Milwaukee, WI
Preserving America's Pastime: Milwaukee vintage baseball team plays by the 1860 rules
MILWAUKEE — Recently, America’s past time, baseball, has gone through rule and style of play changes. Some have said it should go back to how it was played in the olden days. But how far back in the past should we go? Well, one Milwaukee group of players said let’s take the game back to 1860.
The Milwaukee Grays are a vintage baseball team. They adhere to 1860 rules. Some of those differences are: batters are called strikers, pitchers are hurlers, no gloves, no called balls or strikes, any ball caught on one bounce is out, no smiling in team photos, and only using your teammate’s nicknames.
“There’s a gentleman-ly-ness to it,” Justin Krider, the team’s outfielder said.
Watch what vintage baseball looks like…
Milwaukee vintage baseball team plays by the 1860 rules
Some nicknames of the Grays players are: HR, Cell Block, Preacher, Maestro, Old Dog, Sleepy, and Night Owl.
The team name ‘Grays’ is an homage to Milwaukee’s first-ever professional team, the Milwaukee Grays. They played in the National League in 1878.
“We play to win. We want to win, but the bottom line is we’re here to be competitive, have fun, meet new people, and show people what it’s like to play 1860. So it’s all about the baseball history,” Dave Heller the team’s behind (or catcher), said.
The team’s home field is Estabrook Park in Milwaukee. They play about 15 times a summer. However, they have to travel to Indiana, Minnesota, or Illinois for many games because there aren’t other teams around the city. But the Grays are trying to change that.
“15 years ago, at one point, there was 6 teams in the Milwaukee greater metro Milwaukee area. And they have dwindled down to now we’re just the grays. So last year we decided to make a second team so we would have more games in Milwaukee,” Krider said.
That second team is the West Ends. You can join either team by sending an email to Grays on the team website.
“I think it’s kind of cool to see the game evolve from almost day 1,” Heller said.
You can watch the Grays at Estabrook Park on Sept. 14 and Oct. 6. The games are free.
It’s a way for these baseball fans to play the game they love and preserve America’s pastime before it even became America’s pastime.
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Milwaukee Wave coach Marcio Leite 2025-26 team’s evolution in MASL
See first-year Milwaukee Wave head coach Marcio Leite discuss the roles of younger players and veterans as the 2025-26 MASL season begins.
The Milwaukee Wave had been in the awkward position of trying to sell tickets to the MASL championship series without knowing when it would actually host a game.
The questions were answered late April 19, when the San Diego Sockers beat the St. Louis Ambush in the other semifinal in overtime. Their series didn’t even start until four days after the Wave eliminated the Baltimore Blast with victories in a regulation Game 2 and knockout Game 3 at the UWM Panther Arena.
Now the finals are set for two of the most decorated teams in arena soccer.
The Wave will host Game 1 at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, April 22 and then the series will finish at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California, with Game 2 at 9:30 p.m. April 24 and a potential Game 3 at 9 p.m. April 27.
Three versions of the Sockers have totaled 16 championships in various indoor league with the latest iteration founded in 2009 owning six of those. The Wave has seven.
First-year Wave head coach Marcio Leite has won titles with both franchises.
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred on early Sunday morning on the 4900 block of W. Capitol Drive that left one person injured.
An 18-year-old sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
TMJ4
The police is currently looking for an unknown suspect at this time.
Those with information regarding the shooting are encouraged to contact the Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360 or contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 Tips to remain anonymous.
Let’s talk:
Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.
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MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department requested the public’s help to find 11-year-old Sir’Charles Bason, a critically missing boy who was last seen near Teutonia and Kiley at around 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
Police described Bason as 4 feet, 5 inches tall with a slim build, brown eyes and black, low-cut hair. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket with green lines, dark-colored jeans, tan sandals and carrying gray Nike Jordan shoes.
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What you can do:
Anyone with information on Bason’s whereabouts is asked to call Milwaukee Police District 4 at 414-935-7242.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department released information.
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