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© 2012 Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club
Kingsville, MD
August 8, 2011–
The Chesapeake Nine of Baltimore, well represented by eleven players, traveled to Glen Burnie to participate in a mini-tournament hosted by the Excelsior BBC of Arundel. The Mechanicsburg BBC filled out the trio. All matches were seven innings.
In the second match of the tournament, which was the first for the Chesapeakes, Hobbs pitched seven sparkling innings and even recorded three put outs in one inning, but the Baltimore team couldn’t thaw its lumber and fell 4-1.
In the third match of the tourney, which was the second for the Chesapeake Nine, the Chesapeakes took a lead against the host Excelsiors but couldn’t hold it, dropping the contest 11-6. The highlight of the match for the Chesapeake Nine occurred when Burner drove in three runs by grounding into an unassisted out at first. A fielding melee ensued, and, by the time Burner got halfway back to the sidelines, three runners had safely crossed the dish.
Next up for the Chesapeake Nine is the two-day Mid Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League Festival in Philadelphia on Aug. 20 & 21.
Hyattsville, MD
July 31, 2011–
The Potomac Nine battled hard today vs. Cecil County in Hyattsville, MD. The young, strong Cecil County team outlasted the Potomacs in both games, 13-2 and 14-6. Subtract a few bad innings, the gritty Potomac squad held their own against Cecil County. Three new Old Dominion players helped lead the way for Potomac, Rex “Stoney” Stone, Forest “Flash” Voelker, and Spencer “Bulldog” Voelker.
http://hyattsville.patch.com/articles/photo-gallery-vintage-baseball-in-the-park#photo-7215579
http://www.gazette.net/article/20110728/NEWS/707289832/1123/clubs-bring-19th-century-baseball-to-hyattsville&template=gazette
Manassas, VA
July 25, 2011–
Old Town Manassas, VA commemorated the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and the Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run) July 21-24 with living history demonstrations, speakers, art, music, and Civil War base ball.
Members of the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club and the Excelsior Base Ball Club of Arundel braved the conditions July 23-24, playing vintage (Civil War) base ball in a wonderful environment organized by Historical Manassas. Playing nearby a Civil War encampment, the Clubs played their finest in front of dozens of cranks who really enjoyed watching vintage base ball, despite the 110 degree heat index.
The first game between the Potomac Nine of Washington DC and the Arundel Excelsiors was a close one through the last out. After spotting Potomac two early runs, Arundel clamped down on defense and pushed across 6 runs in the second and third innings through timely hitting and solid base running. Potomac’s Erik “Cannon” Christensen cleared the center field fence in the eighth inning with a mammoth 2-run home run that cut Arundel’s lead to 3, but that was as close as Potomac would get. Arundel’s Fred “Bones” Fontz made two spectacular throws from behind to nail base runners at third and Tim “Shakespeare” Grieb’s timely hits solidified the 8-5 win for Arundel.
The second game featured the Old Dominions of Northern Virginia taking the field for the first time versus the Arundel Excelsiors. With 7 Northern Virginians in the line-up, including 4 players playing for the first time, the Old Dominions scored 7 runs in the top of the first and never looked back, winning 11-6 in their inaugural game. Jerry “Ranger” Sparks crushed two 2-run doubles in his first two career at-bats, while Tommy “Scout” Carlyle, Nathan “Smokey” Sparks, and Matthew Davilia had tremendous at-bats and showed great hands in the field in their first game. The future looks good for the Old Dominions, who will formally join the MAVBBL for the start of the 2012 season.
Overall, it was a tremendous weekend of base ball in Old Town Manassas. Despite the heat, players and cranks had a great time and demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship. Many thanks to Kenny Loveless and Historic Manassas for organizing the special Civil War base ball event.
