Ballsportverein Berümt, normally known as BSV Berümt or sometimes just BSV, are a professional baseball club located in Berümt, Kolff, Günsovölk. They were one of six teams to join the Baseball Meisterschaft in the 1915 baseball season when the league expanded from 16 to 22 clubs.

History

BSV Berümt was officially founded on January 17th 1898 but can trace its roots back to 1894 when Zuidland BV was founded by a group of sports enthusiasts, playing baseball and association football. The club shared it’s grounds with Breitensportverein Achterberg, or BSV Achterberg, which formed the following year. Both clubs played in the Janszoonliga from 1895 to 1897, with BSV Achterberg finished as runners-up to Fortuna Juemen in 1896.

Following the collapse of the league at the end of the 1897 season with both clubs crippled by debt, and poor results by Zuidland BV, the clubs agreed to a merger at an office block located at Alt Reinickendorf 36, rebranding as Ballsportverein Berümt, the only club in Günsovölk where “BSV” stands for Ball Sport Club. The newly-merged club joined the Günsovölk Baseball-Bund and they officially adopted the nickname “Die Schildkröten” (The Turtles), that was given to Zuidland BV due to the players fondness for the native turtles in the area.

The clubs colors also represent both former teams, with the black and green of BSV Achterberg being paired with the blue and yellow of Zuidland BV, which became the de facto home and away strips, respectively.

The Kolff Baseballverband (KBV) was formed in 1898 as a replacement to the now defunct Janszoonliga, and BSV Berümt were founding members. In the inaugural season they finished 6th, bettering themselves the following year by finishing 5th. The club then went into a bit of a slump, concluding the next 5 seasons in 7th, 9th, 12th, 11th and 10th, respectively. The club languished between 6th and 9th for the next five years as the league expanded from 12 teams to 16, hovering just below mid-table the entire time.

It wasn’t until 1910 that the club found a bit of form, matching their highest ever finish of 5th before surpassing their position the following year to claim 3rd. A slip to 4th came after in 1912, before Die Schildkröten finished as runners-up in 1913, leading the league for the first half of the year before a dip in form saw them lose top spot.

BSV Berümt captured their first trophy when they won the Kolff Baseballverband in 1914, with the players and fans celebrating at the same building the team was formed in 17 years earlier. The timing of the victory could not have been better, with the Günsovölk Baseball-Bund undergoing a major restructuring in an attempt to create a baseball pyramid within the country. All state leagues (now Landesligen) – which included the Kolff Baseballverband – formed the second tier of baseball at the time following the reshuffle, the tier below the Baseball Meisterschaft. With Berümt being a major city without representation in the top flight, and based off their recent success, the GBB invited BSV Berümt to join the expanded Baseball Meisterschaft, which was accepted by telegram that following day.

Stadium

The home ground of BSV Berümt is Böschung Feld, situated in the heart of downtown Berümt. Originally, the stadium formed part of Böschung Park, a large public park that had an expansive green lawn in the northern-western corner for sport activities. By 1903, BSV Berümt had purchased the lawn from the local government and implemented various grandstands and concession stands over the decades, converting the area into what is now one of the most modern stadiums in Günsovölk.

Both foul poles sit very shallow to home plate due to adjacent roads that meet at an intersection just beyond center field, however, room was left to create grandstands beyond the 11 foot high outfield wall, which features the bullpens underneath. Center field is much larger but only doubles see a slight increase from league averages, with a giant electronic scoreboard sitting above more seating. This very hitter-friendly ballpark sees a 7% increase in batting averages for both left and right-handed hitters, with left-handers seeing a noticeable jump in home runs.