Vintage base ball comes every weekend for hungry fans in the "hot dog" days of summer
Roxbury Nine and other Delaware County teams call all "cranks" for a busy August schedule
Delaware County vintage base ball will be sizzling in these dog days of
summer, with games every weekend — usually among local county rivals.
These earnest volunteer athletes always deliver an idyllic summer Saturday
treat for your entire family but they're also warming up for the hottest
contest in vintage base ball: the Harry M. Keator Invitational Tournament
on Labor Day weekend, when eight of the most dedicated vintage teams in the
Northeast vie for that silver cup of classic base ball.
August 4 in Roxbury's Kirkside Park is your first ever opportunity to see all three Delaware County vintage base ball teams in action: at high noon, the Roxbury Nine will host their long-time hard-hitting rivals, the Hancock Nine and welcome the vintage newbies, Fleischmanns' freshly "reformed" Mountain Athletic Club (MAC). Each of these teams stands proudly behind a long, treasured history of "town ball" and some of them have a great-grandfather's prowess to defend as well as their own. They plan to keep the cranks (that's you, fans) busy with a wake-up format: the three teams will face off in two innings each of 1864, 1884, and 1894 style play. Kids especially love to check out the rule book and watch the players bring the old-style action of each era faithfully to life. At the inaugural MAC game this season, one lucky kid took home a bat cracked during the action, signed by all the players.
Next Saturday, August 11, historic Amenia, New York (near Poughkeepsie)
provides a picturesque setting for classic American ball. The Roxbury Nine
will (try to) settle a score with another long-time rival, the Hartford Senators.
No one will be flashing a hometown advantage, but the rules and customs of
the Roxbury Nine's signature year, 1898, will reign for the day. The Senators
are named for an early 20th century Hartford minor league team that once
boasted Lou Gehrig and Jim Thorpe among its roster, so the present day players
like "Plywood," "Crazy Legs," and "Gasoline" have
some big shoes to fill.
On August 18, The Roxbury Nine are home in Kirkside Park to provide some seasoning to those fresh guys in yellow, the MAC. This is the Fleischmanns' club maiden year, and they're trying to get in as much hurling and striking as possible to wear off that new uniform smell. The Nine is only too happy to show up any time for a gentle trouncing, and who knows, maybe a little confidence is a dangerous thing? The next weekend, on August 25, the Nine heads to Fleischmanns' gorgeous ball park to give the MACs another run for their money. Start time for all these games is noon.
Now that you're all in the swing of things and have those nicknames down, throw together your favorite summer picnic and head to Kirkside Park on Friday, August 31, at 5:30 p.m. to see the Mountain Athletic Club and the hometown Roxbury Nine launch the Harry M. Keator Cup Invitational Base Ball Tournament. There'll be ball park fare to fortify you and you're encouraged to BYO Anything that goes well with vintage ball in the lazy summer afternoon. The action is just starting! On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 1-2, Roxbury turns the clock back to 1898 for all the agreeable pursuits of the 19th century and the cry "Play Ball!" will be heard from morning to dusk. Attention, ladies: among the visitors descending on this fair hamlet will be more than 100 strapping base ball players in their best baggy flannels.
Bookmark www.roxburyny.com — it's the easiest way to check schedules
and times and keep track of all the new-old attractions and fun of "Turn
of the Century Days." 1898 just keeps getting better every year!
Roxbury’s heritage tourism projects are funded in part by the Preserve America Grant Initiative, a program administered by the National Park service, Department of the Interior, and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Additional funding provided by The A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation and The Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust. The Roxbury Nine gratefully acknowledges the support of the Town of Roxbury and its many community sponsors.
Call the Roxbury Parks Department at 607-326-3722 for more information and to find out how you can volunteer.
