Oregon’s team goes 2-0 at world tournament of historic base ball

DEARBORN, MI - Everything went right for the Oregon Ganymedes on Saturday as the vintage base ball team went 2-0 to advance to the 1st-Class Championship at the 18th annual World Tournament of Historic Base Ball.

The Oregon team got out the gate early when they jumped on Chelsea Monitors BBC, of Chelsea, Michigan, with 6 runs in the first inning and 4 more in the second en route to a 21-4 win.

Then the Ganymedes squared off against the heavy-hitting Walker Tavern Wheels of Brooklyn, Michigan. Solid defense and well-placed hits lifted the Ganymedes to a 12-9 victory.

“I am really proud of our team we hit well and fielded well. We are now in the ‘Final Four’,” said a smiling Mark Herman, captain of the team.

The Ganymedes now face the Saginaw Old Golds, a perennial tournament favorite, from Saginaw Michigan, on Sunday. The Old Golds have won the tournament 5 times, with their most recent title coming in 2017.

“We play them at 11 a.m. and if we win we play for the championship at 2:30,” Herman said. “If we lose then we are done.”

The Ganymedes returned to the world stage of historic base ball (spelled as two words in the 1900s) after their last appearance in 2019. There was no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event is held on the Walnut Grove fields at the Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village. The event commemorates the original World’s Base Ball Tournament held in Detroit, Michigan, in 1867.

In 2019, the Ganymedes was one of a dozen teams from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

The Oregon-based team was competitive, but winless against three competitors: the Saginaw Old Golds, the Black Flags of Drovertown, and the Lah-De-Das.

“We had many great plays, but too many errors,” Herman said after that tournament.

Earlier this year after a July game on their home field at Oregon Park East, Herman was hoping for a better showing this year.

He got just that on Saturday. “We played very solid base ball today. From worst to maybe first,” he said.

“2019 was the first time in 5 years that we didn’t win at least 2 games,” he said, noting that the team’s “award” last year was a bag of peanuts.

The Ganymedes had a much better showing in 2018, winning the 3rd Class Championship and receiving an immediate invitation to the 2019 tournament.

At the tournament, players and spectators can experience a trip back in time with players shaking hands after good plays, stopping the game to wave their hats as the Edison steam-engine train passes by the fields, shouting “well held” after good catches, and politely asking the lone umpire for a ‘judgment sir’ after close plays.

More Information

For a list of 1867 rules, go to the Vintage Base Ball Association’s website atvbba.org/rules-and-customs/beadles-1867/

2021 Ganymedes Roster

*denotes Oregon High School Alumni

Nick Alexander*, Aaron Berg*, Eric Berg*, Justin Early*, Mark Herman - Captain, Matt Gecan*, Tyler Grant, Rick Krug *(currently in IR), Tom Lesniak, Ryan Mortlock*, Carie Ramirez, Sam Ramirez, Brett Rogers*, Bill Roschi*, Kevin Stafford*, Tim Strohecker*, Garrison Thimmesch, Mike Thomas*, Jamie Throw* (now lives in Arizona, but flies in to play at the World Tournament), and Steve Tilton* (now lives in Texas, but flies in to play at the World Tournament)