Vintage Base Ball Association Convention

1864

The Atlantics open the season next weekend on Saturday April 7th at 10am against the Flemington Neshanock and New York Gothams on our homefield at the Smithtown Historical Society Grounds.

Flemington Neshanock

1864

W 12-5

Press: Newsday: Weekend Guide

New York Gothams

1864

L 11-7

Press: Brooklyn Trolley Blogger

Press: Newsday: Article

Press: Newsday: Video

Saturday was Opening Day for Vintage Base Ball on Long Island. On a beautiful sunny day with a light wind, the Vintage season began with a ceremonial first pitch by the honorable Vice-President Andrew Johnson. To celebrate the season opener the Atlantics invited the Flemington Neshanock from New Jersey and the Gotham BBC from New York to take part in a round-robin triple header. The first match between the Flemington Neshanock and the home club Brooklyn Atlantics was umpired by Rafael 'Wickets' Garcia of the Gotham BBC and featured a pitching match-up of Richard 'Tree' Ness against Robert 'Bobby' Ritter. The Neshanock batted first but would not score an ace until the sixth inning. Meanwhile the Atlantics offense methodically tallied aces in bunches to take an 11 run lead through five innings. The Neshanock scored 5 aces over the last four innings but ultimately fell to the score of 12-5 to the home team.

The second match featured the Flemington Neshanock against the New York Gothams umpired by Dean 'Dream' Emma. The teams went back and forth, tieing the game at 4 aces each after two innings and 6 aces each at the end of the four innings. Poor defense by Flemington in the 5th and 6th innings allowed the game to get away and lead to a 17-9 victory for the Gothams. Excellent defensive play by Oates of the Gothams kept the Neshanock players off the bases for most of the game.

The third match of the day between the New York Gothams and Brooklyn Atlantics was umpired by Dirt of the Mutual BBC. After both clubs scored in their first at bats, the Gothams tallied 7 aces in the third inning on timely hits and some poor defense by the Atlantics. Meanwhile the Gothams played excellent defense and their pitcher Billy 'Coach' Piela kept the Atlantic batters off balance for most of the game. The Atlantics scored four aces over the final two innings and left two men on base in the 9th to stage a late rally. However it was too late as the Gothams were victorious by the score of 11-7. In a complete game effort, Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo kept the Gothams scoreless in the final four innings but suffered the first loss of the season.

The Atlantics next play on Saturday April 14th at 11AM at the Smithtown Historical Society Grounds against the Providence Grays. There will be an underhand/overhand doubleheader featuring games played to the rules of both 1864 and 1884.

Providence Grays

1864

W 12-3

1884

L 15-11

On a sunny afternoon at the Smithtown Historical Society, the Atlantic Base Ball Club met the Providence Grays in an underhand/overhand doubleheader. The first match, played by the rules of base ball as they were written in 1864, was umpired by the ever impartial Tom 'Dirt' Fioriglio of the Mutual BBC. Atlantic pitcher, Richard 'Tree' Ness, kept the Grays off the scoreboard for most of the game limiting them to only three aces scored. The Grays placed Charlie 'Suds' Dryer between the pitching lines but his outing would not be as fortuitous. The Atlantic bats scored two aces in the first inning on a triple by Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma and after the Grays scored two aces in the 4th, the Atlantics answered with seven hits and five aces in a 5th inning rally. Although the Grays tallied a lone ace in the top of the 8th inning, the Atlantics answered back with four more aces on three hits to seal the 12-3 victory.

After a short break the clubs endeavoured to play a second match. As was the case in 1884 with the advent of overhand pitching the catcher began wearing protective equipment. The Grays batted first and scored four quick aces but the Atlantics responded by matching them with four of their own. This high scoring affair was a back and forth battle between the the teams. The Atlantic offense struck often scoring eleven total runs in support of pitcher Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant. However, the Grays offense was better as they relentlessly tallied fifteen runs. The Grays Pitcher Scott Olsen struck out five Atlantics in a complete game effort.

