A Rogues Gallery

Cancellation continues to be the theme for the Neshanock's 2018 season as the match with the Hoboken Club scheduled for July 28th has been cancelled.  Now 11-6 on the season, Flemington is scheduled to again take on the Hoboken Club on Saturday, August 4th at a to be determined location.  In the interim, please find below portraits (click to enlarge) of some of your favorite Neshanocks taken at Gettysburg.  Unless otherwise indicated, the photos were taken by Mark Granieri.

Chris "Sideshow" Nunn

Ken "Tumbles" Mandel

Meshack "Shack" Dusane

Joe "Irish" Colduvell

Dan "Sledge" Hammer pitching and Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner at short

Dan "Lefty" Gallagher, courtesy of KJS Photography

Matt "Professor" Ayres 

"Jersey" Jim Nunn

Mark "Gaslight" Granieri, courtesy of KJS Photography

Steve "Dave" Colon

Guess who? Courtesy of the Allegheny Ironsides

"A New Birth of Freedom"

Photo by Mark Granieri

Over the course of a six month base ball season, it's not unusual for a theme or pattern to develop that seems to characterize that particular year.  It might take the form of frequent close games, too many heart breaking losses (one may be too many) or a season full of injuries.  If we had to use only one word to characterize the Neshanock's 2018 campaign thus far it would be "cancellations."  Far too many games lost to the weather ranging from extreme cold to extreme heat, not to mention the old reliables, rain and wet grounds.  It should, therefore, have been no surprise that the ninth edition of the Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival was plagued by rain of biblical proportions.  Typically the weather issue at the festival is heat and humidity, conditions all too common to that small village in central Pennsylvania.  Since the weather forecasts predicted temperatures in the low 80's (mild for Gettysburg in July) with a chance of thunderstorms (a default summer prediction in Gettysburg), the weather outlook seemed promising.  However, just as Carol and I left home on Friday, we noticed that rain and a lot of it was predicted for Saturday.  On arrival mid-afternoon, we experienced the tease only the weather can offer, a beautiful albeit hot day, repeatedly leading to the thought (hope) it could somehow continue.

Photo by Mark Granieri

The Neshanock had, however, caught a break in the schedule, playing early on Saturday morning offering the possibility that we might get at least one match in before the rains came.  Flemington's opponent in the 8:30 opener was the Allegheny Ironsides from Donora, Pennsylvania about 30 or so miles south of Pittsburgh.  Donora, as most base ball fans will recall, is the birthplace of not one, but two Hall of Fame players - Stan Musial and Ken Griffey, Jr., not to mention Ken Griffey Sr., no mean player in his own right.  Founded in 2015, the Ironsides have a real challenge scheduling matches due to the lack of vintage clubs in western Pennsylvania.  Allegheny won the toss and elected to strike first under gray, but not particularly threatening clouds.  After the first striker was retired, the next Ironsides hitter reached first and promptly stole second only to be gunned down by Chris "Sideshow" Nunn when he tried to repeat the feat at third.  The play set an early pattern to the game as the Allegheny club tested "Sideshow's" arm, a test he more than passed, throwing out three runners in the process.

Photo by Mark Granieri

Having shut out the Ironmen in the top of the inning, Flemington quickly got to work in their turn at bat as the first four batters hit safely leading the way to four tallies and a 4-0 lead.  Allegheny responded with two runs in their next at bat, but the aforementioned defensive effort by "Sideshow" stopped any big rallies from developing.  Meanwhile, the Neshanock added two in the second and three in the third for a 9-2 lead, but were only able to score once in the next three innings.  During that same period, the Pennsylvania club added two more runs and trailed 10-4 heading to the top of the seventh.  When the Ironmen put runners on first and third with only one out, the sickening feeling of a lead slipping away crossed at least one mind on the Flemington bench.  The Neshanock defense, however, was equal to the occasion, retiring the side without allowing any runs and Flemington broke the game open adding seven more runs for a deceptive 17-5 victory.  Allegheny played error free ball in the field and the match could easily have been much closer.   The Neshanock offense was led by Dan "Sledge" Hammer with four hits, followed by Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner, Dan "Lefty" Gallagher and Steve "Dave" Colon with three apiece.

