Oldtime 'base ball' returns to Hayes
FREMONT -- In the United States, only one sport has earned the title of "our national pastime" -- baseball. Today's game bears little resemblance to its ancestor. Rules, regulations and player conduct during the 1860s are foreign to modern players and fans alike.
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center offers an innovative and action-packed lesson in the early history of the sport via its Spiegel Grove Squires vintage baseball club. Sponsored by Baumann Auto Group, the Squires play their next home match at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Hayes Presidential Center. Admission is free and open to all.
Spiegel Grove Squires members wear reproduction uniforms consisting of long pants, billowy shirts with button-on chest shields, and simple caps. The only equipment used is a slender wooden bat and softball-size leather ball. In keeping with 1860s regulations there are no gloves, masks, or padding. Players (called ballists in the 19th century) catch and throw the ball bare handed and play on a grass field.
For this home match, the Squires welcome the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Attendees are encouraged to become part of the action by encouraging their preferred players and club using the 1860s-appropriate cheer "Huzzah!" One match remains in the Squires 2008 season. It takes place 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7 at home in Spiegel Grove and features a contest with the Akron Black Stockings.
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center is located at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues, Fremont. The facility is affiliated with the Ohio Historical Society. Check the Hayes Presidential Center website www.rbhayes.org for updates on the team's record and for a complete list of year-round special events.
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