Greg 'Hawk' Dengel led the Atlantic offense on the day accruing five hits, followed by Dreambucket and Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach with four hits each.

The Atlantics next play on Saturday April 21st at the Smithtown Historical Society against the Olneyville Temperance Cadets from Rhode Island at 11AM.

Olneyville Cadets

1886

W 13-6

1864

W 10-4

On another beautiful day at the Smithtown Historical Society the Olneyville Temperance Cadets traveled from Rhode Island to play two matches of base ball. Excessive carriage traffic and another athletic event known as "hockey" led to a postponed start-time and a shorthanded Cadet squad. After recruiting some locals to assist the Cadets the games commenced with the Atlantics defense posting an early 0.

The top of the Atlantic order gave Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant a four run cushion in the bottom of the 1st and the Atlantics never looked back. The Cadet batters hit the ball hard at times but the superb mixing of pitches and Atlantic defense held the Cadets to 6 runs versus the Atlantic 13. Vincent 'Tuna' Aurora, Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma and Shakespeare all collected two hits against 'Blue' Reilly's pitching.

After a quick break, Shakespeare decided one victory was not enough and to pitch both ends of a doubleheader, this time in an 1864 underhand match.

The sterling Atlantic Defense was up to the task and limited the Cadet aces to a total of four. Meanwhile, Nick 'Butcher' Baruso, Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian, Kevin 'Flash' Harrison, Dreambucket and Tuna each contributed to a lengthy Atlantic lineup with two hits apiece. Dreambuckets two triples and aces put the game out of reach as Shakespeare won the second match 10-4. Both matches were umpired by the ever impartial Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore.

The Atlantic Base Ball Club next plays on Saturday April 28th at the Smithtown Historical Society against the Columbus Capitals of Ohio at 11AM. The Atlantic Base Ball Club will also be at the Merrick Fair on Sunday April 29th.

Columbus Capitals

1864

W 19-4

1864 Fly

W 28-10

In the final weekend of April, the Columbus Capitals of Ohio ventured to New York to try their hand at the 1864 brand of baseball they had been exposed to in North Carolina at the end of last season. Their dreams of an undefeated east coast trip were soon dashed as the Atlantics put on a defensive display. Playing with the unfamiliar bounce rule and no rule-based limitations to leading or stealing, the Columbus team needed some time to adapt. Meanwhile the Atlantics were in prime form at the bat and at the field, holding Columbus to 4 aces and tallying 19 of their own. The Atlantic pitcher Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo kept the Columbus batters at bay for most of the afternoon. The Atlantic offense broke out with Anthony 'TC' Cannino, Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma, Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant, Greg 'Hawk' Dengel, and Kevin 'Flash' Harrison all recording three hits a piece.

After a short break, the Columbus squad decided to play something more similar to the 1867 game they usually play at home, but with the faster pacing of the 1864 matches. It was then decided that the second match should be played to the rules of 1864 without the one bounce rule, commonly referred to among Vintage Ballists as 'the Fly Game'. This seemed to awaken the Columbus bats as they pounded the ball to the outstretches of Atlantic Park. However, the Atlantics are also adept at this game and placed the ball where Capital fielders weren't. Although Columbus increased their tally's to 10, the Atlantics scored 28. Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach was the pitcher of record, while Nick 'Butcher' Baruso, Willy Mo and Hammy collected three hits each. Not to be outdone, Sean 'Toothpick' Ness, Shakespeare and Flash each contributed four hits to the Atlantic offensive cause.

The Atlantic Base Ball Club normally relies on its defense to win games, however in this case it was the offense that carried the day scoring 47 runs on 56 hits.

The Atlantics wish our good friends from the Columbus Capitals good luck in their next games on their eastern tour against the New York Gothams and Flemington Neshanock. The Atlantics next play on Saturday May 12th in Chester, New Jersey against the Flemington Neshanock.