Photo by Mark Granieri 

Shifting quickly, and still ahead of the rain, to a new field for a new opponent, Flemington took on the Monarch Club of Moscow, Ohio in the second match of the morning.  Also, I believe, a relatively new club, the Ohio team was making its first appearance in the festival and had the misfortune to take on the Neshanock in a game where Flemington consistently got the good bounces in the field and the Monarchs got nothing but bad hops.  The game saw the Neshanock again take a 4-0 lead after one and the match quickly got out of hand in the second inning when Flemington added 10 tallies for an insurmountable lead on the way to a 23-8 victory.  As the score indicates, it was an especially productive offensive match for the Neshanock, led by "Sideshow" and "Thumbs" with four hits each, both earning a clear score in the process.  Although he had one less hit, "Lefty" more than made up for it terms of power, hitting two home runs.  "Sledge" also added three hits as did "Jersey" Jim Nunn and Meshack "Shack" Dusane.

Photo by Mark Granieri

Saturday also marked the return of crafty Neshanock veteran Mark "Gaslight" Granieri who had two hits in each game, and even more importantly, resumed his role as official blog photographer.  At one point during the second game, the sun even came out prompting thoughts/hopes the forecast was wrong.  Unfortunately, the ray of sunshine was literally the lull before the storm.  The game with the Monarchs finished under a steady rain growing into a downpour that continued with unrelenting fury into the early hours of the morning.  The Eclipse Club made every effort to get Sunday's games in, but the fields were simply too water soaked and they wisely cancelled the rest of the event.  Thanks as always to the Maryland club for the hard work and masterful management that goes into this event.  The Flemington Neshanock are proud to have been part this wonderful festival for every year since its inception.  We're already looking forward to the 10th anniversary in 2019, hopefully under drier conditions and for at least one year, I don't think anyone will complain about the heat.

Photo by Mark Granieri

One of the casualties of Saturday's storm was a battlefield tour that was going to end with a visit to the New Jersey and Pennsylvania sections of the National Cemetery.  Much of what I was going to say at the cemetery was based on ideas in Gary Wills' book - Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America.   According to Wills, once the fighting at Gettysburg was over, both sides rushed to interpret the meaning of the battle. Lincoln, however had a much higher goal, quite simply he was trying to win the entire Civil War or more specifically definitively define why the North was fighting the war.  And Wills thinks Lincoln successfully achieved that goal.  In his speech, Lincoln claimed the North was fighting to preserve a nation "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" with the goal of "a new birth of freedom" based on those principles of equality.  Those were hardly universally accepted sentiments in 1863, just one example is a contemporary editorial in the Chicago Times excoriating Lincoln for claiming that the Union dead were fighting for equal rights for blacks or that the founders entertained any such ideas.  Lincoln, of course, never mentions slavery in the Gettysburg address, but everyone knew what he was talking about.

Photo by Mark Granieri

Like most of Lincoln's deathless words, the phrase "a new birth of freedom" has become sanctified as part of American scripture, but that doesn't necessarily make it easy to visualize what it looks like in practice.  Earlier in July, in a grace filled moment, I had the opportunity to personally witness and experience the kind of equality I think Lincoln was talking about.  Due to a series of events that would have been hard to foresee, I accompanied a friend to a memorial service at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.  About 100 people gathered for the service, but what was impressive was the not the number present, but rather the remarkable diversity of the group encompassing race, sexual orientation, gender and age.  It's one thing, however, to bring a diverse group of people together, its quite another for them to interact on an unspoken, but no less real, level of equality, grounded on this occasion by their shared love and respect for the deceased.  Regardless of how it came to be, however, it was for me a striking demonstration of Lincoln's vision of what our country can be when we live out the core values embodied in the Declaration.  As eloquent as Lincoln's words were however, their effectiveness ultimately depended on the sacrifices of those who at Gettysburg "gave the last full measure of devotion."  Because of what they did there and because of what Lincoln said there, we live in a very different and a much better America.

