By JF Grodeska
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – On Saturday, July 30, some 100 people walked through the gates of Firemen’s Field and were transported back to a more genteel time.
The Atlantic Highlands Historical Society, under the leadership of Alice Kupper, held its fifth annual Vintage Baseball game with the home team, the Monmouth Furnace, battling the Elizabeth Resolutes. Prior to the main event there were games for children and adults, like the Great Water Balloon battle which turned into a free-for-all of laughter and hijinks as adults and children gleefully watered one another down. There was the water bucket relay, called Sponge Bob, where participants carried soaked sponges from a full pail of water to an empty one. The team that filled its bucket first won the game. Corn hole, Jenga and more kept everyone entertained.
All the while, an organ pumped out top songs from the late 19th century, setting the ambiance for the big game.
At 11:30 a.m. a coin toss determined the Elizabeth Resolutes would be first at bat. Both teams are members of the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Baseball league. The league boasts 22 teams across multiple states, with a regular schedule of games just like modern major league baseball. However, the game is played by rules and regulations adopted by the National Association of Base-Ball Players in New York Dec. 9, 1863 (1864 rules). The team uniforms all conform to baseball of 1864, as do the language and baseball terms. For example, a turn at bat is referred to as a “hand.” An out is called a “hand out.” The players have colorful nicknames like Soup, The Professor, Dapper Dan and Doc.
JF Grodeska
As Monmouth Furnace stood its ground the crowd went wild for every hit and every play the home team made against its rivals. Parents used the game to teach their children about the sport while hot dogs and sodas seemed to be in everyone’s hands. Laughter and cheers, along with organ music, filled the air.
The game ended with the Resolutes putting out the Furnace 16-4. As the players went back to their dugouts, the crowd lingered, laughing and joking, strangers becoming fast friends and talking about the next events to be hosted by the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society.
The society has a full schedule of events that can be found on its website at ahhistory.org. For more information about the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Baseball League, visit mavbbl.com.
To attend a Monmouth Furnace game, view the schedule at monmouthfurnacebaseball.org.
This article originally appeared in the Aug. 4 – 10, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