Check out the article in Inside Nova:
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/jul/24/old-time-base-ball-makes-pitch-ar-1194064/?referer=http://www.facebook.com/l/5AQDmNm5wAQD3JN09kJ7AxAJriA0nOKwDFo2DmxUBwZq61Q/insidenova.com/ar/1194064/&shorturl=http://bit.ly/n6Enr9
Jerusalem Mill, Md
July 14, 2011 –
Hello Everyone:
Three resounding Huzzahs to Old Hoss, Rube, and all the other great players on the Colorado All-Star Team that visited Jerusalem Mill on Thursday afternoon, July 14th. We played a six-inning exhibition followed by a great cookout, featuring a variety of tasty vittles. Thanks to all who brought the food and special thanks to Shooter, who brought the grill, and to Shooter’s wife Lisa, who operated the grill while we were busy playing base ball!
The Chesapeakes introduced two new players: Bob “Tin Man” McClelland, who played a flawless first base, and Zell “Ornery” Olson, who anchored the behind position and intrigued the spectators with his bat made from a railroad brakeman’s handle. The match was close thanks to the hurling of Scoop and Farmer, who held the men from the Centennial State in check. The Chesapeakes had a skinny one-run lead going into the bottom of the sixth, but the Colorado nine scored two clutch aces to take the contest, 9-8.
Special thanks also go out to the many cranks, many from the Friends of Jerusalem Mill, who attended Thursday afternoon’s match. We greatly appreciate your support.
In photo #1, Scoop is greeting our visitors. In photo #2, Tin Man is about to launch a long sky ball to left.
We wish our friends from Colorado the best of luck in the tournament at Gettysburg and hope to see them again soon in either Maryland or out in the Rocky Mountains.
Next up for the Chesapeakes is a set of home matches, this Sunday, starting at noon. See you out on the field.
Jerusalem Mill, Md
July 2011–
On a clear and very warm Sunday afternoon at Jerusalem Mill, the Chesapeake Nine hosted the Cecil Base Ball Club in a pair of seven inning matches. The day of base ball was dedicated to memory of our great friend Scott “Curly” Murphy of the Talbot Fair Plays, who passed away very suddenly the day before. We will really miss him.
Employing a relentless station-to-station style of offense, the Cecil club jumped off to a big lead in both matches and steadily built on those leads in both contests. The visitors took the first match 19-3 and the second match 32-4. Despite the lopsided outcomes, there were a number of bright spots for the Chesapeakes. Farmer played several infield positions, turning in several sparkling plays including the front end of a double play. Nat gave it a 110% despite playing with an injured knee. Hobbs, Frag, Cobb, and Shazam minimized extra base hits by plugging the holes in the garden. And Burner, who set up shop behind the dish, kept Cecil runners on their toes with her rocket arm.
Up next for the Chesapeake Nine are an exhibition match against the Colorado Base Ball Club, Thursday afternoon, July 14, and a pair of matches against the Diamond State Base Ball Club of Delaware, Sunday afternoon, July 17. Both events will take place at Jerusalem Mill.
In photo #1, our club historian, Richard “Pastime” D’Ambrisi, is shown serving as arbiter in Sunday’s matches. Photo #2 is a full-field view of Sunday’s action at Jerusalem Mill.
Fairfax, Va
July 18, 2011–
The Chesapeake and Potomac Vintage Base Ball Club will be participating in a celebration of Civil War style base ball matches this weekend, July 23rd and 24th, an event which is being sponsored by Historic Manassas.
Historic Manassas will be hosting a Civil War base ball tournament from July 22 through 24th. C&P will participate in matches on Saturday, July 23, at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm featuring the Potomac Nine and the debut of its new northern Virginia vintage base ball club the Old Dominions. On Sunday, July 24 the Potomac/Old Dominions and Arundel will play at 10am and 12pm.
For more details about the events this weekend, please visit http://www.manassascivilwar.org/home.aspx or refer to the C&P Calendar.
Please Join Us! C&P VBBC welcomes players from all age groups, of all backgrounds, and all skill levels! We want you to play vintage base ball with us in Northern Virginia.
