Speedy and Punkin stood up as Captains of the two teams and selected names from a hat to build their teams, which were called the “Colts” and the “Bears” for some reason and the teams were well matched. The first pitch was struck by Arkboy for a home run over the left fielder and the match was on. Arkboy went on to strike for a “cycle”? Other players also struck home runs. Handy and Sliderule both had blasts over the heads of fielders to allow them to trek around the bases before the ball was returned to the home plate. The Fischer brothers were on base 11 times between them. Many of the players made their firsts and seconds and the tally was high. There were very few whitewash innings. This may have had something to do with the frozen ground, or perhaps the unpolished skills of the fielders. But there were some fielding gems. Juggles snagged a foul tick running in from the third base and Doc did a pirouetting jump to snag a high bound for the last hand of one inning. Mr. Tom Juengling stood up to the elements for all 7 innings to adjudicate the match and was praised by all for his fine and fair calls. It was a fine match and was enjoyed by all with the final tally of Bears 21 and Colts 17. The club was well represented with only a few team members missing – most notably the three club rookies, who should all be razzed for the rest of the season for their failure to appear. If spectators could brave the elements to watch the match, why not them? Jim and Susan O’Brien were first to arrive and stood in their civil war re-enactors clothing for the whole match. Donna Short was there making photographs. Bev Lyon, Herb & Jean Witte and three generations of the Stenger family viewed the match from the warm confines of their carriages. The only other person to see our match was the Village volunteer Bill Schott. It was a quiet on the club grounds, but we enjoyed the day.

The Cincinnati Red Stocking team made its 2007 debut and played very well against the home team Indianapolis Blues Base Ball Club on their sodden field in Craig Park. Every player on the club contributed to the win as the boys from Cincinnati scored 14 tallies and the Blues could muster just 9 aces. It was a match marked by fine fielding and striking all around by the Stockings. The outfielders all did well, making many fine fly catches. The infield was marked by several fine catches. Preacher Anderson squeezed two pop ups for outs. Captain Dan made a fine play on a foul bound out. Knuckles Phillips trapped several foul ticks behind the plate and also made a diving grab of a foul that seemed to bound only an inch off the ground. The final out of the match was recorded on a pop up to the pitcher and Captain Dan squeezed it to secure the win for the Red Stockings. At the plate the Red Stocking boys all made their first, with Sliderule Koch also making his second. With the hits coming fast and furious the runners moved inexorably toward the home base in 90 foot increments to tally aces. Several of the Red Stockings tallied more than one ace and the club posted only their second victory against the Blues since the two teams began playing 5 years ago.

On a beautiful day for base ball, the Heritage Village hosted the opening day of the Cincinnati Vintage Base Ball Club – Cincinnati Buckeyes versus the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The Club was honored to have a special guest at this match, a serviceman on two weeks leave from his assignment in Iraq. The teams lined up on the foul lines to be introduced to the crowd of spectators and then the Umpire Mr. Herb Witte ask the Captains to come forward for the coin toss. Captain Dan Fischer made the correct call and the Red Stockings would take the field first. Upon the call of Mr. Witte “Striker to the line”, Captain Goodwin sent his boys to strike in the first inning.

The first Buckeye made his base and his tally came soon after, as the Buckeyes put up several marks on the board that first inning. The Red Stockinged boys followed with tallies of their own soon after. As the innings passed the tallies continued to mount and the lead changed several times. The Buckeyes made the highest tally count with 13 marks in the sixth inning. The Stockings tried valiantly to match the Boys in Blue but in the end came up short. In the eighth inning the Reds efforts were cut down by an excellent play by the Buckeye short stop, Punkin Berrones when he deflected a hard struck ball into the air then grasped it before it fell to earth. The base runners had thought the ball safely over Mr. Berrones’ head and Punkin was able to throw the base ball to the second base before the runner returned and the Red Stockings were “Side Out”. The final tally was Buckeyes 26 and the Red Stockings 22.

As was evident from the score, both teams struck well. Every one of the Buckeyes tallied at least one ace, and all but three of the fifteen Red Stockings tallied as well. Pic Dieckmann and Bird Dog Bertram each tallied 3 aces, but they were outstripped by the Buckeyes’ Spider Stenger with 4 aces and Punkin Berrones with 5 aces. The tallies could have been higher, except for the fine play in the field by many players on both teams, but both teams did have some muffs. All in all it was an exciting and entertaining opening match to our 2007 home season in Heritage Village. It was an especially fine day for River City Gilkey, as he celebrated his birthday playing base ball among family and friends.

