On Sunday the Monitor Base Ball Club of Chelsea, our local old-school (okay, okay, vintage) base ball team, played the Union Base Ball Club of Dexter.

The flag was historically accurate:

(And I think we can all agree those hats are marvelous. I like the hats so much.)

If you’re wondering if these sideburns are real…

…it has been confirmed that they are indeed gloriously real. That’s what I call dedication to the team.

Spectator — or “crank” — break:

Okay, back to the action.

Honest Jon was involved in a close play at third:

The throw was low and a bit late, though, so he was safe.

What is it about Honest Jon and close plays? He was involved in one at second, too.

This was one a much tougher call, but they decided he was safe. (In the vintage game, the umpire makes only fair/foul calls. Safe/out calls are made by the players.)

It was a tight match for a while, but eventually the club from Chelsea pulled away and won 21-9.

At the end of the match, the Monitor Base Ball Club gave hearty huzzahs to everyone.

If you’d like to check out one of the club’s matches — and I hope you would, because vintage base ball is a fun game to watch! — there’s a home match coming up at Timbertown on June 23. The full schedule is here.