Yesterday, a true gentleman ballist left this world. Dan "Sweet Tooth" Lyon passed away. Sweet Tooth is a member of the Cincinnati Buckeye Base Ball Club. From the first time that I played against Sweet Tooth, I knew that he was a true ballist. He knew what it meant to be a gentleman ballist and understood that the game is played for fun and not competition.
Sweet Tooth was such a positive influence in the base ball community. I am sure that he made same amount of positive impact outside of the base ball community, as well. He was always the first to congratulate another ballist on a great hit or a fine fielding play.
I saw Sweet Tooth back in November and he had a very positive outlook on life. He knew he had a fight ahead of him, but he was taking it on as positively as he could. Dan can never be replaced in the vintage base ball community, but he will always be remembered.
We can always strive to be the best gentleman ballist that we can be, however, nobody will come close to my friend Dan "Sweet Tooth" Lyon. Three Cheers for the finest ball player I have had the opportunity to be on the field with.
Enjoy playing on the true field of dreams in heaven, Sweet Tooth, and save a game of catch for me.
With Deepest Sympathy,
The Vintage Ballist
(Pops Wiegmann- Huntington Champion Hill Toppers Base Ball Club)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Season Has Begun
Yesterday, we hopped in our buggies and made the trip to W. Lafayette, Indiana. We participated in the Heart of Base Ball, fundraiser event, hosted by the W. Lafayette Couriers. This is a great example of how the vintage base ball community works. The Couriers have a gentleman on their team that needs a heart transplant. Seven teams came together to help raise money for this ballist's medical bills.
Our first match was against an old friend, the Hoosiers Base Ball Club of Indianapolis. This is the first time that we have played the Hoosiers in three years. The best part of this match, was the fact that we were able to reacquaint ourselves with some old friends. The match was close, throughout, but the camaraderie was top notch. We look forward to playing the Hoosiers a few more times this year.
Our second match, we played the Munster Centennials, a new team to our club. The interactions were fantastic and the Centennial's are a great group of guys. The match was full of exciting plays and gentlemanly behavior. It was truly a great example of a well-played vintage base ball match.
Our final match of the day was against our friends the Deep River Grinders. Anyone that has ever played the Grinders, know that if you do not go away from the match, having a good time, it would be your own fault. The Grinders are one of those vintage clubs that bring excitement to the game. There is playful banter and gentlemanly behavior throughout the match. This is a constant anytime that you play the Grinders. We ended the day with a tie, and knew that there was no better way to end the day.
Today's matches reiterated the principles and ideals that I find fantastic about vintage base ball. This is the part of the game that I love, and again, the reason that I started this blog. The vintage base ball community is truly a fraternity of ballists that come together for many different reasons. Some come together to recreate the game as it was played after the National Association was created. This is a more competitive form of base ball, that not every ballist prefers to be a part of. Other ballists come together to play the gentleman's game and enjoy the comaraderie of playing a game that does not measure the skills of the ballists, and the wins or losses, but it measures the sportsmanship of the game.
I prefer the second of the two. Vintage base ball provides me with the opportunity to play a game that I love, at a level of non-competitiveness, that allows me to enjoy the game for what it is, a game. It does not matter if my club wins or losses, but how we represent ourselves on and off of the field.
Until next time,
The Vintage Ballist
Our first match was against an old friend, the Hoosiers Base Ball Club of Indianapolis. This is the first time that we have played the Hoosiers in three years. The best part of this match, was the fact that we were able to reacquaint ourselves with some old friends. The match was close, throughout, but the camaraderie was top notch. We look forward to playing the Hoosiers a few more times this year.
Our second match, we played the Munster Centennials, a new team to our club. The interactions were fantastic and the Centennial's are a great group of guys. The match was full of exciting plays and gentlemanly behavior. It was truly a great example of a well-played vintage base ball match.
Our final match of the day was against our friends the Deep River Grinders. Anyone that has ever played the Grinders, know that if you do not go away from the match, having a good time, it would be your own fault. The Grinders are one of those vintage clubs that bring excitement to the game. There is playful banter and gentlemanly behavior throughout the match. This is a constant anytime that you play the Grinders. We ended the day with a tie, and knew that there was no better way to end the day.
Today's matches reiterated the principles and ideals that I find fantastic about vintage base ball. This is the part of the game that I love, and again, the reason that I started this blog. The vintage base ball community is truly a fraternity of ballists that come together for many different reasons. Some come together to recreate the game as it was played after the National Association was created. This is a more competitive form of base ball, that not every ballist prefers to be a part of. Other ballists come together to play the gentleman's game and enjoy the comaraderie of playing a game that does not measure the skills of the ballists, and the wins or losses, but it measures the sportsmanship of the game.