Heritage Village was the setting for this Red Stocking match with the Ohio Village Muffin Base Ball Club. The day was warm and dry, as it had been for many days. Mr. Tom Juengling, our esteemed umpire brought the captains forward for the coin toss to begin the match. The Muffin captain made the correct call on the toss and Captain Dave Fischer had to settle for the Red Stockings striking first.

We did well in the opening inning tallying four aces, with three coming on a two base hit with Red Stocking players on each of the bases. The fine start by our boys from Cincinnati was stifled when the Muffins quickly answered with 6 tallies of their own. The ground was stone hard and the ball was quite lively, bounding over the fielders heads many times. There was many a striker to make his second and even third during the course of the match. The Muffins tallied with three after the Porkapolitans pushed across another run. With the bases full of Red Stockings, our acting Captain, Dave Fischer struck the ball far and made his third and the Cincinnati boys were just one tally shy of the mighty Muffin team. But the Muffin bats became busy by striking balls sharply to all fields. One ace was tallied with six the next inning then finally nine aces in the 8th inning. The Red Stockings could mount only a weak one run response to the Muffin barrage so the final tally was Muffins 29 and the Red Stockings 9.

The post game repast was fine with something called “pizza” offered as food and beverages and stogies enjoyed by many after the match, following the dictum of our captain of the day, Dave Fischer.

The Red Stockings with great support from the club mates the Buckeyes, continued their streak of victories at Stricker Grove agains the ball players of the Township with a final tally of 10 to 2

Cincinnati weather continued hot and dry as town criers announced the opening of the festivities at 9:30 Saturday morning. Six teams from Ohio and Indiana played nine matches on three fields over the course of the day, followed by skills competition with lunch and dinner provided by the Cincinnati Vintage Base Ball Club ladies. Each team won at least one match, with one winning two matches and one team winning all three of their contests. Here are the results:

10:00 A.M. Matches
Cincinnati Red Stockings – 20; Clodbusters – 22
Indianapolis Hoosiers – 10; Sylvania Swamp Frogs – 11
Cincinnati Buckeyes – 12; Aurora Forest Citys – 20

12:30 P.M. Matches
Cincinnati Buckeyes – 24; Sylvania Swamp Frogs – 22
Cincinnati Red Stockings – 6; Indianapolis Hoosiers – 10
Aurora Forest Citys – 16; Clodbusters – 20

2:00 P.M. Matches
Indianapolis Hoosiers – 15; Aurora Forest Citys – 7
Cincinnati Buckeyes – 6; Clodbusters – 16
Cincinnati Red Stockings – 25; Sylvania Swamp Frogs – 23


The Matches were well officiated by Mr. Tom Juengling, Mr. Herb Witte, and the renowned Mr. Greg Rhodes. When Mr. Rhodes departed after the second match a Mr. Rhoads from the Indianapolis Hoosiers club officiated in his place. Thank you, Mr. Rhoads.

The matches were hotly contested with many tallies for each team. Each player seemed to carry a heavy willow with many aces scored during each 75 minute match. An average of 30 tallies were made during the nine matches. The lowest total was on field 2 with 16 total aces, and the highest total was 48 tallies on field 3. Congratulation to all the ballists on their fine day at the plate and our sympathy to the players in the field chasing after the balls bounding through the fields. It was a fine day of base ball with old friendships renewed and many new ones began. The exciting matches will be remembered by all.

The final match for the Red Stockings was against the Sylvania Great Black Swamp Frogs. It was a lively match, in character for the day, with many tallies by both teams. At the start of the last inning, the boys from Cincinnati lagged behind the Frogs by two aces. The strikers did their job and two men were waiting on the bases when Mr. Dave Koch stepped to the line. He struck the ball deep to the center field. Two aces tallied to tie the match while Mr. Koch was still rounding the bases. He continued toward the home base as the throw was coming in. With a last spurt of energy Mr. Koch slid head first to the home base as the throw arrived. His hand touched the plate to tally the winning ace. HUZZAH!!! When the Red Hosed Boys took the field the Frogs were two aces behind. Two Frogs quickly made their way to the second and third bases with no hands down. Could the Cincinnati boys get three hands down before the Frogs could tally? With a foul tick to the catcher and a popped up ball caught in the infield our boys were closer to winning. The next Frog drove the ball deep to the center field where it fell into the outstretched hands of Mr. Mike Obermeyer – three hands – the Red Stockings WIN!

