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 |  Striker to the Line! The Eagle Diamonds, the museum's vintage "Base Ball" team, begins its fifth season of play in 2009. The Diamonds join a growing number of teams across the country celebrating the rich tradition of the popular American past time. Competing in fashionable well-documented uniforms inspired by those worn by the original Waukesha Diamonds, the players are guided by the game's rules of the 1860s. The Eagle Diamonds Home Opener is on Saturday, June 13th at Ward School Field. We invite you to "catch all the action" when visiting OWW in 2009. Some games will be played at Ward School Field, while some games will be played on the fields of other recreated nineteenth century teams. But whether playing at home or away, the Diamonds always provide an exciting and educational experience for all of their fanatics! The 2009 Base Ball schedule will be published as soon as all of the details are available.  1860s Rules The rules of the 1860s were similar to modern rules, but a few unique ones helped define the earlier game. Pitching was underhand, and batters could request the desired location of their pitches. Strikes and balls were only called at the umpire's discretion. Outs were identical to today's game. However, an out could also be made off a batted ball caught on the first bounce. Infielders played one stride from the base, but the shortstop was allowed to roam the field as desired. Scores generally reflected those of modern football games, rather than the low scoring outcomes of modern baseball. In August, 1872 the Waukesha Diamonds defeated the Delafield Stars by a score of 34 to 25. In an even higher scoring content in July, 1869 the Menomonee Falls Wide Awakes earned a solid victory over the Sussex Base Ball Club with a 52 to 31 win. |
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Base Ball History Online ! For all our base ball history fans, we've provided the following links where you can learn more about 19th century base ball: • 19th Century Base Ball • Vintage Base Ball Association • 19th Century Base Ball Cards |
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