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TheThames Base Ball Club is a member of the New England Vintage Base Ball League and
has
league matches scheduled for dates in May, June, July and August.
Home
matches
are played at Fort Trumbull.
View 2008 Vintage Base-Ball Season Schedule here
Vintage Base Ball Opening Day – Fort Trumbull
Saturday 10 May will be the opening games of the season for the Thames Base Ball Club as they face the Blues of Bristol, Rhode Island, playing the “National Pastime” by the rules of 1861. The Thames Club had an excellent season last year, but were not able to beat the Blues.
Two games will be played, with the opening pitches thrown at 11 am on Saturday. The second game will start at 1:30.
The Thames Club will have 10 home games this season. Sunday 6 July they’ll face the Waterbury Connors; Saturday 26 July the Columbia BBC visits; on Saturday 23 Aug it will be the Sandy Hooks from Newtown; and the final game will be Sunday 28 Sept versus the Bridgeport Orators.
1861 Rules show the game at its infancy – the modern form of the game had been invented in New York City in 1845, but the growth of the sport burst on to the national scene as soldiers played throughout the North and South during the Civil War. Base-ball became the diversion of choice between battles and marching.
In 1861, gloves have yet to be invented; it would be 15 years before a catcher wore a mask, and almost 25 years before the pitcher was allowed to pitch using an overhand throw. It was possible to catch a ball on its first bounce to make an out – although it was considered bad form for adult men to do so. And a fair-foul was the strategic hit to get on base before the bunt had been invented. (A fair-foul is a ball which lands fair on its first bounce but then goes over the third base line – it is in play because it landed fair first.)
The Thames Base Ball Club is a program of the New London County Historical Society.
FIRST PRACTICE
Our first practice is scheduled for Thursday 10 April at 5:30 at Fort
Trumbull; Thursdays, 5:30-7:00, will be our regular practice time. Our
first game will be at home on Saturday 10 May. At our meeting last evening
we asked Matt LaConti to take over coaching duties. (I think he agreed.)
Those who need uniforms bring $160 to the first practice. I have some in
stock -- we'll need to check sizes. If you know your hat size please let me
know that asap. For those who have already purchased a uniform, a $25 fee
is requested for membership.
Those of you looking for a personal bat should check out the local company bulldogbatsonline.com
I'd suggest the V60, the V60T or M1. The bat maker plays for the Newtown
Sandy Hooks.
Our club (and the historical society) could use some support. If you are
connected to a business please ask if a donation can be made to the
historical society to advance our interpretation of an important part of our
past.
Two or three $100 gifts would cover balls and a banner for the club.
A $100 gift counts as a business membership in the historical society so
newsletters and other benefits would follow.
A Vintage Base Ball Homecoming for Iraqi Veteran.
Saturday,
August 11, 2007, 11 am to 1:30 pm, Hopeville Pond State Park
(CT).
FREE admission to game, however, State Park parking
fees in effect.
Jay Rainier, a 17-year US Navy vet of submarine and surface vessels,
currently stationed in Newport, RI, was sent for a tour of duty in Iraq. Although
he’s a resident of Griswold, he plays left field for the Bristol
Blues vintage base ball team in Bristol, Rhode Island. His wife Lora
and his team have been planning his homecoming for months, and that event
will feature a vintage base ball game at Hopeville Pond State Park in
Griswold on 11 August, versus the Thames Base Ball Club of New London.
In
the photo, Jay (in Iraq) is holding a vintage ball that the Bristol captain,
John Simmons, gave him just before he left last fall. He was told that
when he returns it should be put to use in a regular game. John intended
the ball be a reminder that there is a normal life back here waiting
for him - and that they needed the ball back!
The ball and Jay made it back last week. The game is scheduled
to begin at 11 AM on 11 August at the ball field at Hopeville Pond State
Park and is open to the public.
The Blues and the Thames Clubs play by
the rules of 1861 as part of the New England Vintage Base Ball League. In
1861, gloves and catcher’s
equipment hadn’t been invented yet, but neither had the concept
of called strikes and walks. It was seen then as a healthful manner
for gentlemen to get exercise, and the League attempts to maintain that
historic character in the matches of today. (The second photo shows
Jay in his Blues uniform at Fort Trumbull.)