Why Bother?

Right now there is a not entirely rhetorical question being asked by some baseball fans across the country including those who root for the Mets, Orioles and Marlins among others.  Given that your team is hopelessly out of contention, why bother paying good money to see bad baseball.  It's a question probably as old as the first pennant races in the major and minor leagues, something New Jersey fans first experienced in 1883,the inaugural season of the fledgling Interstate Association.  As noted in earlier posts, New Jersey started the season with two clubs in the new league, one in Camden which wouldn't even survive past July and another in the state capital of Trenton.  There had been some sort of semi-pro club in Trenton the prior few seasons so the coming of the Interstate Association meant a more structured environment and above all competition for a league championship.  Trenton didn't get off to a good start and, if the local media is anything to go by, the city didn't have a lot of patience for poor performance.  By mid May, the Daily True American complained that the local team "have done more to the discredit of Trenton in the matter of baseball than any other club that ever played under the name of Trenton" - strong words indeed!

Craig Brown's rendering of the 1883 Trenton uniform based on a very detailed newspaper description in the Trenton Evening Times of  July 20, 1883.  This is the earliest uniform Craig is aware of with a breast pocket, for more of Craig's work go to http://www.threadsofourgame.com/login/    

            

The paper demanded an infusion of new talent which wasn't long in coming, but the problems persisted and by late August, Trenton was still below .500 at 21-27, mired in sixth place (in a seven team league) well behind front running Harrisburg.  Although the Pennsylvania team was in first place when they visited Trenton on August 25, they were losing ground to Brooklyn (yes, that Brooklyn club) which would ultimately win the Interstate Association pennant.  There seemed little reason therefore for the practical Trenton fan to waste his hard earned dimes and quarters on the game at the Trenton cricket grounds on East State Street.  One possible incentive to attend was to see the club's new pitcher, John Valentine who had come to Trenton from the Columbus major league club, his 2-10 win-loss record being all the explanation needed for his availability.  It's perhaps a little surprising the club had added Valentine since they already had a competent pitcher in John Harkins, a local boy from nearby New Brunswick.  Previously a college student at Rutgers, Harkins was a rarity in professional baseball and would go on to play a few years in the major leagues spending most of his time with Brooklyn.

John Harkins

Valentine was described as "a fine specimen of athletic manhood" who even before he pitched a game for Trenton had made an impression on a portion of the fan base since "the luster of his diamond shirt-pin flashes with bewildering effect on the occupants of the ladies' stand."  Perhaps management figured that even if Valentine couldn't pitch, he might attract a few more fans to the ball park.  Thus far the new pitcher had done well, winning three of his first four starts, although the one loss, in his last outing, had seen him "slugged" by the Wilmington, Delaware club.  Interestingly, Jack Leary, the Harrisburg pitcher was also a relatively new member of his team, having joined the Pennsylvania team that same month.  Like Valentine, Leary had been in the major leagues earlier in 1883 with Louisville and Baltimore, not only as a pitcher, but also playing multiple infield and outfield positions.  While he may have indeed been literally a "jack of all trades" (sorry), he certainly wasn't a master batter, hitting below .200 with both teams.  He had, however, made a good first impression in Harrisburg, described by the Harrisburg Patriot as "a tricky man," one who "apparently uses brain work."  Leary also had a 3-1 record also losing his last start although in more low scoring fashion.

John Valentine 

The game began with Harrisburg in the field and Trenton wasted no time getting on the board, scoring twice as the game started in what the Trenton Evening Times described as "hurricane fashion," a pace maintained by Harrisburg who responded with three tallies of their own.  Apparently quickly losing patience with their new pitcher, "some in the crowd [were] discourteous enough to call for Harkins in the second inning."  Fortunately, Trenton captain, Jake Goodman stuck with Valentine who rewarded Goodman's faith by shutting out Harrisburg for the next six innings.  Leary, however, was nowhere near as effective, allowing Trenton seven more runs and the home team led 9-3 going to the bottom of the eighth inning.  Any Trenton fans who had been on the fence about attending the game were clearly feeling better about their decision and according to the Patriot "some of the crowd were already dispersing in anticipation of an easy victory."  There were however reasons why the Trenton club was in sixth place and even though as the Evening Times noted they had "played brilliantly at times," the eighth saw "a spell of that fumbling and monkeying which often proved disastrous."  Particularly at fault was outfielder Tom Lynch who reportedly "tripped over the ball a couple of times in left field, and then lay on the ground wholly regardless of the runners flying around the bases."

