26 August 2006

Best Baseball News Ever

I've been dreaming about this for years. Now that it's here, "my nipples explode with delight":

Former major league pitcher Jim Bouton announced Thursday the launch of an organization that will play by 19th century rules: The Vintage Base Ball Federation. Yup, back then baseball was two words.

Gloves will be tiny, bat handles will be thick and the ball — that's right, one ball will be used per game unless it falls apart or is lost — will be dead. There aren't any pitcher's mounds, and there's no such thing as a balk on pickoff attempts.

"The game the way it was meant to be played," Bouton said during a news conference at Delmonico's, a restaurant that opened in 1836. "No batting gloves, helmets, wristbands, elbow pads, shin guards, sunglasses. No arguing with the umpire. No stepping out of the batter's box. No charging the pitcher or posing at home plate. No curtain-calling, chest-thumping or high-fiving. Just baseball."



Oh, yeah... no bling, no bullshit, no balco... just base ball.

7 comments:

TravisG said...

You read Red Reporter,too? I wonder if one of those teams would start up around here?

WestEnder said...

It would be like the good old days when we went to see the Red Stockings! I can't wait to wax my mustache and read Mark Twain between innings!

Wes said...

Huzzah! Now if we can just do something about the coinage of silver...

WF

K. said...

didn't bouton write ball four? and wasn't he ostracized by MLB after doing so? (good book, by the way)

WestEnder said...

Yup, he's the guy. I never even heard of the book, so I surfed for info and what I found suggests that it's a great read.

Here's a brief interview.

Wes said...

This is just down the road from me. I shall have to check out some games.

Tally my ace, Ma'am.

WF

K. said...

you should read it. its really great if you like old-school baseball stories...

For the Love of the Game - also excellent, much more excellent than Costners portrayal on screen. (though, he did don a Tiger cap, so i did enjoy that aspect)