Chicago Salmon
Vintage Baseball Club
Chicago Salmon News and Updates From Facebook
I have been able to speak to both Dee Hilbert, Historic Methodist Campground, Volunteer Manager-Programs-Events, 4-H Organization Leader, and Max Lucasky, the lumberjack that cut down the trees at the Historic Methodist Campground of Des Plaines.
We plan to start work at the campground this Saturday morning at 10:00 A.M. We will meet with Max Lucasky who will give us an understanding of how to do the remaining clean up, and restoration.
Yes, I have checked out the weather report. The bulk of the snow will fall between 11:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. The final 1 to 2 inches will come down from 6:00 A.M. to Noon Saturday. The wind gusts will be from 20 to 30 mph.
Our first task will be to load and transport the logs to Horigan Urban Forest Products in North Chicago. I will rent a 6 by 12 foot trailer from UHaul to transport the logs. With about eleven logs it may take as many as three trips. Horigan will cut the logs into 36 to 37" billets, and kiln dry them.
The billets may be ready in 3 to 6 months for Razor to pick up and make Historic Methodist Campground/Chicago Salmon base ball bats out of. He is planning on having them ready by the 2020 season, which ironically will be our club's 25th anniversary. We are expecting them to sell for $100 each. Razor is paying for all of the costs. Once he has sold enough bats to cover his expenses. He will divide the profits up three ways: 1/3 to the HMC, 1/3 to the Chicago Salmon, and 1/3 to himself for his labor.
In addition we want to cut the branches and remaining logs to 18 inch lengths and pile them up at the side of the entrance by Campground Road to be made available for firewood. I will take one load of the "scrap" branches by trailer to my church property near Vernon Hills where I can burn them.
We will do as much as the weather and our manpower allows us to do on Saturday. We will continue to return to the HMC until we have at least cleared Grove # 3 and hopefully more as our time and help will allow.
I will buy lunch at Portillo's for everyone that helps out Saturday. Yes they have hot chocolate, coffee, and tea!
I will bring my 18" Husqvarna 455 Rancher chainsaw. Max indicated he will also bring some tools.
I have attached the photographs I took last Friday of Grove #3.
This will be the Chicago Salmon's team service project at the HMC before our 2019 season starts, cleaning up and possibly reseeding the field.
The Chicago Salmon will continue to play vintage base ball on Grove #3 without the trees.
Thank you to all of the Chicago Salmon and their friends that will make the time to restore the grounds of the Historic Methodist Campground of Des Plaines.
Here is another look at what is left of the trees in Grove #3 at the Historic
Methodist Campground of Des Plaines.Grove 3 from the hotel looking east. Stan Kotecki Photo.
The Chicago Salmon visited this wonderful site last July. It is great to hear that Kansas City and private citizens have stepped up to repair and improve it!
This book about base ball’s winter business meetings co-authored by many current vintage base ball players and SABR members could be useful.
#Amazon
Base Ball's 19th Century "Winter" Meetings: 1857-1900 (SABR Digital Library)
amazon.com
BASE BALL’S 19TH CENTURY “WINTER” MEETINGS looks at the business meetings of base ball’s earliest days (not all of which were in the winter). As John Thorn writes in his foreword, “This monumental volume traces the development of the game from its birth as an organized institution to its v...A well written summary of vintage base ball in the Midwest.
Vintage Base Ball: Bringing the Game’s Past to the Present | The Hardball Times
fangraphs.com
Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.