During my recent trip out to the NW Indiana/South Chicago area for business (ABF Freight), I had some personal time on Saturday morning and decided to check out a local library. Yes, libraries still exist and yes, they are awesome for research and yes, I still frequent tons of libraries. This one in particular, the Dyer-Schererville Branch of the Lake County Public Library, was a wonderful fountain of information for me. I was helped by an information librarian to the history of Lake County, Indiana section where I found all sorts of cool historical baseball information. And learned about a vintage baseball, or should I say base ball organization named the Deep River Grinders. And as luck would have it, the Deep River Grinders were set to play a game the following day, Sunday, locally in nearby Hobart, Indiana. Opportunity and timing – ah the keys to my most wonderful baseball experiences.

It was another perfect drive east on Route 30/Lincoln Highway early afternoon Sunday – clear skies, sun shining brightly, amazing farms on either side of the highway. So picturesque and so Midwest, I just loved being immersed in that. After a few rights and lefts off Route 30, I found myself in the parking lot of the Deep River County Park in the city of Hobart, Indiana. A Grinders Baseball Game Today sign welcomed me. This is going to be fun!!!

Fans and players were exiting their vehicles and heading towards a bridge, which I assumed led to the field area. I stopped a player heading over to the field and asked him if I could take his photo crossing the bridge. He asked if he need to smile or do anything, to which I replied, nope just walk over the bridge. Artistically speaking, he was walking over that bridge back in time to play a game we know as baseball but to them as base ball.

The term “base ball” is often used when referring to the Vintage version of the modern game of baseball. The rules of Vintage base ball, which you can find on the Vintage Base Ball Association website (www.vbba.org), vary slightly from the modern game you and I see everyday on TV, on our phones, and in person. Too many to go over here, so make sure you check out that website which is chock full of great Vintage Base Ball information. I will say this – the whole Vintage Base Ball experience is something every true baseball (base ball) fan should check out. And boy am I sure glad I did.

How much fun can you have in one afternoon? The scene after crossing the bridge from the parking lot to the field area was just spectacular. I’m not joking when I state that it felt like you were stepping back in time once you crossed that bridge. Players were on the field taking a defensive round of balls hit to them. Fans were opening their lawn chairs and getting settled into their place on the perimeter of the field. The buzz of the pre-game was palpable. The field had no fences, no bleachers, no Jumbotrons, not a single modern convenience as far as the eye could see. Just players, fans, family members, the sun shining, and I could not wait to learn more about what I was observing.

I made my way down the third base side of the field, passed the two dugouts of players, and over to what I imagine was the visitor’s side. The two teams, the Deep River Grinders and the visiting Vermillion Voles, were mixing it up, chatting with each other, chatting with fans, chatting with the umpires, and getting ready for the pre-game introductions. I sat down at a picnic table and chatted with a few of the Vermillion Voles fan section, who had traveled nearly 3 hours to get to the game that morning. I had a few questions about the baseball being used and a Voles player tossed me a game ball. Here is a close up of it. I would equate its makeup as about the same size of a baseball but with the composition more of a tee ball or lacrosse ball.

And here are the bats that were used in the contest. Wooden bats, period specific I am assuming, so no torpedo bats or Axe bats. You will noticed a pretty basic, no frills, no thin barrel, no expanded hitting zone type wooden bat. Here is a bat rack that was just in front of the Grinders dugout area.

Pre-introductions, I took a walk out to the outfield area. There I found a gorgeous barn or sugar shack with an even more gorgeous American flag draped down its facing. And behind the sugar shack was a river, where a few local boys were fishing. In roughly center field, a few local kids were manning the manual scoreboard. Everything connected to the game on the field keeping to the vintage theme. Just so interesting…

Okay, heading back toward the picnic table area I was sitting at, I noticed that the two teams began to line up in front of the fans sitting along the third base/left field area. So, I made my way over to that area to see what the fuss was all about. A stately man, wearing a tuxedo and top hat, began making game announcements. One by one, the players tipped their caps to his words and the fans cried out “huzzah” after “huzzah” along with the players. There was some good natured ribbing and some self-deprecating humor and a ton of full belly laughs from the very much entertained crowd. Players were dressed in period style uniforms and looked every bit like the 1860s style they were looking to replicate. After a few announcements, each player introduced him/herself to the fans. And they all had hilarious nicknames, which they shouted out with glee. “Rail Splitter,” “Fireball,” “Wild Thang” “Swan Lake” – grown men yelling out their names as they stepped forward and tipped their cap to the audience. That was a lot of fun to witness.

A period dressed man with an awesome handlebar mustache and top hat stopped by my perch at the picnic table and offered me a program. He thanked me for my attendance and proceeded through the crowd chatting with fans, players, and handed out more programs. Loved it and here is the program, front and back for your viewing pleasure.

So far, to this point, I felt like this was part baseball, part vaudeville, part outdoor theater, part history class, part community gathering- and it all equaled to absolute baseball bliss. The game, at this point, was merely secondary to the experience of the old time uniforms, the sugar shack, the vintage baseballs and bats, the community swell of good vibes throughout the park. I was eager to see how the game played out, so I hopped behind home plate to catch the first pitches of the game. Which, I might add, were thrown underhanded.

Yep, there was a pitcher and a batter and fielders. A pitched ball and a swinging batter and base runners and fielders making plays. All the elements of the modern game, except for a few of the rules, and none of the pomp and circumstance of the modern game. Just a simple game of pitching, hitting, running the bases, fielding the ball on the ground, catching the ball in the air. No bat flips, no showboating, no cussing, no tobacco chewing, no frills. Just sportsmanship, tons of fans cheering, players congratulating opposing players on good hits or good catches. It was a game of courtesy and profound love of sport and how the game of baseball once was played. As one of the Vermillion Voles fans described it, “this is a gentleman’s game.” I watched in utter amazement at how much fun everyone at that field, myself included, was having at that very moment in time. How often can you say that about anything in life?

After a few innings of play, sadly, I had to depart to get ready for work. I walked slowly passed the two dugouts, the massive line of fans which was two or three lawn chairs deep along the left field sideline, and over to the outfield area near the bridge leading back to the parking lot. I stopped in the outfield to take in one or two more at bats, just soaking in the beauty of this “gentleman’s game” one last time. I was about to take a bridge (artistically) from the 1860s back to 2025 and I wanted a lasting impression of my time with this Vintage Base Ball experience.

It was an amazing day of Vintage Base Ball at Grinder Field featuring the Deep River Grinders vs. the Vermillion Voles. I cannot tell you for the life of me what the score was when I left. I suppose I probably could have looked out to the manual scoreboard for a peak before I left. The vintage uniforms were incredible. The baseball used in the game was interesting. The bats used looked heavy! There were no fences, no fancy billboards, just a giant American flag on an antique sugar shack barn in right field. Players hustled after batted balls. Runners hustled around the bases. Players and fans cheered positively throughout the game. The vibe on the field, in the stands was purely from an era where courtesy, sportsmanship, and profound love of sport reigned supreme. My only regret of the day was that I had not found out nor attended a Vintage base ball game prior to Sunday. It was a very memorable Deep River Vintage base ball experience in Hobart, Indiana at Grinders Field featuring the Deep River Grinders and the Vermillion Voles. With all my heart and body, I would like to extend a very enthusiastic Huzzah to all involved!!!

For more information on the Deep River Grinders, head over to this link – Deep River Grinders.