The Elizabeth Resolutes take on the Brooklyn Atlantics in old-fashioned garb. The vintage baseball teams play by the 19th-century rules of the teams they are emulating. The game has changed a lot since those days, when players didn’t wear mitts and the diamond was set up in a grass field — no dirt and no pitching mounds. Baseball is, of course, the great American pastime, and some enthusiasts are looking to recreate the good old days by reviving an authentic vintage team.
Paul Salomone founded the Elizabeth Resolutes vintage baseball club in Plainfield in 2000, based on the 1870 team that won the state amateur championship.
Now, he’s looking to recruit players from Middlesex County and beyond for the vintage Plainfield Central Baseball Club.
“We were the first team to play 19th-century-rules baseball in the state of New Jersey,” Salomone said of the Resolutes. “Right now … we have five clubs in the state of New Jersey, but we need another team in our immediate area.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAN JURGENS The Resolutes are leading an effort to revive the Plainfield Central Baseball Club, which played from 1867 to 1872, in order to help popularize the sport of vintage baseball.
The Resolutes play by 1870 rules, when the fly-ball out first became the norm, but when they play vintage teams like the Brooklyn Atlantics, they play a mixed bag of doubleheaders — one game by 1870 rules and another by 1865 rules.
The differences are significant, Salomone said. For example, in 1865, an out was recorded if the ball was caught in fair or foul territory on “one hop,” as the rule is known. By 1870, the rules had changed, which is reflected in today’s game. “There aren’t enough teams playing the early version of the fly-ball game,” Salomone said. “And we also need to raise the profile of vintage baseball here in our own immediate surroundings.”
One thing the 1860s games and 1870s games have in common, though, is that both are played barehanded.
And it’s not just the rules that reflect history, Salomone said, but also the old-fashioned uniforms and impromptu fields.
With old-school, baggy outfits and a regulation-size baseball diamond created on an open grass field, playing vintage baseball falls just short of actually traveling back in time. Salomone added that vintage baseball couples a historical education and story of the sport’s development with an athletic challenge and competitive spirit.
Dan Marcus, a Resolute of 11 years and a volunteer working on the Central Baseball Club project, said vintage baseball is a game of skill and strategy that allows people to play the game in a “pure” way.
“Nowadays you see people getting frustrated with players playing for high contracts, different controversies like steroids and stuff like that,” Marcus said. “This is more about sportsmanship and the pride in your town and, you know, really getting some exercise and showing your skill.”
The Resolutes strive for accuracy in their historical replication of the original team, a hallmark they plan on bringing to the Plainfield Central Baseball Club, Marcus said.
“We play a lot of teams that don’t portray the game the way it was done at the time, but Paul does a lot of research,” Marcus said. “We’re trying to get more exposure and trying to get more teams to play the game the way it actually was played.”
The Resolutes play about 10 to 15 different teams each year, Marcus said, adding that many of them are based in New York State.
Those interested in playing vintage baseball may contact Salomone at 908-337-9882 or via email at [email protected].