Base Ball Gets a New Look In Havertown

field was transported back in time to serve as a field for a vintage 1864 base ball game.

Complete with wool uniforms, no pitching mound, no gloves and different rules than modern baseball. In fact, the game was spelled "base ball" back in the day.

The Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia hosted the Mechanicsburg Nine on Saturday afternoon for a doubleheader, the first game went for nine innings and the second game went seven.

Mechanicsburg took the pair of games 16-4 and 15-5. Multiple hits from both games would have been considered homeruns in today's ballparks, but due to the length of the field there were no hits called homeruns. The hope was to make it all the way around the bases without getting tagged out.

Even though the Athletics' lost both games, they were able to bring this old school game back to life in Delaware County, especially in Havertown.

“We want to build a community atmosphere around a baseball team,” said Athletics co-founder and President Scott Alberts.

The Athletics home games usually take place at Fairmount Park, but due to sponsorship by the Haverford Township Historical Society the 1864 base ball game was brought to Havertown.

“We would absolutely love to have them come back and play here,”  said Historical Society member Mary Courtney.

Courtney would like to see half of the Athletics' play their games in the city and the other half in the suburbs.

Halfway in the middle of the second game, an outfielder for Mechanicsburg was stung by a bee on his foot. They asked for a replacement from the crowd due to the lack of players.

Frank Tarant of Warminister took the job. He was there in case a replacement was needed for the Athletics’, but when Mechanicsburg needed one instead he was all in.

Of the crowd of 100 people that included mothers, wives, children and fans of all ages they were treated to many of the custom rules of vintage 1860’s base ball.

First was getting used to the different titles, position players were called “ballists,” batters were called “strikers,” pitchers were called “throwers,” and umpires were called “arbiters.”

A ball much softer and not as tightly woven from one piece with four seams called a “lemon peel” ball was used, along with bats made by Phoenix that were much thinner, heavier and longer.

The baseball is much softer due to no baseball gloves used to catch them. A fielder is able to catch the ball on one hop and the striker is still called out.

The uniforms alone are something to wonder. Long sleeve shirts and pants were mostly made of wool.

Alberts said the wool uniforms were not uncomfortable, because wool is a fabric that breathes, whereas the uniforms of today are made of polyester and are much more uncomfortable in the heat. There is no name sewn on the front of their shirts, instead a shield is buttoned to the front of the players' shirt that has their teams first initial sewn on it.

Joe Walker of Havertown thought the game was a great idea and he would love to attend the games if more were held at Lynnewood Elementary School.

Walker also reenacts in wars, which sparked much interest with him since that game was a reenactment of 1864. He heard about it from Alberts at the Historical Heritage Festival last month when Alberts got him hooked on how interesting the game sounded and how different it would be.

Alberts found out that Philadelphia did not have one of these vintage teams and decided that being a history major and baseball fan, he was the man for the job to start one. In October 2009 Alberts founded the first vintage base ball club in Philadelphia.

The Athletics played their first game in April 2010. They did not win a single game last season, but Alberts said they are moving in the right direction, especially with the sponsorship by the Haverford Township Historical Society. Players also pay $100 per season in dues and pay for their own uniforms.

Justin Deemer of Harrisburg, a player from the Mechanicsburg Nine, said he joined the team a year ago, this being his second season and he loves it.

“I saw an article in the newspaper and went to practice and fell in love with it,” Deemer said. 

Mechanicsburg Nine has only been around for two years, but Deemer said the teammates all get along pretty well.

He enjoys this version of base ball much better than modern day baseball. Today, it is all about winning or losing, but back then it was a gentleman’s sport, he said.

“If you aren’t having fun, then there is no point in playing,” Deemer said.