By Ray Shaw

Vintage base ball is a funny game; just when you think you have figured it out someone throws a spitball and you’re lost in another time warp where you don’t remember which game you are playing or whether you should run on that ‘fair-foul’ nubber down the third base line.

The early season tends to be that way as both new and old ballists try to get their bearings regarding rules and team strategies.

Coming off a disappointing prior week in Simsbury where the Newtown Sandy Hooks played a solid 1886 match following a dreadful 1864 exhibition, the Hooks arrived in Hartford with high hope that 1876 rules would provide a positive conclusion to a notably shaky start for the Newtown nine and they visited their old rivals the Hartford Senators at Colt Park in Hartford with a new look club that some seasoned veterans and a number of enthusiastic newcomers.

Captain ‘Pudgey’ Dieckman, coming off a rehab assignment to get his ailing back into shape, and ‘Rock’ Zulli coming off a new home assignment appeared in uniform for the first time to provide the stabilizing influence so important to the young and talented club. Captain ‘Pops’ Pendergist also reappeared from a ‘volunteer’ assignment with huge quantities of sarsaparilla and cream soda to further stimulate the upstart nine.

Still understaffed, the visitors took on an equally understaffed Senators squad who had previously played the new Westfield Wheelman nine in an earlier 1886 match.

The honorable ‘Pops’ Goldberg O’Maxfield officiated the match just a few paces off of home plate.

The starting nines included veterans ‘Doughboy’ Norwich, ‘Bulldog’ Paes, ‘Cool Papa’ Harmon, ‘Shoeless’ and ‘Chief’ Dieckman, the aforementioned ‘Pudgey’ Dieckman and Zulli along with rookies ‘Mudcat’ Albano, ‘Muhl’ Snyder and ‘Express’ Pendergist.

The Hartford nine included all veterans, such as captain ‘Grit’ Moran, ‘Big Train’ Burke, ‘Pony’ Canny, ‘Stick’ Collins, ‘Bull’ Durham and ‘Gasoline’ Hess.

‘Muhl’ Snyder manned the box for the second game in a row for the visitors while ‘Grit’ Moran quarterbacked the Senators.

The match started off with balanced hurling from both squads along with strategic hitting and heads-up base running by the Senators who were able to take the early lead. The Hooks held their own and were able to nibble away at the lead. Then, in the middle innings, as the sarsaparilla started to kicked in, the Hooks took advantage of passed balls and misplays by the home side and streaked to the 7 to 6 advantage in the 6th.

Thanks to the consistent hurling of ‘Muhl’ Snyder including the yeomen’s work behind the dish of ‘Rock’ Zulli and ‘Mudcat’ Albano (who entered the game when ‘Rock’ dislocated his middle catching finger), the solid defense by the infielders anchored by ‘Pudgey’ Dieckman and station-to-station hitting by all parties, the determined Hooks held the seemingly tireless Senators at bay until the top of the 8th when the momentum quickly shifted and – thanks to a base clearing blast by ‘Plywood’ Moore (looking ‘Dead Red’ at the time) – the wheels came off the little engine that could.

The final score of 13 to 7 hardly reflects to hard fought nature of the game. As it was, the Senators were lucky to catch a few breaks and be able to wear down the tired ‘Muhl’ in their comeback bid or they might have been the ones scratching their collective heads, today.

The local nine will take on the Simsbury Taverneers on May 27 in the first round of the Pittsfield Tournament in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Should the Hooks win, an 1886 match against either the Pittsfield Elms or the Senators will follow.