COLUMBUS – Vintage “base ball” returns to the Statehouse grounds Tuesday for an annual game between the Ohio Village Muffins and the Capitol Cannons, a team made up of members of the 131st Ohio General Assembly.
Ohio Village Muffins vs. Capitol Cannons: Tues., May 24 at 5:30 p.m. on the Statehouse west lawn. Event is free.
It’s the sixth straight year the two clubs have met for a game of “base ball” (historically two words) played according to rules set down more than 150 years ago.
Using vintage base ball equipment, the seven-inning game will be played according by The Rules and Regulations of the Game of Base Ball, adopted by the National Association of Base-Ball Players in 1860 (see examples below).
Rules of vintage base ball:
The ball is pitched underhanded from anywhere behind the pitcher’s line.An out is declared if:
A hit ball is caught on the fly or the first bound, including foul tips to the catcher, or
A base runner overruns any base (including first) and is touched by the ball in the hands of an adversary.
-Source: National Association of Base-Ball Players (1860)
The two teams will compete for bragging rights and the coveted (we assume) Richard Schuricht Memorial Cup.
The 2016 Cannons will be skippered by Senator Cliff Hite.
Prior to the game, the Statehouse’s 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A will provide a cannon firing demonstration and discussion of leisure activities Civil War soldiers would have used to pass the time in camp.
Formed in 1981, the Ohio Village Muffins were the first vintage base ball team in America to play a set summer schedule.
The Muffins play in uniforms period correct to the 1860’s (above): plain long pants, white shirt with a bright shield containing the team emblem, a pill box hat, a leather belt and a bow tie.