At 11 AM on Sunday, July 1st, Red Stockings and Buckeyes began to converge on the Great American Ball Park. Butta Essen was the first to arrive. The umpire for the match, Herb Witte was also an early arrival. As each member of the Cincinnati Vintage Base Ball Club arrived, he took a place in the Reds’ Hall of Fame or in front of the mosaic mural of the 1869 Reds. The players interacted with fans and posed for many photographs. Preacher Anderson was in the lobby of the Hall of Fame and was quick to greet all that entered that fine establishment. Our Club was in the park at the invitation of the Hall of Fame and the Cincinnati Reds to present a demonstration of 1869 base ball to fans after the Reds Cardinals game. Mr. Ken Freeman of the Hall of Fame was a very gracious and capable host and made sure that we had what we needed to get the match underway.

After greeting the many fans in attendance, the players and officials made their way to the stands to watch an exciting match between the Reds and the Cardinals. There was optimism among the Reds fans when several home runs were struck, including Ken Griffey’s 585th, but to no avail, as the Cardinals tallied more aces than the Reds.

This was a harbinger of how the second match was to end. The Buckeyes tallied two aces in the 1st inning. The Red Stockings tallied one in the 2nd, but were held to just the one by a fine catch in the left field by Handy Stewart to end the inning. The Buckeyes added two more tallies to their total in the 3rd inning powered by Ice Wagon Hurr’s triple struck to deep left center field. The Red Stockings attempted a comeback in their last at bat, but came up short. Two red stockinged base runners were left untallied as the last hand was retired by a fly catch in the field. The final score stood at Buckeyes 4, Red Stockings 1.

The Cincinnati Vintage Base Ball Club is very grateful for the opportunity to play base ball in Great American Ball Park and wishes to thank the Cincinnati Reds and the Red Hall of Fame for this wonderful experience.

Before a crowd of more than 100 people, the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Cincinnati Buckeyes squared off in a match sponsored by the Ohio County Historical Society. It was a beautiful day for base ball with a fine wind blowing out from the home base. The Red Stockings tallied in the first inning and the scoring was under way. By the end of the match, the final tally was Buckeyes 33 and the Red Stockings 12 aces. The only highpoint for the boys in red was when Dave Koch made his home run with the bases full of teammates. This marks the second time Dave has struck a home run with the bases full this year. Unfortunately it was not enough to overcome the striking of the Buckeyes. It seemed several of the boys in blue struck for home runs, but they were so busy running the bases, it was hard to keep track of who, what, and when.

Many thanks to Bill from the Ohio County Historical Society for inviting us to Rising Sun. We hope that next year they invite our club again, maybe to play against a local team. The Ohio County Sheriff, Eldon Fancher said that he would play. He enjoyed watching the match and many others said the same.

A rejuvenated Champion City Reapers team came to the grounds in Heritage Village in Sharon Woods for a match with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The filed way dry and the ball lively as the two teams struck the ball with great vigor. Tallies were coming fast and furious, but in the end, the Red Stocking tally of 21 aces was short of the Reapers 29, so the victory was to the Champion City boys, who performed well in the field as well as at the line. Congratulations to the Reapers for their fine display.

On Saturday, July 28th the sky was a threatening gray and rain seemed close at hand. The boys from Cincinnati began the long trip to Connor Prairie to meet the White River Boys in a base ball match. We were to compete under the rules of 1886. When we arrived the threat of rain was diminished and the sun began to peak through the gray shroud. The match was set to begin at the hour of one o’clock. And so our marathon began. We continued until 5 o’clock. Every inning was marked with at least one tally, except the last Red Stocking opportunity. The game was marked by hundreds of pitches by each pitcher. Some batters saw as many as a dozen throws of great speed and cunning. This took a great toll upon the stalwart catchers behind the plate. This writer estimates that Stonewall Rowe caught over three hundred pitches from the Red Stocking hurlers Mudder Thomas and Speedy Obermeyer. Our strikers were able to handle the quick pitches from the White River Boys, but at least one player seemed mesmerized by the ball as it approached the home plate. He stood and watch as each pitch approached, then as it was received by the catcher. By luck the count reached 7 balls before the third strike, so this hypnotized Porkopolitan was sent to the first base courtesy of the pitcher’s wildness. His walk was followed by Red Stocking hits and he tallied his ace and it was added to the total of 27 that the boys from Cincinnati posted on the board. Unfortunately for the White River Boys, they could only post 18 tallies, so the Red Stockings were victorious.