Potomac’s first ever mid-week match was a great success! On July 13th, following an afternoon of drenching storms over the metropolitan area, the skies cleared up and provided a perfect evening environment for our special match with the Colorado All-Stars. With six regulars, two muffins, and a couple borrowed players, Potomac won a very well-played 9-inning match vs. the Colorado All-Stars, 14-6. Hobbs took player of the game honors, going 5 for 5 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 5 runs scored, and 3 RBIs (calculate that on-base plus slugging percentage). Cannon went 3 for 5 with 2 triples and 4 RBIs, Moon 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs and 2 stolen bases, and Woody 3 for 4 with an RBI. Sully played stellar defense behind the plate. Zell, a former Colorado player who moved to Baltimore recently, joined the Potomacs, in addition to Silvio, a spectator turned muffin, who made an outstanding catch in the outfield along with solid contact at the plate.
The true highlight was interacting with the Colorado All-Stars, who will be playing the Chesapeakes tomorrow night and in the Gettysburg tournament over the weekend. They were incredibly friendly, engaging, and appreciative of the opportunity to play with us. A great time was had by all and we wish our new Colorado friends the best of luck this weekend!
On Sunday July 10th, the Potomac Base Ball Club ventured north to Havre de Grace to meet the Dauntless Club on the sporting fields of Susquehanna State Park. Two matches of seven innings were to be played that day, and the weather complied with a clear but sultry July afternoon. Because the Dauntless was unable to field the requisite number of players for the match, the Potomacs loaned ballists Sully and Counselor to fill out their ranks.
In the first match, the Dauntless club batted first, scoring two tallies with well-positioned hits that eluded the grasp of Potomac fielders. Undaunted, the Potomacs responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs derived from singles by Lightning, Zag, Pipes, and Cannon. Pipes’ hit was most timely, allowing two Potomacs to score.
In the second inning, the Potomacs defense stiffened, leaving the Dauntless scoreless. During the Potomacs’ turn at bat, the club continued to pummel the opposing hurler, tallying two more runs as a result of singles from Whip It and Avery, and a double by Lightning.
The top of the third inning saw the Dauntless again unable to bring a player across the plate, while the Potomacs added one more run with a triple by Cannon, who later scored by a sacrifice from Ivy.
The fourth inning continued the Dauntless scoring drought, while Potomac padded their lead with singles by Zag, Pipes, Cannon and Moon, bringing the score to 7-2.
The slumber of the Dauntless bats persisted in the fifth, while the torrid scoring pace of the Potomacs continued unabated. Two more runs were registered as a result of the efficacious batting of Lightning, Zag and Pipes. At the conclusion of the inning, the score stood 9-2.
Finally, in the sixth, the Dauntless were able to rouse their bats into action by tallying two runs. Nonetheless, the Potomacs answered with a run of their own through a single by Moon and a sacrifice by Lightning. 10-4.
In the final inning, the Dauntless were unable to score, sealing the win for the Potomacs.
The second match resulted in the favor of the Potomacs as well, they making 16 runs to the Dauntless 5. All in all, the day was a success for the Potomacs, and the sportsmanship of both clubs was evident throughout. The assembled spectators applauded hardily at the conclusion in recognition of the superlative play they had just witnessed.
POTOMAC PLAYER TOTALS FOR BOTH MATCHES:
Lightning 3 1B, 2 2B 3 RUNS 4 RBI
Zag 5 1B, 1 2B 5 RUNS 5 RBI
Avery 4 IB 2 RUNS
Pipes 4 1B, 1 2B 3 RUNS 5 RBI
Cannon 6 1B, 1 2B, 1 3B 4 RUNS 5 RBI
Ivy 2 1B 1 RUN 1 RBI
Moon 8 1B 3 RUNS 2 RBI
Whip It 6 1B 4 RUNS 2 RBI
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding our new Northern Virginia Team (Old Dominion Base Ball Club (BBC)):
1. We want to take the next step here and request information about what it would take to get this expansion team underway.
