A July 4th Celebration

The House of David Echoes did a fine job as hosts for a 3-way on the 4th.
The Livery, riding on their strong striking, came out on top: 19-9 over the host team, and 10-7 over the Bark Peelers.
After a nice meal, the final match of the day finished with the Echoes on top. Final tally: 8-6.
The weather was nice, the company fine, and the food varied and plentiful. What a great way to celebrate the holiday.

6-26-11 The Revenge of the Mariners

At the end of the 1st inning Sunday, the tally was Bark Peelers 4, Ludington 3.
The Ludington base ball club continued this fine play during the balance of the match. Sadly, the South Haven club was done for the day. The end of the match had it 18-5, Ludington.
The 1st meeting of these two teams last year resulted in the extremely odd score of 3-2. Since the hurler's job is to initiate the play, a "pitchers' duel" like this is most uncommon.
We congratulate our friends from the North Country, and look forward to our next match with them.

6-18-11 A Fine Match

The Vintage game is funny.... sometimes all it takes is an odd hop or a missed tag, and suddenly you have a 7-aces-tallied inning.
We experienced two of those innings against our friends the Echos last Saturday evening.
25-10 was the final, then we retired for a shared meal and continued friendship.
PHOTO: Dirt with two of his favorite cranks; JP and Steve Jackson.

South Haven Ball Club Hosts 1st Tournament

Saturday, the 21st of May. Bark Peelers/Corkers 10-0; Brewers/Bark Peelers 10-7; Brewers/Corkers 5-4.
Even before the first pitch was hurled, some of the more sensitive players noted the unusual off-shore wind on the Bluff. More on the wind later.
In the 1st contest, we welcomed the newly-formed Paw Paw Corkers to our fair town. The Corkers showed great spirit and good humor, but fell to the more experienced home team 10-0.
At the start of the 2nd match, the wind changed again, this time blowing out of the South. More on the wind later.
Our friends from the Livery always arrive prepared for a good match, and Saturday was no exception. The first inning saw a flurry of aces tallied, 5 in all by the visitors. After some fine displays of athleticism on both sides, the Brewers prevailed, 10-7. This is the first ever win for the Brewers over the South Haven ballists. Well done, well struck and well played.
The third match featured the Corkers, now relaxed and settled in, versus the Brewers. Both teams displayed some fine striking of the ball and the Brewers eventually outlasted their oponents 5-4.
***We could not help notice that some players for the visiting teams were of the feminine persuasion. This is fairly unusual for this style of base ball.
Perhaps the Winds of Change are blowing. It may be time for Gentlemen and yes, Gentlewomen to play together toward the common goals of friendship, exercise and the love of the game.
Here's to many more matches with our old friends from the Livery, and new friends from Paw Paw.

5-14 tulip festival

The Gentlemen from Douglas prevailed 11-8.
A nice day and a fine match.

THIS WEEK IN BARK PEELER HISTORY

Always a Favorite with the Cranks, Reserve Behind "FirePlug" was born the 1st week of April, 1904, just outside Chicago.

STILL THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONS OF VAN BUREN COUNTY 2011 SEASON

8-11 Saturday, May 7th, 2:00 vs Douglas Dutchers at Holland (Tulip Festival)
Saturday, May 21st, 12:00 pm three way vs Paw Paw Corkers, Livery Brewers, Kids Corner
Saturday, June 18th, 5:00 pm vs House of David Echoes, Kids Corner (Harborfest) Sunday, June 26th 2:00 pm vs Ludington Mariners at Kids Corner
Monday, July 4th, 10:00 am four way vs House of David Echoes, Baroda Bulldogs, Livery Brewers at Benton Harbor (fourth of July)
Saturday, August 6th, 1:00 pm, Three way with Douglas Dutchers, Portage Iron Diamonds, Kids Corner
Saturday, August 13th, 2:00 pm, Livery Brewers, Kids Corner (Blueberry Festival)

BARK PEELERS FALL TO DOUGLAS Sept 11th

In 1867 John Muir walked from Indianapolis to Cedar Key,Florida. A distance of about 1000 miles.

In 2010 Joe "Shoeless Joe" Bihm made his way (also 1000 miles) from Baton Rouge, LA to Douglas, MI to join us in our match with the Douglass Dutchers.

The field was muddy, the grass wet, yet spirits were high as we had a fine match. After the 1st inning, it seemed that the Bark Peelers liked the conditions as they jumped out to a 6-2 lead in aces. The home team dug in, however, and in a fine display of striking, went on to win handily 19-9.

Note to Shoeless Joe, (a member of our 2009 Inaugural team): start out a bit earlier next year, we could use you for more than just the last game of the season.