The Club members began appearing on Wednesday. On Thursday Buckeyes and Red Stockings hit Cooperstown like a flood. The Boys of Cincinnati, Red Socks and Blue Legs both, were seen in every venue in town. Almost all toured the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many scoured the souvenir shops for just the right shirt. Several picked up every bat in the shops with new bats for sale. Mike Obermeyer found his Speedy IV. The restaurants enjoyed the presence of over 40 Cincinnati Vintage Base Ball Club players, family, and friends. Many other entertainments were sought and found. Some enjoyed the various museums, with at least one person enjoying the classic carousel in the Farmers’ Museum. He was seen bobbing up & down on a giant goose. By Friday the boys were ready to hit the field. Men in uniform appeared on the streets of Cooperstown shortly after 11 o’clock. Every passer-by was informed of the treat to be had at Doubleday Field at 1:30 and 5 o’clock. Base ball under the rules of 1869. “Come one, come all, to see the best game in the land. Watch the match played by gentlemen and enjoyed by all.” While the teams awaited entry to the hallowed ground a large crowd assembled in the seats of Doubleday field, eager to enjoy the spectacle.

Photographers clamored to take team pictures and the boys assembled in the center field to accommodate their requests. After this the players prepared for the match. When the normal rigorous calisthenics were complete, the teams assembled on the base lines for introductions. Mr. Thomas Juengling, our famous Umpire, then called the captains forward for the coin toss and soon after the match began.

After the first pitch was hurled the strikers quickly began to make their first – and more. The tallies soon became quite numerous. Sadly for the Red Stockings, the Buckeyes had many more than the Porkapolitans. Still, some of the Red Socks men had prodigious blasts, striving for the near left field fence. The Red Stockings tallied only 8 aces to the 26 plated by the Buckeyes. Many of the Red aces were tallied by Mr. Griffith, whose bat continually pushed line drives past the grasp of the Buckeye infielders and he made his way around the base paths courtesy of hits by his teammates. But the Red Stocking hits fell short of the total from the Buckeyes, whose 26 tallies were fueled by many more hits. Mr. Stenger seemed to end each inning and begin the next. His plate appearances may have been more than a dozen. Several Buckeyes were also entranced by the left field wall and sent their blasts over the wall or bounding to it. Mr. Essen, striking left handed sent the ball to the wall and Mr. Hurr topped it. So the official match concluded with the Buckeyes victorious.

Within half an hour the club assembled again for another match. This one was a mixed affair with the boys calling out “One” or “Two” to decide their team. Before the match began, a base ball was presented to Donna & Alan Short for their dedication as fans of our club and vintage base ball. This ball had been signed by all the players during the pre-game interlude. The mixed teams seemed to fare about the same as the two in the first match – one team scored very many and the other team tallied too few. This match was ended with 22 aces for the “ones” and just 2 aces for the “twos”. The match was enlivened by two very vocal fans, whose exhortations to the “home” team continued until the last out. After the match they requested autographs from the players. All the boys were happy to comply.

As is traditional after a match, several players were found enjoying refreshing beverages and the exceptional camaraderie of Cooperstown. Later in the evening, most of the 40 made their way to a fine Italian restaurant for a wonderful meal among friends. Soon the musing turned to the next stop on the trip. Several looked forward to viewing baseball in Yankee Stadium, others selected other sites to visit, and many contemplated the long return to home. No matter the next day destination, all will retain fond memories of a wonderful time with wonderful friends. Thanks to all for making this a wonderful base ball trip.

On August 25th the White River Boys from Connor Prairie traveled to Heritage Village to play two matches of 1869 rules base ball. Their first match was a hotly contested match with the Buckeyes with the Buckeyes standing triumphant after 9 innings with a final tally of 33 to 26. This match was more than two hours long and the White River Boys needed a short rest before resuming competition with the other Cincinnati Red Stockings. The day belonged to the Cincinnati teams as the White River boys yielded twice as many aces as the could tally. The final in the second match was 20 for the home town boys and 10 for the visitors from Connor Prairie.

