There are no gloves in vintage base ball— no walks either. A runner can declare himself out if he thinks the Umpire missed a call. You won’t even get to sing, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” That song wasn’t written until 1908. Even the name of the game, “base ball” had not yet merged into one word. The Spiegel Grove Squires, home team of the Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio, play old school ball— really old school— with rules of play and standards from when base ball became an organized sport in the 1860s.
“If you will forgive the pun, this is a very different ball game. Things are more relaxed and not so competitive. It is truly a gentleman’s game,” says Joan Eckerman, Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator for the Hayes Presidential Center.
Sporting an old fashioned uniform, Earl Bargerstock
The same yet different
“You will recognize much of what is going on,” says Jerry “Wings” Wasserman, Team Captain of the Squires. “You will notice the differences first. For instance, no one has a glove. You can catch a ball after the first bounce and still call it an out.” The catch after the first bounce is called the “bound rule.” The bats are all wood and the ball is about the same size as a modern ball only slightly softer. “Don’t let that fool you,” says Wasserman ruefully. “It still hurts if you try to catch a line drive.”
“You basically score the same,” notes Jim “Tallyman” Miranda, who has served several years as scorekeeper for the Squires. “You have to go around the bases and come home to score. A game is nine innings with three outs per side. However, there are no balls called and a strike is only called for a complete swing and miss. Pitching is simply designed to go over the plate and allow the ball to be hit. It is not unusual to see games with scores of 20-15.”
For the love of the game
It is not an easy game and the schedule demands a lot of travel throughout Ohio and Southern Michigan. The players are unapologetic about their passion for the game. “I love it,” says Wasserman, who is an agricultural product salesman when not playing base ball. “I like the exercise and camaraderie.”
Miranda, a Program Manager for the Sandusky Chamber of Commerce, agrees. “I did play a couple of seasons in my early years. The team captain suggested that I might want to try something other than playing. When an opening for scorekeeper came up I jumped at the chance. I have been with it for 14 years.”
Joshua Schmidt gears up for a classic game of ball.
If you build it, they will come
Spiegel Grove at the Hayes Center is a choice place to play a game. “Let’s start with the trees,” remarks Wasserman. “Trees are part of the field. Many of our visiting teams love playing here because our play space is so unique.” Although any open space will do, Spiegel Grove is particularly suited for the atmosphere of vintage baseball. “It is a great place to watch a game,” claims Wasserman with enthusiasm. “No one attracts a crowd the way we do. It is well worth the drive to watch us.”
The Spiegel Grove Squires’ first home game of
the year is on Sunday, June 5.
For a full game schedule | visit rbhayes.org.
The Hayes Presidential Center
at the corner of Hayes and Buckland Ave. | Fremont
419-332-2081 | rbhayes.org
