Say it ain't so....(fill in the blank)

Well, Major League Baseball certainly took one on the chin yesterday. We all knew that steriods had invaded America's national pastime, but now we have the proof. The island of denial just got hit by a hurricane....Hurricane Mitchell.

When something like this happens, we history geeks long for those innocent, nostalgic days of yore. When ballplayers, like the one in this little oil painting I did recently, played for the love of the game and everyday fans could still afford a ticket to the ballpark. Ah, the good old days.

Or not. Most of us are familiar with, or at least heard of the famous 1919 Blacksox Scandal. Members of the Chicago Whitesox conspired to throw the World Series. No one went to jail, but some of the players were permanently banned from the game. Not so good. To make matters worse, there were suspicions of foul play (pun?) in the previous two World Series as well. In fact, the problem of players throwing games on the influence of sports betting goes back as far as 1877 and the St. Louis Grays.

Even though Judge "Kennesaw Mountain" Landis (great name by the way) effectively put an end to the problem of thrown games, Pete Rose demonstrated that betting was still a plague. It doesn't end there either. There have been alcohol and drug problems (1970 Pittsburg Pirates), corked bats, the Pine Tar incident, scuff and spit balls, Ty Cobb's sharped spikes....list goes on and on. One wonders if there ever was a truely innocent time in the history of the game. Perhaps not. However, if you still have a yearning for some refreshing, throwback baseball, I have a idea for you.

Ever heard of the Vintage Baseball Federation? These guys are serious baseball reenactors. They wear the old uniforms and equipment, play by the old rules and even have their own World Series. These aren't a bunch of fat old guys goofing around at the county fair. They are legitimate ball players who love the game the way it used to be played. Their stock and trade is what we call "small ball" today, and "hit 'em where they ain't" was good advice. It wasn't until Babe Ruth that the long ball became important. I encourage you to check out the rules and strategy section to see how much the game has changed. I know I can't wait to check out a game this summer.

If you're a history geek and a baseball fan you should too. Ten buck says you're going to love it!