On September 1st teams from across America convened in Columbus to meet old friends and make new, as the Muffins hosted the Ohio Cup. 27 teams representing at least 9 states made the trip, the Red Stockings among them.

We began play against the Marmont Saints (the same team we had met – and defeated - to start last year’s Cup). They were ready to play and scored quickly. The Red Stocking offense was slow to engage and the Saints were victorious by a score of 7 to 1.

Several hours later the Red Stockings met the Colorado Olde Stars. This group of 17 players from 4 teams in the Colorado Vintage Base Ball Association was playing their 8th match since leaving Colorado a week earlier. Most of their players were over age 40, so the team represented a wealth of experience. Not withstanding the Olde Stars’ skill, the Red Stockings seized the day and took a victory. The final tally was more than 10 for the Cincinnati Boys and less than 5 for Colorado.

After another rest the Red Stockings were ready for another match. This time the Boys were matched with amphibians – the Great Black Swamp Frogs from Sylvania, Ohio. We managed a few tallies, but the Frogs matched them and we stood at 3-3 when the umpire called time. Both teams wanted another inning, but the arbiter stood his ground and we stood our “Huzzahs” soon after. Before we left the field, team Captain made a special award to the stalwart Steve Griffith, who has attended every Ohio Cup from the beginning 16 years earlier.

At the end of the day the Red Stockings had enjoyed each type of decision available – one loss, one win and one tie. Each of the 13 Porkapolitans present enjoyed the day and many stayed after play ended to enjoy the free beverages offered by our wonderful hosts.

With a high likelyhood of continuing rain, Mr. Mark Miller decided the best choice was to cancel the match.

Practice cancelled due to inclement weather

The Red Stockings played the first of two matches on Sunday against the Muffins in the Ohio Historical Society Village in Columbus. Captain Dan won the coin toss and the boys took the field. The Red Stockings defense was superb as the boys held the Muffins scoreless in all but one inning. The Muffins tallied only one ace. The Cincinnati boys tallied four aces, with the privilege of the first tally going to Mr. Obermeyer. After the match, the umpire, Mr. Kimnach, awarded the game ball to Captain Fischer as our trophy of the match.
After a brief repast, the Red Stockings again took the field for a match against the Dayton Clodbusters. Captain Dan won the toss again! the fine defense continued as the Cincinnati boys held the Clodbusters to 2 tallies through the first six innings. The Red Stockings tallied three aces and as the final inning began, the score stood at 3 for the Reds and 2 for the brown Clodbusters. The Red Stockings needed to whitewash the Dayton boys to take their second victory of the day. Alas, it was not to be. The Clodbuster bats awoke from their slumber and three tallies soon followed. In their final inning the Cincinnati boys were retired one, two, three and the dream of a victory over the Clodbusters was lost.
Despite the loss to the Clodbusters, the boys all agreed it was a fine day of base ball. We had all enjoyed the matches immensely until Mr. Thomas sustained an injury to his ribs while running to the third base. We hope that his injury is not serious and Dan is able to return to play in the match against the Indianapolis Blues. Thanks to Mr. Shuman of the Muffins for filling in for Dan on the field and the bat.
Besides a fine start to the season, these matches marked the return of Mr. Heller His fine performance at the second base and at the line contributed to the success of the day. Welcome back, Steve.

The mighty Blues came to town, their already potent striking order further beefed up by the addition of substitute Mark Hurr. Weather-wise, it was a great day for base ball so we decided to play two seven inning games.

The Red Stockings won the coin toss, and allowed the Blues to strike first. The Blues were held scoreless and the Red Stockings scored 3 runs in their first innings. The boys from Indianapolis scored a run in each of the second and third innings to make the score 3 – 2, then erupted for 3 in the fourth to take a 5 – 3 lead. The Stockings scored 2 in the sixth to tie the score, then each scored 1 in the seventh – tie 6 -6 going to extra innings. The Cincinnati boys blanked their opponents in the eighth. Mr. Obermeyer led off the Red Stockings eighth by making his first, and after an out, Mr. Yuengling doing the same. Mr. Obermeyer was able to speed home on a sharply struck ball by Mr. Koch that barely eluded the right fielder’s grasp. Final score Red Stockings 8, Blues 7. It was a fun and exciting game to play, and watch. The spectators heartily cheered both nines, showing their appreciation for a game well played by both sides.

