The newest sport to catch on is one of the oldest. All over the United States people are playing baseball the old-fashioned way - when the umpire wore a frock coat and players were fined 25 cents for ungentlemanly conduct.
From California to Columbus, Ohio, to Cooperstown, N.Y., teams have been organized to play the Victorian version of the game, reports Country Living magazine.The game has a vocabulary all its own. The team is called the "club nine," the game is a "match," fans are "cranks," runs are "aces" and base runners "leg it." Pitchers are "throwers," batters are "strikers."
The game is baseball, but with differences. The bat is a mere 1 1/2-inches in diameter compared to today's 2 1/2-inches. Bats were often fashioned from discarded shovel or ax handles.
The pitcher stands with one hand behind his back and one leg crossed in front of the other. No gloves are worn - they were not part of the game until the 1870s. Runners do not lead off bases. There is no sliding, bunting, swearing or base-stealing.
A ball caught on the first bounce is an out. The thrower delivers the ball underhanded. The umpire doesn't call balls unless the thrower refuses to deliver where the striker signals.
After scoring a run, the player must run by the tally keeper and cry, "Tally me, sir!" Otherwise, the run doesn't count.