Historically Accurate Base Ball?

Can history be duplicated verbatim over 150 years later?

The Vintage Base Ball Association (VBBA), an association that promotes 1860's era base ball, thinks it is doing just that. They have members who are conducting a campaign to misrepresent a new 1880's era vintage ball league, the Vintage Base Ball Federation, as historically inaccurate and as only being interested in money. They should start by looking first at their own game.

The new league will start up next year and play by rules that encompass the 1880's decade, when gloves were freely being used (and have been since 1875), overhand pitching was taking over from the earlier underhanded or sidearm delivery and when our national pastime was re-inventing itself as what we see today in the modern business and in the game of baseball itself. I find this new league concept to be very exciting and it promises to deliver a pointed contrast to today's game.

Stephen Sullivan, President of the Membership Committee of the VBBA and a writer on the AC Web site, has published a storythat is not only outrageous in its ascertains but historically inaccurate as well. And he has neglected to mention his own leagues' shortcomings in the process. When passions runs deep, truth becomes disposable.

Mr. Sullivan, and other vocal proponents of the VBBA, claim that the new league is not historically accurate. Mr. Sullivan claims that his organization, the VBBA, plays historically accurate base ball. According to Mr. Sullivan, "Each one of these teams (VBBA) has meticulously and painstakingly poured over rulebooks and game recaps, to come up with an accurate portrayal of how the game was played back then." If it were only true, Steve.

The fact is, the VBBA does not play historically accurate base ball. Even the 1860's era game the VBBA plays at historic villages is not representative of what base ball was really like in the era. So why does he point that out for the new league?