On Memorial Day, the Neshanock ventured outside of the Garden State for the first time in 2023, making the short trip across the Delaware to Newtown, Pennsylvania . We like to do these things gradually! The occasion was the annual holiday game with the Newtown Strakes - an event that has been going on for well over a decade. Flemington won the bat toss, sending the local club to the striker's line. Neither team tallied in the first, but Newtown put together six straight hits in the second, scoring four runs in the process. The Neshanock were still down 4-0 in the third, but rallied for three and then tied the game up in the bottom of the fourth. The game remained tied heading to the last of the sixth when Flemington tallied three more times and took a 7-4 lead. Newtown was far from done however, and tied the score in the seventh, keyed by a clutch double that sent two runners across the plate.
The game remained tied at 7-7 in the top of the eighth when with one out, a close play at first went against the Neshanock. Unfortunately, once the door was open, it was hard to close and seven Strakes crossed the plate before the inning was over. Flemington rallied gamely in the ninth, but two runs was far from enough and Newtown prevailed 14-9. It was a well played game and the Strakes deserve credit for timely hitting and sound defense. So solid was the local club's defense that only Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner, Paul "O'Neill" Cincotta and Jeff "Duke" Schneider managed more than one hit (two each). Sam "Ewing" Ricco had a clear score with a walk and a key hit. Overall the Neshanock played good defense behind the pitching of Bob "Riverboat" Smith and Bobby "Melky" Ritter, blanking the Strakes in all but three innings. As always there was good and appreciative crowd in attendance for what is consistently one of the year's best events.
While watching the Neshanock play is almost always a unique experience, it's unlikely those who attended yesterday's game realized just how few other people saw organized baseball (loosely defined) in person on Memorial Day 2023. This occurred to me when I realized that there was only one major league game scheduled east of Detroit - the Cleveland Guardians contest at Baltimore. The 20 other major league teams in action on Memorial Day all played in the western part of the country. While that seemed unusual, there had to be, or at least so I thought, the opportunity to see minor or independent league baseball. Not so, however, especially in the Philadelphia - New Jersey - New York corridor where the local teams or in numerous cases, the entire leagues were not in action. I'm not sure whether this is a trend or something out of the ordinary, but it is without question very different from how things used to be.
Just how different can be seen by looking at Memorial Day (or Decoration Day as it was called then), a century ago, on May 30, 1923. Not only were all 16 major league teams in action, they all played doubleheaders, in each case a morning - afternoon (separate admission) affair. This was no accident. Without night baseball and Sunday baseball in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, there were limited opportunities to attract large crowds. As a result the three summer holidays were major revenue opportunities and the scheduling was, with good reason, subject to much debate during owner meetings. In 1923, the Philadelphia Athletics were at home and drew 20,000 people for the morning contest against the "lowly Boston Red Sox," followed by the 30,000 who watched Boston complete a sweep in the afternoon. Further north, the New York Giants drew a National League record crowd of 45,000 for the afternoon game against the Dodgers.
And large crowds weren't limited to major league parks. Some 5,000 people saw Colgate end Princeton's 19 game winning streak while a "record breaking crowd" witnessed a Burlington League game. Even the big turnout at Shibe Park didn't exhaust the local fan base. A "capacity crowd" saw the Frankford Yellow Jackets defeat the Philadelphia Athletic Club Girl's team behind the pitching of Anna Smith, Frankford's only female player. Although no attendance figures seem to have survived for the Eastern Colored League doubleheader between Hilldale and Brooklyn Royal Giants, those in attendance, unknowingly saw major league baseball. After the Brooklyn team won the first game, Hilldale took the second contest behind "Nip" Winters who made the Giant hitters look "practically helpless." Hilldale ultimately won the first pennant of what is now considered a major league.
As we know, organized baseball has steadily evolved from the way it was played in the 1840s and 1850s. While it's probably fair to say that most of the changes have been for the better, it's a sad that this Memorial Day there were so few opportunities to experience baseball in person. It's nice, therefore, that in a small way, the Neshanock and the Strakes were able to continue this important tradition.
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