Vintage baseball returns to Rock Ledge on Labor Day
A team of Denver-area old-time baseball all-stars will once again take on Rock Ledge Ranch's own Camp Creek Sluggers in an
historic-style baseball game on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 5) at the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.
The contest, using rules from the 1860s, will begin at noon in the hayfield in front of the ranch's Rock Ledge House. Ranch Manager Andy Morris, who also captains the baseball team, said he is hopeful his ballists can “redeem ourselves” from last year's 25-9 loss. That game had an unusual (though good-natured) rhubarb regarding which rules applied. The locals had anticipated playing by 1880s rules (in keeping with Rock Ledge's working-ranch time frame), while the visitors expected 1860s, Morris said. This came to a head early in the game, when a “Territorial All-Stars” baserunner swatted a hit baseball away from a fielder. In the 1880s (like now), the runner would have been out, but in the 1860s it was an allowable strategy. “This year we're fine with that because we know what rules we're playing by before the game starts,” Morris said. The local team is made up mostly of Colorado Springs Parks employees, while the opponents (called the Colorado Vintage Baseball Team this year) will be from the Denver-area Colorado Vintage Baseball Association, whose various teams play each other using old-time rules through the summer. Morris said he has no special strategy to defeat the well-practiced invaders, but added, “We think we have some fellas with strong arms and fresh legs.” Normal admission fees apply on the day of the game. These are $5 ($3 for seniors and teens, $1 for ages 6 to 12 and no charge for 5 and under). The ranch opens at 10 a.m. People are encouraged to bring a blanket and a picnic lunch, “or buy a hotdog and cheer on the home team at an old-fashioned Labor Day celebration,” according to a press release. Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, located in the Garden of the Gods, is off 30th Street at Gateway Road. For more information, call 578-6777. Westside Pioneer article from a press release |