The Wahoo Base Ball Club of Royal Oak

After wading through this Spring in search of practice time, the real deal is here!  Come on out on Sunday, May 5 at 2PM for the first Wahoo match of the season.  Head to Starr Jaycee Park on 13 Mile Road in Royal Oak, find the southwest corner of the park, set up your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy base ball the way it is supposed to be played!  Bring a friend!

Season Opener

   On this Saturday past,  5 May, the Wahoo Base Ball Club of Royal Oak, Michigan, officially opened its 9^th Season.   Their 1^st Match was being played on a beautiful, mild, mostly sunny day, in the lovely town of Wyandotte, not far from the Detroit River. There was a fair amount of Cranks out to take in the game on this very pleasant afternoon.

The Stars of Wyandotte were also opening their new Season this day, and chose to strike first after winning the flip of the 1865 coin. They struck the ball early and often, and without the bound rule being recognized this day, tallied 5 aces in the 1^st inning, and 8 more in the 2^nd. The visiting Wahoo’s scored 2 aces in their half of the 1^st inning, but nothing in the 2^nd for a 13-2 early lead for the Home Club.

In the Top of the 3^rd the Royal Oak nines shined, with the help of 3 in field fly balls, and kept the Stars off the sacks. With some fine striking the Visitors tallied 2 more aces, leaving a couple runners  on the “bases”. With the Wahoo Out fielders playing further back to contain the Stars very well struck balls, they skillfully began to hit 1 bounders to the fielders instead.  This fine striking Club tallied 3 more aces in the 4^th inning and 6 additional in the 5^th frame. All the while keeping the Visitors in gray away from the tally bell, to open up a  22-4 margin after 5.

The Wahoo’s  still had hope of getting back in this match by trying to strike the ball hard and out of the in field. They tallied once in the 6^th after stopping the Stars, but then surrendered 5 more aces in the 7^th then getting 1 back. In the 8^th inning, the Royal Oak Gents again showed some fine fielding, turning in a Triple Play ! Possibly the 1^st in Wahoo history.

With Wyandotte runners gaining the 1^st and 2^nd sacks, a very Hot, rope of a ball was struck to the right fielder. A fine play was made in catching the sinking ball, then quickly thrown to the 1^st sack tender to “double off” the runner going to 2^nd. Then, for some unknown reason, the ball was thrown to the Hurler, who then threw the ball with a great amount of “ginger” to the 2^nd sack tender, to “double off” the 2^nd Stars runner.

       After this fine display of fielding, the Wahoos were given quite a lift for their 7^th chance at the dish. Everyone came out striking the ball very well, and the entire batting order was gone through, and more as they rounded the sacks, and tallied 7 aces ! Trying to make it a scoreless last inning for Wyandotte, and to have another high tally inning. The Visitors allowed 3 aces, and came back with only 2 of their own, to complete this high tally match. The Final count being the Wyandotte Stars 30, the Wahoo Club of Royal Oak 15.

      For this Season Opening match, the Royal Oak Nine welcomed 2 new players: Bob “Red” Kossel, and Art “Cus” Serafinski.  Also recruited for this match, and possibly future ones, Dan “Traveler” Bejesky. A well played match Gentlemen !

The Wahoos also thank the Stars for a fine Match, excellent meal, and their generous hospitality. These 2 fine groups of Ballists meet again in September in Royal Oak, where the Wahoo’s will hope for a different outcome.

Hop

Base ball, especially before the Civil War, varied by location.  Over time rules became more similar until they were nationally defined in the 1860′s.  Our club has a long history that traces us back through several clubs on the West side of Michigan, and eventually back to the Ohio Village Muffins for some rule interpretations.  We believe that using varied rules is one area that makes the game of base ball particularly interesting, as we learn and adjust to new rules when we travel as well.  This list gives you our normal rules when we host a vintage base ball match in Royal Oak.  Enjoy!

1. Bound rule will be in effect.

     A. contact with the ground only will constitute a bound. Trees are fair balls. No bound till earth is struck.

     B. A bobbled ball is not considered bound as long as it is held and controlled before striking the ground.

2. No over run on 1st base unless conditions are poor. To be decided at game time by Captains.

3. 2 stride lead off until the ball leaves the pitchers hand.

4. Steal only on catchers muff. Two bounds or more will be a muff.

5. Ball must be delivered in a pitched fashion not hurled. The pitcher is obligated to deliver a hittable pitch. (No fast pitch softball)

6. A ball caught on the bound or in the air in foul territory is an out.

7. Defenders have the right of way in the baseline. Runners have a three foot range on either side of the baseline to avoid defenders.

     A. A runner that interferes with the defender making a play in the base line will be called out.

     B. Once the defender has the ball no contact with a runner will allow for safe. ie. You cannot charge the defender with the intention of knocking the ball loose with the expectation of being safe.

          1. accidental contact at the bases is unavoidable. Intent will be the determination of infraction.

8. An out of play ball is a live ball unless touched by a crank or rolls into street. Under these circumstances the runner will advance one base. The ball will be dead.