The play in the field was very good, and outstanding plays were made by both sides. “Preacher” Anderson of the Blues made a spectacular one handed catch on a stinging strike by Mr. Gilkey that appeared to be headed safely to left field, but instead was turned into two outs as the runner on third was attempting to score his run. Mr. Yuengling, and Mr. Heller gave impressive exhibitions on how to play the second, and third, base positions. Run saving plays were also made by Mr. Obermeyer in center field and Mr. Gilkey at first base. The visitors showed their respect for the abilities of Mr. Koch in left field, and Mr. Bertram in right, by keeping the ball out of their hands.

The Blues’ bats were a little less potent than usual, perhaps because of the masterful handling of the strikers by the more than 125 years of combined experience of our pitcher and catcher, Mr. Phillips and Mr.Rowe.

The Blues got their bats warmed up in the second game, and tallied 4 runs in the first, and 4 more in the third. The game was effectively over by then, as the Red Stockings bats went cold. The final score was Blues 9, Red Stockings 0.

It was a great day of base ball, and always a pleasure to share the field with our friends, the fine gentlemen and ballists from Indianapolis.

June 2, 2008


Vintage baseball still big hit in Mansfield

By CURT CONRAD
News Journal

MANSFIELD -- The umpire wore a top hat and tails. The community band performed between innings. And after a fine sliding catch along the left field line, Mansfield Independents left fielder Brandon "Meat Wagon" Wagoner was greeted with cheers of "huzzah!" from both dugouts.

It was vintage base ball at its gentlemanly best.

In a scene straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting, the city kicked off its bicentennial celebration in grand style on a sun-soaked Sunday afternoon at Arlin Field. Not even the 24-17 loss to the Cincinnati Red Stockings could dampen the spirits of an enthusiastic crowd estimated at 750.

Curious fans filled the hillside overlooking the field to see a replay of what some baseball historians consider the first professional game between the hometown Independents and Red Stockings, played on nearby Davey Field on June 1, 1869.

"This is a great atmosphere. This is one of the biggest crowds we've ever played in front of and that includes the games we played at (Cincinnati Reds home field) Great American Ballpark," Red Stockings captain Dan Fischer said. "You had the band playing and the fans eating hot dogs and Cracker Jack.

"It was a slice of Americana."

Players from both teams wore authentic uniforms and umpire Kim Sentieri sported an historically accurate outfit with a vest, top hat and tails. Sentieri, a local high school umpire, even twisted his mustache into a handlebar to keep true to the role.

"I had to glue it because it wouldn't stay like that otherwise," he said.

The Rev. Paul Lintern, who was a driving force in organizing the Independents, led the crowd in a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch. Lintern noted that Jack Norworth's famous song wasn't written until 1908.

As for the game, the Red Stockings picked up Sunday afternoon where the original squad, the first team of professional players, left off 139 years earlier. Cincinnati scored eight runs in the top of the first inning.

The Red Stockings won the 1869 game 48-14.

"We had two goals coming into the game," Independents captain Tom Ford said. "The first was to not let the Red Stockings score as many runs as they did in the first meeting. The second was to score more than the original Independents scored. We succeeded on both counts."

The Independents made a game of it in the fourth, scoring seven runs. The Red Stockings responded with an 11-run fifth.

"The Independents played very good for a team that has not had a lot of practice time," Fischer said. "A lot of us have been doing this for years.

"I hope they stick with it. Part of our mission statement is to grow the vintage game."

Ford said the Independents will suit up again.

"A lot of the players are interested in playing more games," he said. "We hope to keep it going."

After the game, the teams saluted each other and the crowd with another round of "Huzzahs." It was a fitting end to a game that values sportsmanship over one-upsmanship.

"It is a gentlemen's game," Sentieri said. "If there is any doubt about a close play, the umpire can ask the players who were involved and get an honest answer.

"It's nice to be involved in a game that values good sportsmanship over everything else."

