Eastpointe

America's pastime

By Sue Teggart
C & G Sports Writer

Local teams offer old-fashioned base ball fun

EASTPOINTE — Local Vintage Base Ball Association Clubs have been dazzling and educating fans in metro Detroit for several years now, but it seems whenever they take the field, they draw a crowd.

The Rochester Grangers played the Mount Clemens Regulars July 11 at Eastpointe’s Kennedy Field, and along with the players, fans were transported back to the 1860s and enjoyed the game in its truest form.

Baggy pants and high socks

The players of vintage base ball — yep, two words back then — dress and play according to the rules of the mid-1860s. That means no sliding and no spitting, to name a few. And then there are the nicknames, which also harken back to the 19th century.

“In the Civil War era, baseball evolved tremendously,” said Scott “Chooch” Westgate, a Rochester Hills resident. “In fact, it originated about at that time. The name of the game was to play for exercise and for camaraderie, and for the love of the game. That is what is appealing about the way we play.”

Westgate, 46, is the secretary of organization for the Vintage Base Ball Association Board of Directors. He said vintage base ball is a reflection of how the game existed during an earlier time and that the Grangers re-create that experience.

“We were called clubs,” Westgate said. “It was a group of guys formally getting together to represent their towns. The towns would get together for celebration, that’s why we’re formally attired. The men would participate for exercise and friendship. Afterwards, there was a feast provided by the host town. It was charming and wonderful. It’s a much friendlier atmosphere.”

Patrick “Barnraiser” McKay, 49, is the supervisor of interpretive services at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. He said playing the vintage game stirs memories of when baseball was starting to become America’s pastime.

“The fun part is that it goes right back to the roots of baseball,” said McKay. “It’s just a fun game.  You don’t need a lot of equipment — a bat, a ball and nine guys.”

‘Well played’

“It’s a very family-oriented atmosphere,” Westgate said of a typical vintage base ball game. “There’s no cursing, there’s no tobacco products, because back in those days, that wasn’t the gentlemanly thing. If someone is caught smoking a cigar, they’re fined a day’s wages and have to apologize to the crowd.”

Fans — dubbed “cranks” in the early 19th century — will notice many differences in the rules, including a strict code of conduct, while watching the old-style ball game.

For example, the umpires do not call balls and strikes because strikers (batters) are allowed to request that the hurler (pitcher) “put ‘er there” or put the pitch exactly where they want it.

“It’s a game, and the object is to win, but the calls are made normally by the players,” Westgate said. “As gentlemen, it’s an honorable thing to do. If there’s ever a disagreement, that’s when the umpire takes a part.”

Besides playing by 1860s rules, the vintage base ball players even use 19th-century slang, which includes cheers like, “well struck sir” on a well-hit ball, or “show a little ginger,” to encourage players to play harder. Opponents even shake hands after a good play. 

“Out here, it’s just a game,” said Ray “Thumper” Pachuta, 35, of Clinton Township who plays for the Mount Clemens Regulars. “The camaraderie is unique — the way both teams congratulate each other on a fine play. There’s no arguing. It’s just true gentlemen attitudes.”

Take me out to the ball game

The players not only get a bit of exercise during games, they bring history to life, as nearly all the teams are affiliated with a local museum to promote the history of the game. The Regulars are partnered with the Crocker House Museum and the Macomb County Historical Society, while the Grangers are affiliated with the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm.

“It opens up a part of history that in a lot of communities is there, but nobody remembers because it was so long ago,” he said.

McKay said that while clubs re-create the historical experience, club members play because of the sportsmanship aspect.

“For a lot of guys, softball has a place, but it turns into a very competitive game. It’s not quite as family friendly,” he said. “When you play vintage base ball … it goes back to the roots of baseball and the reason why you started playing it when you were 10 years old.

“For a lot of us, it’s a breath of fresh air playing base ball,” McKay continued.

“Competition is still there, but we try not let that supercede all the good things about base ball. It ends up being a great family event.”

The Grangers and Mount Clemens Regulars are just two of the local clubs. For information on local vintage base ball clubs in your community and how to join or start a new team, go to http://wiki.vbba.org/ index.php/Members/Clubs.

For the Rochester Grangers’ visit http://www.rochestergrangers.com/; for the Mount Clemens Regulars’ visit http://www.regularsbbc.org/index.asp; for the Royal Oak Wahoos visit http://www.geocities.com/wahoobaseball2004/; or for the Northville Eclipse visit http://www.eclipsebbc.com/.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Sue Teggart at steggart@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1107.