Members of Mackinaw City's vintage base ball team, the Mackinaw Boys, offer traditional praise to their opponents, a "huzzah," at the end of an August 2007 game at Mackinaw Historic Village. About 20 residents have been part of the team over the past three years, including (not in order in photograph) manager Bill "Starvin" Marvin, captain Jeff "Cap" Lawson, Scott "Lucy" Lusader, Dan "the Man" Sefton, Pat "Ding Dong" Bell, Blaine "the Pain" Paquet, Logan "Lucky" Paquet, Eric "Too Tall" Teysen, Matt "A-Train" Alexander, Mark "the Bull" Hartman, John "Sewer Rat" Martin, Julius "Caesar" O'Brien, visiting umpire John "Cowpie" Soma, Matt Cooley, Dan Cooley, Pat Rivera, Steve Martin, Todd Harburn, Ron Vieau, Greg Vieau, and John Krueger. (Photograph courtesy of Sandy Planisek) Surrounded by fans, dressed in historical base ball regalia, John "Sewer Rat" Martin looked toward his first striker on the field in July 2006. A member of the vintage Mackinaw Boys team, he stood ready for historic base ball at Mackinaw Historic Village. It was a challenging moment for a modern baseball enthusiast, he said, playing by old rules.

"This wasn't your standard baseball game," he explained. "But it was a fun game to play, I'll tell you that. In this, I was expected to give the striker what he needed to hit."

True to 1800s style, the batter (known as a "striker") politely asked the manager to please have the "hurler" pitch a certain way.

"My job was to give the striker exactly what he wanted, not to try and get him out," he said, so naturally, teams seeking to win in 1800s base ball rely heavily on outfielders.

Behind him, fanned out across the field, the Mackinaw Boys stood in historically accurate red caps, long-sleeved white shirts, red suspenders, and blue jeans.

Drawn together for the Mackinaw Area Historical Society's first Summer Celebration, the Mackinaw Boys had just received a crash course in the base ball of an earlier era. It was a slightly different game than modern "baseball," which has condensed the words, moved away from the focus on the polite nature of the game, and transformed a gentlemen's pastime into an intense competitive sport.

"In vintage base ball, that competitive edge is gone," Mr. Martin said.

Owing to his interest in the game, Mr. Martin was drawn to the idea of playing the predecessor to the modern game.

"It's 180 degrees different. The atmosphere is festive and relaxed. Anybody could do it," he said.

Much of the Mackinaw Boys' vintage base ball education came from watching the Ludington Mariners practice before that first game, but it was sufficient, he said.

The historical society in Mackinaw City discovered references to the original Mackinaw Boys in a local 1800s newspaper called The Witness, said Bill Marvin, vice president of the historical society.

At the society's request, Village Manager Jeff Lawson took the role of team captain for the re-formed group. A softball player, he knew who to call to draw together a team. He researched the details of late 1800s base ball, invited the Ludington Mariners, who were already practiced in vintage style, and the Mackinaw Boys took the field.

"Recruiting wasn't difficult once they found out how fun the game was," Mr. Lawson said. "Vintage base ball is a little different from softball and baseball, like a hybrid of the two, so it's interesting from that standpoint. It's nice, and tends to draw a lot of people."

Over three years, about 20 area residents have been part the Mackinaw Boys, which averages 13 players per game. A core group has formed. Who plays depends on who is available, particularly for away games, he explained.

The Mackinaw Boys have had several practices and four games since 2006, most recently against the Mackinac Island Never Sweats, Saturday, July 19, at Fort Mackinac. The two teams had not faced off since 1886, when the Never Sweats trounced their mainland opponents.

This year, the Mackinaw Boys won, 7-4, and they will play the Ludington Mariners again this weekend, at the third annual Summer Celebration in Mackinaw City. This will bring their total games played to five.

In addition to Mackinac Island and Ludington teams, the Mackinaw Boys have played the Hartwick Pines Swampers from Grayling. They have been invited to play the Bay City Indepen. dents, the Mighty River Hogs from Midland, and teams from the metro Detroit area.

"This is developing quite rapidly," Mr. Marvin said. "This can get as big as we want it to be. We are investigating the idea of traveling."

Many more fans turned out to watch the game at the Historic Village last year, than in 2006. They included vintage base ball enthusiasts from Indiana, who had discovered Mackinaw City's 1800s-style game on the Internet and arrived to watch the gloveless, underhand-throwing game that preceded baseball.

People travel all over the country to watch these games, Mr. Marvin said.

In the 1800s, players were referred to only by official nicknames or their last names, preceded by Mister. For historical accuracy, the Mackinaw Boys created nicknames before that first 2006 game, Mr. Lawson said.

The names have meanings. Mr. Martin is "Sewer Rat" because he is a Mackinaw City sewer system operator. Team Captain Lawson is "Cap," and Eric Teysen's height led to the name "Too Tall."

The Mackinaw Boys bats are duplicated from a 100-year-old bat provided by a village resident. They have short knobs at the ends, rather than flat, round discs common to modern bats.

Rules change depending on what year the teams are reenacting, Mr. Lawson said. Before each game, the Mackinaw Boys confirm with the other team which rules are to be used. Overrunning a base or leading off two steps may be allowed in 1862 style, but not in 1868.

As games are played, Mr. Marvin comments on 1800s rules to the crowd, something they clearly enjoy, he said. If a ball is hit into a tree, falls, and is caught, it counts as an out, for example.

At 47, Mr. Martin is the oldest member of the Mackinaw Boys, and there are several members in their 40s, however, the team has drawn the attention of serious, young baseball players, he said.

The team is balanced at about half 19-to-20-years-olds, half in their 40s, with a few in their 30s, Mr. Lawson said.

Interest by young players is one of the nice things about the Mackinaw Boys development, Mr. Marvin said.

"It is significant that youth are getting involved not only in vintage base ball, but in history in general, through the base ball adventure," he said.

Eric "Too Tall" Teysen, 20, plays college baseball for Baptist Bible College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He recently played the Never Sweats, and also played at the Historical Village in 2006 and 2007.

"I just really love the history of baseball," he told The St. Ignace News. "Not many people get a chance to play 1800s baseball. I've had a blast being able to be part of the Mackinaw Boys, which really was a team, and being able to play a rival after 122 years. You feel like you are back in time. That's the biggest thrill of it."

Highlighting this year's Summer Celebration at the Historic Village will be the Vintage Base Ball game between the Ludington Mariners and the Mackinaw Boys Saturday, August 2, at 1 p.m. The celebration is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $3 per person or $10 per car. Children younger than 12 are admitted free.