Atwater’s Memorial Ballpark set to host Vintage All-Star Baseball game, Easter tournament
Fireman’s Memorial Ballpark in Atwater will get plenty of use in a few days with a Vintage All-Star Baseball Game scheduled to be played on Saturday. Then, Atwater High will host the 61st Annual Fran Oneto/Atwater-Winton Lions Easter Baseball Tournament next week.
Longtime Atwater resident Tom Legg was trying to come up with a way to bring the community together.
He came up with a vintage baseball game.
On Saturday, the Castle Veterans Organization will help host the Vintage All-Star Baseball Game at Memorial Ballpark.
The game will feature two teams from the Bay Area in the East Bay All-Stars and West Bay All-Stars. The players are from the Bay Area League, which plays under 1880 baseball rules and uses equipment from that era.
“I came across this vintage baseball league in San Francisco so I reached out to them and told them about our small town of Atwater with a Wrigleyish type of field with ivy-covered fences,” Legg said. “They got back to me and liked the idea.”
The gates will open at 12:30 p.m. and the game will start at 2 p.m at Memorial Ballpark. Admission is $5 for anybody over 10 years old. Kids 10 and under are free.
The game will give people an opportunity to see what baseball looked like over 100 years ago.
“They will see the umpire in a coat with tails, the baseball gloves look like oven mitts with fingers,” Legg said. “The bats they use must be 40 ounces or heavier. It takes seven balls to walk a batter and fouls don’t count as strikes.”
Other thing people may notice: Pitchers are referred to as hurlers. Catchers are called the behind man.
The baseballs are loosely stitched and become very soft and lopsided during the game. The balls are used until they are hit out of play.
“It’s just going to be a bunch of buys playing for the love of the game,” Legg said. “It should be really enjoyable. The players will be wearing authentic uniforms from the 1880s.”
Legg says he was able to get a number of donations for food which will allow him to sell hot dogs for 50 cents and sodas for a quarter. There will also be Crackerjacks and peanuts available at the concession stand.
“During the pandemic everyone in town has had to stay inside,” Legg said. “I wanted to come up with something that could bring everyone out and get people back together. I think this vintage baseball game is unique and will attract various people.”
Atwater Easter Tournament
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 61st Annual Fran Oneto/Atwater-Winton Lions Easter Baseball Tournament returns to Memorial Ballpark next week.
The eight-team tournament begins on Monday and will feature three local high school teams in Atwater, Golden Valley and Livingston.
Joining the three Merced County teams in the tournament will be Mountain House, Ripon, Gregori, Denair and Douglas of Minden, Nev.
Golden Valley will open the tournament on Monday at 10 a.m. with a game against Denair. The Cougars will then play again at noon against Livingston. Mountain House will play the third game on Monday against Gregori and then Atwater will play the night game at 7 against Gregori.
Pool play will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday.
