It may only be the middle of August, but the World Series is coming to the Bay Area this weekend. The 2013 Legends of Baseball Vintage World Series, that is.
It’s a trip back to 1886 when baseball was written as two words, umpires wore top hats, players wore woolen knickerbockers and the fans, or “cranks” as they were known, shouted “Huzzah!” instead of “Woo!” or “Awesome!” when they saw a great play.
Dr. John Eliot is the chair of the Vintage 9 Foundation, which organizes these charity games. He says it’s not just a historical re-enactment — there are characteristics of the vintage game that display the true spirit of baseball before the game became big business.
“Originally the game was meant to be about outthinking your opponents,” he says. “That’s why baseball is sometimes referred to as the thinking man’s game. The rules are set up so that if you outsmart your opponent, you’ll win. It’s not so much about throwing harder or running faster or swinging harder. “
While there are 19th century niceties, such as addressing the umpire as “Sir,” a lot of the fun of vintage ball depends on cunning tactics that wouldn’t be allowed today. “There’s no balk rule — all pitching moves are legal,” Eliot says. “Hidden-ball tricks, fake pitches – the pitchers can pretty much do anything they want to fool the opponent. You really have to pay attention. If you’re a base runner and you lose sight of the ball for one second, you’re going to get tagged out.”