Thomas Lynch

Lynch is often confused with his far better known namesake who was a well known major league umpire before becoming president of the National League where he earned Charles Ebbets undying enmity.  This Lynch had his own brief major league career and upon his death in 1955 was believed to be the oldest living major league player.  When the dust finally cleared on the carnage reportedly brought on by Lynch's misdeeds, the game was tied at 8-8, heading to the ninth.  Any cynical Trenton fan probably expected the local club to fail to score in the top of the inning paving the way for Harrisburg to win in the bottom of the half, making an already painful loss, even worse.  However the game still had some surprises in store for both players and fans. Not only did both teams fail to score in the ninth, they also posted blanks for four more innings so the game was still tied after 13 innings.  At that point the Evening News felt the game should have been called for darkness, but it was decided to play one more inning.  Doubtless aided by fatigue on the visitors part, Trenton tallied twice in the top of the fourteenth on a combination of errors and passed balls.  Needless to say "the air was rent with applause" with Trenton understandably "considering themselves victorious."

A box score with a warning label - Trenton Evening Times - August 26, 1883

 Unfortunately, Harrisburg still had one more at bat and they "pounded Valentine unmercifully," combining three straight hits and a throwing error to tally three times and win the game 12-11.
Among those overwhelmed by the day's events was the Evening News reporter who warned his readers it was "only just to say the following score may contain several errors, as the reporter was not present for fourteen innings, and used all his paper, besides which other reporters were yelling like mad men and mixed things up."  Interestingly, a comparison between the local box score and that of the Harrisburg Patriot as well as one that appeared in Sporting Life reflects only minor differences.  Equally drained was the crowd which "went home silently," because of the tough loss, but also because it had "yelled itself hoarse" for a little under three hours (14 innings in less than three hours!).  Hopefully the game taught the reporter to be better prepared and also taught the Trenton fans that no matter how bad their ball club, every day at the ballpark has the potential for an unforgettable experience.

The Mutuals in New Jersey - then and now

We begin with a correction.  Reporting on the Neshanock's visit to Princeton two weeks ago, I wrote that Chris "Side Show" Nunn had broken Mark "Gaslight" Granieri's record for putouts by a catcher with 10 in a match against the Monmouth Furnace Club.  But this past week I got an email (from guess who) claiming that, in fact, "Gaslight" had also recorded 10 putouts in a game in Delanco, New Jersey almost exactly a year ago.  Checking the old score book, something I should have done in the first place, confirmed the claim so "Side Show" and "Gaslight" are now tied for the honor.  It should, however, also be noted that "Side Show's" feat was in a seven inning game potentially sparking a debate about asterisks, like the famous, or infamous, qualification of Roger Maris' 61 home run season. But since vintage base ball lacks a commissioner, we'll let that pass.  Last week the Neshanock were supposed to travel to Easton, Maryland for two games with the Talbot Fairplays, but the excess heat prompted cooler heads to call the cancel the matches.  With the benefit of a week off, therefore, the Neshanock made a rare north Jersey appearance on Saturday, traveling to River Edge for the sixth annual game on behalf of the Bergen County Historical Society.

