Old Time Baseball Game To Be Played This Saturday In Belmar
An Old Time Baseball Game is scheduled to be played with 1864 rules at Memorial Field in Belmar this Saturday, June 15th, beginning at 11 am. Belmar Memorial Field is located at 12th Avenue and Railroad Avenue in town.
You can experience the nostalgia of America’s pastime come to life. Cheer on your favorite team, as the game is played by baseball’s original rules, established way back in 1864!
Who Will Be Playing?
The two teams battling it out will not have quite the nostalgic ring as the Brooklyn Dodgers versus the New York Giants. No, these teams predate even those long-gone but not forgotten beloved franchises. If you happen to come out to the Old Time Baseball Game this Saturday you will be treated to seeing the Monmouth Furnace take on the Flemington Neshanock. Not exactly a rivalry like the Yanks vs Sox, but it’ll do!
Baseball By The 1864 Rules.
According to Wikipedia, Before the Civil War, baseball competed for public interest with Cricket and regional variants of baseball, notably “Town Ball”, played in Philadelphia and the “The Massachusetts Game”, played in New England. In the 1860s, aided by the Civil War, “New York Style” baseball expanded into a national game. Baseball began to overtake cricket in popularity, impelled by its much shorter duration relative to the form of cricket played at the time. By the end of 1865, almost 100 clubs were playing in the fledgling “National Association Of Baseball Players”. By 1867, it ballooned to over 400 members, including some clubs from as far away as California.
One of these Western clubs, Chicago (dubbed the “White Stockings” by the press for their uniform hosiery), won the championship in 1870. Because of this growth, regional and state organizations began to assume a more prominent role in the governance of the amateur sport at the expense of the NABBP. At the same time, the professionals soon sought a new governing body. This eventually led to the formation of the National League, and later, the American League.
Here’s a clip from Ken Burns” Baseball:
And, a recent new magazine clip of the 1864 League!
While no cost info is provided, it appears this event is free to the public, so Batter Up!
for more info, click here.
