OxfordPress.com

I've been playing softball most of my adult life after playing no organized baseball before then — no youth baseball, no high school baseball, no college baseball or even softball intramurals.

I love playing the game.

I've often thought I would fit in with the game as it was played in the 1860s. That was before the Cincinnati Reds began paying players and made the game professional. That was when the working people of a community met at an open field in the evening to choose up sides and play baseball. There were games between communities, but it was a "gentleman's game" played for fun.

A few years ago, when the Oxford Community Park opened, arrangements were made to bring the Columbus Muffins to Oxford to play against a team of Oxford players using the rules of the 1860s. I was invited to play for the Oxford Biscuits that year and again the following year for a rematch.

I've continued playing softball, both during the summer and with and against college students in Miami's intramural program, even this spring after my 59th birthday.

Last fall, I got an e-mail from Tom Poetter, one of the players in those Muffins-Biscuits games. He had a plan to create a vintage baseball program for Oxford, with an additional twist. Tom's vision was enough players for two teams, the Big Reds and the Blues, with both adult and younger players so fathers and sons could play together.

Since my son is living on the other side of the country, Tom named me an "honorary grandfather," making me eligible to play.

The rules take some getting used to because the players do not use baseball gloves, and catching the ball on the "first bound" counts for an out. The batter is called a "striker" and the pitcher must "serve" the ball. There is no counting of balls and strikes unless the umpire gives a warning that the pitcher is not trying to provide a ball that can be hit or the "striker" is not trying to hit pitchers that could be hit.

There are some other rule differences that make the game fun for those accustomed to the modern-day game.

There will be several games this summer to allow the community to come out and see an 1860s game. There is a season opener at the Oxford Community Park at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, when the Big Red and Blues will play an exhibition. The community is invited to come out and catch the old-fashioned fun.

Both teams will be in action against the Columbus Muffins for games May 4 at Ditmer Field at Miami University on Ohio 73. Both teams will play the Muffins that afternoon, and the community is invited to come out and see the game as it was played when it is in a field.

The Oxford Vintage Base Ball Club also is planning to be a part of the History Day program at Talawanda Middle School on May 16, giving students the chance to see the old-style game.

Come out this summer and watch the fun.

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or bratterman@coxohio.com.

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