Delaware County Vintage Base Ball Association

Cooperstown-A Pitch for Doc 56 new items added to shared album

The air was thick and moist to start the morning at Creamery Field along the swollen banks of the Little Delaware River. The Bovina bats got off to a good start in game one besting the Cornshuckers Base Ball Club of Canton by a score of 11-6. By the time the second game rolled in a crowd nearing 100 assembled to watch the 1867 contest…

A nice chat was had with a man from Cat Hollow visiting from Virgina with ancestral ties to family whose home in Shavertown had been swallowed by the damming of the East Branch of the Delaware. It’s nice to see how history and the joy of watching men swat a ball out of the sky can bring folk together on a Sunday.

Bovina takes two from a talented Canton squad to keep the perfect season intact.

This weekend, the Cornshuckers Base Ball Club of Canton traveled 600 miles to barnstorm three Delaware County ball fields in two days. In a much-anticipated matchup, Bovina and Canton played two hard-fought matches that saw excellent defense and soggy field conditions control the day.

Game 1 by the rules of 1864 saw Bovina jump out to an early 5-0 lead behind a flurry of singles from the middle of the order. A Mike Brown double in the fifth put Bovina up 9-1 before Canton started chip away. The Cornshuckers put up three in the sixth and two in the seventh to pull within four. But the Dairymen defense stifled the visitors in the final two frames, giving Bovina the 11-6 victory in game 1.

Game 2, by the rules of 1867 saw Canton take the initiative early, building a 6-3 lead after their half of the fourth inning. But the Bovina bats erupted in the bottom of the fourth for six runs, and the Dairymen would not relinquish the lead again, going on to win 12-8.

Notes: Luke Burns hit three home runs, and Alex Taylor collected six hits on the day. Bovina improved to 16-0 on the season. Game attendance was approximately 60.

Many thanks to our families, friends, the Cornshuckers, and our sponsor Livestock Foundation.

Despite the misty mountain air, all of this weekend’s games with the Cornshuckers Base Ball Club of Canton will commence as scheduled:
8/3 @ Polecats Vintage Base Ball Club - feat. The Hamden Nine - Crawford Field Launt Hollow Rd HamdenNY - 11am
8/3 Athletic Club Vintage Base Ball - MAC Grounds @ Fleischmanns Park, Fleischmanns, New York - 4pm (food by Catskill Hotdogs)
8/4 Bovina Dairymen Vintage Base Ball - Creamery Field, Bovina Center - 10am

Three cheers!!!!

Bring it on!!! Let the Bay Area Barnstorming planning commence!!

📣 2025 Scheduling & Barnstorming
Does your 1886 vintage base ball club seek to participate in a San Francisco Bay Area festival in the summer or fall of 2025?

Join a congress of gentlemen from the Pelicans, Mountain Athletic Club, Westfield Wheelmen, Providence Grays, Higley Haymakers, Bovina Dairymen and more as we plan the very first S.F. Bay Area Base Ball Festival. Send us a message to get involved!

Role of Women in 19th Century Base Ball - Leslie Heaphy PhD On Sunday, June 23, 2024 - the 52nd Anniversary of Title IX prohibiting discrimination based on gender in education and sports - acclaimed Negro League and w...

Captain’s chat caught on CatskillsAir!!

Looks like a nice assemblage of cranks in the stands along the first base line…

From the Museum's Archives:

Baseball game in Hobart, NY.
Date unknown.

The combined schedules for our three clubs is up and running! Mark your calendars and we'll see you at the ol' ballgame! While there, check out some of the new revamps of the website including full team bios and links, media where we've been showcased, and the landing site for our Annual Cowtown Scramble Vintage Base Ball Festival!

Vintage Base Ball Schedule Schedule for the vintage Base Ball teams of Delaware County, New York.

Really enjoyed this ROLLER OUT THE BARREL PODCAST with Co-Captain Andrews Landsman of the Delhi Polecats - VBBC. He now may be referred to as “the most interesting man in DelCo Vintage Base Ball.” The things you learn about a guy from the in depth interviews are gold. If “Best podcast for commuters” award is a thing, this would win hands down.

I'm listening to The Roller Out the Barrel Podcast | 05-07 ROTB- ANDREWS LANDSMAN-DELHI POLECATS on Podbean, check it out!

05-07 ROTB- ANDREWS LANDSMAN-DELHI POLECATS Captain Drewski is an interesting dude. Of coarse there is vintage base ball talk about the Delhi Polecats from Hamden, New York, but we get into other interesting subjects. Such as: acting, metaphysics, Prague, and how even angry antelope wouldn't stand a chance against Godzilla. Cougar and Roller....

All three DelCo teams are participants of both the VBBA - Vintage Base Ball Association and the National Association of Historic Base Ball Clubs. The latter has published a schedule of all participating clubs.

National Association of Historic Base Ball Clubs 19th Century Base Ball

Thank you to the Delaware County Historical Association, NY for publishing our article in their current newsletter detailing our organization and the roots of “the early game” here in the County and elsewhere. If you love local history like we do, you should consider adding a visit to a 2024 DCHA event to your calendar!

DCHA - Events Saturday, January 27 ~ Desserts and Diaries ~ 2pm (Snow date - Feb. 3) Chase away the winter blahs ~ visit the museum for an afternoon of delectable delights! Come and listen to readings of historic diaries, letters and narratives from DCHA's collections while enjoying a sumptuous buffet of desserts...

‘Twas a fine evening of revelry shared among the DelCo base ball players and families at our pre-season banquet. We look forward to an illustrious and entertaining 2024 campaign. Three cheers!! The schedule is now posted:
https://www.delcovintagebaseball.org/

So this showed up in the mail today… a free copy from the publisher of “The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City” by Kevin Baker. I believe they would like us to promote it to our fan base, so we are doing just that. It looks to be a great read of the origins of the game in NYC from the 1820s thru WWll. Another reason why baseball is the official sport of New York! Pass it on!
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/7503/the-new-york-game-by-kevin-baker/9780375421839

Stumpy Miller of the Mountain Athletic Club Vintage Base Ball will be in attendance and welcomes anyone from our region to attend. Lots of base ball fellowship and some great speakers too! Most importantly, we’ll be seeing a Red Sox v Twins spring training game and playing 1864 base ball in the winter!!!! Send us a message if you’re looking for more info!!

Perhaps the Hamden beast they speak of was indeed one of those vagabond Polecats that lurk at the Crawford Field.

Today in Local History:

October 26, 1961 - Hamden beast plagues area!

Just presented the inaugural “Cream of the Crop” award to the Atlantic Base Ball Club on the Base Ball ZOOM for their stellar play at the 2023 Cowtown Scramble Vintage Base Ball Festival. You set a fine example for all of us with your longevity, passion and sportsmanship. Congrats gents!! You have earned the churn!
Providence Grays, Westfield Wheelmen, Mountain Athletic Club, Bovina Dairymen, Dirigo Base Ball Club of Maine, Connecticut Base Ball Club of Hartford, Monmouth Furnace, Delhi Polecats, Saugerties Base Ball Club