We met in London!

April 5-7, 2002, the VBBA 7th Annual Members Convention was held at London, Ontario, Canada. 34 registrants, representing 14 organizations, discussed the game of vintage base ball, often over their favorite brew, from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Our host hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn, provided us with everything we needed. Three cheers to Mr. Curgin and Mr. Heppner for putting together a fine weekend.

Mr. Greg Rhodes gave a presentation about the research he and Mr. Husman have done to advance our interpretation of the 1860s game. Early in the 1860 vintage game's development, many misconceptions were created over actual rules and conventions of the time, which have been subsequently passed on to other groups as fact. Mssrs. Husman and Rhodes are taking some of the mystery out of the 1860s game. The handout is being revised; look here soon to be able to download a copy.

Mr. Dean Thilgen followed up with a presentation following lunch which expanded on Mr. Rhodes' points. Starting your organization based on valid, primary source research will help launch your efforts with greater success. Mr. Thilgen gave examples of the newspaper research his SABR chapter has uncovered. Click here for a link to the handout.

Mr. Jim Mossgraber and Connie Bodner from Genessee Country Village & Museum showed us their major effort in 2001 to bring vintage base ball to their museum. Outfitting four nines, a complete 1876 ballpark and raising the $100,000 needed to accomplish the feat captured the attention of everyone.

The Saturday banquet speaker was Chip Martin, who outlined how the game developed in that part of Canada. A conversation about how the game has been overshadowed more newer games such as hockey and soccer brought many familiar nods of agreement from the U. S. members.

Our Sunday plans changed a bit to accomodate the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum. The museum was undergoing renovation, so Tom Valcke, Director of the CBHOF, came to us. He explained why he believes so many Canadian major-leaguers came from rural parts of the country. He passed around some artifacts, including a game-used Mark McGwire bat.

Photo Gallery

Click on the photo to view. More photos added 18 May. We may get more pics, so check back.