Flemington Neshanock

1864

W 11-1

1864

W 11-3

The Atlantics ventured westward to the town of Chester, New Jersey in search of a few matches of base ball. There the Atlantics and Neshanock marched in the town parade and celebrated with its fine citizens the glorious weather. The local boys from Flemington challenged the Atlantics to two 1864 matches and after an honorary first pitch by the Mayor of Chester the games began.

The Neshanock exhibited some fine defensive innings and scored their first ace in the bottom of the first. However, that was their solo tally for the match and succumbed to the Atlantic Defense by a score of 11-1. Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore made his pitching debut of the season and was supported by Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant leading the Atlantic offense with three hits. Atlantic muffin, Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian, was lucky that he had previously earned a nickname for his baserunning skills as he was caught sleeping at third base by a crafty Neshanock player using the old Hidden Ball Trick. Meanwhile, Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach provided solid defense behind the plate throwing out a would-be base stealer at third. Pigtail picked up his first victory of the year.

The second match started up quickly with Bobby 'Melky' Ritter pitching for the Neshanock. Bobby quickly let up four aces on several long drives. The Flemington squad battled back though against Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo and scored an ace in their half of the first on an errant Atlantic throw. Although the Neshanock would tally two more aces this game, it was not enough as Shakespeare continued his hot hitting with four hits and 2 aces. Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma also contributed three hits including a triple and four aces. The Atlantics would rally to back-to-back 11 aces tallied over the Neshanock securing a second victory.

The Atlantics next play at the Smithtown Historical Society against the Fairplay Base Ball Club from Talbot, Maryland this Saturday May 19th.

Fairplay BBC

1864

W 18-10

Press:Newsday

W 15-7

The Fairplay Base Ball club traveled from Maryland all the way to New York to take on the Brooklyn Atlantics at our homefield on the grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society. A pair of 1864 matches was on the agenda against the southern gentlemen of Talbot County with our elder statesman Mickey 'The Lip' Tangel adjucating the day.

In the first match the Atlantic lumber swung true with four Atlantics accruing three hits or more to give the home team a 9-3 lead entering the 5th inning. Solid hitting by the Fairplays including a homerun by 'Moonlight' combined with some uncharacteristic errors by the Atlantics led to seven Talbot runs in the seventh inning. However, it was not enough as the Atlantics pulled away in the last two innings to take the first match by the score of 18-10.

The second match featured some unusual Atlantic moments with George 'Blackjack' Pappas walking three times, Nick 'Butcher' Baruso (a lefty) playing second base, Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach having more hits then the four guys in front of him and even Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore stealing third base on the unsuspecting Fairplays.

On the day the Atlantic defense kept the Fairplays from scoring in 10 of the 18 innings and in the '64 game it is the team with the best defense that wins matches. The Fairplays were not unfamiliar with solid defense as even their eldest 'Red' made an amazing one handed grab of a line drive. The Atlantics were victorious in the second match by the score of 15-7 with George 'Wildhorse' Ferchland picking up the complete game victory. Leading the Atlantic onslaught was Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma who went 7 for 9 with 5 aces.

The Atlantics next play on Saturday May 26th in Providence, Rhode Island against the Providence Grays in a pair of 1864 and 1884 matches.

Providence Grays

1864

W 17-6

1884

W 14-9

This past Saturday the Atlantics traversed the countryside of Connecticut enroute to a well manicured field at the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island. On a sunny day in New England the Atlantics and Providence Grays faced off in a underhand-overhand double-header. The Atlantics, Richard 'Tree' Ness, battled against Providence's Charlie Dryer in a veteran pitching match-up. The Atlantics took an early lead and extended it throughout the game, tallying a total of 17 aces. Although Providence tried out some new Muffins they also reached base frequently but only were able to tally 6 aces themselves. Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant led the Atlantic barrage getting four hits in four at-bats and tallying three aces.

The overhand match featured Shakespeare against Scott Olsen. Scott usually throws the ball past the Atlantic lumber but on this occasion the Atlantic swings rung true leading to 14 aces tallied through nine innings. Sean 'Toothpick' Ness led the Atlantics with three hits and two aces but was not the only successful Atlantic at the plate this day. 'Tricky' Rick Stattler reached base on four of his six at-bats and Greg 'Hawk' Dengel did the same in six of his 8 at-bats.

