OxfordPress.com

The Oxford Vintage Base Ball Club, which plays 1860 base ball, began its first season Saturday, April 26, with an exhibition at Oxford Community Park and played Sunday, May 4, against the Ohio Village Muffins.

Strong differences in vintage base ball from modern baseball include underhanded pitching; no catching mitts; catching the ball after the first bounce, but before the second can still get the runner out; and players are prohibited from any sliding or overrunning first base.

"This allows us to play a game like modern day baseball, but without the extreme challenge ... " said Dr. Thomas Poetter, founder and president of the Oxford Vintage Base Ball Club.

He described base ball from the Civil War era as a "fielding and hitting game."

"Not everyone can play a pitching game and, quite frankly, we're too old for that," he said, laughing.

The club consists of 22 local players on two teams, the Oxford Blues and the Miami Big Red. Teams were made to be even and competitive.

"There are two teams in the club, so we'd always have a game," Poetter said. "We wouldn't always have to find another team (to play)."

Mainly fathers and sons participate. Club member Don Gloeckner estimated sons' ages range from 11 to 15 years old.

"It's especially exciting and memorable to play with your son on the same team," he said. "I think that's fun for all the dads, and hopefully, for the kids."

Poetter said fathers often coach and help sons play baseball, but rarely play on the same field as them. The Oxford Vintage Base Ball Club allows fathers and sons this opportunity.

"All the boys knew each other and all the adults knew each other, so it had the feeling of a backyard baseball game you'd play at home," Gloeckner said of the games. "It added to the mystique of the 1860s."

The Miami Big Red beat the Oxford Blues 12-8 at the exhibition, but the teams laughed and joked with each other. Sunday, May 4, the Blues defeated the Ohio Village Muffins, whle the Muffins defeated the Big Red team.

"You're playing baseball in a gentlemanly way," Poetter said. "You're rooting for the other team as much as you're trying to win."

Poetter was happy to see that the boys' playing improved over the course of the game and guessed it was due to the atmosphere of camaraderie.

"Relax. Have fun. Do your best. Enjoy the company of the game, and you're likely to do some great things," he said.

Oxford gathered informal teams to play the Muffins in recent years.

According to Poetter, the Muffins enjoyed playing the Oxford teams and encouraged forming an official vintage base ball team.

"The Columbus Muffins are the real kind of driving forces of vintage base ball..." he said. "They're very interested in getting teams founded and they've been very helpful."

An exhibition for Talawanda Middle School's History Day will be performed at 2 p.m. May 16.

"There's a real wonderful feeling of playing that game as it was originally created, or at least as close as we can get," Poetter said.

In addition to fees paid by players, Oxford Vintage Base Ball is supported by grants from the Oxford Community Foundation and Talawanda Recreation Inc.

"We're very happy with the support we've gotten and the folks who've shown interest in coming to our games," Poetter said.

The William Holmes McGuffey Museum of Miami University and the Smith Library of Regional History recognize the club has historical value.

In recreating a historical period, Poetter said, laughing, "We're not trying to be too smart, but we're trying to do it right."

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