Viewfinder: Turning Back the Clock on America's Pastime

The St. Croix Base Ball Club, which plays by the rules of 1860, dropped its first game of the season Sunday afternoon to the Afton Red Sox at Pettit Park in Lake St. Croix Beach.

Within seconds one can see the differences between today's baseball and "base ball" of the past, albeit the same game.

The rules of 1860 have some very interesting differences. The players do not wear gloves; if the ball is caught on the first bounce the batter is out; there are no balls or strikes called by the umpire–although a batter can still strike out if he swings and misses three times; foul balls are not considered strikes; and the base runners can be tagged out if they over run first base.

This year, The St. Croix Base Ball Club  has a full schedule of matches, which includes play at Osceola, Wisconsin; at the Olmsted County Historical Society in Rochester; at Stillwater’s Lumberjack Days; at the Denmark Township Town Hall; in Northfield at St. Olaf College; and a special event before the St. Paul Saints game on Monday May 23rd.

This is the 14th season for the vintage base ball club and they have appeared all over Washington County, in Minnesota and have played in National exhibitions in Milwaukee and Columbus, Ohio. The club is currently the reigning vintage base ball champions of Minnesota.

Stillwater Patch will have more on the Vintage Base Ball League in the near future, so stay tuned.