Along the way, Shakespeare sent two catchers to the bench with wounded hands finally settling on throwing to Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach. Tree and Shakespeare both picked up wins on the day backed by the usual steadyhanded defense that the Atlantics are known for.

The Atlantics next play Saturday June 9th at the Smithtown Historical Society in Smithtown, New York at 11:00 AM against the Elizabeth Resolutes.

Elizabeth Resolutes

1864

W 31-6

1870

W 24-9

The Atlantics welcomed their long-time friends the Elizabeth Resolutes to Smithtown for a double-header of vintage base ball in celebration of the legacy of Atlantics co-founder Al 'Old Dutch' Dieckmann. The first match of the day was an 1864 bout between the Atlantics Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo and the Resolutes Danny Marcus. In a battle of pitching styles, the speedy pitching of the Resolute team turned into line drives off of Atlantic bats. Meanwhile the Resolutes had difficulty adjusting to the slower arch and pacing tossed by Hammy. With some uncharacteristically poor defense by the Resolutes, the Atlantic offense was too much in the first game as the Resolutes fell to the score of 31-6. Leading the Atlantic offense was Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian and Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant with four hits each while Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach, Greg 'Hawk' Dengel, Anthony 'TC' Cannino, and Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma amassed twelve hits between them.

In a short between-game ceremony, Atlantic Captain Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore paid tribute to the Atlantics co-founder 'Old Dutch' and announced the awarding of Resolutes Captain Paul 'Quickstep' Salomone the "Old Dutch Day Award" for his service to the vintage base ball community over the years.

The Resolutes then challenged the Atlantics to play an 1870 match and the Atlantics eagerly accepted. There are some subtle differences between the rules of base ball in 1864 and 1870. The most prominent of those being that the bound rule only applied in foul territory. The Resolutes felt resolutely that this might make the difference in the outcome of the match. However, the Atlantics brought their hitting shoes this day and hit the ball hard off of the Resolutes pitcher Quickstep, accruing 24 aces. Even the eldest Atlantic Marc 'Nice & Easy' Josloff hit the ball deep into the outfield on this day. The Atlantics sent George 'Blackjack' Pappas for his pitching debut and he did not disappoint holding the Resolute offense to 9 tallies and getting his first win of the season.

The Atlantics play a double-header rematch with Elizabeth next Saturday June 16th at Noon in Rahway River Park in Rahway, New Jersey.

Elizabeth Resolutes

1870

W 7-2

1864

W 10-3

The Atlantics ventured to the State of New Jersey to play their competitors of the week before, the Elizabeth Resolutes. On a sunny day in Rahway River Park the Atlantics and Resolutes played an 1870 match of base ball. The Resolute defense was much improved from a week earlier holding the potent Atlantics Offense to only 7 aces. On the other side of the field, the Atlantics sent Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo to toss the ball. The defensive efforts of the team from Brooklyn thwarted the Elizabeth bats leading to seven scoreless innings and a 7-2 victory. Leading the Atlantics Offense was Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant with three hits followed by Greg 'Hawk' Dengel with two hits and an ace.

The second match was to the rules of base ball in 1864. Danny Marcus tossed both games for the Resolutes while the second game was pitched for the Atlantics by Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore. The offense of both clubs started slowly with the Atlantics eventually spreading the gap to three aces by the fourth inning and later to seven aces by the eighth inning. The last inning was pitched for the Atlantics by Anthony 'TC' Cannino in his debut at the position this season. Although TC let a runner on base he kept the Resolutes from scoring to close out the game by the score of 10-3.

The Atlantics play next weekend in Connecticut against the Newtown Sandy Hooks on Saturday June 23rd and in Rhode Island against the Providence Grays on Sunday June 24th.

