If Mark Twain and Babe Ruth can attend, so can you

Friends of Vintage Base Ball will hold their Colt Meadows Invitational on Saturday, Jun 16, at the Hartford Base Ball Grounds in Colt Park. You'll see local teams play baseball as it was played in the 19th Century, on a field with a baseball history dating back to the Civil War era. In addition to appearances by "Mark Twain" and "Babe Ruth," there'll be Civil War re-enactors, activities for the kids, and more. The fun starts at 10 a.m. This is an organization that's not only true to Hartford's history, but serious about community-building and providing family-oriented fun. Don't miss out!

A great day for 'base ball' in Colt Park

OK, it took me long enough to post them, but here are a video clip and photos from the "Boost Hartford Day" triple-header that Hartford-based Friends of Vintage Base Ball held in Colt Park two Saturdays ago. It was a beautiful day for 1860s- and 1880s-style ball. Hartford Courant columnist and editor Tom Condon threw out the first pitch before the second game, with Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra doing the honors for the third game. Unfortunately, I wasn't around for the mayor's toss, but Tom Condon's superb form (maybe it was the Curt Schilling t-shirt?) is captured below. That's FOVB Commissioner Gary "Pops" Goldberg-O'Maxfield making the introduction.

Friends of Vintage Base Ball is a great ambassador for Hartford. It will hold a fund-raiser on October 21, but don't be shy about making a contribution in the meantime.

Congratulations, loser

That salutation goes out to whoever stole the Hartford Dark Blues plaque from the grounds of the Church of the Good Shepherd in the Coltsville section, where the team played baseball in the 1870s. Donors had contributed about $1,500 to commemorate the Blues' role as one of the National League's original eight teams.

The Hartford Courant reports that the plaque was stolen sometime over the weekend, barely six months after it was installed. "The plaque, post, and even the concrete were lifted out of the ground and carried off," Ron Bolin of Wethersfield, chief organizer of the plaque's installation, told the newspaper.

So, nice going, thief or thieves. What exactly are you planning to do with this item? Fence it? Good luck with that. Keep it in your basement for your own viewing pleasure? That sounds likely to get pretty old pretty quickly. Your best option is to make some kind of arrangement for its safe return, preferrably to Bolin, even if it's anonymously. Here's his e-mail address.

Angering the baseball gods is very, very bad for your karma.

The Karen O'Maxfield photo of the plaque, above, can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Vintage baseball, new swag

A follow-up to a post from a few months ago: The new, Hartford-based Friends of Vintage Base Ball has opened an online store, where you can buy t-shirts and other items to support the cause. In announcing the store, founders Karen "K.O." and Gary "Pops" O'Maxfield also said: "We're working with the City of Hartford and the Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood on bringing weekly vintage base ball games to Colt Park starting in April of this year. Look for a game schedule and news about a 4th of July weekend tournament at our website."

Play ball! (in Colt Park)

If you've never seen a game of "vintage base ball," you're missing out. It's baseball the way they played it in the 19th century -- sometimes without gloves, always with great sportsmanship. Now Karen and Gary O'Maxfield of Hartford have begun the Friends of Vintage Base Ball. "Our purpose is to facilitate and preserve the customs, culture, history and spirit of vintage base ball through public education, awareness and participation," says their website, at www.friendsofvintagebaseball.org.

Locally, the Friends are working to have a field in Colt Park designated for vintage base ball. They note that the Coltsville district was recently named a National Historic Landmark and is on its way to becoming a National Park. "As base ball was an activity promoted by the Colt Factory and, indeed, by Elizabeth Colt herself, returning the sport to the former grounds of the Colt estate is a concept whose time has come," they contend. "Vintage base ball is more than sport or entertainment— it is living history."

Karen O'Maxfield operates another website dedicated to the history of Hartford, at hartford.omaxfield.com. Gary is also "Pops O'Maxfield," the noted vintage base ball umpire and historian.