‘Throwback’ Vintage Base Ball games come to Butler to raise money for veterans
The Addison Mountain Stars and Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder are coming to town.
The teams will play a pair of Vintage Base Ball games — using rules from the 1860s — at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. July 27 on the field behind the old VA Butler Healthcare facility off New Castle Road. Proceeds will benefit Butler veterans and the numerous donation and sponsorship programs at their disposal.
The games came about through an idea of Bob Arturo, a volunteer with VA Butler Healthcare.
“There was supposed to be a Vintage game played at Pullman Park last year, but it was canceled,” Arturo said. “I was curious to see a game and saw there was one being played in Washington (Pa.), so I drove down to see it.
“After the game, I was talking to one of the guys about bringing a Vintage game to Butler to benefit our veterans. Everything just took off from there.”
Vintage Base Ball is considered a “gentleman’s game.” The arbiter (or umpire) oversees the game, but can defer to the players to settle questions of a close call in a gentlemanly manner. Players congratulate and cheer for both comrades and adversaries during a game.
A ball is considered fair if it lands in fair territory first, no matter where it goes after that. Pitching is under-hand, fielders do not wear gloves and the batter is out if his batted ball is caught on the fly or on one bounce.
“The players didn’t like playing at Pullman because the ball comes at them too fast,” Arturo said. “They prefer playing on dirt or grass fields, dealing with trickier hops.”
Alex “Catfish” Minnick, captain of the Frosty Sounds of Thunder, said Vintage games only need “open space” to create a field.
“Sometimes there’s a tree or two on the field. ... If the ball goes in there, it’s in play,” Minnick said. “Play in a cow pasture, just watch your step. It doesn’t matter. We all just enjoy playing the game.
“We’re all still competitive. We’re playing to win. But you can be cordial to the opponent and have fun at the same time.”
There are close to 400 Vintage Base Ball Clubs throughout the country. Gary Schiappacasse, president of the Vintage Base Ball Association, said only 50 or so are members of the VBBA.
“I wish I could say we had a team in all 50 states,” Schiappacasse said. “But in the VBBA, we have teams in Arizona, Texas, all over the east coast, Michigan, Ohio. ... Vintage Base Ball has been around since the early 1980s. Guys who were playing then help to organize games now.”
Players wear the garb that players wore in the 1860s, “trying to make the games as authentic as possible,” Schiappacasse said.
VBBA players range in age from 32 to 50. Schiappacasse played for the Chicago Salmon for a number of years, beginning in 1996.
Minnick said his team plays two games a month from May through August.
“We have a roster of 15 guys or so, and we try to get 10 or so to every game when we travel,” he said. “We’ve done fundraisers, played in showcases, sometimes, just get together to play a game. Playing these games to benefit veterans, we’re really excited about this.”
Attendance will be limited to 600. No tickets will be sold, though a donation of $10 is requested.
“Obviously, there will be a lot of veterans out there watching,” Arturo said. “I encourage people to walk over to them and say thank you. Those two words mean a lot.”
“In this age of highly organized sports, Vintage Base Ball is like a throwback,” Schiappacasse said. “Everybody enjoys it.”
