Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was one of nineteenth-century America's greatest humorists and writers whose work has endured at least partially because of his timeless understanding of human nature. One very popular saying attributed to Twain is that "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it," although it may be that Charles Dudley Walker, his collaborator on The Gilded Age actually wrote the line. But no matter who wrote it, it is, of course, unarguable that no one can change the weather. That doesn't, however, mean nothing can be done about it or, perhaps more appropriately, in spite of it. Anyone with any doubts on that score should check with the Elkton Eclipse vintage base ball club and the 23 other teams who along with fans, friends, and families gathered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania this past weekend for the 10th annual National Nineteenth-Century Base Ball Festival where the weather was no small issue.
Always Appropriate Advice at Gettysburg
How hot was it? Well, it hit 94 degrees on both days, about 12 degrees warmer than the average temperature during the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863. Fortunately, the Elkton Club provided a structure that enabled the participants, if they chose, to do something about the truly oppressive conditions. Since the Gettysburg event is a festival and not a tournament, each match is a self-contained unit with the outcome relevant only to the participating clubs. As a result, in every game, the two teams had the ability to shorten the match to seven innings or whatever length they desired so long as was by mutual agreement. Having given teams the authority to adjust as necessary, Elkton added the standard cautions about shade and hydration which the Neshanock and, I'm guessing, the other teams took very seriously. The area behind the Neshanock bench resembled a canopy city with so much water and Gatorade on hand, that even with the excessive heat there was more than a little left for the ride home after Sunday's final game.
Canopy City - Neshanock Style
Flemington's first game of the festival wasn't scheduled until 1:45 on Saturday, but two Neshanock players, Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner and Chris "Low Ball" Lowry were already at work. Each team has to provide the umpire for two games and thanks to both of them for taking on this task, knowing they had two full games to play afterward. First up for the Neshanock was the Keystone Club of nearby Harrisburg, the only one of the four opponents, Flemington had played previously. The Pennsylvania team went to the striker's line first and was retired in order before Flemington got one run in the bottom of the first and then erupted for five more in the second. Key blows in the big inning were a prodigious triple by Dan "Sledge" Hammer and singles by "Jersey" Jim Nunn and his two sons, Chris "Sideshow" and Matt "Fly" Nunn. The Neshanock only scored three more times, but it didn't matter because almost flawless Flemington defense kept the Keystones off the scoreboard in a 10-0 Neshanock win. Dan "Lefty" Gallagher and Rene "Mango" Marrero led the Flemington attack with three hits apiece while "Sledge," Thumbs," "Jersey," and Ken "Tumbles" Mandel had two each.
Fortunately, the game lasted just over an hour so the Neshanock were able to get out of the sun before their second game of the day against the Addison Mountain Stars, another Pennsylvania club, this time from south of Pittsburgh. The original Addison club was made up primarily of coal miners who played in their work clothes covered with coal dust something the vintage club honors with miner like uniforms, minus the dust. Striking first this time, Flemington tallied twice in the top of the first and added three more in the fourth for a 5-0 lead, continuing to play stout defense. At that point, however, Addison handed the Neshanock some of their own medicine, retiring 10 straight batters before Flemington scratched out three more runs in their last two at-bats. Once again the Neshanock turned in a stellar defensive effort, allowing just one tally for an 8-1 win. Mark "Gaslight" Granieri, Joe "Mick" Murray, and "Tumbles" each contributed two hits to Flemington's offense while Chris "Low Ball" Lowry earned the day's only clear score, albeit with only one hit. The Neshanock finished Saturday's play with two wins, but low offensive production limited to early in the game was a disturbing trend.
Addison Mountain Stars
While there may have been a brief shower in Gettysburg Saturday night, it did nothing for the conditions on the field when the Neshanock took on the Bear Clan of Flint Rock, Michigan in Sunday morning's first game. The Michigan team had already established their credentials by defeating the host Elkton Club and the Atlantic Club of Brooklyn, two of vintage base ball's best teams. Flint Rock tallied twice in the top of the first, but Flemington tallied three in times in their turn, setting a pattern for what became a back and forth affair. Flint Rock tied the game at 8-8 in the top of the fourth and it stayed tied until the sixth when the Michigan club took a one-run lead only to see the Neshanock score twice in their half for a 10-9 lead. By that point, the game was running up against the time limit and it seemed likely the seventh would be the last inning. Flint Rock quickly scored twice, but it briefly appeared the Neshanock would hit for the last time, down only one. The opposition, however, had other ideas and added two insurance runs and then set down Flemington in order for a hard-fought 13-10 win. Once again Flemington did all of its scoring early, tallying only twice in its last four at-bats. "Thumbs" had three hits while Dave "Illinois" Harris and "Jersey" added two each. One defensive note was a fine throw by Gregg "Burner" Wiseburn to cut down a Flint Rock runnier trying to steal second.
Flint Rock and Flemington - picture by Dorren Harris
Flemington's final opponent of the festival was the Great Black Swamp Frogs of Sylvania, Ohio, reportedly named for the swamp that originally covered much of northwestern Ohio. By now the Neshanock had established a pattern, at least on offense, that wasn't likely to change and sure enough, Flemington scored five of its eight runs in its first three at-bats. That might have been enough, but some timely and strategic hitting by the Swamp Frogs aided by some Neshanock defensive lapses enabled the Ohio team to score six times in the third and Flemington never recovered, falling 12-8 and finishing 2-2 for the weekend. It should be noted that in both Sunday matches, strong defense by both the Flint Rock and Swamp Frogs had a lot to do with the Flemington's offensive woes. The Neshanock would like to thank our families and friends who endured the extreme, even for Gettysburg, heat and humidity. In addition, we also want to thank Aristide Economopoulous of New Jersey Advance Media who after photographing and writing about the Neshanock's visit to New Bridge Landing on July 13th, made the trip to Gettysburg to cover both the Neshanock and the New Brunswick Liberty. On the season, Flemington now stands 13-5 heading into next Saturday's match with the Elizabeth Resolutes at Rahway River Park.
By Sunday the heat was definitely taking a toll
Before heading home on Sunday, I watched the Elkton Eclipse honor one of their own, Tom "Schoolboy" Duffy for his "tireless commitment" to the festival - a well-deserved honor. Just prior to the Neshanock's first game on Saturday, "Schoolboy" took part in another ceremony, this time as the presenter when the Eclipse gave the Neshanock the plaque pictured at the beginning of the post. For the past ten years, the Neshanock have spent the third weekend in July in Gettysburg which lends a historical perspective to what the Elkton has accomplished with this event. Ten years ago, the Maryland club had an idea - bring vintage baseball to one of the country's most historic areas. Initially, it took the form of a six-team tournament, made up primarily of teams from the Middle Atlantic area. Not satisfied, they successfully developed the original idea into a larger vision of a festival where many teams from across the country could engage in friendly competition to the point that 56 teams from 15 states and the District of Columbia have taken part. The Neshanock very much appreciated being honored, but in truth, we should be honoring Eclipse Club, its president, Bruce Leith, "Schoolboy" and everyone else from the Elkton club. I know I speak for all of the Neshanock in saying thank you for creating this event and allowing us to be part of it. As hot as it was, we are already looking forward to 2020 - huzzah!
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