PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: JOE VIGORITO, (203) 209-2805
February 9, 2007 jvigor254@hotmail.com
“VINTAGE” BASE BALL SQUAD TO CALL PARK CITY HOME
Long before the clanging of aluminum bats echoed across high school and college baseball
fields, decades before the signing of multi-million dollar major league contracts, and ages
before steroid scandals marred America’s pastime, baseball was a far different game. Players
wore baggy uniforms with high socks and swung heavy, wooden bats, while umpires and
managers often wore bow ties and bowler hats. Teams gathered on the field after matches to
give a cheer for their opponents, and outfielders caught towering fly balls with mitts that more
closely resembled an Isotoner than the bulky leather gloves of today – that is, if they wore
gloves at all.
Today, a group of local residents are trying to recapture the feeling of what the game was like
more than a century ago during its early days, while also highlighting the city of Bridgeport’s rich
baseball history. They have formed the “Bridgeport Orators Vintage Base Ball Club,” a team
that will compete against other Vintage Base Ball teams throughout the state and region in
various exhibitions, scrimmages and tournaments. The Vintage Base Ball movement began in
the mid 1990s with teams forming in several states across the country all of which play in the
garb and by the rules of 19th Century baseball. Today the vintage base ball community is
bigger than ever and still growing with new teams being added every year. Wearing custom-
made retro uniforms and using the same types of gloves and wooden bats used more than a
century ago, the Bridgeport squad will begin play this spring and summer, holding its home
games at Seaside Park.
The Orators, founded by Bridgeport resident and team Co-Captain Joe Vigorito, are named in
honor of the professional club that played at Newfield Park in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Baseball Hall of Famer Jim “Orator” O’Rourke played for, managed, and owned those original
Orators.
The new Orators’ roster includes a number of Bridgeport-area residents and natives, many of
whom have played or coached at local high schools and colleges. In addition, local historian
Mike Roer, author of “Orator O’Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical,” has agreed to umpire
the team’s home games.
As is the custom of Vintage Base Ball, the Orators will decide, with their opponents, which era of
19th Century rules to use before each game. The different eras had significantly different rules,
with earlier eras calling for players to take the field without any gloves, for example. Depending
on the era, walks can come after anywhere from three to nine balls, pitchers can be required to
throw underhand or overhand, and balls caught on one bounce may be considered an out. In
some eras, batters also get to tell the umpire whether they want a “high” or “low” strike zone to
be called.
The Orators are scheduled to play their first game on Sunday, April 29, in Hartford against the
Hartford Dark Blues. Their first home game is slated for Saturday, May 12, when the Smithtown,
N.Y.-based Atlantic Base Ball Club will make its way across the sound to the Park City to take on
the hometown nine.
“It brings us great joy to introduce vintage base ball to our community. Baseball is such an
important piece of not only our national history, but also the history of the Park City. As a team
we look to honor and preserve the life and memory of ‘Orator’ Jim and all those who pioneered
the game we now call our national pastime. Maintaining a high level of authenticity and good
sportsmanship will be among our top priorities. I think my proudest moment will come when I see
all the smiling faces of those who participate in and come out to watch our games. We’re all very
excited about this upcoming season” said Vigorito
For more information, visit www.bridgeportorators.org.
February 9, 2007 jvigor254@hotmail.com
“VINTAGE” BASE BALL SQUAD TO CALL PARK CITY HOME
Long before the clanging of aluminum bats echoed across high school and college baseball
fields, decades before the signing of multi-million dollar major league contracts, and ages
before steroid scandals marred America’s pastime, baseball was a far different game. Players
wore baggy uniforms with high socks and swung heavy, wooden bats, while umpires and
managers often wore bow ties and bowler hats. Teams gathered on the field after matches to
give a cheer for their opponents, and outfielders caught towering fly balls with mitts that more
closely resembled an Isotoner than the bulky leather gloves of today – that is, if they wore
gloves at all.
Today, a group of local residents are trying to recapture the feeling of what the game was like
more than a century ago during its early days, while also highlighting the city of Bridgeport’s rich
baseball history. They have formed the “Bridgeport Orators Vintage Base Ball Club,” a team
that will compete against other Vintage Base Ball teams throughout the state and region in
various exhibitions, scrimmages and tournaments. The Vintage Base Ball movement began in
the mid 1990s with teams forming in several states across the country all of which play in the
garb and by the rules of 19th Century baseball. Today the vintage base ball community is
bigger than ever and still growing with new teams being added every year. Wearing custom-
made retro uniforms and using the same types of gloves and wooden bats used more than a
century ago, the Bridgeport squad will begin play this spring and summer, holding its home
games at Seaside Park.
The Orators, founded by Bridgeport resident and team Co-Captain Joe Vigorito, are named in
honor of the professional club that played at Newfield Park in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Baseball Hall of Famer Jim “Orator” O’Rourke played for, managed, and owned those original
Orators.
The new Orators’ roster includes a number of Bridgeport-area residents and natives, many of
whom have played or coached at local high schools and colleges. In addition, local historian
Mike Roer, author of “Orator O’Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical,” has agreed to umpire
the team’s home games.
As is the custom of Vintage Base Ball, the Orators will decide, with their opponents, which era of
19th Century rules to use before each game. The different eras had significantly different rules,
with earlier eras calling for players to take the field without any gloves, for example. Depending
on the era, walks can come after anywhere from three to nine balls, pitchers can be required to
throw underhand or overhand, and balls caught on one bounce may be considered an out. In
some eras, batters also get to tell the umpire whether they want a “high” or “low” strike zone to
be called.
The Orators are scheduled to play their first game on Sunday, April 29, in Hartford against the
Hartford Dark Blues. Their first home game is slated for Saturday, May 12, when the Smithtown,
N.Y.-based Atlantic Base Ball Club will make its way across the sound to the Park City to take on
the hometown nine.
“It brings us great joy to introduce vintage base ball to our community. Baseball is such an
important piece of not only our national history, but also the history of the Park City. As a team
we look to honor and preserve the life and memory of ‘Orator’ Jim and all those who pioneered
the game we now call our national pastime. Maintaining a high level of authenticity and good
sportsmanship will be among our top priorities. I think my proudest moment will come when I see
all the smiling faces of those who participate in and come out to watch our games. We’re all very
excited about this upcoming season” said Vigorito
For more information, visit www.bridgeportorators.org.
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