“That hurler is tossing nothing but Jimjams” : Essex Base Ball Club

The players, clad in vintage uniforms consisting of baggy pants, drawstring jerseys and striped caps, shook hands with their opponents.
"To our umpire, our opponents, to our fans.... thank you for coming. Hip, hip, huzzah! Hip, hip, huzzah! Hip, hip, huzzah!"
The Essex Base Ball Club had finished the rousing ball game against the Lynn Live Oaks at Endicott Park in Danvers, Massachusetts. The score? Not important. The stats? Not recorded. What matters to the clubs, is having some fun, gentlemanly competition, and sticking to the 1861 rules that the Vintage Baseball of New England teams play by.
Jeff Peart, the Essex Base Ball Club's player /mascot / umpire / curator, lives for vintage base ball (yes, two words).
"I think it's fascinating," said Peart, or "Greybeard" (another rule? every vintage base ball player has to have a nickname). "When I first started playing this, I thought I was a baseball fan and I knew a lot about the history of it. Then I started reading more and more about it, and you see how the rules changed and the evolution of the game and it's kind of interesting to see some of the quirks of it. You can see why things changed and that's kind of the beauty of it."
"When the civil war guys reenact battles, they already know how it's going to come out. We play by the 1861 rules, but we don't know how it's going to come out," says Peart. "A lot of people are like 'Oh, you're playing old games,' but we aren't, we're playing by the old rules."
Watching a vintage base ball game is unlike anything you see today. Underhand pitches are thrown from a mound 45 feet away, as opposed to the 60 feet 6 inches today. And fielders don't wear gloves.
“Some people think we have a few screws loose,” said team captain Brian “Cappy” Sheehy, who has broken a few of his fingers from catching many a pitch and foul ball bare-handed.
There are no called strikes, therefore, no walks, just warnings. Like today, if you catch a fly ball in the air, it's an out. But if you catch it on one bounce, it's also an out. A ball is determined to be fair or foul depending on where it first struck the ground.
Don't overrun first base unless you plan on running back to the bag. There is only one umpire, behind home plate, and his word is final. Arguing a call is considered ungentlemanly and isn't permitted. The umpire is also known to ask fans their opinion before making a call. Base Ball in 1860 was a sport of gentlemen and ladies, both Players and Cranks (fans) were and are expected to act in that way.
Common phrases heard throughout the game are "Strike well, Mr. Foley" or "Tally me one, sir." Base Ball in 1860 was a sport of gentlemen and ladies; both ballists (players) and cranks (spectators) were and are expected to act in that way. Anyone who did not exhibit this behavior was and will be fined.
Even the equipment is vintage: the handmade bats and lemon-peel ball (a stuffed, single piece of leather with two seams) are made by Essex Base Ball Club members. They play on fields with no dirt or lines, and bases made of sacks.
Players in the club range in age from 18 to their 50s.
“With the 1861 rules, no matter what your age, you can do well,” said Sheehy.

The Essex Base Ball Club was founded in 2002 by the Danvers Historical Society, taking its name from an actual club playing base ball in Danvers in 1859. The Essex Base Ball Club played its first match on July 1, 2002 vs. the Melrose Pondfielders before 1,000 cranks (fans) in Danvers, MA. Since then, the EBBC has traveled throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut playing & promoting vintage base ball.
“We play every weekend and travel all around. It’s a lot of fun,” said Sheehy.
In 2004, the EBBC joined the New England Vintage Base Ball League, which was founded in 2001. There are 20 teams in New England and about 200 throughout the country. Within the Essex Base Ball Organization, there are three teams: The Essex Base Ball Club; The Lynn Live Oaks, which was founded three years later and is modeled after a team from 1877; And the newest addition, the Boston Beaneaters, which formed last year and plays by 1886 rules (a harder ball, overhand pitches, something resembling a glove).
Playing vintage base ball has made the players practicing historians, though some have a head start: Fan favorite Rob "Stumbles" Michaud (though fans call him “Magglio,” for the mop of curly hair that protrudes from his cap) is a history teacher at Andover High and Sheehy is a history teacher at North Andover High.
“It’s a lot of fun to recreate baseball history and as corny and lame as it sounds, it’s really a living history lesson,” said Sheehy, a Methuen resident. “It’s important to teach people about the history. A lot of people think baseball started with Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb, but there was so much before then.”
Playing the vintage game, Sheehy said, gives players an appreciation for the game played today. Nineteenth century players didn’t have the advantage of Under Armor, Nike, or Louisville Slugger. “The heavy canvas and long sleeves [of 19th century uniforms] aren’t really good for 90 degree heat,” Sheehy said.
Pat “The Other” Foley admits to watching modern games with a more critical eye. He thinks Eric Byrnes, the Arizona Diamondbacks left-fielder, plays with energy and intensity, like the 19th century players did.
“I love Manny Ramirez,” said Foley, a Haverhill native. “But he doesn’t play hard like we do.”