On a cool breezy spring day, the Cincinnati Red Stockings went to Stricker’s Grove
for the annual game against the Crosby Township All Stars. If the past was
any indication of how the game was going to be, the Red Stocking’s knew they
had to play their A-game. The All Star’s won the toss and elected to bat
last. The Red Stockings Scored 5 tallies in the first inning, while the All
Star’s struck for 5 tallies as well. As the game progressed, many a good hit
was had. The All Star’s had a lefty named Pierson who struck the ball with such might that had not been seen by the Red Stockings in quite a long time. He struck the
ball over the fence and onto the cornfield every time he batted. The Red
Stockings right fielder, Speedy, hopped the fence each time to retrieve the
batted ball. By the time he batted in the last inning, Speedy was playing
beyond the fence and in the corn field thus creating the “Pierson shift”.

Many Red Stockings had good games with the willow. Speedy, Ice Wagon and
Juggles to name a few. Thanks to Ice Wagon for playing with the Redstockings
Everyone on the team scored and displayed fine ginger.
The final score of 37 to 24 does not indicate how well
both teams played.

After the game, many players stayed around to enjoy the
amusement park with their family and friends including the Dan Fischer family
who celebrated their daughter Nina’s 10th birthday with the traditional meal
of baked beans, fried chicken and Speedy’s favorite, macaroni and cheese.

Pic “The Flying” Dieckmann was seen enjoying the rides with his adorable grandkids.

The tradition of playing a round
of Putt-Putt was kept alive, with young David “Putter” Fischer besting his Dad
“Juggles” in a play-off hole. A good time was had by all.

On 6/29/08 the Cincinnati Redstockings squared off against the Wyandott Ghostriders from the Tiffin OH area. The match was played before a large crowd at Heritage Village on a day when the weather was in a state of constant change. The infield grass was cut very short and the outfield grass was not cut at all which helped contribute to the high score. Mr. Witte, who presided over the match, got things punctually started with the coin flip. It should be noted that Captain Dan did not lose the coin flip rather the Ghostrider captain won the flip. The red hosed boys scored 3 runs in the top of the first. The match went back and forth every inning after that. Every time the Redstockings would go ahead the Ghostriders would answer with their fine striking and superior speed. The boys in red offense was more of a station to station attack expect for CaptainDan, who broke out of a season long slump with a 4 for 5 day, that included a 2 out bases loaded triple late in the game. Others displaying prowess with the willow were Stonewall Rowe, the Gilkey boys, Mudder and Big Dog who hit the ball with authority every time up. The Redstockings held a seemingly comfortable 26-16 heading to the bottom of the ninth. After a short rain delay the Ghostriders amazingly scored 9 runs and had the tying run at second base with two outs. The tension was as thick as the humid air. Luckily a long fly ball squeezed by Slide Rule Koch preserved the hard fought victory. If ESPN Classic was around in 1869, this match would have been aired the next day. After the match, many players and families adjourned to Dan and Eileen Fischer’s house for a cookout, where beer was drank, cigars were smoked, summertime food was consumed, cornhole was played, good fellowship displayed and feats of the match were already starting to be embellished!

On a very warm summer day in July, the Redstockings and Buckeyes met
again in Rising Sun. The Redstockings were loose, with lots of ribbing
toward acting captain, Speedy. The Buckeye's called the coin toss and
lost, so the Redstockings took the field. The Buckeyes scored two runs in
the first. The Redstockings responded by scoring two as well in the bottom
of the first. It sea sawed back and forth every inning. The
Buckeye's scored two more in the second. The Redstocking's scored 3 in the bottom of the 2nd. In the third, the mighty Ice Wagon hit a ball DEEP into left center, almost bouncing off of a headstone in a nearby graveyard for a triple, plating two Buckeyes. It was 8-5 after the top of the third. The Redstockings got many key hits by everyone in the third, making the score 9-8 Redstockings after 3 innings. Stonewall had many key hits in the game along with Joe, Joe Gilkey-O. Going into the 9th inning the score was tied 15-15. The Buckeyes again had timely hits, scoring 2 runs. The Redstockings responded by having Juggles lead off with a hit, followed by Bird Dog with another single. Knuckles came up and stroked a nice line drive hit, scoring Juggles and sending Bird Dog to third. Stonewall followed with a clean hit to center, scoring Bird Dog to tie the game at 17 all. With the throw going home, Knuckles went to third with Stonewall at second with no outs. Big Dog came to the plate and hit a short fly to right field. Speedy came up and hit a short fly to left for two outs. Then Pic came up and hit a fly to left for the third out. The captains met and agreed to play one more inning to break the tie. The Buckeyes had two, two outs with two men on base.
Woody hit a short fly to center. Speedy and Pic couldn't decide who should catch it resulting in a collision. The Buckeyes scored 3 runs to take a 20-17 lead but the Redstockings would not give up. They scored 2 runs and had runners on first and second with two outs. Knuckles came up and delivered a shot to center,scoring Joe, Joe, making it 20-20. Stonewall came up and hit a shot to left, but Handy was there to make another nice catch to end the game at 20 all. It was a great time by all. Papa, Slappy, and Mudder had some very
key hits as well. In this writers opinion, this was the most entertaining game played this year. Big thanks to Rising Sun for having us come out again and to "Mudder's Cranks".

