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09/16/2015 08:30 AMMid-19th century rules and mid-19th century terminology will govern the upcoming vintage game on Sunday, Sept. 20 featuring Club Nines from Deep River, Essex, and Chester. The teams will pay a round robin, two innings each against each of the other squads. The event is sponsored by the historical societies of the three towns.
The Club Nine? Well, they’re the home team. And who is that formally dressed gentleman standing with his hand on a large staff? What a get-up to come to a ball game! Why, that’s the adjudicator, the umpire to you modern fans. Why is he standing behind the pitcher, not behind the plate calling balls and strikes?
“The adjudicator could stand wherever he wanted to,” explained Doug Senn, the adjudicator last year who will repeat his role at this game.
To tell the truth, the adjudicator didn’t have that much to do. The teams were supposed to settle controversial calls themselves. Only in case of a deadlock would the adjudicator intervene.
“It was supposed to be a gentlemen’s game,” Senn explained. “That’s why there was no swearing, no spitting, no chewing tobacco.”
One other prohibition: Even if you had a favorite, betting on games was strictly forbidden.
Get the vocabulary down if you want to understand the game. A run was an ace. A batter was a striker; other team members were ballists, except for the one they called the behind. Was that the ultimate rudeness? No, just the name for the catcher. And the shortstop was all over the place. Back in the day, the shortstop could play wherever he chose, between second and third, first and second, or in the outfield.
None of the fielders wore gloves; they caught barehanded. Still the fielders had one advantage over modern players: Not only was a caught fly an out, but a ball fielded on one bounce as well.
Base runners couldn’t steal, couldn’t take a lead off the base, couldn’t bunt, and were out if they ran more than three feet away from the base path avoiding a tag.
Pity the poor pitcher. His job was to deliver the ball where the batter asked for it—and nobody called balls and strikes. To strike out, a batter to whiff three times, but once that happened, there was at least one thing familiar to modern fans: three strikes and yer out!
Still, making an out sounded far more drastic in 19th century terminology. The batter wasn’t simply called out. He had, in fact, suffered the ultimate penalty. With three strikes, that batter was dead!
State Representative Philip Miller, a baseball history buff, noted that despite the differences between the vintage game and the modern version, some aspects of baseball have not changed.
“It’s the only game without a time clock,” he pointed out, “and it is the only game where the defense has control of the ball.”
Miller, who served as first selectman of Essex before being elected to the state legislature, now represents all three towns. And, under those circumstances, he knows better than to project a winner. Still, he has one safe prediction.
“It’s going to be a really fun afternoon,” he said.
Tri-Town Vintage Baseball
Sunday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. at Devitt Field, Deep River. Sponsored by the historical societies of Chester, Essex, and Deep River.