We would like to start forming the NoVA team this summer. There are a number of Potomac players who currently live in NoVA and would help support the expansion effort.During the event at the Oatlands on Sunday, June 12, I was approached by an organizer of the Manassas 150th Civil War Anniversary Celebration (http://www.manassascivilwar.
We would market the expansion NoVA team and Manassas event through other channels – website, Facebook, Loudon Preservation Society, Prince William County Historical Society, Manassas Civil Anniversary Planning Committee, local newspapers, etc.
Our current experienced members who live in NoVA would support the formation of the new team and fill out the roster.
Following the Manassas event, there are a couple more opportunities through Aug/Sept/Oct for the Northern Virginia team to take the field. These games can be strictly exhibition, or if desired, can count as official games.
2. We are particularly interested in hearing the time it takes to actually belong to a team in this league.
Teams set their schedules in November at the annual Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League organizational meeting. Teams usually play twice a month, Apr – Sep, mirroring the MLB season. Typically they play a doubleheader with another team on a Saturday or Sunday. There are tournaments and special events, like the one at the Oatlands. Teams will travel great distances to tournaments, such as New York City.
Team members do not come out to every game. We recognize that everyone has busy lives, family commitments, vacations, and injuries play a factor. On average, members play once a month. There are approximately 25 members on each of our teams that play at least once a season. You’ll usually get 9-11 players travel to a road game (sometimes less) and a few more for home games. A handful come out to nearly every match while others come out once or twice a year. Bottom line, 20-25 is a good target for team membership.
3. Do we have to practice regularly?
The C&P Club will hold a number of Spring Training practices for all teams and members in a central location. This past year, we had two practices in March and drew enough for full scrimmages.
In-season practices are rare for our Club because each team plays about every other week, so we don’t want to overload the weekend calendar. Because members in our Club are so geographically disbursed in a crowded, traffic laiden area, we do not hold mid-week practices. Other league clubs do hold mid-week practices in smaller towns where there members are all geographically located near each other.
4. How often do we have to play?
See question to answer 2. Bottom line is, each member plays as much as he/she can and desires. There are no attendance requirements or anything like that.
5. What kind of commitment from sponsors are expected/mandated?
This is an area we are working on as a Club. Today, we have no sponsors. However, we are completing our articles of incorporation and will file as a 501c3 non-profit corporation. This will open a lot more doors for us, especially with sponsorship.
6. Is there a membership fee?
Yes, the C&P membership fee is $50 per person annually. Membership fees pay for equipment purchases, any park/field fees, insurance, winter gathering, lodging for overnight tournaments, and other expenses, such as 501c3 filing. We will start collecting membership fees for NoVA players starting with the 2012 season.
7. Is this the vintage baseball where you play with no gloves or would we use gloves?
No gloves, no catcher’s equipment, just a bat and a ball. The vintage base ball is a tad larger and a tad softer than today’s baseball. Attached is a copy of the rules we play by, for your info.8. Any information along this line would be awesome.
Vintage base ball is a great game and C&P is growing. We formed 6 years ago and last year split into 2 teams. This summer we will start the NoVA Club. The league is growing leaps and bounds, with 16 teams now from CT to DC. Our goal is to have 6 teams in the metro DC/Balt area so folks do not have to travel as far.
The C&P members are amazing people from all walks of life, background, and experience. Everyone plays, regardless of skills, but we play hard and we play with the utmost sportsmanship.
Please join us, come out to Manassas or an earlier match. If you would like to take a leadership role in forming the new NoVA team, please do! Club leadership will support you guys every step of the way – name, uniforms, equipments, home field, communications, website, etc.
Check out our website at www.chesapeakeandpotomac.com. Please forward along the attached Wanted! flyer to anyone who might be interested.
Gaithersburg, MD
July 5, 2011 –
The Potomac nine vintage base ball club hosts Cecil County BBC for a special event sponsored by the city of Hyattsvillek, Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The games will be played at Magruder Park in Hyattsville, MD. Base Ball games were played at this spot about 125 years ago when it was then known as Wine’s Fields.
