I saw my first vintage base ball game right here in Ohio Village back in 2010. It was a July 4th Ohio Muffins intrasquad game. The Muffins might be the oldest vintage base ball team in the country and are definitely the first to play a regular schedule. They are currently celebrating their 40th year of existence. The big end of summer gathering of teams called the Ohio Cup Vintage Base Ball Festival was well established when I saw that 2010 game but this is my first time attending. This is the 29th festival after a COVID19 triggered cancelation last year.

The game is played with the rules, equipment, and courtesy of the 1860s. There are no big padded gloves or other protective equipment. Pitching is underhanded with no calling of strikes or balls. The idea was to put the ball in play, get some exercise, and have some fun. Having fun today includes dressing the part by both players and umpires.

There are 25 teams participating in the festival with games taking place on four diamonds. The teams come from places as far away as Tennessee and Minnesota and their friends, families, and idle players make up a large part of the audience although there are a fair number of pure spectators like me. Note that the event is called a festival rather than a tournament. The goal, remember, is to have fun. There are no trophies and no official winner beyond the individual games

Without the need to call strikes and balls, the (there’s only one) umpire’s main job seems to be identifying foul balls.

Runs and outs can only happen after a ball is hit. Runs have always been scored only by crossing home plate. Then as now, a runner can be retired with a tag or a force-out, and catching a hit ball in flight seems to have always resulted in an out. In 1860 and in Ohio Cup Vintage Base Ball, catching a ball on the first bounce also counts as an out. I’m guessing that went away when padded gloves appeared.

At the end of each game, the teams line up along the base paths and a member of each team gives a short speech that usually has a few jokes and a compliment or two. Then each team gives three huzzahs before they pass each other and shake hands. Yeah, that’s the way it should be done. Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

I’d heard about an Umbrella Alley in Columbus so decided to take a look while I was there. It was rather nice but, after seeing the Umbrellas in Batesville, also rather underwhelming with a total of thirty-nine umbrellas. I thought the giraffe at the nearby Lego store was cooler.