Vintage Base Ball Players Go Back In Time, Play By The Old Rules

By Andy Hutchison

DANBURY — “Six balls, one strike,” the umpire, decked out with a dressy vest and top hat bellows out as the batter steps back in next to the dish to await the next pitch. The game of baseball (formerly known as base ball — two words) has undergone some big changes throughout the years, decades — and especially centuries.

The late 1800s days of underhand pitching, no gloves for fielders, catching balls on a bounce for an out, and seven balls earning a batter a walk as opposed to today’s four errant pitches for a free pass are long gone … yet they live on with the Newtown Sandy Hooks Vintage Base Ball Club. A group of diehard baseball enthusiasts, with a strong interest in the game’s roots, take on other old-time base ball clubs in friendly, yet competitive, games most weekends throughout the summer months.

Newtown’s Ray Shaw, founder of the Sandy Hooks in 2005, often plays the role of umpire for his club’s games. He, along with the players, has researched the history of the game. The Sandy Hooks put on their replica 1800s baggy and hot uniforms for games under the rules of the 1860s, 70s, and 80s, during which many changes began to take place.

The Sandy Hooks call McLaughlin Vineyards their home field. They also play at Rogers Park in Danbury and travel to visit squads on Long Island and in Massachusetts — by car, not by train or horse and wagon as would have been the case years back.

Underhand pitching gave way to the present overhand technique. Bare hands were used until, finally in the middle 1880s, gloves came into play (around the time overhand pitching become the norm). First catchers and pitchers — soon all fielders — wore gloves. (Think slightly thicker than a batting glove when considering what players used some 150 years ago.)

Years ago, batters selected their strike zone — high or low — meaning the umpire watched for strikes between the knees and waist or waist and shoulders depending on the batter’s selection, Shaw said. If a batter failed to call his zone, a strike could be called between the knees and shoulders, making for a tough at bat.

The equipment — from the uniforms to the bats and balls — has evolved. Bats of today are lighter and more compact in comparison to the long, almost sticklike heavy clubs of yesteryear. Sandy Hooks’ Michael Paes makes replica vintage bats for the Sandy Hooks and other teams from his workshop. His hobby developed into a small business under the name Bulldog Bats.

“I think it’s a good perspective on history. I think it’s a challenging game, which is what I like about it,” Sandy Hook player Adam “Crash” Wheat said of the opportunity to step back in time and play ball the way it used to be played. “We enjoy it. There’s always something to learn.”

In the 1860s, the game featured underhand pitching and gloveless play, making for a difficult time fielding and catching balls. Bruised, sometimes broken, fingers are part of the cost of reliving the old days of base ball. Shaw takes pride in the fact the Sandy Hooks typically go gloveless.

“No glove, or the little glove that we play with is definitely the most challenging,” Jason “J” Edwards said of playing for the Sandy Hooks.

“This is a great game because you can go back in time. You can really get a feel for how the game was played back then, and how much effort it really took to play,” Shaw added. “You look back at some of the old box scores and you say, ‘Wow, they only had three errors in a game.’ They were playing without gloves. They were playing all-out baseball — they were fantastic athletes.”

By the mid 1870s pitchers were allowed to throw sidearm and the game became more challenging. A decade later, pitching got faster because of the implementation of overhand delivery. Catcher’s equipment was introduced with a mask, chest protector, and gloves — on each hand.

The game’s lingo, like the rules, has changed. A run was referred to as an ace. Fans were cranks — now they’re just cranky thanks to today’s batters being permitted to repeatedly step out of the batter’s box to call timeout after timeout and adjust batting gloves, helmets, and other pieces of equipment. There were no timeouts back in the day, Shaw notes. Some of the terms, such as hurler for a pitcher, have made, sticking around as alternative yet commonly used words, to describe the game.

“We’re just out here having a great time — that’s the whole point. We can extend our playing careers, extend our childhoods by getting out here every Saturday at great venues like this,” Edwards said between innings of a recent game at Rogers Park.

The Sandy Hooks will have one more home game this summer — Saturday, August 11 at 11 am when the New York Gotham visits McLaughlin for an 1864-67 rules game. Shaw encourages the public to come out with a picnic basket and enjoy the day.