At the Old Ball Game

There are few things as eternal as Spring and baseball. In Grand Rapids, this has been true for over 140 years. Many Grand Rapids baseball fans get their hardball fix from the Whitecaps, the local Detroit Tigers affiliate. But there is another game in town: the Kent Base Ball Club.

The KBBC, or "Kents" as they are known, don't play baseball as you watch it on TV or in the stands at Fifth Third Ballpark. They play baseball minus the ego, the owners, the seven-figure salaries and double-digit admissions. They play base ball -two words- and their games are laid back and often come with a picnic lunch. Players call each other "sir" and "mister," and games rarely take more than an hour and a half. It is baseball as it was played in its infancy; it's Vintage Base Ball.

Vintage Base Ball is a loose term for teams that play by the rules as they stood at certain points in history. Some play by the rules of 1860, some by 1867, or the 1880s or 90s. There are teams all over the country and Michigan has several. Grand Rapids, Coopersville, Fallasburg, Ludington, Douglas and Benton Harbor all have teams, and there are many more around the state. Most clubs recreate teams that once existed (even if they didn't originally play in the 19th century).

The original Kent Base Ball Club was formed on April 4, 1967 allowing former soldiers to enjoy the sport they learned during the Civil War. A field was cleared east of downtown near the corner of Crescent and Prospect SE (near what is now Central High School) and on April 20th 1867 the first baseball game was recorded in the city.

Although the Kents weren't the first Grand Rapids had seen of baseball (efforts to start clubs were made in 1859 and 1866) they were the first of a wave of organizations to jump-start the sport in the region. By July 4, 1867 there were 6 teams in GR, and a tournament was held. Two trophies were awarded including a silver ball and a silver cup made by Herkner's Jewelers. The original Kent Base Ball Club itself lasted only a few years. But their echoes were felt in the dozens of amateur and professional teams to come from Grand Rapids in the coming decades.

The modern Kents were established in 1990 shortly after City Historian Gordon Olson discovered the original KBBC constitution and by-laws in the Local History Department of the public library. He was curious how their game would compare to the one we know now. According to Olson, it turns out that "some aspects of the game are almost biblical." Three strikes make an out, 3 outs end an inning and 9 innings make a game. Each team has 9 players who play the same positions and the bases are 90 feet apart.

The differences, however, can take a little getting used to. By 1860 rules, not only are balls caught in the air considered outs, so are ones caught "on a bound" (on one bounce). The pitcher (called the hurler) throws the ball underhanded and is charged with getting the ball into play rather than trying to fool the batter (known as the striker). Oh, and there are no gloves.

"People broke fingers all the time." Olson says. "One team actually put money into a kiddie going to the first person who broke one."

The modern Kent Base Ball Club is one of the oldest in the country and has encouraged the growth of many other teams around the state. They play 12-15 games a season and travel all over the Northeast competing in matches and tournaments. The Kent's hometown showcase is the Silas K. Pierce Cup, named in honor of the club's founder and first President. This year's event was held at Riverside Park on June 7th and 8 teams traveled from as far away as Bay City, MI and Chicago to compete. The tournament started at 9am and ended around 4pm. At noon all the players, families and fans gathered for a picnic lunch followed by a skills competition.

It is hard to imagine a friendlier tournament. The focus is on playing the game, not ego or pride.

Wade Hillen, a senior at Kenowa Hills High School and a KBBC Outfielder, says he likes playing vintage baseball just as much if not more than playing for his varsity team.

"This is a lot more fun than normal baseball," he says. "We just play for the heck of it."

A number of the players at the Pierce Cup came to the sport through rec or church league softball. And most agreed they don't miss the bitter competition in those leagues.

"If you got some hothead softball player out here who thinks he's Mr. Baseball he wouldn’t fit in," says Dave Ringler a shortstop for the KBBC who pulls double duty as the team's webmaster. The point is not to crush opponents or show off. "If we’re really beating a team, we slow down. We are not here to embarrass anybody." Ringler says.

The Pierce Tournament involved diverse mix of players: high school and college students, 30-40 year-old professionals and some very athletic retirees. What unifies them is a love of baseball and a desire to enjoy a bit of the magic lost as the game evolved from past time to professional sport.

One aspect of the 1860's game that guarantees more fun for everyone is the emphasis on putting the ball into play and getting the fielders involved. In this era a batter could wait for a good pitch and the pitcher was supposed to offer up hittable balls. Or as Lance Brewer, a shortstop and outfielder for the Kents, puts it: "this is more of a hitting and fielding game." The pitcher was not the center of attention he is now.

As much as the rules guide play in vintage base ball, they are pushed to the edges of interpretation. In the early days of baseball the rules were changing as fast as they could be bent and challenged. Each season, even each game, saw new rules and amendments. It's part of the quintessentially American nature of baseball. The game was shaped by its players and the rules evolved quickly to keep up with their inventiveness. It is no wonder, then, that modern players are just as capable at exploiting loopholes.

The peculiar hitting style of KBBC outfielder Charles "Wedded" Bliss offered perhaps the most potent example of this in the recent tournament. Bliss’ approach involves him standing perpendicular to the plate, facing the pitcher, and then hitting the ball straight down so it lands fair and immediately shoots into foul territory. By today's rules that would be a foul ball. In the 1860's the rule was "first fair, always fair," or in other words, once it lands fair it doesn't matter where it goes, it's a live ball. He can virtually guarantee a hit this way, much to the chagrin of opposing teams. For baseball fans it is a way to see how the beloved game came to be.

Researching vintage base ball, I read a number of comparisons to Civil War reenactments. This is way off, in my view. The only similarity seems to be the attention to period uniforms and customs. But the teams competing in the Silas K. Pierce cup were not recreating any past moment, they are fully modern people competing under vintage rules. The competition, though friendly, is real, and there are rivalries and teams to beat. The pace of the game, the enthusiasm of the players and the chance to see base ball in its early years makes vintage base ball a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The Kents are not currently scheduled for any more home games this season but they are playing around the state throughout the summer. Check out their webpage at www.kentbaseball.com for a schedule of matches. Maybe work a game into your Michigan vacation plans for the summer, or show up for next years Silas K. Pierce Cup. You might be surprised you like baseball this much.