On 8/17/08 ten ballists from Porkopolis journeyed to Fremont OH to play a match of base ball against the Spiegel Grove Squires. The field resides in the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. Many players and families toured the home of our nineteenth president before the match. It must be pointed out that the field of play is one of the most unique settings in Vintage Base Ball. Two thirds of the outfield is covered by mature trees with 2B sporting live timber next to it. The match started well for the boys in red by scoring an early run and turning a double play in the forest…I mean the field. The Squires scored 18 runs in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings aided by their home field and a different ball. The Redstockings could only muster a total of 6 for a final score of 18-6. The match adjourned to the Presidential Center where the Squires treated us to a delicious meal of fried chicken and other summer delicacies. Very special thanks go to Joan Eckerman who invited the Redstockings and organized the event. She truly knows the value of having a Vintage base ball team affiliated with her organization. A tip of the cap goes to all who made the 3.5 hour trip to participate. Some players and families took in the sites of Northern Ohio on Saturday by going to Put-In-Bay and Kelley’s Island prompting talk of playing a game next year on Put-In-Bay.

On a warm, hot summer day in August, 14 Redstockings journeyed to
Columbus to play in the Ohio Cup. For many players, it was over 10 years
of going to the Cup. Mr. Koch was the only team member missing, but the
way the Redstockings played, he would not of helped out much. The first
game was played at Muffin Meadow, where five years ago, a cat was found
and given to a young "Speedy" Obermeyer. It did not look like the
Redstockings were awake the first game, losing 10-5. It didn't even seem
that close. The Capitals played well and the Redstockings played like the
Bad News Bears.

The 2 hour wait between games allowed stiffness to set in but the way the boys played it was more like rigor mortis. The Redstockings
said that they would play better, but it didn't go that way. The
Redstockings were treated to another game at Muffin Meadow. The Blues of
Indy, playing the Redstockings for the 3rd time this season, treated the
boys to another beat down, scoring 10 runs to the Redstockings 4
runs. Again, the Porkoplitans were lifeless and hitless. They couldn't
string together a big inning. The small bat that the Redstockings got for
going to the Ohio Cup should of been used by the players, because all the
hits were small dinks. The bat would later be awarded to Derek “Dewey” Fischer for
his outstanding contributions as batboy.

Another long wait between games had the Redstockings talking of
drinking some of the fine brews that "One Sock" brought to Columbus. "It
couldn't hurt" said a couple of boys in red. But in the end, just like the
hitting and fielding for the day, they decided not to. The Perfecto's were next on the
list to play. It was played at the "no shade to be found here" field out
by the main gates. The Redstockings almost scored in the first inning,
but Speedy got thrown out at home plate setting the tone for the match.
The sun zapped any energy the Boys in Red had, which wasn't much. A home run by the
captain of the Perfecto's in the second put the game away. Final score,
7-3. This writer can't remember of an Ohio Cup that the Redstockings
did not win at least one game. It was pointed out after the game while
everyone was partaking of One Socks brew, the Stockings never had a
lead in any inning we played. Due to an unfavorable Ohio Cup schedule, the boys could not even polish off One Sock’s suds saving some for another day.
This was the biggest turnout of Redstockings this year, so it was a
complete team effort to go 0-3. It should be noted that while the play in the field for the Redstockings was very suspect, the one bounce rule was a large detriment. The Redstockings had many a fine hit that ended up as outs due to the earlier rules played at the Cup

Even though the ballists from Cincy did not play well or win a match, they had a good time enjoying each other’s company, reacquainting with old friends and making new friends. Huzzah’s to the Muffins and Capitals for hosting one of the finest events on the Vintage base ball calendar!