Vintage Base Ball

Heard this story on NPR yesterday:

Anyone ever seen or participated in a game/tournament like this?

Audio -- about 4 minutes -- to the story is at the link.

 

What do they do when their black friend wants to play?

 

Someone smarter than me will know better, but were African-Americans excluded from Base Ball in 1865?

The sport wasn't formally segregated until later, right?

 

Nostalgia for things no one alive remembers. Great.

Don't forget to use a washing board and metal tub to launder your jersey.

 

Yup...saw The Great Black Swamp Frogs at their home park two summers ago.

<img src="https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/262947_766975597997_3695354_n.jpg">

Some heavy lumber
<img src="https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/262557_766975847497_1511353_n.jpg">

The ump called the game from the side of the plate, like softball
<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/281987_766976052087_2172317_n.jpg">

Pitching is underhanded
<img src="https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/250057_766975902387_4488776_n.jpg">

<img src="https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/282402_766976321547_3527098_n.jpg">

 

The first known African-American in the majors was Moses Fleetwood Walker, who played for a year in 1884. The unofficial exclusion of black players started in '88.

1865 predates Major League Baseball, though, so there probably wouldn't have been any type of exclusion specific to baseball at the time.

 

Wasn't obesity in America something like 5 percent back then?

 

I'm so glad this was the first post.

 

About once a month during the spring and summer, vintage teams will play at the old Tiger Stadium lot. There's actually a group that keeps the field in pretty good shape, mowing the grass, chalking and raking the field, even painting a big Olde English D on the grass.

 

Depends on what you mean by formally segregated. The early teams, like the Knickerbockers, were exclusive clubs and frequently were made up of players who shared an occupation. There were also teams that shared the same ethnicity, so you might have had Italian teams, Irish teams, German teams, etc. There were black players, who played on black teams, but informal town teams might have been integrated.

When Walker, George Stovey, and Frank Grant, among others, started integrating with pro teams, it was a pretty big deal, and they eventually were forced out.

 

Chalking?