Newtown Sandy Hooks

1864

W 9-6

1864

W 10-3

This weekend the Atlantics went on a New England barn-storming expedition with its first stop at picturesque McLaughlin Vineyards in Newtown, Connecticut to take on the Sandy Hooks in a pair of 1864 matches. These two talented teams showed how evenly matched they are as Newtown began the day by scoring four aces in the first inning. Not to be outdone the Atlantics matched them with four of their own in their turn at bat. The second inning showed off both teams defenses as no aces tallied. Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore kept the Sandy Hooks bats off balance the rest of the way holding them to six total aces even though Mike 'Bulldog' Paes placed two hits into the right field garden. The Sandy Hooks sent Jay 'Mister' Edwards between the lines and although backed by a solid defensive effort gave up nine aces to the Atlantic offense and took the loss.

After a short break the Atlantics switched pitchers and Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo threw a complete game three ace effort and was backed by an Atlantic defense which accrued two double play balls on nifty defensive plays. The Atlantic offense tallied ten aces and was lead on the day by Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma with five hits including two doubles.

Many of the Atlantics then ventured forward in time to attend the oldest Major League Ball Park in Boston, Massachusetts and see a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves according to the rules of baseball as they were played in 2012.

The next day the Atlantic wagons turned south to Neutaconkanut Hill Park in Providence, Rhode Island to play the Providence Grays in a double-header.

Providence Grays

1884

L 25-21

1864

W 26-6

Many of the Atlantics decided to venture forward in time to attend the oldest Major League Ball Park in Boston, Massachusetts and see a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves according to the rules of baseball as they were played in 2012.

The next day the Atlantic wagons turned south to Neutaconkanut Hill Park in Providence, Rhode Island. There the Atlantics met the Grays on a ball field to play base ball according to the rules of 1884. The Atlantic offense started strong against Tony McClellan scoring 16 runs in the first four innings. The Grays offense battled against Atlantic pitcher Richard 'Tree' Ness and after one time through the order started to rope the ball to every corner of the field eventually overtaking the Atlantic bats which were stiffled by muffin pitcher Andy 'Candy' Mendilla. The Grays showed their prowess in the overhand game and took the victory 25 to 21.

Following the first Atlantic loss since April, which was also against the Grays and also in an 1884 game, was an underhand 1864 match. In this game the Atlantics followed the Grays exhibition of sterling offense with their own pounding out hit after hit and tallying fifteen aces in the first two innings. It was too much for the Grays as they could only muster six aces against Pigtail who was pitching his second game of the weekend. Anthony 'TC' Cannino swung his lumber well with ten hits against the Grays, while Dean and Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant had nine. Sean 'Toothpick' Ness played exceptionally in the underhand match going 6 for 7, while Vincent 'Tuna' Aurora had three hits in the overhand game. Joining the Atlantics for Sundays games was Tim Keenan, making his Atlantic debut at second base. The Atlantics were not the only ones to hit the ball well though, Dave 'Grandpa' Watson hit a long fly ball over Tuna's head in rightfield and James Crider did the same to TC in leftfield.

The Atlantics host a round-robin next weekend at the Smithtown Historical Society against the Newtown Sandy Hooks and the Roxbury Nine starting at 10AM. The matches this day will span base ball over 30 years, starting with an 1864 match at 10AM followed by an 1886 match, and 1898 match immediately afterwards.

Newtown Sandy Hooks

1864

W 10-9

Press:Newsday

Roxbury Nine

1864

W 8-3

Atlantic hosted a 3-team round-robin this week with the Newtown Sandy Hooks and the Roxbury Nine. The first 1864 match featured the revenge-seeking Sandy Hooks against the Atlantics, who had taken both games from them last week. The Sandy Hooks jumped out on top with a 5-run first inning, held Atlantic to 2 runs in its first, then added 3 more in the second to take an 8-2 lead. They added a run in the 5th, now leading 9-2 going into the bottom of the 5th.

