"Striker, to the line!" the umpire barks to start the match.
After the hurler delivers a couple more underhanded tosses, a crank in the grandstand yells, "Kill the ump!"
Another crank expresses his displeasure with the umpire's work.
The umpire points toward the unruly patron and barks, "That will be a 25-cent fine for ungentlemanly conduct!"
On a warm Saturday afternoon at historic Warren Ball Park in Bisbee, 19th century "base ball" (in the 1800s, the sport was spelled as two words) enthusiasts representing the Phoenix Senators and the Bisbee Bees played a doubleheader with two sets of rules -- 1865 for the first game and 1880 for the second.
The promotion served two purposes.
It was a fundraiser for the current Bisbee Copper Kings, who play in the Pacific Southwest Baseball League, the same semipro league for college-age players that includes the Casa Grande Cotton Kings, and a celebration of Bisbee Ball Park's centennial.
Adding to the aura of the old-time feel was playing in a historic site like Warren Ball Park, built in 1909 and believed to be the oldest functioning ball yard in America.
There's a story that Babe Ruth once hit a home run there, but Mike Anderson, organizer of the event and a Bisbee Bee player, doesn't believe it to be true.
"However, I know that (Olympic and pro football legend) Jim Thorpe hit a home run over the center-field fence once when the New York Giants played here barnstorming on their 1913 world tour," Anderson said. "There were a number of Hall of Famers on this field that day, including the umpire, Bill Klem."
The Bees and Senators are a part of the Arizona Vintage Base Ball League, founded two years ago by enthusiast and baseball historian John Tenney.
The league has about 12 games scheduled this season, primarily at Papago Park in Tempe.
"This is our second game in a historic park, and if you let your mindset go and put yourself in the era, it's absolutely wonderful," Lance Busch, a Phoenix Senators player, said. "We've got a great fan base today that's dressed for the part, so it's like stepping into 1865 all over again."
Vintage base ball has picked up in popularity over the last couple of decades.
Anderson said there are leagues in California and Colorado.
It's been popular for years in the eastern United States.
"This is the only vintage base ball league in Arizona," Anderson said.
Base ball is played with replica vintage equipment. The gloves resemble a modern leather work glove with an open back and no padding.
The bats are smaller and lighter; the ball used for the 1865 game is referred to as the lemon-peel ball, because of the stitching design and shape.
The balls cost around $20 to $30 apiece, depending on the manufacturer and the era.
The bats average 35 inches in length, tend to be heavier than today's bats, have a thicker handle and cost around $40 each.
Replica gloves range from nearly $30 for a 19th century fingerless glove or an 1870s Spaulding model to around $40 for a "Foxy" Irwin model for 1880s rules.
One concession the Senators and Bees made to modern times was the authentically designed uniforms, which are made with polyester rather than the thick wool flannels that were used until 1970.
Another concession to modern times was the inclusion of women in the lineups. Each team had a female member.
The Senators, for example, had Jackie Alexander of Phoenix in right field.
"A friend of mine was into it and recruited me," said Alexander, 43, who co-owns a construction company with her brother. "Until I joined, I hadn't played any kind of ball since eighth grade, and this is only my third game since then."
Larry Bleich, 59, a senior vice president of development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Scottsdale, is also a newcomer to old-time base ball.
He's a co-captain of the Senators.
"I love it," Bleich said. "It's all about maintaining the integrity and sportsmanship of the game. It's competitive, but first and foremost, it's about the integrity of the game, and understanding the early rules is just a byproduct."
The players find themselves wrapped up in a form of time travel, and they're performing a form of historic preservation.
