After a well deserved week off, the Neshanock returned to the field on Saturday, and not just any field, as Flemington traveled to historic Gebhardt Field in Clinton, NJ. This is the second consecutive year Flemington has played on the same baseball diamond where Negro League teams, Hall of Famers like Jimmy Foxx and countless amateur and semi-pro players played in front of Gebhardt's picturesque covered wooden grandstand. Before the game, a member of the local historical commission told me that the field now has landmark status, guaranteeing its long term future. Very good news and the Neshanock hope to play at Gebhardt on an annual basis. It was also our pleasure to host the Brandywine Club of West Chester, Pennsylvania. The visitors were a little short handed, but members of the Elizabeth Resolutes and the Enterprise Club of River Edge, manfully made up the difference.
Flemington won the bat toss, sending the visitors to the striker's line. After two innings, the Neshanock led 5-4 and the match appeared destined to be a back-and-forth affair. However in the bottom of the fourth, the Neshanock bats got going in a big way. The first six Flemington strikers reached base and when the dust cleared, Flemington led 11-5. When Brandywine was blanked in their next at bat and the Neshanock added three more tallies, Flemington was in control. The visitors added two more, but it wasn't enough and the Neshanock prevailed 14-7. Sam "Ewing" Ricco led Flemington with a three hit clear score. He was well supported by Chris "Sideshow" Nunn, Joe "Mick" Murray, Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner, Jeff "Duke" Schneider, Andrew "Scoop" Moscella and Ken "Tumbles" Mandel, all with two hits. Bobby "Melky" Ritter and Dave "Illinois" Harris handled the pitching aided by errorless defense behind them.
After a brief respite, the second game began with Flemington at bat. The Neshanock tallied only once, an indication of how Brandywine would limit the Flemington offense in the second game. The visitors tallied four times in the second and led 5-2 after three innings. Flemington rallied in the fourth, cutting the lead to 5-4, but the Neshanock managed only one more run the rest of the game. Brandywine added three insurance runs and earned an 8-5 win to split the doubleheader. Flemington was led by "Thumbs," Ernie "Shredder" Albanesius and Chris "Lowball" Lowry with two hits each. "Shredder" also made a fine throw from right field to nail a Brandywine player at second. Also contributing on defense was Gregg "Burner" Wiseburn who threw out a runner trying to steal second. Saturday marked the return of injured veteran Mark "Gaslight" Granieri, but the Neshanock lost Joe "Mick" Murray. We hope he returns soon. Today also marked the debut of Don Becker and the Neshanock would like to have him join us again.
Vintage baseball tends to be played at three different kinds of venues - sites similar to 1860s grounds, places conducive to good attendance and fields with their own historical importance. Most common in the latter category are places where a great player, such as Babe Ruth played, and hopefully homered, thrilling local fans who had limited chances to see their heroes in action. Also within the historic site category are Gebhardt Field, Saturday's venue, and Washington Borough Park, the location of next week's match. Not only has baseball been played at both sites for over 100 years, there is the added attraction of a covered grandstand. Although few of these structures seem to have survived, they were commonplace in the 1930s when every town had a team and local players made their own personal baseball history. As symbols of a baseball world that we have lost, these historic structures encourage us to recover and preserve our family baseball stories before they are lost forever.
Gebhardt Field is of special interest for me in that regard because from 1939 to 1942, my father, Hank Zinn was the baseball coach at nearby High Bridge High School. While I knew his teams played at Gebhardt, it was only recently that I learned his first game as High Bridge coach was played there on April 27, 1939. Although his team took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the last inning, Clinton rallied to win the game. Not the most enjoyable outcome for one's inaugural game, but the team recovered nicely, winning the Hunterdon County Championship for the first time in over a decade. Having led the soccer team to the school's first ever county soccer championship the prior fall, it was a memorable beginning for a rookie coach. Memorable to me also because there's clearly some family history here that needs more attention. Just one example of how recreating nineteenth century baseball on an historic field can serve as a reminder and motivator.
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