Newtown In Jeopardy Of Loosing Vintage Base Ball Team

To the Editor:

The Newtown Sandy Hook Vintage Base Ball Club reports that a lack of suitable fields in the community for the upcoming baseball season may force the club to move its team to a surrounding town or cancel many of its home games. It seems a lack of facilities, questionable long-term planning, and other commitments on the part of the town have severely limited the playing of spring and summer outdoor adult sports in Newtown, and the local vintage nine is forced to consider another home.

The mission of the Newtown Sandy Hook VBBC is to provide historically relevant recreation and entertainment to the people of Newtown while promoting civic pride and the good name of Newtown and Sandy Hook to surrounding communities and the region.

The club is comprised of approximately two dozen local baseball enthusiasts and ballists who play by the rules and traditions of 19th Century base ball. The game is unique because it is played not only in the style of the 1800s but with period accurate uniforms and equipment. Vintage base ball requires a full size baseball field, but no diamond, backstop, or other facilities, which makes it ideal for a community of fields and open space. Unfortunately, Newtown has been very slow to make their vast holdings of open space available to its inhabitants.

At the current time, the 2006 Newtown Sandy Hook season is comprised of 18 home and away dates which will take the club to Waterbury, Simsbury, Hartford and South Windsor; Pittsfield, Westfield, Belchertown, and Brighton, Mass.; Farmingdale and Smithtown, N.Y., and Providence, R.I.

The team is scheduled to play a total of seven home dates this season but due to a severe lack of suitable fields within the Newtown Parks & Recreation system most, if not all, of these games may have to be played in adjoining towns, private facilities, or cancelled. The home schedule includes games with the Brooklyn Atlantics, Hartford Senators, Waterbury Connors, Simsbury Taverneers, Boston Colonials, Providence Game Hens, and New York Mutuals. The only game that is secure at this time is the last game of the season with the Mutuals at the St Rose Church grounds.

Members of the Newtown Sandy Hook club are also planning to march in this Saturday’s Hartford St Patrick’s Day Parade.

In the next two weeks the club plans to call on the Newtown Parks & Recreation Commission (the next Parks & Recreation Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14, at 6 pm, at Town Hall South) and the Board of Selectmen to voice its concern over lack of facilities for adult sporting activities and the impression of indifference to the free public relations the team can provide for the town and local businesses, to people outside the local area.

At the same time letters will be sent out to neighboring towns to gauge interest in adopting a fully established club that can carry their town’s name for this and future seasons.

Anyone with an interest in this matter, an interest in hosting games or practices, or localities interested in adopting a vintage base ball team are asked to contact Ray Shaw at 270-0596 or rcshaw1@earthlink.net.

Ray Shaw

Eden Hill Road, Newtown           March 8, 2006