It was poetic justice that out of the 50-plus cranks on hand for a recent vintage baseball contest, the longtime Cubs historian was there to enjoy the action.
Cranks are what fans were known by back in 1858.
Palos Heights native and Marist graduate Ed Hartig makes a few appearances a year as a crank, or fan, of the game. The Cubs historian enjoyed watching the 1858-style of play as the Blue Island Brewmasters recently won a 25-19 slugfest over the Lemont Quarrymen on property that once housed Mount Assisi High School in Lemont.
“So much of this game was about the social aspect,” Hartig said. “They didn’t pay players until the 1860s. The home team would actually meet the other team at the train station and bring them out here and feed them lunch.
“There would be a big celebration even if the final score was 52-2. At the end of the game, it didn’t matter because you had another meal.”
For the most part, area fan support for vintage baseball is limited to family members and some friends. There are not too many neutral observers.
However, one Lemont resident taking in his first game as a fan may come back for a different reason.
Jose Orozco, 53, plans on joining the Quarrymen, possibly as early as this season.
“I love the nostalgia and I love baseball,” the St. Rita graduate said. “I played in a league until I got to 40-under league.
“Living in Lemont, I want to be a part of this team and the history and what it feels like to play in the old days.”
One crank was cranky that someone mowed the grass, taking away a little of the 1800s flavor of playing on makeshift fields.
Hartig said he didn’t mind the freshly mowed grass and enjoyed a few other oddities on the field.
“I like the fact that there is a tree in the middle of the field,” he said. “There should be. If there wasn’t, I would say that’s a problem.
“There were no such things as parks back then. You played at any open field you had to, and you expected bushes and trees and all that good stuff.”
Hartig is such a walking encyclopedia of knowledge that children and adults asked him about the rules of the game from 1858 and some of the other wrinkles of the old-timey baseball.
He said fans could pick up the rules easily and likened it to someone in 1914 who went to Wrigley Field in 2024.
“You would still recognize it as Wrigley even though it’s undergone numerous changes,” Hartig said. “It’s the same with this. Give people a couple of minutes and they would get the rules rather quickly.”
Fans are able to cheer players who have nicknames such as Chicken Legs, Cowboy, Ice Man and Pipes.
Richard Kurek, 74, has the nickname Master Strategist. He has a son and grandson on the team – all named Richard – and said there is usually not a big following for the Quarrymen on the road but a loyal following at home.
And, as 1858 rules dictate, they could get involved in the action.
“If a ball would hit into someone’s lap, it’s still in play,” the eldest Kurek said. “So, you tell them not to move. A player can pick it up and it’s not an out because it didn’t hit the ground.”
Lemont’s Brendan Butler and his son, 12-year-old Luke Butler, attended their first vintage game July 13 to watch Blue Island Brewmaster Greg Franco play.
Even through they were rookies to the game, the Butlers made a veteran move by bringing in a small tent to protect them from the sun on a humid day in the upper 80s.
“You have to create your own conditions,” he said.
As for the different aspects of the game, which includes pitchers throwing underhand, Brendan appreciated it.
“I like it,” he said while his friend Franco was legging out a hit. “It’s not as high stakes as a baseball game. It reminds me of 16-inch softball.
“It’s beautiful out and it doesn’t get much better than 88 degrees and sunny. So, yeah, this is fun.”
Luke said it was “nice” and “relaxing.”
“It’s a great place to go,” Luke said.
Leslie Novak, the wife of Quarryman Ed Novak, said the baseball is fun to watch, but that’s only a part of it.
“It brings all of these people together in a sense of community,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, be outdoors and just go back in time and enjoy the wholesomeness of baseball.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
