Vintage baseball is back in the South Suburbs and organizers hope it’ll be around a long time.
The Flossmoor Whistlestoppers have at least a pair of games scheduled for this summer. The first will be Sunday, June 22, against the Blue Island Brewmasters at their field in Memorial Park. The second is Saturday,July 26, at Stellwagen Farm in Orland Park against the Chicago Salmon.
Both games are open to the public at no charge. Hay bales are often put out as seats but fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, if they’d prefer.
Other games are in discussion, too. The plan is to make the Whistlestoppers a more permanent part of the vintage baseball world, joining other teams in the Chicagoland area and around the country.
“We’ll be doing this, hopefully, for the foreseeable future,” team captain Dave Wiegand said. “A lot of us play on a men’s league softball team, too, but there’s something fun about being steeped in the history of it and playing a more friendly game.”
This group is largely the same one that played a game against the Deep River Grinders from Indiana at last summer’s Flossmoor centennial celebration. About three quarters of that team is back, Wiegand said, with a few new additions.
“People loved watching it and there were a few who reached out to us and we picked up a few of them to play with us this year,” Wiegand said. “There was a lot of response and it was pretty positive.”
There are 15 in the groupchat right now but the Whistlestoppers are always looking for interested players. Most vintage baseball teams carry about 20 players.
New players need no vintage baseball experience or knowledge. Anyone who has a basic grasp of modern baseball rules can pick things up quickly, Wiegand said. The game last summer was played with 1858 rules, meaning no leading off the bases, no overrunning first base, slow pitching and batters ruled out if a ball was caught on the first bounce, among other things. But the basic game is easily recognizable.
“The feel of the game is the same,” Wiegand said.
Anyone interested can email [email protected].
“Anybody who wants to play with us, we’d love to give them a shot,” he said. “It’s all about the community. It’s not a competitive sport thing. It’s history.”
There’s no equipment necessary – gloves weren’t a part of the game in the early years. The team shares several vintage-style bats, including some provided by Homewood Bat Company. The balls were purchased from an online vendor, though the team is looking into finding someone who makes them by hand.
They wear black slacks and white button-up shirts. Wiegand has hats. The team practices at Flossmoor Park when it can.
“You don’t have to worry about being competitive but you still get to hit the ball and catch and do all the athletic activity but in a more friendly, gentlemanly atmosphere,” Wiegand said.
