Vintage baseball is returning to Washington Park this weekend after being introduced during the B'game Centennial celebration. The San Mateo Daily Journal notes
Imagine a batter coming up to bat and the home plate umpire asking him, “What kind of strike zone do you want?”
And then the umpire standing off to the side to call balls and strikes? Or how about a catcher playing without shin guards, no infield fly rule, no pitcher’s mound and seven balls — not four — to equal a walk?
What kind of game would you call this? Well, baseball — 1886 style. And it’s coming to Burlingame this weekend. The California Vintage Base Ball Federation (CVBBF) is essentially hosting its state championship, the California Cup, at Washington Park in Burlingame. The four-team tournament kicks off with two games Saturday at noon and 4 p.m., respectively.
The first game has the returning tournament champion Stogies out of Santa Clara taking on the Highlanders out of Amador County, followed by the Saviors of Santa Clara County versus the Crushers from Amador County. The two losing teams will play Sunday at 10 a.m. The two Saturday winners will then play for the championship at 1 p.m. For expediency purposes, only the title game will be nine innings. The first three contests will be seven-inning affairs.
Admission to the event is free. Dan Larson, who plays on the Stogies and is the co-organizer of the event, helped work to bring the event to Washington Park because of its classic, old-school feel. With the Wrigley Field-esque Ivy covered fences and deep dimensions older ballparks, Washington Park brings out a feeling of nostalgia.
“We’ve played games at Washington Park before but not the California Cup,” Larson said. “It’s a beautiful ballfield, and the Burlingame community is baseball nuts. I was out on the field (at Washington Park) and saw 40 to 50 kids playing on a Friday afternoon. You just don’t get that everywhere.”
Welcome back, guys! I'm so glad you appreciate our field.
I had the good fortune to go to the Giants game today and see Barry Zito get a win over the World Champion Phillies, but I hear from local afficionados that the vintage ballgame was a spirited championship with 400+ people in attendance. Food, flags, music...apparently a lot of fun!
Posted by: Joe | August 02, 2009 at 08:53 PM