Baseball
It's going... going... gone, homerun! The history of Dallastown baseball was common to that of the past of Major League Baseball. From heavy wool uniforms and wooden bats to light cotton and aluminum, Dallastown's baseball has changed and progressed. The sport has been nicknamed America's pastime, and it is easy to see how it has become Dallastown's pastime as well.
Of course Dallastown baseball has changed a lot in many areas. First of all bunting, was used a lot more in the past. "Players don't bunt anymore because now Dallastown has designated hitters, also more people are interested in power hitting now, it's more fun to score a run than it is to lay down a bunt," states Mr. Dick Shoff previously a Dallastown Baseball coach for nearly thirty years.
Bunting is not the only thing that has changed, what about uniforms? "The uniforms were similar to waht the Major Leaguers used to wear, but even those have changed a lot," claims Mr. Harold Berger also a previous coach. "The uniforms were heave, hot wool, not the light weight cotton used today," comments Mr. Joe Ropp who played Dallastown baseball in the past, and has kept up with it to date.
There was also a change in Dallastown Baseball's rules. "There's only one change in the rules I know of," begins Mr. Ropp, "I know that metal cleats were allowed up until the late 1970's. They changed the metal cleats rule for the main purpose of preventing injuries, when players would slide into bases."
Dallastown's home field location also has changed. "They first had the field up on the hill in front of the schools, and that was really small, so they then built the diamond in back of the school and that, of course, has been there up until now," notes Mr. Berger.
Dallastown Baseball has had many changes, but what is the biggest? This question was answered by the interviewees. "They do play a lot more games," proclaims Mr. Berger. Mr. Ropp explains, "They went from wooden to metal bats. I understand that the batting averages are a lot higher with metal bats, because sometimes the wooden bats would break preventing what could have seen a hit." Mr. Shoff agrees with Mr. Ropp but adds, "The athletes now are overall, a little bit stronger. Also, Dallastown Baseball, in the last couple of years, has become more important to the players than in the past. Back in previous years, baseball was just something to do. Since it comes in the spring, and most athletes had already played football and basketball. Now, there are more dedicated players, who are devoted to baseball as there only sport."
From 1928, when Dallatown baseball began, to now and beyond, Dallastown Baseball has proven itself to be a growing, popular sport. It is one of the oldest Dallastown activities and has experienced many all-star moments and great plays in it's history. With all of the sports and activities that have come into play throughout the years Dallastown Baseball has remained at the top.
