"Until the ending of the world"

Thus far the most consistent performer in the 2018 vintage base ball season has been the weather which has managed to rain out all but four of the Neshanock's scheduled matches, two of which were played on one day. Monday marked the renewal of the annual game with the Newtown Strakes as part of that Pennsylvania community's Memorial Day festivities.  Since the game had been rained out the past two years there was some concern about history repeating itself, but the game was played although before a smaller crowd than usual.  The Strakes are made up of players who come together for just this one game, but even with the two rain outs, the game has been played so many times the Newtown team can in no way be considered muffins.  Any doubts on that score were removed by the Neshanock's inability to pull off any of the trick plays Flemington saves for unsuspecting opponents.  As per usual for this game Flemington had an excellent turnout from its roster - 16 players almost enough to field two teams while the Strakes had only one less.  For a brief moment, it appeared like a Neshanock game would actually start on time, but some opening ceremonies delayed play being called until 12:12 with the Strakes at the strikers line.

With Bobby "Melky"Ritter in the pitcher's spot and a stout defense behind him, the Strakes went out without incident giving Flemington a chance to take the early lead and the Neshanock took full advantage.  Dan "Lefty" Gallagher led off with a double and made his run, followed by Dan "Sledge" Hammer, Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner and Gregg "Burner"Wiseburn all of whom made their base and then their run.  There was no scoring over the next four innings, but there was some good defense by both sides including a double play pulled off by the Strakes in the bottom of the second and fly and bound catches by "Melky" on the pitching lines.  Newtown however was too a good team to be shut down completely and the Strakes tied the game in the top of the fifth through a combination of some well placed hits and aggressive base running.  The match, however, did not stay tied for long as Flemington had the top of its order up in the bottom of the inning.  "Sledge" caught the left fielder playing too shallow and doubled over his head which was followed by extremely well placed hits by "Thumbs," Rene "Mango" Marrero and Meshack "Shaq" Dusane producing four Neshanock tallies.  Two more runs followed courtesy of productive outs by Scott "Snuffy" Hengst and Danny "Lunchtime" Shaw and the Nehsanock had broken the match open by taking a 10-4 lead.

Any hopes the Strakes had of a comeback were frustrated in the top of the sixth when "Mango" made a fine stop at third and threw the striker out at first.  Flemington added two more in the bottom of the seventh led by "Lefty's" triple, his second extra base hit of the day.  Newtown did manage to score twice in the top of the eighth and the local club's center fielder and third baseman made two excellent defensive plays in the bottom of the inning to thwart any chance of the Neshanock adding any more tallies.  Although two Strake runners reached base in the top of the ninth, no runs were scored and the Neshanock earned a 12-6 win.  It was a very efficient offensive game for Flemington which saw 12 of its 17 base runners score, it's not something I've tracked before, but it certainly stood out today.  "Sledge" had a clear score, although probably not the kind Henry Chadwick had in mind when he invented the statistic.   "Lefty," "Thumbs" and local hero Ken "Tumbles" Mandel each had two hits with "Tumbles" also making a mercifully brief appearance in the pitcher's box.  With the win Flemington is now 4-1 on the young season before heading into next weekends event at the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, the birthplace, not of base ball, but apparently some fine adult beverages.  Although not historically accurate video coverage of the match can be found at http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/video/category/sports/ and going to the video marked "Old School Baseball on Memorial Day."

Yesterday's game was, of course, played on Memorial Day 2018 a time for remembering those who gave their lives for our country, perhaps taking added significance this year as the 150th anniversary of the first Memorial Day observance back in 1868 as well as the World War I Centennial.  For whatever reason, remembering and honoring the war dead brings to mind Shakespeare's Henry V, especially the Band of Brothers speech which to me is one of the most powerful speeches in the English language calling on something deep within the human spirit.  In that speech, the embattled king does not promise his beleaguered and badly outnumbered army that they will win, survive or gain anything material from fighting the battle of Agincourt.  The only thing he promises his soldiers is that they will be remembered and not just in their own generation, but literally "until the ending of the world."  And since Shakespeare was a man of his word, both literally and figuratively, that is exactly what has happened as some 600 years later they are still remembered even if the battle itself had little lasting significance.

Newark Daily Advertiser - May 30, 1868

What is now called Memorial Day, began back in 1868 on "order" of General John Logan, the head of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union veterans organization, with instructions that flowers should be laid on the graves of Union veterans.  A quick review of newspaper accounts indicates observations in Elizabeth, Trenton, Jersey City and Newark, plus, I'm sure, other New Jersey cities and communities.  Commenting on the beginning of the parade in Newark from Military Park to Fairmount Cemetery, the Newark Daily Advertiser noted the significance of the event because it marked the first time the nation was honoring not just the dead resting in identified graves, but also "the thousands of graves of the "unknown" who were buried on battle fields and in prison yards all of the South from the Potomac to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi to the Atlantic." 

Meuse-Argonne Cemetery

Obviously remembering was easier for that first generation since at least some of the dead were their friends, family and acquaintances.  The more years in between the more difficult it becomes and the World War I dead are a good, but sad example of that.  Above is a picture of the Meuse Argonne Cemetery located near Romangne, France about 150 miles from Paris.  It is the largest American military cemetery in Europe, the final resting place of 14, 246 American soldiers most of whom died in the battle of the same name, many of them from New Jersey.  Sadly, supposedly the only Americans who visit the cemetery today are those seeking the grave of an ancestor or relative, otherwise most of the visitors come from other countries.  Obviously distance is an issue, but it's also reflective of how World War I has been supplanted in the historical memory by World War II as well as Korea and Vietnam.  The World War I generation was the first generation to experience compulsory military service on a large scale and they conducted themselves in a way that reflected credit on themselves and set an example for those of us who came after.  Our responsibility to them is to see that they are remembered and not just during the Centennial, but as Shakespeare put it "until the ending of the world."