(Chelsea Update would like to thank “Honest Jon” Van Hoek for the information in this story.)
The Chelsea Monitors, brave practitioners of the national pastime of “base ball,” begin our 11th season of play on Saturday, May 15.
We invite you to come be a part of the fun. Help us turn the pandemic into a FANdemic. You are sure to enjoy this unique glimpse into baseball’s origins, as we engage in a dynamic skirmish following of the written rules of 1860, and once more engage in the sometimes treacherous yet always entertaining spectacle of trying to corral a hurtling orb without aid of a glove.
The match will take place at 1 p.m. on May 15 at Timber Town Park on Sibley Road, just north of downtown Chelsea. Timber Town has been the friendly home confines of the Monitors since we resurrected the name of one of Chelsea’s original baseball clubs back in 2011.
On Saturday we will welcome to town one of the pre-eminent clubs in Michigan, the Mt. Clemens Regular ball club, as well as the fledgling Lansing Senators ball club, which will be playing its second-ever match. This 3-club affair will be played in a rotational format which we call a “gatling-gun” match, where each club plays an equal amount against the other two, highest tally wins.
If you’ve yet to take in one of our matches, you will assuredly not regret coming out to enjoy. We are an amateur club, playing for the love of the game and to put on an affordable (FREE!) and entertaining local attraction here in town. We are your friends and neighbors. We come together from baseball backgrounds vast and vacant.
And we are all furiously trying to turn back the clocks to our primes. Occasionally we make some miraculous plays and launch formidable clouts. More often we are just on the cusp of greatness. We’re anti-influencers, we create very little content, and we do all our own stunts. We are renaissance men of hustle and humility.
If you can’t make it this Saturday, there will be more opportunities this campaign.
Home matches are lined up for June 20, July 18, Aug. 28 and Sept. 11, with another local scrimmage or two likely thrown together. We may even invite the Tigers into town, to (hopefully) boost their confidence.
The best way to stay in the loop is to check out our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ChelseaMonitors, where our full 2021 schedule can be found.
You can also get in touch via email: [email protected] for more info and any questions.
Additionally, we’re always looking to get more folks involved. Anyone interested in getting some fun exercise and trying their hand at the game is invited to come to our weekly open practices, and join some of the finest company you’ll find. Practices usually turn into lively sandlot scrimmages.
There is no charge to attend our matches. Just bring chairs or blankets and set up shop at the field to enjoy. Plenty of room to remain socially distanced and still enjoy the action. We will be socially distancing by 90 foot increments, hopefully in abundant numbers.
This year, we are also encouraging spectators to support the local businesses that help make Chelsea great. Grab some takeout fare from one of the many outstanding Chelsea restaurants and bring it to the match. While you’re at it, why not stop and pick up a birthday or Father’s Day gift at a local shop here in town? Let’s support the community in a trying time for small businesses.
Hope to see you out at the field this year, and Huzzah.