Atlantic then turned on the offense, and the defense, as they scored in every inning to draw to a 9-9 tie, while holding the Sandy Hooks scoreless. Atlantic then loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th and with 2 hands down, Dreambucket delivered a single to score Nice & Easy from third with the winning run for a 10-9 triumph. Toothpick and Shakespeare both went 5 for 5 to lead Atlantic, and Dreambucket went 3 for 3 with 2 walks. Hammy went the distance to pick up his team-leading 6th win of the season.

The second match saw the Sandy Hooks pummel Roxbury 21-10 in an 1898 match.

In the third match, Atlantic defeated Roxbury 8-3 in another 1864 game. Nice & Easy gave up a single run in the 3rd inning, then 2 more in the 6th, but whitewashed Roxbury the other 7 innings to gain the victory in his first pitching appearance of the season. The hitting attack was shared by Toothpick, TC, Dreambucket, and Nice & Easy, each contributing 2 hits.

Brooklyn Eckfords

1864

L 9-6

1864

W 8-6

Atlantic made the short train ride to OBVR where Brooklyn would face Brooklyn. Atlantic was poised to take on Eckford in what proved to be two highly contested 1864 matches. Eckford scored 2 quick runs in the first and Atlantic countered with one in its first and one in its second. Eckford regained the lead with 2 in its 4th. The teams exchanged runs in the 6th, and Atlantic plated one more in the 7th. Eckford then took control with a 4-run 8th to go up by 5 runs. Atlantic tried to claw back, but was held to just 2 runs in its 8th. Two goose-eggs ended the contest with Eckford coming out on top, 9-6. Atlantic mustered only 9 hits, with cousins TC and Krawler accounting for 2 each. TC aced twice, once on his blast into the shrubbery in deep rightcenter for a home run.

The second match became another closely fought duel. Atlantic whitewashed Eckford the first 4 innings while scoring once in its 2nd. Eckford then plated 3 in its 5th and 2 in its 6th while Atlantic aced single runs, to take a 5-3 lead, looking to pull off a rare sweep of Atlantic. But Atlantic finally came to life in the 7th after doing some stretching, with Pigtail, TC, Dreambucket, Willy Mo, and Blackjack all hitting safely. Eckford managed a run in the 8th but Atlantic shut them down in the 9th to hold on to an 8-6 win. TC was the only Atlantic with 2 hits as the hits were scarce once again. Pigtail picked up the victory for Atlantic.

Saginaw Old Golds

1864

L 18-11

Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder

1864

L 8-3

Rochester Grangers

1864

W 12-8

Springfield Long Nine

1864

W 18-17

Indianapolis Blues

1864

W 14-1

The Atlantics travelled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where only a year earlier one of the greatest battles of the Civil War occurred. On fields just south of where the battle took place a gathering of teams from across the country met in a festival celebrating base ball. The Atlantics played some mighty opponents including some of the best teams in the country. Our first match against the Saginaw Old Golds was umpired by Brad 'Brooklyn' Shaw of the Flemington Neshanocks. In this contest the Saginaw team took an early four run lead which was then matched by the Atlantics. Neither team relented their offense and a tight game through 5 innings eventually spread to a seven run difference as the Saginaw team started their undefeated weekend with a victory over the Atlantics 18-11. George 'Blackjack' Pappas led the Atlantics with three hits and four aces, while Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo and Mike 'Money' Hill contributed two hits a piece. Richard 'Tree' Ness took the loss.

The second match of the day for the Atlantics was against the Somerset team known as the Frosty Sons of Thunder. Both squads flashed some impressive defensive plays throughout the game as the Atlantics only led by the score of 3-1 after six innings. Unfortunately the Somerset team tallied seven aces over the last three innings as the Atlantic outfielders had difficulty traversing the uneven terrain and the Atlantics dropped two in a row, this time by the score of 8-3. Kevin 'Flash' Harrison led the offense with two hits, including a double and an ace scored.

Finally in the last match of the day, the Rochester Grangers agreed to play a previously unscheduled match. Both teams outfielders suffered some misplays in the pasture as the slant of the farmland made the left fielder appear quite high on the hill and the right fielder at the low end. Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma led the Atlantics with three hits, followed closely by the rest of the Atlantic lineup of Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian, 'Tricky Rick' Stattler, Blackjack and Flash having two hits each. Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore tossed the first Atlantic victory of the weekend to the score of 12-8.