     A. The ball must be returned to the pitcher before a defensive play can continue.

     B. The pitcher can be anywhere on the field.

9. Runners advance at their own risk. Runners may tag up.

10. No arguing with the Umpire.

11. No singing. Just kidding Grangers. We love your pageantry

12. Modern batting order.

13. Modern fielding.

14. Fair foul striking is legal.

15. No sliding

All are welcome for an informational meeting on Monday, February 27 at 7PM at Ye Olde Saloon in Royal Oak.  Come on out if you would like to know more about Vintage Base Ball and the Wahoo Base Ball Club of Royal Oak.  We have a busy schedule ahead for 2012 and we can tell you all about it.  Drop us a line or just drop by on Monday!

Soon we will add a photo album feature to this blog to capture many of the great images from this successful eighth season for the Wahoo Base Ball Club of Royal Oak, Michigan.  Soon we will gather to reflect on this season and begin looking ahead to next year, hopefully while also rooting on the Tigers to the World Series!

If you took time to read this blog, thank you!  If you came out to watch us play this year, we so appreciate your support!  If you played for another club this season, thank you for your hospitality and competitive spirit!  If you help our club move forward in any way, know that you are supporting a great group of men of all ages who love to play this game!

If you would like to play for our club next year, let us know by emailing us at the address above.  If you would like to schedule matches with our club for next year, please write us as well.  If you would like to know more about Vintage Base Ball or our club, just comment here and we will get back to you.

It was a pleasant afternoon on 11 June as the Wahoo Base Ball Club made their way northward to Saginaw for a match with the Old Golds. A fine crowd of cranks were at the field to enjoy the game.

Preacher to the bat

After losing the pre – match bat toss, the Wahoo Club from Royal Oak struck first. They wasted no time in tallying 4 aces in the 1st inning, then held the Home Gentlemen scoreless to take an early lead.  In the 2nd frame, the roles were drastically reversed, the Royal Oak nine were held without a tally, while the Old Golds struck well, and were helped by a couple muffs. Their ace count for the long inning was an impressive 10 spot.

The Wahoo’s played better in the field for the rest of the match, holding Saginaw to 1 ace for the 3rd & 4th inning, while

The scoreboard tells the tale

scoring 2 aces in the 4th for themselves to make it a 12 – 6 Old Golds lead. For the Visitors from Royal Oak, the lumber went silent again for their 5th, 6th, and 7th turn striking, while the Old Golds looked pretty young tallying 4 aces, then 5 , and
5 again in their 5th, 6th, & 7th turns respectively.

Wait 'til next time!

Seeking shade in the heat of the day

The Wahoo Base Ball Club had the pleasure of partaking in the very Gentlemanly competition with several other fine Clubs, this Saturday past, 4th of June. It was the Silas Pierce Cup, and took place at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Wahoo’s also welcomed for the first time, 3  new ballists, it was good to have you with us Gentlemen.

Striking against the Mariners

The 3 borrowed ballists, 2 from the Wheels, and 1 from the Kents, helped get us going, and the rest of the Wahoo’s came to life for this match. Fielding was also much better as well, and the Wahoo’s & “friends” out tallied the Mariners by a 9 – 3 count.

The very sunny, afternoon was now starting to heat up as all 12 Ball Clubs broke for a fine lunch. After lunch, a skills competition was held in a couple different areas. The Wahoo’s proudly boast that the winner of the “Farthest Strike” was Dan “Spatz” Holman !!  Huzzah to Spatz, a very well struck
ball indeed.

After being able to act as cranks for a bit, and watch a match from a lovely shady area. The Royal Oak Gentlemen had their 3rd and final match of the day. Next up were the Cubs from Fallasburg. Again, the Base Balls in this Tournament were a very hard variety, the ones used in the last 2 matches never softened up. It made knocking down a “hot” strike a little more
interesting.

This match was a very close, back and forth type contest. Aces were harder to come by in the mid afternoon heat. The Wahoo’s tried to rally in their last turn to strike, but came up a bit short in a 7 – 5 final tally count. Their record for the day was 1 win, 2 losses, and 17 total aces scored.

The Cup champs survey the field...congrats to the Kents!

A fun and enjoyable day was had by all, and it was great seeing some new Clubs we don’t have the chance to watch or play against very often.  We  hope Flash recovers from his injury very soon. The Wahoo’s also salute the finest Base Ball Club of the day, and winner of the Silas Pierce Cup, the Kent Base Ball Club !! Huzzah Gentlemen !!

Hopalong

Making our way up Main Street!

After having the extreme honor of marching in the Royal Oak Memorial Day Parade, and paying our respects to our fallen war heroes, the Wahoo Base Ball Club, and the Lah-De-Dahs of Greenfield Village, were ready to play the match of the day. .

It was a sunny, and very warm 30th May at Starr – Jaycee Park, and getting warmer by the minute. The Field was a bit soggy, especially in the out-field.  A larger number of cranks to see a Wahoo Home match cannot be remembered. The umpire was making his debut this day, and perhaps his swan song appearance as well. His actions and spoken word should have earned him some
rather stiff fines on a couple occasions.

