By Ray “Shutta” Shaw

A small contingent of local ballists descended on picturesque Seaside Park on Wednesday for the first annual Fourth of July Bridgeport Vintage Tournament hosted by the Bridgeport Orators.

The Waterbury Connors and the Thames BBC of New London were in attendance with the Newtown Sandy Hooks and Bridgeport Orators to round out the competition and provide good old-fashioned base ball, the way it was meant to be played.

The undermanned Newtown nine played valiantly in three scheduled ‘1864’ matches but eventually lost momentum at a critical point in match three, with a five ace lead, to relinquish a potential win against their old nemesis the Waterbury Connors.

At the end of the day the Sandy Hooks came away with merely one win, two disappointing and unnecessary losses, a host of new injuries and a day-ending stomach ache.

The local club showed meager drive in their first match with Thames club using ‘softballing’ techniques that are of little benefit in a 1864 match. In match two the Sandy Hooks were more like themselves, exhibited exceptional balling techniques while continuing their dominance over the upstart Orators.

After the lunch break the Sandy Hooks went to work pounding the ball to all corners of the picnic grove and taking a decisive lead over the Waterbury’s only to choke in the waning moments of the final stanzas and fall for the second time of the day.

Huzzahs go to ‘Vintage Joe’ Vigorito and his Bridgeport club for providing great hospitality and a perfect venue for the day’s events. Post game festivities were hosted at The Field Restaurant and Bar in Black Rock where ballists toasted the exploits of the Waterbury Connors who won all three of their matches and to the Thames club who returned to New London victorious in two of their matches including an unbelievable two out, last-ditch upset of the Orators.

Exhibition At

Harbor Yard

When the 100 or so assorted cranks arrived at Harbor Yard on Sunday to partake of the preliminary activities prior to a Bridgeport Bluefish and Road Warriors Atlantic Coast Conference game, little did they know they were about to enjoy the most entertaining baseball match of the day.

The unpublicized exhibition between the Newtown Sandy Hooks and the Bridgeport Orators took place in the quite hours leading up to the schedule afternoon event, and for six enthralling, nostalgic innings the two clubs riveted the small crowd with spirited play, sparkling fielding and non-stop action before noise, annoying animated monsters, infantile promotions and other mind-numbing 21st century nonsense took over the field of play.

The vintage game, comprised of a close-knit circle of serious sportsmen, is formed on the principle of baseball played by the rules and traditions of a bye-gone era. Ballists are passionate about their game, its history and enjoy every opportunity to compete and represent it in the context of how it may have been performed in the 1800’s.

This match at Harbor Yard provided a virtual time warp for two well-balanced vintage clubs with a unique opportunity to showcase the early game in a glossy, spacious, manicured, contemporary stadium that is alien to nearly everything they are used to in game time conditions. To honor the fact, both clubs brought their best ‘1867’ play supported by a cohesive group of ball players, base ball aficionados as well as the unique play-by-play talents of ‘Pops’ O’Maxfield, who made a special trip from Hartford, to support this special day for the two clubs and The First Hit organization.

Sandy Hook Dennis ‘Doughboy’ Norwich challenged Orator ‘Elle Heffe’ Wehmann to a well-played, fast-paced match that was focused on putting the ball in to play, moving the runners around and keeping the intensity level up for the cranks that had made a special trip to watch. The formula seemed to work as all ballists displaying extraordinary ginger and execution on nearly every play.

One Newtown ballist would later remarked, “We really seem to play better under time constraints and the scrutiny of the strangers on hand; everyone pitched-in and played strong fundamental baseball.”

By the witching hour of 1 pm, the Newtowners had closed the book on a well-earned and decisive 10 to 6 win over the hometown club. Huzzahs were exchanged by both sides and to the Bluefish management for their hospitality.

All agreed it was a special day and a fine time was had by all ... at least until the raucous, tedium of the ‘main event’ kicked into gear around 2 pm.