Sunday, February 10, 2013

4thAnnual Copper City Classic Vintage Base Ball Tournament

The Friends of the Warren Ballpark is hosting the 4th Annual Copper City Classic Vintage Baseball Tournament, Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, Sunday April 7th, 2013 at Bisbee’s 104 year-old Historic Warren Ballpark, the REAL Field of Dreams in Bisbee, Arizona.    Gates open at 10:00 A.M. on both Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy old style base ball played by 1860 rules. Click here to buy tickets on line.

 Join fellow cranks--the 1800’s term for fans--as the teams take the field wearing old-style uniforms to play the game as it was played 140 years ago!  At least six teams will be playing in this year’s tournament.  Five Arizona Territory Vintage Base Ball League teams including our local team, the Bisbee Black Sox are featured.  Also, last year’s fan’s favorite, the Colorado All-Stars team, is returning.

 The two-day event is dedicated to Earl Wilson, John McGraw, and Tony Antista. Earl Wilson started his professional career as a catcher in 1953 with the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings. He went on to pitch a no-hitter for the Red Sox in 1962. After being traded to Detroit, Earl Wilson won 22 games for the Tigers in 1967. Jim “Mudcat” Grant, the first African-American 20 game pitcher and author of The Black Aces will be present to talk about Earl Wilson’s career.

Warren Ballpark is the ballpark in Bisbee, AZ where John McGraw, the manager of the New York Giants, and company stopped to play an exhibition game on their way around the world in 1913. A ferocious player and equally ferocious manager, McGraw won ten National League pennants in thirty seasons with the Giants. A record surpassed only by Casey Stengel.

The hottest hitter in the southwest in 1930, Tony Antista, the "Walloping Wop" was also one of the smallest men on the diamond, the game's finest musician and the friend of a future president. The Friends will honor Antista, one of the best ballplayers to step up to the plate in a Bisbee uniform, at this year's Copper City Classic Vintage base Ball Tournament.

This year the tournament will also commemorate the New York Giants-Chicago White Sox 1913-1914 world tour that stopped to play a game at Warren Ballpark. Jim Elfers, author of The Tour to End All Tours will be present to talk about his book on the world tour.

“Mudcat” Grant and Jim Elfers along with ballpark historian Mike Anderson will be speaking on Saturday night, April 6th at 7:00 p.m. The presentation is free at 555 Restaurant, 202 Tombstone Canyon in Old Bisbee. Reservations are suggested; call 520.432.3813.

Ticket prices are $10 for a single day and $15 for both days; children age 12 and under are free with an adult ticket.  Active military free on Sunday, April 7th.    Along with plenty of baseball, you will find family fun, favorite baseball food, hot dogs, sodas, cold beer and souvenirs.  This year, the Old Bisbee Brewing Company will be serving-up their special brand of beer.  Local vendors will be providing scrumptious “park” food.

Proceeds benefit Warren Ballpark Restoration.

Posted on Sunday, February 10, 2013

Posted in category - Post tags: tournaments

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

2013 Tournament News

Mark your calendar for the 2013 Copper City Classic Vintage Base Ball Tournament on April 6 and 7, 2013. 

This year the tournament is dedicated to the centennial of the 1913 World Tour conducted by the New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox. The two teams stopped in Bisbee to play an exhibition game. We have invited teams from New York and Chicago to participate.

Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Posted in category - Post tags: tournaments

Friday, March 30, 2012

2012 Copper City Classic Vintage Base Ball Tournament

The Friends of Warren Ballpark’s 2012 Copper City Classic Vintage Base Ball Tournament was a great success, thanks to our many volunteers, players, vendors and those who attended as “cranks” (fans).

We thank the ballists of the Arizona Territories Vintage Base Ball League, the Glendale Gophers, Phoenix Senators, Bisbee Bees and Tucson Saguaros along with the local team the Bisbee Black Sox. This year we were honored to have two out-state-teams the Colorado All-Stars and the Springfield Long Nine who traveled long distances to enliven the tournament with their colorful uniforms and particular brand of vintage base ball.

Pat Kelly of the Tombstone Vigilantes kept the players and cranks in line as arbitrator while officiating the Saturday games. John Everhart served as the tally master when, in the tradition of 1860’s baseball, a player rang a bell to indicate they “tallied an ace” (scored a run). Members of the Busch family (Lance Busch captains the Gophers) also served as arbitrator and tally master on Saturday and Sunday.

The tournament honored ballplayers Syd Cohen and Charlie Metro past ballists at Warren Ballpark. We were privileged that Elena Metro, Charlie’s daughter, attended the tournament to throw out a first pitch and provide personal information about her Dad’s career.

We had several announcers who kept the cranks informed and entertained. Tom Nelson and Dave Cartun announced in the mornings. Matt Raisman from Cherry Creek Radio kept up a lively patter with the teams during the afternoon games.

We can’t thank the Moose’s Hotdog crew enough. Luis Chavez, Tom and Dora-Lee Clark, Rickie Polidora and Jodie Ryan stepped up as the only food vendor when another vendor was unable to participate. We are grateful to the old Bisbee Brewing Company for providing their freshly made local beer and root beer.

Bisbee Unified School District was great to work with. Roy Lopez always a pleasure to work with opened and closed the field and kept the restrooms clean and supplied.

A big tip of our baseball caps and a very loud “huzzah!” goes to our many sponsors and to our volunteers who provided security, sold tickets and beer, ran raffles and planned the event. This letter would be much longer if all were named but thank you so much. Everyone’s participation was valued.  The funds raised will be used as matching funds for grants to help fund our next project, construction of accessible public restrooms.

Posted on Friday, March 30, 2012

Posted in category - Post tags: tournaments