The fine guests of the Wahoo Club, the Lah-De-Dahs, had the opportunity to strike first, and that they did rather well. They tallied 4 aces in the very 1st inning, with no answer from the Home Gentlemen. In the 2nd frame, the Visitors were held scoreless, and then thanks much to the fine striking of the Holman Brothers & Father & Son Gormans, the Royal Oak Club tallied 4 aces to tie the count at 4 each. Many a ballists uniforms were soiled and muddy, due to some fine plays in the field by both fine Ball Clubs.Starting in the 3rd inning, through the 6th, it was the Greenfield Village Club that continued to strike well. They tallied 3 in the 3rd, 4 in the 4th, 1 in the 5th, and 4 again in the 6th frame to take a large 16 – 4 lead. The Royal Oak Nine did not give up though, tallying 1 ace in their 6th inning, 2 in the 7th, and 2 more in the 8th to close the count gap to 16 – 9. Neither Club was able to tally anything in the 9th, as the sun and heat took its toll on many of the ballists. The Final count was 16 – 9 in favor of the Village Nine, the Wahoo Club will have another crack at the Lah-De-Dahs later in the summer.

Here it is….hit it!

Thanks to our fine guests for traveling in from Dearborn, and also to all the cranks that made it out. We hope you enjoyed your afternoon, and come watch us again.

Hopalong

BONUS:  Enjoy some more great photos of Memorial Day in Royal Oak, including this base ball match at: http://royaloak.patch.com/articles/photos-memorial-day-in-royal-oak#photo-6323210

A new era dawns in Chelsea

The Wahoo’s of Royal Oak traveled about a 1 hours, wagon ride to the very
nice town of Chelsea, on Saturday, 21 May. The Royal Oak Club had the pleasure
of meeting the Chelsea Monitors in their re-inaugural Season, after over 100
years of hiatus. It was the new Season Opener for both fine Ball clubs.

Coming up with an ace in this match got pretty tough the rest of the

Stone Hands works to score

way as both Clubs made some some dandy plays in the field. The Wahoos tallied
once more in the 2nd, to make it a 5 – 3 count, but the Monitors scored an ace
in both the 3rd & 4th inning to tie the match at 5 each. In their half of
the 4th frame, the Visitors struck well and scored 3 aces to take back the lead.

The Monitors are underway...all the best!

The Wahoo’s narrowly prevailed, this afternoon, by a count of 11 – 8
in this very well played, and exciting match. Both of these Clubs will meet each
other again, in Royal Oak on 27 August for another sportsmanlike game. We wish
the Monitors a splendid Season until then.

 The Wahoo’s made their way out to the peaceful little town of Tipton, MI. this fine 18 September day, to take on The Walker Tavern Wheels of Adrian at the beautiful Hidden Lake Gardens. It was a pleasant day for a Base Ball match.

     “Right out of the barn”, the Wheels took an early lead with 3 aces tallied in the very 1st inning, to the Wahoo’s goose egg. The Royal Oak Club tallied their first ace in the 3rd inning, but trailed 5-1 at that point. The visitors were leaving a number of men on the sacks nearly every inning, and played like they had been chopping wood all day.

      The “nines” from Adrian continued to strike well and continued to tally aces faster and more often than their opponents. They scored in 4 out of 9 innings total. The Wahoo’s did not strike well and only had 3, 1 tally innings in all. They played OK in the field, but the final count for the match left them behind 13-3.

     The Wahoo’s of Royal Oak ended their long road trip this day, 25 September, and were very happy to return to their friendly Home field at Starr/ Jaycee Park.

Ready to strike!

     It was a great afternoon for Base Ball, and providing the worthy opposition for the Home club was the Black Swamp Frogs of Sylvania, Ohio.

     The Wahoo’s started out being somewhat rude to their guests by tallying 6 aces in the 1st inning. This was after The Frogs had put 1 tally on the board for a brief lead. The “nines” from Ohio continued to tally 3 more aces in the 2nd inning, and 1 in the 3rd to close the gap to 6-5.

Spatz eyes home plate (again)

     But in their turn with the lumber, in the 3rd inning, the Home Gentlemen struck well and scored 4 tallies to stretch their advantage to 10-5. They continued to hold the Black Swamp Frogs to 0 aces in the 4th, while scoring 4 more aces for a 14-5 lead. After a single tally by the Wahoo’s, the count was 15-5 through 6 innings.

Preacher strikes a pose and Foghorn stands still so as not to disturb

     The Gents from Sylvania never gave up, despite being shorthanded for the match. They tallied 1 ace in the 7th, 1 in the 8th, and 2 in the 9th inning, but the Royal Oak Club struck for 7 more tallies in the last 2 innings to make the final count 22-9.

     The Wahoo’s thank the fine Gentlemen from Ohio for making the long trip, and look forward to a couple more exciting matches next season. Huzzah to the Black Swamp Frogs !