William "Boss" Tweed

The two seven inning matches were played at New Bridge Landing, an important Revolutionary War site with the Neshanock's old friends, the New York Mutuals providing the opposition just as they did a year ago.  After allowing the New York club one tally in the top of the first, Flemington responded quickly with four of their own keyed by doubles from Rene "Mango" Marrero and Joseph "Sleepy" Soria.   The Neshanock added one in the second and three more in the third while keeping the Mutuals off the scoreboard in their next five at bats.  After Flemington added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, the New York team got some offense going in their last time at the striker's line, but it was too big a mountain climb and the Neshanock prevailed 10-5.  Flemington was led by "Sleepy's" clear score as well as two hits apiece from "Mango," Brian "Spoons" LoPinto and "Jersey" Jim Nunn.  The match also saw the welcome return of Steve "Cuz" Thompson who contributed a ringing double to the Neshanock attack.  Another offensive highlight was a double from Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner which was more crashing than ringing since it broke a window in one of the historic houses inconveniently placed in right field.  

After a respite long enough not just for "Casey at the Bat," but also "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," the second match began with the Neshanock at the striker's line.  Flemington tallied twice, but lost the opportunity for a big inning when two runners were tagged out on the bases.  That may or may not have been a negative Neshanock record, but, as Jeff "Duke" Schneider pointed out to me, it can't be far off.  Having dodged a bullet, the Mutuals quickly scored four runs and added four more in the second inning, using timely hitting to take an 8-2 lead.  After that the Mutuals defense took over (the New York club played excellent defense in both contests) and limited the Neshanock to only one run over the next five innings.  After the Mutuals added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, predictably, Flemington got its offense going, scoring five times and getting the tying run to the plate. It wasn't to be, however, and the New York team held on for a well earned 10-8 lead.  "Thumbs" led the Neshanock with three hits and a clear score, fortunately without inflicting any further damage on the historic windows.  After "Thumbs" came two hit contributions from Dan "Lefty" Gallagher, Joe "Mick" Murray, "Mango," "Sleepy," and Matt "Professor" Ayres.  With the split, Flemington stands 9-6 on the season heading into an open date before the ninth annual Gettysburg Vintage Baseball Festival, beginning on July 21st. 

What will henceforth be known as the Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner window at New Bridge Landing

Like the modern version of the Mutuals the original club was a frequent visitor to New Jersey especially during the 1860's and 1870's when the New Yorkers crossed the Hudson to take on the likes of the Eureka and Irvington Clubs.  One such visit to Irvington took place in 1867, just a year after the Irvington Club burst on to the national scene upsetting prominent teams like the Atlantics and the Eckfords.  Already blessed with such talented players as future major leaguers Charles Sweasy and Andy Jackson Leonard, the Irvington club leadership hadn't been idle during the off season, adding Mahlon Stockman and Lipman Pike.  Stockman wasn't a great hitter, but according to historian William Ryczek, his defensive skills were at the same level as George Wright and Dickey Pearce, the top shortstops of the day.  Pike, the "first great Jewish baseball player," was at the beginning of a 15 year professional career and would become, according to Robert Schafer, his SABR biographer, "among the premier sluggers of his time."  With the addition of Pike and Stockman, the Irvington infield, which already featured Sweasy and Hugh Campbell, was, in Ryczek's opinion,"equal to any in the country."

Lipman Pike 

With Irvington now literally and figuratively on the base ball map, the match was guaranteed to draw a large crowd and a reporter for the New York Sunday News provided a vivid description of the scene on the road to the small farming community near Newark.

                    On Friday, June 28th, the Mutuals visited Irvington, N.J., to play the 

                    first game of home and home match with the celebrated Irvington Club of

                    that place who have acquired the first rank in the base ball world in

                    consequence of their victories over such clubs as the Union of Morisania,

                    and the Eurkeas of Newark, N.J.  For weeks prior to the match it has 

                    the topic of conversation in base ball circles, and the excitement in regard

                    to it surpassed anything we have known for the past several years.

                    In addition to the usual modes of conveyance, via cars, etc. to Newark, the

                    roads from Jersey City leading to Irvington were literally thronged with a

                    procession of vehicles of every description, including carriages, baroches,

                    light wagons, ominbuses, and hotel coaches, the Mutuals going out in two

                    of the St. Nicholas coaches.  Among those we noticed on the road going to

                    witness the afternoon's pastime were Judges Barnard and Handley, 

                    Supervisors Tweed and Hayes, Alderman Shannon, O'Brien, Norton and 

                    others; Councilman Long, Hartman and Kinney. A very pleasant party,

                    consisting of Coroner Gover, Jas. McConnell, George W. Millar, M. Howlett

                    and Fred Goodieson, were in a barouche, and apparently enjoyed themselves

                    to the top of their bent from the start to the finish.