The Thames Base Ball Club is a program of the New London County Historical
Society and this is their first year in the League which began six years
ago. Their record so far this year is 6 - 4 - 1 (tie called due
to a time limit) playing teams from Waterbury, Bridgeport, Newtown and
Columbia, Connecticut, and Essex and Lynn in Massachusetts. The
Blues have the reputation as one of the League leaders and their record
thus far stands at 4 and 2.
Thursday, April 5 at 5:30PM,
Fort Trumbull, New London, CT.
First Practice
The Thames Base Ball Club, New London's team that
plays by the rules of 1861, is a member of the New England Vintage
Base Ball League and has league matches scheduled for dates in June,
July and August. Home matches are
played at Fort Trumbull. Last year, the Club's first year in
the League, the Thames River gentlemen had a record of six wins and
seven losses.
2007 Vintage Base-Ball Season gets Underway
The Thames Base Ball Club,
New London's team that plays by the rules of
1861, will be holding an organizational meeting Thursday 8 February at
5:30
PM at the Shaw Mansion, 11 Blinman Street, New London. Team captain
Felix
Reyes says, "The meeting is open to all who are interested in playing
base
ball, having fun, and recreating history".
The Club is a member of the New England Vintage Base Ball League and
has
league matches scheduled for dates in June, July and August. Home
matches
are played at Fort Trumbull. Last year, the Club's first year in
the
League, the Thames River gentlemen had a record of six wins and seven
losses.
Vintage
Base-Ball Game Double-header at Fort Trumbull!
Thames
Base Ball Club vs. the Hartford Dark Blues
Sunday, 27 August, 2006. Noon to 4:00 pm
Fort Trumbull State Park
Free Admission!
The final home match of the season for the Thames Base Ball Club will be
against the Hartford Dark Blues on Sunday afternoon, 27 August. Two games
will be played using the rules approved in 1861 for this New England Vintage
Base-Ball League match.
Coming on the heels of winning a two-game match in Marblehead,
Massachusetts, against the Lynn Live Oak club, the Thames Club has a
respectable five wins and five losses record for its first year of league
play. Scores for those games were 12-7 and 4-0. Jason Hines, of Mystic,
pitched the shutout. Captain Felix Reyes, of New London, praised the club
for their fine defensive performance, "We've learned a lot in our one year
of existence."
1861 Rules show the game at its infancy - the modern form of the game had
been invented in New York City in 1845, but the growth of the sport burst on
to the national scene as soldiers played throughout the North and South
during the Civil War. Base-ball became the diversion of choice between
battles and marching. Fort Trumbull, point of departure for most of
Connecticut's volunteers during the Civil War, is the ideal historic
location for the Thames Club's home field.
In 1861, gloves have yet to be invented; it would be 15 years before a
catcher wore a mask, and almost 25 years before the pitcher was allowed to
pitch using an overhand throw. It was possible to catch a ball on its first
bounce to make an out - although it was considered bad form for adult men to
do so. Centerfielder Matt Laconti, of Old Lyme, one of the club's standout
hitters says, "Remembering to not overrun first base is one of the hardest
lessons to learn."
The Thames Base Ball Club is a program of the New London County Historical
Society, who's Executive Director, Edward Baker, was the organizer for the
club. "History can be fun!" is a primary objective for the program.
More information is available by calling the New London County Historical Society at (860) 443-1209.
Vintage
Base-Ball Game Double-header -- Thames Base Ball Club vs. the Atlantics
of Long Island
Saturday 15 October, 2005. Games start at 11:00 and 1:30
Fort Trumbull State Park
No Admissions charge
Vintage
base ball returns on Saturday with the Thames Base Ball Club playing two
games against the veteran club from Long Island, the Atlantics. The New
London club is new, and with only three full games under their belts they
are still looking for their first win. It may not be likely against the
club that started as an all-star team from the long-standing vintage base
ball program at Old Bethpage Village, an historic site on Long Island.
The Thames Nine played a two-game stand in Smithtown last weekend and lost to the Atlantics 16-9 and 15-5. While the local boys' defensive skills had improved, their bats could not keep up with the Long Island club.
The Atlantics prefer to play by the rules adopted in 1864, the year the Brooklyn Atlantics (who they fashion themselves after) captured the national championship. Called balls and strikes were new at that time. For the Thames Club's final games of the season on the 15th, they will likely play one game according to the 1861 rules, the other by the 1864 rules.
This weekend the Thames Club travels to Bristol, Rhode Island to participate in League Day with the seven teams who are part of the New England Vintage Base Ball League.