I prefer the second of the two. Vintage base ball provides me with the opportunity to play a game that I love, at a level of non-competitiveness, that allows me to enjoy the game for what it is, a game. It does not matter if my club wins or losses, but how we represent ourselves on and off of the field.
Until next time,
The Vintage Ballist
Monday, April 2, 2012
2012 VBBA Convention
On the evening of March 29, 2012, myself and four other teammates made the voyage from our hometown of Huntington, IN, to Long Island, NY. This was my 5th Convention and I always try to make it a point to go to these. Convention time for me, is not only learning new information about 19th century base ball, but it is getting together with those friends that I haven't seen for a while.
I spoke with one of my good friends from Ohio about this very blog. I told him that I wanted to have an outlet where I can discuss the Journey of the Vintage Ballist, as a person, not just a player. We sat there, having a beer, and discussing my thoughts as well as any thoughts he had on the subject and it really was a great example of why I started this blog. We could have talked for hours about base ball and friendships and what we look forward to in the season.
The convention was at a wonderful hotel in Plainview, NY. The facilities were magnificent and it was easy access to everything that we were scheduled to do. The first night we had a reception and had the opportunity to meet some ballists from the east coast. My initial thoughts had me concerned about arrogance and dislike for the Midwest, however, their conversations with me were real and exciting. One prime example was, a club by the name of the Liberty. We got talking with a few of their ballists, and in the end, we decided to make plans to schedule a match between the two teams in 2013, on Doubleday Field, in Cooperstown, NY. This was a very spirited and exciting conversation, which coincidentally, ended up being many of my conversations with these gentlemen from the East Coast.
The Journey took us on Saturday, to Old Bethpathe Village Restoration. We had an all club match that was fun and exciting. Through the cold and the rain, we managed to get in four innings. It was definitely a memorable experience. It is always neat to see how people from different parts of the country come together to interact as one or two clubs, for the game of base ball.
On Sunday, we conducted our business meeting and then said our final convention good-byes. The friendships and the memories will last until next year's convention and beyond. During our 11 hour drive home, my comrades and I discussed our interactions with both our new and old friends, and discussed ways to continue our voyage as vintage ballists.
This journey is starting to take shape for this season, and the Convention was only beginning. Check back in, sometime after April 14th, 2012. We will be playing our friends the Door Village Prairie Dogs. I will be sharing not only results of our match(es) but some insights into the interaction aspect of the game.
Until next time, enjoy the Journey, it's going to be an exciting ride.
The Vintage Ballist
I spoke with one of my good friends from Ohio about this very blog. I told him that I wanted to have an outlet where I can discuss the Journey of the Vintage Ballist, as a person, not just a player. We sat there, having a beer, and discussing my thoughts as well as any thoughts he had on the subject and it really was a great example of why I started this blog. We could have talked for hours about base ball and friendships and what we look forward to in the season.
The convention was at a wonderful hotel in Plainview, NY. The facilities were magnificent and it was easy access to everything that we were scheduled to do. The first night we had a reception and had the opportunity to meet some ballists from the east coast. My initial thoughts had me concerned about arrogance and dislike for the Midwest, however, their conversations with me were real and exciting. One prime example was, a club by the name of the Liberty. We got talking with a few of their ballists, and in the end, we decided to make plans to schedule a match between the two teams in 2013, on Doubleday Field, in Cooperstown, NY. This was a very spirited and exciting conversation, which coincidentally, ended up being many of my conversations with these gentlemen from the East Coast.
The Journey took us on Saturday, to Old Bethpathe Village Restoration. We had an all club match that was fun and exciting. Through the cold and the rain, we managed to get in four innings. It was definitely a memorable experience. It is always neat to see how people from different parts of the country come together to interact as one or two clubs, for the game of base ball.
On Sunday, we conducted our business meeting and then said our final convention good-byes. The friendships and the memories will last until next year's convention and beyond. During our 11 hour drive home, my comrades and I discussed our interactions with both our new and old friends, and discussed ways to continue our voyage as vintage ballists.
This journey is starting to take shape for this season, and the Convention was only beginning. Check back in, sometime after April 14th, 2012. We will be playing our friends the Door Village Prairie Dogs. I will be sharing not only results of our match(es) but some insights into the interaction aspect of the game.
Until next time, enjoy the Journey, it's going to be an exciting ride.
The Vintage Ballist
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