8-29-10 HOT @ Grace Lutheran Hornets HOT

8 HOT to 2 HOT. Nice field, pleasant fellows. HOT.

Saturday 8-14-10 Bark Peelers prevail over the Livery Brewers

Sixty Aces tallied! Roughly double that of a "normal' vintage match. (Or 10 times that of a Ludington match).
Our friends from the Livery were gracious in defeat. Perhaps their minds were on their upcoming 5th anniversary. Well done, and accept our wishes for many more years of good beer.

7-24 Match Postponed

The July 24th Dutchers match vs. the South Haven Barkpeelers has been postponed due to inclement weather and poor field conditions. Please join us at the rescheduled match at 2pm on September 11 at Beery Field in Douglas.

South Haven Ballists Prevail, Over Weather and the Mariners.

After an hour delay due to the weather, the Bark Peelers eked out a narrow 4-2 (that's correct, 4-2) victory over our gracious hosts, the Ludington Mariners on Sunday afternoon, July 18th.
Low scores of this type are almost unheard of in our style of play. It was agreed by all the cranks that the game was exciting despite the lack of aces. Some very impressive defensive plays on both sides led to this rather odd outcome.

Bark Peelers Cannot Escape the Weather

On Sunday, June 27, the team waited patiently as a storm front rolled through. Thunder, rain and lightning were evident and delayed the start of our much-anticipated rematch with the House of David Echos.
While we were able to dodge the storm, we could not avoid the heavy weather of 1st inning aces by the Echos.
Led by appropriately nicknamed Daniel "Rolling Thunder" VanBeek and TJ "Thunder and Lightning" Parks, the team hit us as hard and fast as a SouthWestern Michigan storm coming in from Lake Michigan. We never really recovered and trailed the entire match.
Final score: Echos 16 - Bark Peelers %@!!#. Or as our hosts so graciously stated: "Somewhat Less than That".
The day turned out to be lovely, and we enjoyed the fellowship and the hospitality offered by our friends from the South.
We thank our hosts, and are happy no one from the Echos is nicknamed "Hail", "Freezing Rain" or "Snow".

The Bark Peeler Farm Team

EPIC BATTLE ON THE BLUFF

For 2-1/2 hours last Saturday evening, the Bark Peelers of South Haven and the House of David Echos battled. Back and forth the lead went throughout the early evening. The crack of the bat was heard so often as to be routine as scores of hits rained on the field of play. Fully 54 aces later, the final tally was 27-27. A great ending to a great match. Well done by all.
We look forward to a double header at the Echo's home field next Sunday.

Who We Are and What We Do

We are a group of gentlemen who honor the past, and the game of base ball. Based in South Haven,MI, we range in age from 16 to 63, and share a love of this great game.
The style of Vintage ball we play is patterned after that played in the 1860's. Men were gentlemen, both on and off the field, and strove to uphold the dignity and enjoy the fellowship that sport can offer.
We play by 1857 rules. No mitts. No swearing. No sliding. No trash-talking. We appreciate balls that are well-struck, and plays that are well made. We like to win, but we do not have to win to achieve our goals.
This is the beginning of our 2nd season. What can be better than to play in the sunshine, on the bluff just south of town, overlooking the Great Blue Water of Lake Michigan? We are lucky fellows, indeed.

The Rules As We Know Them

http://www.baseballchronology.com/baseball/Years/1857/Rules.asp

2010 Schedule

Fire Plug missed the memo about the team meeting. 5/1 2:00 PM with Douglas Dutchers @ Holland Tulip Festival 16-25








5/29 2: PM Vs Livery Brewers @ Kids Corner Memorial Day Weekend 28-5
Willie Keeler is alleged to have said "Keep a clear eye, and hit 'em where they ain't" The Bark Peelers did just that on Saturday.
Triples by Lamont "Rookie" Dick and Rick "Ricochet" White were just two of the dozens of hits.
A fine time was had by all in attendance, and we shared a late-afternoon supper with our friends from the Livery. The highlight of supper was, of course the special malt/hop hydration therapy the Livery provided. Most coaches agree that hydration is one of the keys to a healthy team. Well done, Brewers. You can come visit anytime.



6/19 5:oo PM Vs House of David @ Kids Corner Harbor Fest 27-27

6/27 Double Header @ House of David 5-15

7/18 1:00 PM @ Ludington Mariners

7/24 2:00 PM @ Douglas Dutchers

8/14 2:00 PM Vs Livery Brewers

THANK YOU TO:

Tanner Curtis for the Banner Photo. Check him out @ www.tannercurtis.com
Other fotos by Mama Crank and LL McAllister
Bob "20/20" Linderman. He calls 'em as he sees 'em.
Mama Crank. She keeps the Aughts and Double Naughts tallied.
Crazy Legs and Nub. "Running" has more than one meaning.
Albemarle Corporation.
Historical Association of South Haven. www.historyofsouthhaven.com
Douglas Dutchers www.douglasdutchers.com
House of David Echos. www.maryscityofdavid.org
Livery Brewers. www.liverybrew.com
And of Course, Two Fine Gentlemen; Stoob and Bubba.