The Thames Base Ball Club is a program of the New London County Historical Society and has been supported by gifts from Precision Motors, Citizens' Bank and the Mohegan Sun.
More information is available by calling the New London County Historical Society at (860) 443-1209.
Inaugural
Vintage Base-Ball Game for New London -- 1861 Rules
Thames Base Ball Club's First Home Base-Ball game
versus the Connors of Waterbury
Sunday 21 August, 2005. Game start at 2:00 pm
Fort Trumbull State Park
No admissions charge
The
Thames Base-Ball Club will be facing the Connors of Waterbury for their
first home game ever on Sunday afternoon on 21 August at Fort Trumbull
State Park. The rules approved by the National Association of Base-Ball
Players for 1861 will govern the match. All are invited to the free event
as the New London Club get their feet wet facing the young team and league
leaders from Waterbury.
Vintage Base-Ball? 1861 League? For the past twenty years there has been a growing number of baseball players who have decided to revert to an earlier version of the game. A different kind of excitement, and a little bit of theatre goes into these events that portray "America's Pastime" from the era when that phrase first came to be used. Dressed in vintage style uniforms, players forget about equipment that hadn't been invented yet and modifications to the rules that came about as the game was transformed from a "healthy recreation for gentlemen," to the "anything goes" culture that seems to pervade modern baseball.
The new club is a program of the New London County Historical Society. Executive Director, Edward Baker, described his motivation for starting the team: "I just wanted to try to reinforce the message that history doesn't only live in historic houses; it can be experienced directly. And it can be fun."
Base-Ball developed in New York prior to the Civil War, but during the war and immediately after there was amazing growth in interest in the game. "Those soldiers had to have something to do when they were sitting around camp." This connection to the Civil War is why Fort Trumbull State Park is allowing this different kind of re-enactment.
In 1861, gloves have yet to be invented -- which is why it is permissible to catch a ball on its first bounce as well as on the fly for an out. Strikes have just been invented, to punish batters who don't swing at good pitches -- this rule was meant to prevent batters from delaying tactics. But called balls, the way one punishes the pitcher for delaying the game with bad pitches, has yet to be thought necessary. Bunting hasn't shown up yet, but the "fair-foul" is a preferred way to get on base; as a ball is fair or foul depending on where it first hits the ground, a sharply hit ball that hits in front of home but then goes spinning off over the third baseline can be quite effective. Although the pitcher must pitch underhanded (over-handed pitching was not allowed until 1884), the ball is not the large softball size but close to today's reulation baseball. And the lines between bases are the 90 feet of baseball, not the 60 feet of softball.
The Thames Club played the first games of their history this past Sunday, 7 August, at a Vintage Base-Ball tournament at Old Bethpage Village, a historic site on Long Island. Over fourteen clubs attended with representatives from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The Thames boys went 0 for 2 with a loss to the Connors in the first game and a loss to the Atlantic Club from Long Island in the second game. A league of vintage clubs exists in southern New England with members from New Haven, Hartford, and Waterbury in Connecticut; Coventry, Bristol and Providence in Rhode Island; and Melrose, Danvers and Lynn in Massachusetts. The New London club will hope to be admitted to the league for next year's season.
More information is available by calling the New London County Historical Society at (860) 443-1209.
Articles
& Useful Links
Vintage Base Ball Association website can be found here
Vintage Base Ball Rules can be found here
3/14/2005 - Vintage-Rules Base-Ball May Be Played At Fort Trumbull Baseball at Fort Trumbull? Starting this summer, it could be a reality. No, the idea isn't the latest brainchild of the NLDC, nor are the Norwich Navigators planning a move to the Fort. Instead, a group of baseball enthusiasts hope to form a local club to play in a vintage-rules league, with Fort Trumbull as the "home" field ... (more)
3/13/2005 When
Base-Ball was first called "The National Pastime" William
Ryczek of Wallingford will be our Second Sunday speaker on the 13th of
March. Bill is a historian of sports, a member of SABR, the Society of
American Baseball Researchers, and a published author with two books on
the topic: When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War Baseball
Boom, 1865-1870 (1998), and Blackguards and Red Stockings: A
History of Baseball's National Association, 1871-1875 (1992). In
his talk he will be sharing with us some of his research on the early
history of organized baseball and its close connection to the Civil War
... (more)
NLCHS, 11 Blinman St., New London, CT 06320
