Hey, striker, striker ... swing!

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. - Having a ball is easy. First you have to make it.

The process starts with a golf ball, wrapped in yarn and cotton string, glued to make it hard and then stitched with leather. Hand-making vintage baseballs - now that's dedication.

Cindy and John Hines do just that.

This year, the husband-and-wife Vintage Base Ball enthusiasts have made five.

Cindy is the Frontier Historical Museum director, and she made sure Vintage Base Ball started in Glenwood in 2000.

John is Vintage Base Ball's umpire.

"We have three goals," he said. "To be historically correct, educational, and to have fun."

The fun begins with learning the vintage vernacular.

Spectators are "cranks," batters are "strikers" and the under-handed pitchers are "hurlers."

The catcher is called the "behind." The short stop is "short scout," and outfielders are known as "left, mid and right scouts."

And a little bribing never hurt in the fun department.

"Usually an ump makes pretty good money," John said. "Players bribe them with change to make the calls they want."

Players of the 1860s sport are actually expected to arrive with a pocket full of change, not only to bribe the umpire, but the cranks.

A major differences between Vintage Base Ball and modern baseball is the ball is still fair if it bounces on the ground, on a blanket, or is caught by a crank, Cindy said.

"We have the guys bring spare change to bribe fans to give them back the ball," she said. "Because they can give it to either team, whichever one they like the most."

The ball is playable once the players have paid up.

Flash back to the olden days

Another difference is that Vintage Base Ball uses softer balls, more like a softball, and the players don't wear gloves. And you won't see typical striped uniforms out on that ungroomed field. The vintage players wear jeans, Henley T-shirts and suspenders.

"It's not a long-hitting game," Cindy said. "You're actually better off if you hit it toward the ground, because the ground is so uneven it causes the ball to hop around."

The sport unfolds somewhat like a melodrama, John said. As umpire, he shouts through a megaphone, explaining the rules of the game to the crowd and making calls.

Hey, slugger • What: Vintage Base Ball match: Yampah Stars vs. The Glenwood Sluggers • When: 6 p.m. today • Where: Field between Glenwood Springs High School and the Roaring Fork River • What to bring: Blankets, chairs and picnic dinners

"We all sing a song to the fans, and everyone's known by their nickname," he said. "The cranks will really get into it and start razzing the ump and razzing the players. We ham it up."

John recognizes he probably has the most fun on the field as umpire.

If a player's ball goes in the direction of the cranks and causes ladies to jump up from their blankets, he makes the players tip their caps and apologize.

If a player refuses to do as the ump says, or says something vulgar like "balderdash" or "daggnabit," John will fine him.

"It's a very polite, gentlemanly game," Cindy said. "What the umpire says goes. You don't argue with the ump - if you do he'll fine you."

Even though he has all of that authority, John doesn't wield it like a tyrant.

In fact, the rules of the game say that he must give two warnings to the hurler and striker before he starts calling balls and strikes.

He and the behind stand off to the side of the field, while John calls balls as hittable or nonhittable.

"And I carry a gun for vermin and in case the crowd or players get out of line," John said.

History in the making

John has been a part of Vintage Base Ball for six years, and started out as a player. He can't play anymore because of wrist injuries, so he acts as umpire and has a ball.

"I've played sports my whole life," he said. "And out of all the sports I've ever played this is the most fun."

John said his father was a semi-pro baseball player, and that it was expected of him to follow in his father's footsteps. His father came to some of the vintage games and had a lot of fun, John said.

"It's a history lesson, but it's a fun history lesson," Cindy said. "A lot of people don't realize how much it's changed over the years, so it's fun for them to see how it started."

In keeping with historical accuracy, women don't play with men.

"One year we had women picket on the sidelines with signs saying they wanted the right to vote," John said. "But that's actually a little historically incorrect because women's suffrage didn't start for another 50 years. But it was fun for them to do."

Cindy said there is a women's team on the Front Range that wear long Victorian dresses and can catch the ball in their skirts, but there isn't a team here yet.

The tallykeeper, or scorekeeper, for the men's team is a woman. John said she wears a long dress and players have to report to her after crossing home plate, saying, "Tally one run, ma'am."

The Yampah Stars and the Glenwood Stars are both made up of local players, divided into two teams randomly. John said even if some players don't get to be on the field, everyone gets to bat.

"It's a gentleman's game," he said. "You apologize to people if you do something wrong. It's the way it should be played now, with respect for people and the game."

Watch your language Much of the fun surrounding Vintage Base Ball are the terms and language associated with the retro match play. Use this cheat sheet to decipher what the ballists and the crankers are saying: Ballists or Base Ballists: Players Base on Balls: Term for a walk Battery: The combination of Hurler and Behind Behind: Catcher Change Player: An extra player who does not hold a position on defense, but is allowed to bat Cranks, Rooters or Bugs: Spectators (the term "fan" was not used until 1889) Dead: Term for being put out Dinger: A real surprise Felicitations: Greeting First-, second- and third-base Tenders: Basement Flapdoodle, Humbug or Fish Story: Expressions meaning nonsense Foul Tick: Foul ball Hurler: Pitcher In the hole: The striker next up to bat Left, Mid and Right Scouts: Outfielders Making chin music: Snoring Muffin, Milkboy, Greeley-Man, Sharp or Pinchpenny: Insults Puff: Bragging Short Scout: Shortstop Striker: Batter Swell, Square, Hunky, or Having pluck, ginger or muckle: Compliments Tallykeeper: Scorekeeper, referred to as "Ma'am" The Garden: Outfield Three Hands Out: The side is retired Thunderation, Dog my Cats, By Thunder, Ye Gods, Good Gravy and Blame my Buttons: Exclamations of anger or disgust Touched: Crazy, insane Umpire: Same as today, except there was only one per game Warmed: To beat an opponent handily

From the way John talks about it, it's clear he's passionate about the vintage pastime.

"Once people play it for the first time it's amazing how they fall in love with it," he said.



Contact Samantha Pal at 384-9105

spal@postindependent.com