Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Baseball has changed greatly from its early beginnings.
But local baseball fans and history buffs are bringing back the game the way it used to be played by such teams as Warsaw's own Fleetfoots.
The Fleetfoots were a semi-professional base ball team that played in Warsaw around the time of the Civil War. The team president of the original Warsaw Fleetfoots was Gen. Reub Williams, editor of Warsaw's Northern Indianian newspaper. One-hundred-fifty years later, Reub Williams and Sons, owners of the Times-Union newspaper, Warsaw, is sponsoring the 2004 version of the Warsaw Fleetfoots.
The Kosciusko County Fairgrounds Board is allowing the team to use their facility for home games. The first game for the Fleetfoots is scheduled for today at 2 p.m. against the Village at Winona Blue Laws. There is no admission fee. In case of heavy rain, a makeup date will be announced later.
The Village at Winona Blue Laws helped get the Fleetfoots up and running by helping the Fleetfoots with game scheduling and contact information, according to Fleetfoots team manager Mike Beezley.
He said the Fleetfoots have nine games scheduled through Oct. 16, but may add one for fair week. Other teams are from Elkhart, LaPorte, Benton Harbor and Hobart.
There are 10 members on the team.
As baseball has changed, so has the terminology and the rules. For example, "club nine" means team. A ballist is a player, and a hurler is a pitcher. Aces are runs, and a match is a game.
Base ball from the 1860s was a gentleman's game. Matches are conducted according to the highest standards of sportsmanship and respect. Unlike some of today's baseball games, in base ball, there is no swearing, spitting, scratching, consumption of alcohol or tobacco or wagering permitted. Players aren't to comment on umpire's judgment.
A few other differences from the modern game include players don't wear protective equipment; there is no sliding, leading off, stealing or free overruns at first base.
There is an effort afoot to form other vintage base ball teams in the area in the hope of creating a northern Indiana vintage base ball league. If interested, call Bill Firstenberger toll-free at 877-786-3292, or e-mail him at billysundaymuseum@juno.com
