You may recall that I was recently invited to join the Spotsylvania County Fair Subcommittee and tasked with helping to organize and coordinate an old-time baseball tourney. The goal was to commission a series of games to coincide with the mid-September event's 1859 theme. Well I am very happy to say that I was able to accomplish that goal thanks to the assistance and generosity of the Vintage Baseball Association. Mr. Bruce Leith, president of the Eclipse BBC of Elkton, was very interested in participating and came through with a program that has more than exceeded our expectations.

After making a few phone calls and offering up a nice incentive package that includes discounted rooms and free access to a wealth of historical sites, we were able to procure one of the league's best teams who share our common interest in using this event as a platform to preserve and present our local pre-secession history. (The entire fair is being crafted in an 1859 retro-style including the games, music, shows, foods, contests, and of course baseball. There will be VA Militia re-enactors on site too. More event info to come later.)

Through Bruce, we were able to secure the nationally recognized Eclipse Base Ball Club of Elkton's Traveling Club. They are the 2007 and 2008 Maryland State Champions and the 2008 2nd Place Eastern Region Champions. Their record last year was 17-12 (9-1 in the Maryland State Championship Series). Needless to say, these guys are good.

The teams will be appearing in full 1864 uniforms (the crowd won't know the difference) that are authentic to the actual club that played in the 1860s in Cecil County, Maryland. (The Eclipse actually started playing a full year before most other clubs in the state. They were made up of Civil War veterans who learned the game while serving alongside either New Yorkers or Philadelphians during the war. Half of the club was made up of Union soldiers and 1/2 -1/3 were Confederate veterans.)

Along with myself, members will be speaking to the audience about the history of early baseball, the origins of their club, what vintage baseball is, the rule differences from today's game, as well as who plays today and why. They promised to remain in character of the mid 19th-century (i.e. no high fives, jewelry, etc) in order to stay true to the period performance.

There will also be opportunities during the game for audience participation. Curious onlookers will be able to ask questions about what they see before the match, afterwards, or between innings. And there may be an opportunity for a fan or 2 to participate in the game for an inning or two.

The teams will play two, 9-inning regulation matches and I will be helping to do play-by-play along with a rep from the teams. We will also be handing out period-looking programs and vendors will be selling ballgame foods at period-prices. The teams may be handing out a limited number of scorecards and information on the Vintage Baseball Association. All in all it looks to be a great event and I am very happy to have a part in it. Stay tuned for more details as I would love to see you there.

BTW. I have a BIG announcement coming in the next week or so. Maybe even the BIGGEST of my career. Stay tuned. And I sent my signed contract in to my reps at The History Press for my second title with them on the Confederate encampments in Spotsylvania County. Life is good.