Oregon’s vintage “base ball” team notches win in opener at tournament

DEARBORN, Michigan – Oregon’s vintage “base ball” team started their day with a near perfect win on a near perfect morning at the 21st annual World Tournament of Historic Base Ball.

“That is probably our best start ever at this tournament,” said Ganymede Captain Mark Herman after the 15-8 win. “We scored in every inning. It was a great start.”

Vintage rules base ball (spelled as two words in the 1800s) is played with authentic-looking uniforms, no gloves, with “gentlemanly” conduct strongly encouraged. The tournament games are played on two fields at Greenfield Village, part of the Henry Ford Museum. 1860s game demeanor includes no arguing of calls and no profanity.

The Ganymedes faced the Regulars BBC of Mt. Clemens, Michigan in a Saturday morning contest in the 12-team tournament. Next up for Oregon’s team are the Canton Cornhuskers, Canton, Michigan.

The Regulars team is modeled after a 19th-century base ball club from Mt. Clemens, Michigan. According to a short bio on the team, Mt. Clemens had an amateur baseball club as early as 1865, when some returning Civil War veterans formed a team called the Regulars. The Original Regular Base Ball Club of Mount Clemens was formed by returning Civil War “Regular” (vs. volunteer) soldiers in the 1860s.

“The current Regulars enact the early pre-professional game in the waning years of the Gentlemen’s Club era, played solely for recreation and exercise under the highest standards of sportsmanship—base ball as it was meant to be played,” the bio says.

The tournament is held inside Greenfield Village, an attraction next to the Henry Ford Museum that features historic 19th and early 20th century buildings items, and structures collected by Henry Ford.

Model A and Model T cars and horse drawn wagons buzz by on the village streets as visitors stroll past a steam railroad yard, farms and artisan shops.