Every vintage baseball game requires decision-making, especially making out the lineups both at bat and in the field. Those decisions are even more complicated when the Neshanock has a large turnout, as we did on Saturday at the Howell Living History Farm. It's seldom simple, but since it's part of every game, it's at least a familiar experience. Thus far in 2025, however, those decisions haven't been anywhere near as difficult as trying to figure out problematic weather forecasts. Of the five dates thus far, Memorial Day was the only time, there wasn't any concern about the weather. Once again on Saturday, the forecast was for showers, and once again we decided to show up and see what happened. That approach didn't work so well for the opener in Clinton, but on Saturday, we, fortunately, only experienced intermittent drizzle.
Did Hog Weighing attract a bigger crowd than the Neshanock and Resolutes? We'll never tell!
The one downside on Saturday was that the weather was a deterrent to what is typically a large fan turnout. It was unfortunate because the two games with the Elizabeth Resolutes were a rare opportunity to see Civil War era baseball played by two different sets of rules. Our good friends, the Resolutes, New Jersey's senior vintage club, prefer to play by 1870 rules, while Flemington typically uses the 1864 version. To honor both approaches, at least once per season, we play two games, one under each set of rules so the fans can see the differences.
Saturday's first of two seven-inning games was played by 1864 rules. Elizabeth scored four times while holding the Neshanock in check and led 4-1 after three innings. With only four innings left to play, the top of the Neshanock order, keyed by a clutch hit from Mark "Gaslight" Granieri rallied to tie the game. Still tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, the lower half of the Flemington order led the way to a nine-run inning and a 13-4 lead. Elizabeth got two back, but it wasn't enough as the Neshanock earned a 13-6 win. Five Flemington strikers got two hits apiece, led by Danny "Lefty" Gallagher and Paul "O'Neill" Cincotta, who both earned clear scores. They were joined in the two-hit club by Chris "Sideshow" Nunn, Sam "Ewing" Ricco and "Gaslight." Jim "Jersey" Nunn also earned a clear score.
Back in the days when the major leagues scheduled doubleheaders, they were promoted as two games for the price of one. Although there was no charge for admission at Howell Farm, the fans still got two games, with the second game played by 1870 rules. While there are a number of differences between 1864 and 1870 baseball, the most important is the elimination of the fair bound out. For the benefit of new blog readers, through 1864, any batted ball, fair or foul, caught on a bounce was an out. Beginning in 1865, however, fair balls had to be caught on the fly. Giving the defense one less way to retire a batter obviously favors the offense. Predictably, games played by 1870 rules tend to be more high-scoring and no lead is safe. Such was the case a year ago at Howell when Flemington led 15-4 heading into the last inning and had to hold on for a 15-13 win.
Uncharacteristically, however, the second game got off to a low-scoring start, tied 1-1 after two innings before Flemington took a 6-1 lead after three. In the fourth, Elizabeth's first two strikers reached base, but the Neshanock retired the next two batters and were almost out of the inning. Next up at the striker's line was Ken "Tumbles" Mandel. Wait, isn't "Tumbles" a Neshanock player and a legendary one at that? Indeed, he is, but with Resolutes down a player, "Tumbles" manfully volunteered to play for Elizabeth. Naturally, in such a crucial moment, he came through with a hit that not only kept the rally alive but got Elizabeth started on a five-run inning to tie the contest 6-6. Flemington scratched out three runs in their next two at-bats, but no one on the Neshanock side was confident about a three-run lead in a game played by 1870 rules.
In their last at bat, however, Flemington scored seven times and prevailed 16-6 in a game that was much closer than the score indicated. What was unusual, at least in my experience with 1870 games, is that the Neshanock gave up only six runs, shutting out the Resolutes over the last three innings. Bobby "Melky" Ritter struck out one Elizabeth striker and induced four others to hit foul tips that "Gaslight" handled with his usual aplomb. When the Resolutes put the ball in play, Joe "Dispatch" Prioli at short and JP "Grifter" Prioli at third efficiently sent it on to Renee "Mango" Marrero at first. Flemington didn't lack for offense, especially Chris "Lowball" Lowry's clear score and "Mango's" four hits. But what made this game noteworthy is that even though the rules favored the offense, the defense was the difference. It's a reminder that just when we think we understand the game, baseball throws us a metaphorical curve.
For this reader who suffers with a mathematical aversion to "word problems" this post indeed left me wondering why the need for two games with two different sets of playing rules had to be played on the same day - ever!? That being said, I did like the pastoral backup setting for "Sideshow and "O'Neill". Nice photogs by Mark Granieri. As for the crowd size, given the unabridged explanation of 1864 rules vs. 1870 rules with some change in some kind of hit balls and catches thrown into the rules' mix in 1865, my money is on the Hog Weighing for the W in crowd size!!!!
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