On Sunday June 1, 2008 the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings vintage base ball team travels to Mansfield, Ohio to play against the Mansfield Independents vintage base ball club. The game starts at 2:00 p.m. at the Mansfield Senior High School baseball diamond at Arlin Field. Mansfield, Ohio was the first stop, outside the Greater Cincinnati Area, for the first ever all professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings (now the Cincinnati Reds). The original game took place on June 1, 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings won 48 to 14, at Davey Field in Mansfield, Ohio. While the Cincinnati Red Stockings were a professional baseball team, the Mansfield Independents comprised mostly (if not entirely) of amateur players.

I am attending the Davey Field Classic this year. I was born in Mansfield, Ohio and grew up there. I moved to the Greater Cincinnati area over ten years ago. With family in both Northern and Southern Ohio, I grew up following both the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians, and still follow both teams to this day. Despite growing up and playing youth baseball in Mansfield, I only learned of Mansfield's place in baseball and sports history several years ago. Until recently, there were few people in Richland county aware of the historical game played at Davey Field in 1869. The city of Mansfield is celebrating their bicentennial this year, causing many to refocus on the history of the region, which prompted a remake of the Mansfield Independents team and a rematch between them and the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

I've walked over the roadway bridge on West Fourth Street in Mansfield, Ohio above the original Davey Field location many times. I've been to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum and seen the plaque showing the teams the Cincinnati Red Stockings played in their first year as a professional baseball team in 1869, and smiled upon seeing Mansfield as one of the earliest professional baseball games ever played. I've attended a couple of 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings vintage base ball games, and always hoped that a vintage style rematch would take place some day. Tomorrow, my wish becomes reality as Mansfield begins celebrating their bicentennial, with the Davey Field Classic. For the first time ever, I find myself compelled to root against a Cincinnati Reds team, but please don't flame me for that. After all, when you come from a small town, how can you root against your home town team?

For details on attending the game, please see my post:

http://www.thelotd.com/ohiobaseball/blog/2008/05/31/2008_davey_field_classic__vintage_base_ball_game