Turley Publications photo by Jack Cascio/WWW.NEAP.Biz

Torey LeBlanc, a student at Salem State makes excellent contact

with the ball early on in the fun filled game.

Reminiscence, rainfall highlight Base Ball celebration

By Bob Schron

Turley Publications Sports Correspondent

NORTH BROOKFIELD - In scores of literature, baseball has been favorably compared to life in the United States.

Historian Jacques Barzun once said, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game and do it by watching first some high-school or small-town teams.”

The roots of the game are multidimensional, but many are located locally.

On Saturday, in a re-enactment, the town of North Brookfield sent out its representative in this lineage, the Lightfoots, to play West Brookfield.

It was a gala. With approximately 22 players of wildly disparate ages dressed in old-style Base Ball uniforms and caps, the game moved quickly, and with shouts of joy. These were Base Ball players, but men and students of history.

A team which was formed in the 1850s, but broken up because of commitments that their players had during the Civil War, this team helped invent the modern game. In 1865, the Lightfoots reformed and played West Brookfield. The game looked the same, but was different.

Stakes were used as bases. There was one out per side. Pitchers stood 35 feet from the batter. Fielders could throw the spongy ball directly at baserunners and they would be declared out if hit.

Begun on Friday, Aug. 18, 1865, the original game would last all weekend. The Lightfoots won that game in an event that would trigger an event that was played every year.

On The Common Saturday, West Brookfield exacted revenge. In a rain-shortened contest, West Brookfield won, 17-11.

Organizer Mike Avery said, “It was a great time, except for the rain. We appreciated the guys who played, and the people who came out to see it.”

The stories of these men were strong enough to write a book; in fact, on this 76^th anniversary of “Connie Mack Day” — selected because in 1934 the East Brookfield native brought his Philadelphia Athletics here to play an exhibition against the Armor Treads, the North Brookfield town team. In a wonderful book, the late Ted Davis of Brookfield related Mack’s story, and how he evolved from a local resident to become one of the most important people in the sport.

Many of these men who played Saturday carried with them memorable storylines of their own. For example, before the rain set in, the mustachioed, cagey left-handed pitcher of the Lightfoots, 58-year-old Larry Hasenfus stymied West Brookfield. Hasenfus sure looked the part. But his artful lefty slants appeared that way because he had most recently pitched this spring for the Springfield College jayvees.

“It’s a long story,” the 1970 graduate of Tilton High School said. “I was laid off from the textile industry, and decided to go back to school. It was the first time I had been back to college in 40 years. I had flunked out, then. I have dyslexia, but it was perceived differently in those days. Now. I got all A’s. And because of the Trade Adjustment Act, I was eligible to play. It wasn’t easy: There were three weeks of two-a-day practices, the first at 6 a.m., the second 8-10 p.m. in the evening, but I made it. I was in three games; the highlight was the last game of the season. We were down 8-1 to UConn. I went in and pitched a perfect scoreless inning. The younger guys (teammates) pulled hard for me. It was a tremendous experience.

“Today, I wanted to know the game, how different Base Ball was. The feel of the ball is different. It’s spongy. The distances, of course, and the fact that you couldn’t use a glove, but I want to be part of this celebration.”

West Brookfield would hold the silver bat, commemorative of the triumph. Their players were populated with familiar Quaboag names, including Mike Jankins, one of the best athletes in the history of Quaboag Regional. Another lesser-known name was that of Kurt Spear. From Greene, N.Y., and most recently the starting quarterback for Bryant College, Spear’s companion is the young legend, Kelsey O’Keefe.

“I hadn’t played anything resembling baseball for years,” Spear stated. “But this was wonderful.”

The scene had shifted dramatically. The rain, which was desperately needed, had begun as a nuisance to the players, but over the course of several batters, the steady raindrops had changed into a frenzied downpour. The players were now huddled beneath three tents. The rules had been modified to closely model that of the original game; originally, the first team to score 100 runs would win, or if it reached 3 p.m. before that scoring total, but the rain had unleashed its furies, and it would be canceled.

The oldest player on the West Brookfield team, Dave Cameron, 63, took it all in with amazing perspective. He had grown up in Pittsburgh, a fervent fan of the Roberto Clemente-Bill Mazeroski Pirates. “This was fun,” said Cameron. “I thought we did well; it was really the first time we had played together.”

He’s active in historical society, he had played in Kiwanis and the Pony League last, decades ago. Time intervened; he was in Vietnam and had survived it. The conversation interchanged, between the joviality of the day and the seriousness of big questions. Because he was proudly holding up his bat, which he had crafted himself. “I made it in our 1870’s barn, out of pine, and it’s several inches longer because I wanted a bat which could reach the (irregular) ball.

“The Pirates were good back then when Pittsburgh was one of the richest cities in the country, but our industry closed down…it was different then. My best friend was at Kent State when the kids were shot and it was a tragedy. I don’t think (they) understood anything. I know that it was chaotic that day. I learned a lot about (life) in the military. I was drafted because in the late 1960s, (Secretary of Defense) Robert McNamara and (President) Lyndon B. Johnson put in an extensive draft and we needed 250,000 troops, quickly. I’m grateful for the experience. It helped explained to me why we (intervene), why we do what we do what we do.”

In the end, the visitors won it. With the wind blowing and a lightning strike in the West, they were holding up the Silver Bat.

“It’s a different game,” said Mike Jankins, “and you have to be on the angles. It was a different game back then. When we were talking, we knew that we had to emphasize hitting the ball on the square part of the bat because of the smaller size of the ball, but it was still, throwing, catching and hitting. Base Ball — it’s a game that is simple like that.”

Bob Schron is a sports correspondent for Turley Publications. He can be reached at bschron@turley.com or by calling 413-967-3505 ext. 104.