Someone once gave me a button with the saying "Showing up is 70% of life." The percentage may not reach that level for recreating nineteenth-century baseball, but it's high enough. Sometimes honoring a commitment to play a game is important because of the host organization - typically a historical site that hosts the game to attract visitors. On other occasions, the issue is enabling a multi-team event to take place, especially for teams that travel long distances to play. Obviously, for teams to show up, players have to show up. Thus far in 2024, more than any season I can remember, the Neshanock has been plagued by injuries, making fielding a team very challenging. Fortunately, enough players have done what's necessary for Flemington to honor its commitments and that was especially true this past weekend at the Elizabeth Resolutes History Weekend in Rahway River Park.
First up on Saturday morning was a match with our long-time friends and inter-state rivals the Monmouth Furnace Club. Monmouth won the coin toss and sent Flemington to the striker's line, setting a pattern for the weekend. The Neshanock managed one tally which Monmouth easily eclipsed with four in their own half of the inning. The inning was a portent of things to come. Solid Monmouth defense, especially in the outfield, limited the Neshanock offense while the Furnace managed enough runs to maintain a comfortable lead. The end result was a 9-5 Monmouth victory, the first time the Furnance has ever beaten the Neshanock.
Without question, the Monmouth victory was well-earned and thoroughly deserved. In fact, the margin would have been even greater had it not been for some excellent Neshanock defense, beginning with two fine plays by Jason Blazakis. Jason is a member of the new Logan Club that is being put together by Sam "Ewing" Ricco and Scott "Snuffy" Hengst. We were fortunate to have Jason with us, but unfortunately, as seems to be the case this season, Jason suffered a leg injury late in the game. We wish him a full and speedy recovery. Also noteworthy were three well-played bound-out catches by Chris "Lowball" Lowry in right, Mark "Gaslight" Granieri at catcher and Bob "Riverboat" Smith while pitching.
The Neshanock's second game of the day was with the Mutual Club of New York, limited to five innings due to time constraints. It's been a long time since Flemington has played the Mutuals and it was good to be on the field with them. Once again the Neshanock went first to the striker's line and this time managed two tallies. Unfortunately, the lead was again short-lived as the Mutuals batted around and scored eight times. The New York team enjoyed the experience so much that they repeated it in the second inning, this time scoring four times. Flemington did rally for four tallies in the third, but it was too big a hole to climb out of and the Mutuals prevailed 17-7. Matt "Fly" Nunn, Dave "Illinois" Harris and Sam "Ewing" Ricco had two hits apiece. For "Ewing" it was his second two-hit game of the day. Noteworthy on defense was Ken "Tumbles" Mandel in left field who showed impressive range tracking down three fly balls on the bound.
Saturday's results were frustrating and the games didn't get any easier on Sunday with matches against the Providence Grays and the Bovina Dairymen. First up were the Grays, another team the Neshanock hadn't played in many years. Like the Mutuals, Providence is a good team that puts the highest priority on historical accuracy. We were glad to have some reinforcements, Neshanock regulars along with J.P. and Joe Prioli, two of the invaluable Prioli brothers. As usual, Flemington went first to the striker's line and quickly put three tallies across the plate. After Providence got one back, Flemington struck again for four runs, highlighted by Thomas "Hawk" Prioli's three-run home run. While there were no more big Neshanock innings, Flemington kept adding runs, while limiting the Grays' offense en route to a 14-6 victory.
The Neshanock attack was led by J. P. Prioli with four hits, one more than older brother "Hawk" who added a double to his home run. Also hitting safely three times were Scott "Snuffy" Hengst and Matt "Fly" Nunn. Adding two hits apiece were Chris "Lowball" Lowry, Joe "Mick" Murray and Paul "O'Neill" Cincotta. As solid a game as Flemington had on offense, the defense was equally impressive. "Lowball" and Bobby "Melky" Ritter pitched effectively with "Melky" ending one inning by plucking a Providence line drive out of mid-air. Behind them, the Neshanock played flawless defense without a single muff and recorded two double plays. All in all, it was one of Flemington's best games, especially against such a worthy foe.
After a brief break, the Neshanock got back on the field for the last game of the weekend, our first time playing the Bovina Dairymen. For the fourth straight game, the Neshanock went first to the striker's line (clearly more practice is needed for both bat tosses and coin flips) and tallied twice. Bovina matched that and added one in the bottom of the inning, but Flemington tied the game in the top of the second. The game was tied 3-3 going to the bottom of the third when Bovina took a lead it would not relinquish. Flemington's defense kept the game within reach but Bovina prevailed 13-4. The New York team lived up to their reputation as a fine team both at bat and in the field. Although Flemington's run total was limited "Lowball," "Fly," "Mick" and "O'Neill" each had two hits. We are also grateful to Jason "Dill" Levinn and Brian "Powder" Carroll of the Brandywine Club who helped us play our fourth game in two days.
Running a multiple-team event is never easy, but due to circumstances beyond his control, Craig Combs of the Resolutes had more challenges than anyone should have to deal with. Craig did a masterful job of adjusting on the fly to enable teams that had traveled a long distance to get the baseball experience they signed up for. The Neshanock are grateful to him for his efforts in making the weekend happen.
This post began with a discussion of showing up as a responsibility. But showing up also has its own rewards. That was certainly the case during Sunday morning's game with Providence, not just because of the victory, but because of how the Neshanock played. High-quality play both at bat and in the field, especially against a good team, doesn't happen very often which makes the experience uniquely enjoyable. Part of what makes baseball such a great game is that such games can happen when we least expect them. Which is why showing up is always worthwhile.
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