Lance's Journal: Vintage Baseball with the Ord Tigers

By: Lance Schwartz - Email

Updated: Mon 7:40 PM, Jul 09, 2012

If you'd like to set up a game between your team and the 1910 Ord Tigers, give Steffan Baker a call at (308) 728-7046 or Don Proskocil at (308) 730-2137.

In the middle of the 19th century, Americans were just starting to fall in love with the game of baseball. 150 years later, a group of history buffs from Ord have fallen in love with the game all over again.

The Ord Tigers play the game of baseball just as it was played in the 1860's.

As Nebraskans were being introduced to the game of baseball 150 years ago, batters were strikers, pitchers were hurlers and ground balls were bug bruisers.

It's hysterical and it's historical.This is vintage baseball.

Steffan Baker is man they call "Stitch." And first and foremost, he is a historian, "It was just one of those things where you could actually take living history and have a good time with it. You got to step back in those people shoes and you got to enjoy what they were doing at the time and just live a little piece of their life."

The Ord Tigers pride themselves on authenticity. Don "The Duck" Proskocil says everything is hand-made, from the timbers (bats) to the baseballs, "We just get a big ball of twine and we just start hand wrapping and wrapping and wrapping."

In the end, everyone's a winner. Stitch says, "This is one of those things that I wouldn't trade for all the world. While it's just a game, the fellowship, the friendship and the good times cannot be bought, can't be sold, it just has to be lived.

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