Carmi Rotary Club meeting
The Carmi Rotary club welcomed a Carmi Kiwanian to the Thursday meeting, and learned a lot about a very interesting subject.
Eric Rahlfs was the day’s speaker, as he was on hand to tell the Rotarians about the sport of Vintage Baseball. Eric said he got involved in 2009 while living in Murphysboro, Il. After graduating from SIU. At that time, he joined the Murphysboro Clarkes, and continues playing part time with that team today.
Eric explained that Vintage Baseball is patterned after the game played during the Civil War in 1864. While it has a lot of similarities with today’s game, there are also a lot of differences.
First and foremost, the game is played without gloves! Eric told the club that he has broken fingers and ribs playing in that style. The games are also designated to last seven innings, and teams will play two games on the same day.
Lots of today’s terminology is completely different than the vintage version. Game was called a match, fans were known as kranks, the umpire was called the arbiter, and players were known as ballists.
The game was and is all about camaraderie and sportsmanship. For example, in vintage baseball the only skin that can show are the players faces, hands and arms. There is absolutely no foul language, no spitting and no arguing. Players violating these rules can face a fine of a day’s wages (an 1864 day’s wages which amounts to a quarter.)
Other rules that are very different: a ball caught on one bounce is an out, there are no called balls or strikes, and the only player that can move around in the field is the “rover”, or what we call a shortstop today. All other players have designated spots on the field, and have to stay on those spots until the ball is hit.
When a player scores a run, or a “tally”, as they cross home plate or the “dish” they must ask the arbiter if it is ok to ring the bell. Once they ring the bell the tally counts. If they fail to ask permission, the score does not go in to the books.
The Clarkes play around 20 or so matches per year, mostly against teams from the St. Louis area. One of the big events of the year is the St. Louis Cup, which features teams from all over the country competing over a weekend.
In 2016, the Clarkes had a thrill when they joined five other teams in a tournament in Iowa at the Field of Dreams stadium.
When asked if Carmi could put a team in this sport, the answer was yes.
In club business, Eric managed to win the 50/50 drawing but was not able to claim the day’s cash prize. Don Drone was named as the day’s phantom.
The Carmi Rotary club meets every Thursday at noon at the First United Methodist Church on Main Street in Carmi. Anyone wishing to learn more about this civic organization is welcome to attend a meeting or speak with any Carmi Rotarian.
