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Community Corner

Vintage Base Ball Heats Up Berens Park

Gentlemanly game a throwback to the 1800s, when players called themselves out.

There may be no crying in baseball, but Sunday in Elmhurst, there was no bunting, stealing, leading off, wagering, spitting or cursing, either. In this gentleman's game, one had to honorably call oneself out. And, if you please, it is not baseball, but base ball.

Braving heat that could melt the caramel right off your Cracker Jack, people came from as far away as Missouri and Germany, and perhaps even Butterfield Road, to watch the Elmhurst All-Stars play the Chicago Salmon in a game of vintage base ball at Berens Park. Vintage, in this case, meant playing by Civil War-era rules, sans gloves but with outs both on the fly and after one bounce.

The crowd of big and little kids discussed many of the unfamiliar rules among themselves as the strikers hit and the hurlers threw. Hands, or runners, decided for themselves if they were safe or “dead,” although the umpire, Ray “Never Wrong” Grish, could step in to mediate any questionable calls.

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Despite the blasting sun, there was something refreshing the nation's pastime played without arcane rules and a deluge of statistics, without balks and designated hitters and the infield fly rule. Because vintage rules dictate that the hurler throws the ball where the striker requests it, players made contact between the bat and ball frequently, and play moved along briskly. Between innings, fans won T-shirts for answering trivia questions about Elmhurst, and kids ran the bases.

The “gentlemanly” behavior, which extended to the women, began well before Elmhurst Park Board President Colette Kubiesa, donning a yellow hoopskirt, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The park district, the Elmhurst Historical Museum, and the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation worked with many sponsors to make this lively game possible. Elmhurst dignitaries suited up alongside commonfolk, and big-city teams donated prizes.

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According to Elmhurst Historical Museum director Brian Bergheger, the teams traded the lead throughout the game, but the heat may have been the ultimate winner, as the All-Stars and the Salmon decided to call it a game at a 6-6 tie.

The Elmhurst All-Stars included Tom Babyar, Al “Big Boss” Brinkmeier, Kevin “Irish” Diamond, Pete “Robinhood” DiCianni, Tom Dillon, John “Bad News” Garcia, Darren Haus, Dr. John “Doc Jev” Jevitz, Jim “Tumbleweed” Kennedy, Mike “Bulldog” LoCicero, Alex “No Name” LoCicero, John “No Quit” Quigley, Mike “Moonlight” Regan, Jim “Slim” Rogers and Kevin “Duke” York.

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