What makes the vintage game different from today's game?

• The ball shall be pitched underhand, and released below the hip.  The pitcher may apply spin, or no spin to the ball and can pitch it at any speed.
• Base runners may slide into any base - head first.
• Stealing bases is permitted.
• Games shall be 18 innings, with each side playing 9 innings.
• The club shall not use modern wood bats, but home-made bats, or vintage style bats.
• Baulks shall be immediately called by the umpire.
• If a ball strikes an object, it is not considered part of the "ground", and may be caught on the bound (1864) once it hits the GROUND, or on a fly (1865) after hitting the object (tree, bird, fence, etc.)
• Control of the ball after a tag is not necessary, and the runner shall be out once tagged.
• The Force Out is in effect at all times.
• The umpire shall warn the batter after two or more good pitches are ignored, and begin calling strikes.  Balls may be called as well, depending on the rule set.

The following rule set has been provided by the Vintage Base Ball Association.  It includes recommendations that the Blues shall adhere to when we play at League Park, and in VBBA sanctioned events.  Our club chooses to use 1864 or 1865 rules when we play at historic League Park.  We will mainly play by 1865 rules. Our club is patterned after the 1878-1884 Blues of the National League.  Therefore, our uniforms depict that time period.  However, due to the lack of area vintage base ball teams in the area that use 1878-1884 rules, and our desire to play the game during the formative years of base ball, we will use the 1864/1865 rule set.  Spectators should know that our uniforms are not accurate to the time period.  Knickers were not worn by 1864 or 1865 clubs, and teams had bib style uniforms instead of what we wear now.  Our uniforms are patterned after the 1879 Blues, based on the information we had at the time of production.  After some further research, the "C" was found to be a script "C", not the block "C" that we currently have on our uniforms.

The terminology shown below are terms used during various times during 19th Century base ball.  Many of these terms are slang, and not depicted in any set of rules that you will see on this website.

• Ace or Tally - run; crossing home base
• Apple, pill, horsehide, onion - the ball
• Artist - proficient player
• Baller, Ballist - player
• Basetender - an infielder
• Bench - manager or coach
• Blind - no score
• Blooper, banjo hit - weak fly ball, "Texas leaguer"
• Boodler - ungentlemanly maneuver
• Bound - bounce
• Bowler, hurler, thrower, feeder - pitcher
• Club, Nine - team
• Cranks (or Throng) - fans
• Daisy Cutter - sharp grounder
• Dead or Hand Dead, Hand down - put out or batter out
• Dew Drop - slow pitch
• Dish - home plate
• Foul tic - foul ball
• Four Baser - home run
• Garden - outfield
• Ginger - enthusiastic play
• Ground - field
• Huzzah! - hooray
• Leg it - run swiftly
• Match - game
• Midfielder - centerfielder
• Muckle - power hitter
• Muff or Duff - error
• Muffin - enthusiastic but unskilled player
• Pitcher's Point - pitchers mound or rubber
• Player Dead - out
• Pluck - fine strike or play
• Plugging (or Soaking) the Runner - throwing the ball at runner to put him out (illegal after 1845)
• Rover - shortstop
• Scouts - outfielders
• Show a little ginger - play harder or smarter
• Sky Ball, Skyer - flyball
• Sky scraper - A high Pop Fly
• Stinger - hard hit ball
• Stir your stumps - run fast/hustle
• Striker - hitter
• Striker to the line - batter up
• Talleykeeper - scorekeeper
• Three Hands Dead - 3 outs, side retired
• Whitewash - team held scoreless for a match or at-bat
• Willow – bat

*terms above were used during various points in 19th Century base ball

Beadle's Dime Ball Rules is one of the earliest guides for playing the game of base ball.