Beating the Groundhog

Tomorrow, legend has it, a groundhog will determine the arrival of spring or at least the timing of more temperate weather. There are, however, less mythic harbingers of spring including signs the new baseball season is drawing near.  Best known are probably the dates later in February, when pitchers and catchers report for spring training.  Further down on the scale, but no less important to those involved, is the publishing of vintage baseball schedules for the upcoming season.  While it wasn't intentional, the Flemington Neshanock are getting a jump on both the groundhogs and the major leagues by releasing the details of our 2024 baseball odyssey today, February 1.

This is the fourth time I've worked on the Neshanock's schedule and the experience has been different each time.  What stands out about 2024 is how early the process began and how relatively easily everything fell into place.   A major reason the schedule comes together without too much difficulty is Brad Shaw's many years of cultivating relationships with venue hosts throughout New Jersey.  Thanks to Brad's labors, about half the locations are pre-determined and all that remains is to set the date. Once again, the Neshanock will visit Ringwood Manor State Park, Howell Living History Farm, Historic New Bridge Landing and the Dey Farm among others.  Also on tap, of course, is our annual trip to the National Nineteenth Century Baseball Festival in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  As a proud charter participant in this signature vintage baseball event, the Neshanock are grateful for everything the Elkton Eclipse does to make the festival happen.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Tuttle

The Eclipse are also on our  2024 schedule for two special occasions.  We are deeply honored to be Elkton's opponent for their 500th game on Sunday, April 28th.  Here again, the invitation is largely due to the help Brad Shaw provided to Elkton when they were getting started.  The weekend will also include matches with the Rising Sun Club on Saturday. Our second meeting with Elkton will take place at Babe Ruth Field in Delanco, New Jersey on September 7th.  The Neshanock have been part of each of the biennial observations of the day the Bambino played at the South Jersey field and, of course, hit a home run.  This year's game is the centennial of that event and we look forward to being part of the festivities.  There is another Ruth-related event in 2024 - a first-time visit to Greenwood Lake, New York as part of that community's centennial.   At one time, Ruth was a resident of Greenwood Lake.

Grandstand at Washington Borough Park - photo courtesy of Mark Granieri

The 2024 schedule includes matches with many old friends from the vintage baseball world.  Topping the list, of course, are the four other New Jersey clubs beginning with the Elizabeth Resolutes, the state's senior team as well as Monmouth Furnace, the Hoboken Nine and the New Brunswick Liberty.  Also from New Jersey is the Enterprise Club, our regular opponent at New Bridge Landing which will also provide the opposition at Greenwood Lake.  We also look forward to playing the Newtown Strakes, in our annual Memorial Day visit to Newtown, Pennsylvania.  For the second year, the Neshanock will teach nineteenth-century baseball to the younger generation by offering an on-the-field experience.  First up in early April will be a game with the USA Prime team, a youth club coached by our friend and sometime teammate, Nick Mendell.  We also look forward to returning to Washington Borough in Warren County to play the Warren Hills High School team.

As always 2024 will include a visit to Gettysburg - photo courtesy of Lauren Marchese Nunn

The match with the Warren Hills team will be played at Borough Park, a historic field with its own grandstand.  Playing at such sites is always enjoyable and the 2024 schedule also includes visits to Gebhardt Field in Clinton and Case Field in Holland Township.  For the May 18th event at historic Case Field, we are fortunate to be able to host two of the best vintage baseball clubs in the country - the Atlantics from Long Island and the Talbot Fairplays from Maryland.  It will be a full day of 1864 baseball with three matches beginning at 10:30 - a wonderful opportunity to see vintage baseball at its best.  There's much more that could be said about Flemington's 2024 schedule, our opponents and the venues.  But I hope this post gives a sense of what promises to be an exciting and enjoyable season.  Game times will be published each month on our website,  Please try to attend at least one match this year - I guarantee you won't regret it.