The presence of such a large number of politicians shouldn't be surprise since the Mutuals were very closely connected to Tammany Hall, the New York City Democratic political machine.  Had they recognized the politicians, especially "Supervisor Tweed," knowledgeable Irvington fans would have realized their team had more at risk than just the game.  Before what the Sunday Mercury described as "a dense mass of spectators numbering fully 15,000," the Mutuals quickly took charge, building a 15-6 lead as the game headed to the bottom of the seventh.  Up to this point, the large crowd had apparently been relatively orderly, but so many people and so few police made some kind of disturbance inevitable and the inevitable happened as the Irvingtons came up for their seventh turn at the striker's line.  The Sunday Mercury reporter described the action off-the-field.  

                     The tally now stood 15 to 6, and things began to look bad for the Irvingtons.

                     Just about this time, a pickpocket's fight occurred, time being called for

                     about ten minutes.  The disturbance was caused by four Newark rowdies

                     and a party of Newark roughs of the lowest order, who had imbibed from

                     the liquor stands on the grounds, this crowd being incited to a row by a 

                     party of pickpockets who wanted to get hold of several gold watches and 

                     flush pocket-books they had seen in the crowd.  For a time the scene was 

                     very turbulent, about a dozen fellows being engaged in it, nearly all being

                     of the bull-necked low-brow'd, crop-haired brutes, who degrade humanity

                     so much in our cities.  Both clubs did their best to quell the disturbance, 

                     the Mutuals especially, as the fight was undoubtedly working against their

                     interests; in fact its effect on the play of the nine was made plainly apparent

                     before the close of the seventh inning.

Contemporary picture of an 1866 Atlantics-Athletics match in Philadelphia - note the gamblers and pickpockets in the lower left hand corner

It would be fascinating to know how the reporter distinguished between "rowdies" and "roughs" and the presumed difference between "roughs of the lowest order" and any other category of rough.  In any event, order was eventually restored, but when play resumed, the Irvington offense woke up and not a moment too soon.  The local team tallied six times in the seventh and four more in the eighth while holding the Mutuals to only one run so the match entered the ninth tied at 16.  The Sunday News reporter picked up the story.

                     The Mutuals went to the bat but were only allowed one run, Zeller having 

                     the credit of it, making the score 17-16 in their favor, with an inning left

                     for the Irvingtons.  The latter sent in Lewis their first striker, who was finely

                     disposed of by Jewett on a foul-fly catch, which equalled anything we ever

                     witnessed in a base ball field.  Pike now stepped forward with an evident

                     determination to tie the game if possible.  He hit a long and high ball to the 

                     center field, which was caught by Zeller on the fly, and notwithstanding 

                     his good intentions he was obliged to retire.  Leonard now took the bat as 

                     the Irvington's forlorn hope, but unfortunately struck a ball toward Martin,

                     who quietly fielded it to Bearman thus ending the game in favor of the 

                     Mutuals.

While the Sunday Mercury described the game as "one of the most exciting we have witnessed for years" that was little satisfaction to the Irvington Club and in the end they lost more than the game.  In July, after playing just six games for Irvington, Lipman Pike defected to the Mutuals where according to a Newark newspaper he had "secured a $1200 clerkship under Supervisor Tweed," doubtless a position with a very flexible work schedule.  Understandably outraged, the Irvington Club expelled Pike rather than accept his resignation,raising the question of his eligibility to play for the Mutuals, an issue the New York club simply ignored.  Clearly the Mutuals recognized talent when they saw it, weren't afraid to go after it and had the resources to do so.  Even without Pike, the Irvington Club still had another good season in 1867, but the handwriting was on the wall - although willing to pay players, the New Jersey team lacked the financial wherewithal to hold on to top quality talent.