"For the Union Dead"

Baseball and Memorial Day share a common history dating back into the late 1860s.  Initially called Decoration Day, the first systematic effort to honor the Union dead took place in 1868.  While the game of baseball has been around far longer, the organized version was still relatively young.   Although not recognized by major league baseball, the National Association, the first professional league, held a game on Memorial Day during its 1871 inaugural campaign.  Just five years later, also in its first season, the National League continued the practice.  Playing on Memorial Day became such a regular part of major league baseball that at least one game was played every year from 1880 until the pandemic intervened in 2020.  For over a decade now, the Flemington Neshanock have visited Newtown, Pennsylvania on Memorial Day to take on the hometown Newtown Strakes.  Although the Strakes play only one game a year by 1864 rules, they have been at it so long they consistently play at a high level and could more than hold their own against any vintage team.  

Grave Marker for Alexander McGill, 33rd New Jersey - Marietta National Cemetery

One of the reasons the Strakes have enjoyed so much success against Flemington is they've learned the nuances of the 1864 game which vintage teams usually use to take advantage of less experienced teams.  In the top of the first, however, it seemed like the Neshanock might have recaptured that advantage since they secured outs on a hidden ball trick and by catching an unsuspecting Strake runner trying to advance on a foul ball.  Flemington then took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, thanks to a triple by Danny "Lefty" Gallagher and a single by Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner.  Newtown quickly recovered, however, and tallied twice in the top of the second to take a 2-1 lead.  Neither team scored in the next two innings and headed to the top of the fifth, the game was an unusually low scoring affair.  The final out of the Newtown fourth was secured by Flemington's Sam Ricco's fine reflex catch of a batted ball that bounced off the Neshanock first baseman.  Sam has rejoined Flemington after a long absence and we hope he will be a regular going forward.

Just part of the large crowd that typically attends the annual Memorial Day game in Newtown - this and all remaining photos by Mark "Gaslight" Granieri

Did you ever wonder why there are three outs per inning in baseball?  Why has it always been three, instead of, say, two or four?  After all, other baseball numbers changed multiple times before being finalized.  At one time, for example, it took eight balls for a walk.  I remember reading contemporary newspaper criticism of Hall of Famer Cap Anson for swinging at a 7-1 pitch.  Richard Hershberger in Strike Four, his excellent history of baseball rules, writes that no documentary information survives as to why three outs has been the norm since the early days of organized baseball.   According to Richard, other early bat and ball games used as few as one out to as many as 11 - the number of players on a team. Since one was too few and 11 was clearly too many, three was somehow determined to be just right.  Regardless of how the number was established, in the top of the fifth, the Neshanock demonstrated why allowing a team more than three outs is contrary to how the game should be played.  With one out and none on, Flemington muffs gave the Strakes a five-six out inning. Needless to say, the baseball gods were not pleased and before order was restored, the home team tallied six times for a 8-1 lead.

Bobby "Melky" Ritter pitches to the awaiting Newtown striker

Flemington got one back in their half of the fifth and loaded the bases with none out in the sixth, but could only put one tally across the plate.  Ahead 8-3 going to the top of the seventh, Newtown quickly ended any Neshanock hopes of a comeback with a four run inning.  After that it was just a matter of playing out the game which ended in a 13-4 victory for the home team.  Flemington couldn't muster much offense all day, but Joe "Mick" Murray did record a clear score with three hits in as many trips to the striker's line.  "Lefty," "Thumbs" and Dave "Illinois" Harris each had two hits, after that there were only four Flemington base hits.  That along with muff-free defense by Newton made it impossible to even come close to scoring enough runs.  Robert Colon and Matt Nunn also joined us today and we hope, that like Sam, they come back as well. 

Joe "Mick" Murray about to strike one of his three hits

Monday's game was preceded by the customary Memorial Day ceremony, on a day dedicated to remembering those who lost their lives in the service of our country.  The most important thing about such ceremonies, in my view, is they force us to pause from holiday activities and remember all those who, in Abraham Lincoln's timeless words, "gave their lives that that nation might live."  Remembering is crucial because in most cases, it is the only thing we can do for the dead, especially the Union dead, in whose honor Memorial Day was created.  My first book was a history of the 33rd New Jersey, one of our state's 40 regiments to serve in the Civil War.  Early on in the process, I decided to include the names of each of the 163 members of the regiment who lost their lives either in combat or from disease.  In addition to listing their names, it would have been nice to tell their stories, but the tragedy is that most of them didn't live long enough to have a story.  

Oh where, oh where has our offense gone?"

One exception is Alexander McGill, a Paterson man who died from wounds suffered at the battle of Peachtree Creek on July 20, 1864. Earlier in the war, McGill enlisted in the 2nd New Jersey and received a terrible head wound at the second battle of Bull Run.  Offered a medical discharge, McGill refused and rejoined his regiment.  At the battle of Fredericksburg, however, the effects of his wound made it impossible for him to stand the noise of battle.  McGill returned to Paterson, but volunteered again when the 33rd New Jersey was formed in July of 1863.  The key word in each case is volunteered.  There was a draft during the Civil War, but of the over 70,000 New Jersey men who served in the Union military, less than a 1000 were drafted.  McGill effectively volunteered three times. He may have been naïve about the reality of war the first time, but after that he could have had no illusions about what he was getting into.  His example may be extreme, but McGill and the vast majority of the Union dead served by choice. For that alone, they should be remembered, as Shakespeare put it, until "the ending of the world."