1860 vintage base ball (two words in 1860) returns to Phelan Park on Saturday June 20  for a day of matches featuring teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Matches begin at 10am with the Menomonie Blue Caps playing their foes, the Rum River Rovers of Minnesota. Matches will continue throughout the day, additionally featuring the Afton Red Socks, the Sand Creek 9. The Blue Caps play the La Crescent Apple Jacks at 1pm.

Admission is 2-bits, or 25 cents. Concessions, merchandise and a raffle will be available with all proceeds going to the Blue Caps. Bring a chair and enjoy the fun.

History of the Blue Caps

The Menomonie Blue Caps vintage base ball club formed in 2012 – 71 years after the original Blue Caps last played – to educate the community about the origins of our national past time.

In 1882, a highly successful amateur club of the same name played high level baseball for nearly 60 years, drawing large crowds throughout the region. The Blue Caps played their last official game in 1941 before turning the remaining roster over to the local Menomonie Eagles, a team that still plays today.

The current iteration of the team can be found playing in Menomonie, Dunn County and even throughout the country by the rules and regulations adopted by the National Association of Base Ball Players in March 1860.

Rules of 1860 base ball:

• The pitcher delivers the ball underhand; strikes are called only on a clean swing and miss.
• A hit ball is considered fair or foul by where it first hits the ground, or a player, first.
• A ball caught in the air or on the first bounce, fair or foul, puts the striker out.
•  A runner may not overrun first base.
• There are no free backs for the base runners. They may be doubled off the base on a foul ball that is first returned to the pitcher.
• No gloves are worn (they were not invented until the late 1870s).

You’re invited to head down to Phelan Park on Saturday, bring a chair and enjoy the joys of 1860 vintage baseball at this family-friendly event.

For more information visit the Blue Caps facebook page, (715) 505-1735 or email [email protected]

Dustyn “Mad Dog” Dubuque is Team Captain of the Menomonie Blue Caps.