Baseball, 1860s style, will step onto the field at Fort Lowell Park on Saturday, Feb. 10. The Tucson Saguaros — the vintage team, not the professional one — will face off against the Bisbee Black Sox for two games that use old rules, old terms, and good old-fashioned fun.
It’s all part of Fort Lowell Day celebration, an annual event designed to expose Tucsonans to the historic neighborhood.
Here’s what you can expect at the game: The ball is slightly larger and softer than the ones used today; only wooden bats are used, and only the hurler (pitcher) and the first sacker (first baseman) wear gloves. These details, along with the old-style uniforms, help display the thrill and grit of the game that became America’s favorite in the 19th century.
“When you watch someone turn a double play barehanded, it’s pretty impressive,” said Mike Anderson, founder and behind (catcher) of the Black Sox.
Strewn with gopher holes and uneven terrain, historic Fort Lowell Park is a challenging field to play on. “But that’s better for us because it’s more vintage,” said Jeff Sembar, captain of the Saguaros. “They didn’t have perfectly cut, trimmed fields in 1860. They would throw down and play on whatever grass lot they could find.”
Sembar isn’t the biggest history buff but loves vintage baseball for its differences from the modern sport. As a true gentleman’s game, players aren’t allowed to swear or spit, and sportsmanship is valued above all else.
“We don’t have full time umpires, so a lot of times we have to be honest about whether we think we were safe or out,” Sembar said.
The Saguaros and the Black Sox are part of nine teams in the Arizona Territories Vintage Baseball League who play at several landmark military sites throughout the Southwest. Anderson said they play on the same grounds that Army teams played on 150 years ago as a way to connect to history and celebrate Arizona’s heritage.
The teams are co-ed, and games are often a chance to recruit new players. Teams are made up of teenagers, their parents, librarians, professors and scientists — vintage baseball has a place for everyone, Sembar said.
Both the Black Sox and Saguaros hope to grow the division of vintage baseball teams in southern Arizona so that they can play closer to home more frequently — they often travel to cities in northern Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico for their games.
Anderson, 64, plans to play vintage baseball until he has to be carried off the field. “When I get on the field, I’m 15 years old again,” he said. “When you smell the grass and you get out there with your teammates, and you’ve got a crowd out there, it’s one of the greatest feelings in the world.”
