The word "crank" will take on new meaning, and the word "baseball" gets a split.

Above all, the old adage that there is no "I" in team gets batted about when league founder Steve Gazay gets the ball rolling with his new base ball club.

"Poor sportsmanship won't be allowed," says Gazay, who formed the Bay Area Vintage Base Ball league that will play according to the rules established in the Spalding Guide of 1886, which includes the original spelling of the sport: "base ball."

The game is essentially the same as the modern version, but there are a number of differences between the way the San Francisco Giants play today, and the way the game was played before the turn of the 20th Century. One major difference is in balls and strikes, with the pitch count consisting of seven balls and three strikes, and foul balls are not counted.

What has also drawn Gazay, and those who are actively playing in vintage base ball leagues, is more than just the old-fashioned rules and uniforms they wear—including v-neck shirts and knickers. For them it's a departure from the showmanship found strutting around the bases today. And the mindset—for them—of what the game is all about is as different as a third strike is from a home run.

"It goes back to being a gentleman's game," says Gary "Photo Joe" Rocha.

The No. 1 thing Rocha says he looks for in a recruit is not if he can play baseball; it's whether he is a gentleman.

"A lot of us here are here because we're tired of the behavior in [recreational] softball. We're tired of the competitiveness and the bickering," he says.

Jim Colvin agrees. "The biggest difference is there was more honor back then," he says. "There was zero tolerance for talking back and swearing during a game."

Colvin, a Sunnyvale resident who moonlights as the Homestead High School softball coach, also says players had a sense of protocol, addressing the umpire as sir and asking him for permission to bat. According to Colvin, the umpire (who was also allowed to smoke a cigar during the game) would then respond, "Striker to the line. I am going to let you bat."

BVBB is the first of its kind in the Bay Area and appears to be the first in California. Gazay is pursuing getting leagues started in the East Bay, San Francisco and the Morgan Hill­Gilroy areas.

Vintage clubs typically choose an era or a particular year in which to follow the rules which changed often.

"Back then they had a lot of rule changes from year to year," Gazay says.

In his league players will not be using modern-day protective gear and the fielders' gloves are about the size of a leather gardening glove, they also have no webbing. Some of players practicing at Westmont High School in Campbell had a hard time keeping the loose-fitting gloves on their hands.

Such anachronistic gear is part of the appeal of the league for Cupertino dentist and long-time little league coach, Dave Thompson. "I'm interested in the roots of baseball and liked the idea of an old-fashioned league with wooden bats," he said.

In addition, Thompson also appreciates one big change from the old rules. "Blacks weren't able to participate back then," he says, "but I am glad I have a chance to do so now."

Indeed, just one African American was allowed to participate. Moses Fleetwood Walker, a bare handed catcher, played briefly with the Toledo Blue Stockings of the major leagues in 1884. However, Walker was subjected to bigotry, and soon, after African Americans were prevented from playing in the major leagues until the arrival of Jackie Robinson in 1947.

The bats are homemade, as Rocha's brother-in-law turns the bats on his own lathe. Period bats are longer and "tend to be much heavier, with no knobs at the end, so they slip out of your hand," says Colvin.

Rocha says he also makes the balls for his club. "If you want to pull that yarn and string tight, you're going to make a harder ball. I tend to back off of that," he says.

Manufacturing the old-time equipment and uniforms is a growing industry, with one company in Hartford devoted solely to the business. But, while today's professionals get a new ball with just about every third pitch, the vintage game is sticking to the original procedures.

"If the ball went into the stands, the people would have to throw it back into the fields. Basically each team would bring one ball, and the winner would go home with the balls," Gazay says.

By the time the same ball gets knocked out of the park a few times, it is a bit "squishier" than what it was when the first underhanded pitch was thrown, Gazay says. Colvin, for one, appreciates the softer texture. "It makes it a little bit easier to catch," he says, "and has a little more give."

Gazay says that since games were played in areas that were essentially empty fields or sometimes farmland, the fans—or "cranks" as they were known then—were also allowed to stand in the outfield. If a batted ball were to touch a "crank" anywhere on the field, the ball was still considered in play.

The balls take a beating by the 50-ounce bats the BAVBB league uses compared to the average 30-ounce bat of today.

He may have a few other adjustments to make as he learns more about vintage-style play and culture. According to Rocha, players in the day were known to break out in song or sometimes rhyme.

Antics such as singing, poem recitals or the sometimes-rehearsed slamming of a hat to the ground were also common. Hat slammers received a reprimand and then had to apologize. Players would also have discussions about discrepancies on the field and part with a shake of the hand instead of the fist.

Such courtesy is part of what makes the game appealing for families and for players of all ages. Colvin says the age range runs from 18 to players in their 60s.

So far the team scrimmages against each other, though there is talk of teams from the East Coast making a visit. "It's really big back east," he says.

"It's catching on," says Cupertino's Thompson.

Colvin says, "we are always looking for more interested parties."

Or as an old-time umpire would say to interested players, "striker to the line."

For more information about the Bay Area Vintage Base Ball league, contact Steve Gazay at 408.378.1872, or visit the Web site at www.eteamz.active.com/BAVBB.