedy outfielder for the Independents. Ford agreed and explained that the “bounce rule” and 90 foot base paths. Additionally, the lack of homerun wall saw cat-quick outfielders chase down towering fly-balls, bloopers, and open field hits and limit strikers to base hits rather than full round-trips on the bases. While some portions of the game are different, good natured banter and nicknames remain a staple.
Baseball has enjoyed a long tradition of nicknames. Vintage baseball is full of them. In fact each player introduced themselves with nicknames like “Doc,” “Old Man,” and “Hacksaw” rather than their given names. Ford shared that the Independents earn ones by merit of play, profession, or personality. For example, Mike Thompson, a Shelby firefighter and catcher for the team, is called “Backstop.” Ed Gutchall, a media professional and deejay that locals might recognize as “Mr. Ed,” is monikered “The Horse.” Dirk Roberts, a painter by profession, was dubbed “Whitewash” by his teammates.
Young noted that banter is central to the matches. For example, an alternate name for the catcher is the “backstop” or “behind.” It isn’t a far stretch to see how much ribbing that position might endure.
But that good-natured banter quickly takes a higher form of sportsmanship. “Fine ginger!” compliments for great effort and “Well struck!” come from both benches regardless of which team benefits from the play. The arbitrator rarely makes final decisions on close plays. Instead, he calls upon the runner’s honesty to say whether he felt he was out or safe. The result? A refreshing dose of honesty sees players exit from the field with a tip of their cap and a round of applause.
All of this took place the day before Major League Baseball would suspend yet another set players in the continuing Steroid Era. The sport has suffered a large decline in popularity for reasons far beyond illegal substances. So far has been the fallout that USA TODAY pointed out that sport once known as “America’s Pastime” has fallen into the shadow of the once obscure National Football League.
But the crack of old-fashioned wooden bats, “huzzahs,” and friendly competition make all that disappear for an afternoon. It’s a spectacle and delight for the most savvy of baseball purist to the casual “crank” that serves to bring out the best in baseball.
The next match occurs on August 18. For more information, visit the Independents Facebook page.
