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The Early Riser Base Ball Club of Detroit commenced play in 2009, the sesquicentennial anniversary of the original club. Their home field is at historic Fort Wayne, a star fort on the Detroit River that dates back to 1845. Matches are played both on the parade grounds (which hosted base ball matches during the 19th century) and in the center of the star fort itself. Each Early Riser player is a member of the nonprofit Historic Fort Wayne Coalition. The original Early Risers played in 1859 and 1860. Having day jobs, they were unable to join the Detroit BBC, which held practices on weekday afternoons. So they formed their own club and, heeding Ben Franklin’s “early to bed and early to rise” maxim, held practices at the crack of dawn. The club’s practice field was in the city center on Campus Martius, and they became known for batting balls through the windows of the nearby Russell House hotel. The Early Risers played the Detroit BBC in the first regulation match ever held in Detroit on August 8, 1859. The club disbanded after shots were fired at Fort Sumter and half of its players joined the Union army. ContactRob McCallam |