A couple of months ago, the Quaboag Plantation 350th Anniversary Celebration committee announced that “Old-Time Base Ball” would be returning to the Brookfields on July 10th, in the form of the “First Annual Silver Bat Classic.”  The event is named after the silver bat awarded to baseball legend Connie Mack, in his last game in 1883 in East Brookfield.  The event also commemorates the famous 1865 contest between a West Brookfield and a North Brookfield team, which began on Friday August 18th and lasted until noon on Monday the 21st, with the North Brookfield team eventually victorious and the winner of the $500 prize.

I marked the date on my calendar, and shortly after 11 this morning, I walked the half-mile from my house to the old North Brookfield Common.  At 11:30 sharp, soprano Channing LeBlanc sang The Star-Spangled Banner, State Senator Steve Brewer offered a few brief remarks, and the formally-dressed referee called “Play Ball.”   The game of Base Ball, as it was played in the mid-nineteenth century, was quite different from our national pastime as we know it today.  I couldn’t quite figure out the rules from simply watching, but these differences were obvious:

• the bases were vertical wooden stakes
• the players did not wear fielding gloves
• the batter ran as soon as he hit the ball
• there was one out per inning

The players are taking the field.  Notice the period uniforms: the striped caps, suspenders, and the blue slacks.  The player at the far right is carrying a bat:

Do you see the base marker in the middle of this photo:

The pitcher winds up but does not attempt to strike the batter out:

The striker at the plate puts the ball in play:

I was settling in to enjoy the game when I noticed the overcast skies had darkened ominously.  Although it had been cloudy when I left the house, I hadn’t thought to check the weather, and I should have.  After only 45 minutes of play, the skies opened and the game had to be called on account of rain.  Thunder sounded, lightning flashed, and the rain kept coming down. I moved under one of the awnings to escape the brunt of the downpour, and when it lessened slightly, I decided to walk home.  Of course I got soaked, and as soon as I reached my front door, I stripped off my clothes and made a beeline for the shower.

Oh, the final score was West Brookfield Red Stockings 22, North Brookfield Lightfoots 11.  Wait until next year!