Rep. Michel Stinziano (D-Columbus) and Rep. Nancy Garland (D-Gahanna) pose with members of the Ohio Village Muffins base ball team in front of the Ohio Statehouse to promote a historic match between state lawmakers and Central Ohio's vintage base ball team. The Capitol Cannons - a bi-partisan team made up of members of the Ohio House and Ohio Senate - compete against the Ohio Village Muffins on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse on Friday, July 22, 2011.
Vintage base ball (two words prior to the 1880s), is a game played by the rules and customs of the 19th century. Players, umpires and scorekeepers dress in period attire and play base ball as it was originally meant to be played circa 1860. The event is part of the yearlong festivities that mark the Statehouse Sesquicentennial.
Referee Richard Schuricht, Curt Green and Chip Moore model the Muffins uniforms patterned after the Currier and Ives lithograph "The American National Game," on display at the Ohio Historical Center. The name "Muffin" originates from the organization of 1860s gentlemen's base ball clubs. The best squad was known as the "first nine," the second-string players were the "second nine," and those not well skilled were the "muffin nine," a muff being the term for an error.