VBBF to play 1880s style of baseball; fans called 'cranks'

Wearing a brown derby and a vest, Bouton said Vintage Base Ball already was played by 225 teams in 32 states. In 2004, ESPN Classic televised a vintage game between the Hartford Senators and the Pittsfield Hillies at Wahconah Park.

The rules will be a mixture of those in use from 1860-90, with an emphasis on the 1880s. The ball will have seams in the lemon-peel style, which was replaced by the current seam pattern designed by Albert Spalding, adopted by the major leagues in 1877. Pitching will be overhand, and games will average about 2 hours, 15 minutes.

Before each plate appearance, a batter will declare his "desired strike zone preference" -- belt to knee or belt to armpits. If the umpire misses a call because his view is blocked, a team captain can ask for a "gentleman's ruling," in which players involved in the play are to truthfully say what occurred. If a dispute remains, the umpire may ask the cranks for their opinion.

"I'm intrigued by the concept of people playing baseball for fun," said former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent, a member of the VBBF board. "Someone said this will be an effort where the strike will be something that goes over the plate and doesn't involve a labor dispute."

Because catcher's gloves are tiny and don't have much padding, most pitchers throw about 70 mph to avoid passed balls.

"The pitching game is less a power game and it's more a skill game: changing speeds, moving the ball around, deception," Bouton said.

It's certainly different than 21st century baseball.

"What irks me about the modern game is the enlarging ballplayers and shrinking ballparks," Thorn said. "A home run at one point in baseball's history actually involved a run -- running around the bases. There weren't very many home runs hit out of the park where you could stand at home plate, watch the thing soaring over the fence, cast a menacing glance at the opposing dugout and then take your time around the bases."