Ballplayers spring back to 19th century GOLDEN GATE PARK

Recommended Video:

It's a beautiful day for baseball in Golden Gate Park - and it would be even better if someone would get around to inventing sunglasses.

Sunglasses, polyester blend uniforms, baseball gloves with a pocket ... none are allowed in the Bay Area Vintage Base Ball Association, which began its ninth season this month, hosting six local teams playing by strict 1886 rules. Departures from the modern game include

44-ounce wood bats, seven balls for a walk and the batter's choice whether the ball should be pitched above or below the waistline.

"It was a respectful thing in the old days. 'How would you like your pitch?' " said Matthew "Boxcar" Rheinschild, player-manager of the San Francisco Pelicans. "It's a gentleman's game."

The Pelicans were playing the San Francisco Pacifics on Sunday, at the Golden Gate Park Big Rec diamond, where baseball has been played since the 1890s. The Oakland Colonels, Berkeley Monarchs, Fremont Aces and New Almaden Cinnabars round out the vintage league. Players range in age from early 20s to mid-50s, with occupations including tech workers, architects, a barista and a stand-up comedian.

In terms of taking the rules seriously, the vintage baseball players fall in a tier just below Civil War re-enactors and Renaissance faire die-hards. They wear wool uniforms, don't swear, don't spit and mostly drink from metal canteens. Yogi Berra might find the barely-there catcher's gear a little too old school. There were no high-fives in 1886 - players making a good defensive stop or scoring a run are greeted with a firm handshake and a "huzzah!"

Modern footwear

Umpire David Bell watches the game between the San Francisco Pelicans and the San Francisco Pacifics at Golden Gate Park on Sunday, March 10. Vintage baseball captures the spirit of the game in the 1880s by using the same equipment and rules. less Umpire David Bell watches the game between the San Francisco Pelicans and the San Francisco Pacifics at Golden Gate Park on Sunday, March 10. Vintage baseball captures the spirit of the game in the 1880s by ... more Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Ballplayers spring back to 19th century 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

But some concessions are made for the modern game. The most noticeable one is the Nikes, Reeboks and other 2013 footwear, to accommodate the San Francisco park's moonscape of gopher holes and patchy grass. Justin "Grinder" Teisl says one player tried and failed to wear a pair of vintage shoes.

"He couldn't stand it. He took them off about a minute later," Teisl said. "They looked cool."

A rules committee researches details as minute as the height of pitcher leg kick. One player ominously references "the great eye black controversy of 2007." (Sunglasses and eye black are both banned.)

Nod to practicality

For the most part, players treat the diamond a little like their own "Field of Dreams" - 21st century words and technology appear only when they're milling in the stands.

"We do yield to practicality," said Pacifics manager Sage "Buttercup" Bray. "If someone needs to make a cell phone call because another guy is running late trying to find parking, that's OK."

There were a lot more coal miners and fewer IT specialists during the Grover Cleveland administration, so it's not surprising that injuries are common, mostly related to the comically unprotective gloves. Bray said he broke four fingers in his first five years playing vintage baseball, adding a gash to the webbing between two fingers that required six stitches. Rheinschild broke his thumb during his very first practice.

But players say there are many more positives. The game is extremely friendly. ("It's hard to get too macho or aggressive in these uniforms," said Rheinschild, pointing at his "The Cat in the Hat" red-and-white striped socks.) And vintage baseball is arguably more forgiving toward mistakes. Hit batsmen do not take a base. The smaller catcher's gloves force pitchers to deal at a lower velocity.

Family-friendly

"There are a couple of rule changes that make it easier to get back into baseball after a 20-year hiatus," Rheinschild said. "The fundamentals they teach you in Little League and elementary school - it's just accentuated when you're playing with what amounts to gardening gloves."

The quirkiness and lack of swearing makes vintage baseball family-friendly. More than 100 spectators came to watch the Pacifics score three runs in the seventh and final inning, pulling out an exciting 6-5 win.

"Let's give it a huzzah," the Pelicans cheered in defeat. "One, two, three, huzzah!"

There weren't many long faces in the Pelicans' dugout. While no one had invented a proper glove in the 19th century, they did have beer in the 1880s. With 34 more years until Prohibition hits California, the Pelicans celebrate with a cold one.