On Sunday the Atlantics drew the Long Nine from Springfield, Illinois. This back-and-forth contest demonstrated fine displays of defense as well as timely hitting from both teams. This match was not decided until the final out was counted as the Atlantics held off the Long Nine 18-17 and Pigtail throwing his second victory in as many days. Anthony 'TC' Cannino, Greg 'Hawk' Dengel, Krawler and Tricky Rick all swung their lumber solidly for three hits each.

The Atlantics final match of the weekend was against the Indianapolis Blues and their boisterous fans, a team the Atlantics last saw in Ohio a few years ago. This match saw the Atlantic bats sound off against the Indianapolis pitching. Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant led the team with three hits, while Flash, Hawk, Krawler, and Tricky Rick followed him with two hits each. Flash even interrupted news updates of the war by striking a ball into a hanging telegraph line.

On the weekend, despite the epidemic of injuries Pigtail won two matches while Tree won one. Hawk and Money both accrued six hits, while Tricky Rick collected eight in all and Blackjack had a fine one handed bound catch in center followed by a perfect toss to the catcher for a double play.

The Atlantics next play on Saturday August 4th at Old Bethpage Village Restoration for their annual festival and then on Sunday at MCU Park in Coney Island against the Essex Base Ball Club.

Westfield Wheelmen

1864

W 11-10

Liberty Base Ball Club

1864

W 15-5

The Atlantics attended the annual Old Bethpage Vintage Base Ball Festival this weekend and drew two fine clubs to play a pair of 1864 matches with. The Westfield Wheelmen and the Liberty Base Ball Club both of whom the Atlantics had played last year at this event. In our first match of the day the Atlantics went ahead in the beginning innings, but the Wheelmen had a fighting spirit and scored late in the match. They even notched two aces in the top of the ninth to tie the game. With the pressure mounting both teams showed their mettle but the Atlantics tallied the winning ace in the bottom of the 11th on a pitched ball which took a troublesome path away from the catcher allowing Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma to score from third base. Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo tossed the complete game for the Atlantics while George 'Blackjack' Pappas led the offense with three hits in four chances. Hammy, Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant and Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach each contributed two hits as well. This was the Atlantics third meeting with the Wheelmen in as many years, and the Atlantics look forward to another fine played match in the future.

Our second match of the day was against the Liberty Base Ball Club from Connecticut who were short a couple of hands. Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore pitched the first 5 innings of the contest letting Marc 'Nice-n-Easy' Josloff toss the remaining innings. Anthony 'Dirty Pirate' Cannino and Dreambucket did a fine job of swatting leather as the balls flew around the field when they batted. Both the Dirty Pirate and Dreambucket accrued three hits a piece while Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian, and Vincent 'Tuna' Aurora managed two. The final tally marks indicate the score concluded at 15-5 in a well umpired match by the arbitor Thomas 'Dirt' Fioriglio of the Mutual Base Ball Club.

The Atlantics next play on Sunday August 5th against the Essex Base Ball Club who is meeting us at MCU Park in Coney Island, the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Essex BBC

1864

W 4-0

The Atlantics joined the Essex Base Ball Club in a seven inning exhibition of 1864 base ball at MCU Park in Coney Island, Home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. Both teams struck well and exhibited excellent defense especially by both squads leftfielders. Although Essex hit the ball especially hard it was the Atlantics who put their hits together to tally four aces in the time-limited match.

In an effort to assist spectators at understanding the intricacies of a base ball match from yesteryear, Mickey 'The Lip' Tangel acted as the announcer while Sean 'Toothpick' Ness manned a table of vintage equipment and answered questions from the flow of intrigued fans entering the stadium.

The Atlantics are grateful to the Cyclones for giving us the opportunity to expose a large group of baseball loving Brooklyn fans to the origins of our favorite pasttime.

Next weekend the Atlantics travel throughout New England to take on the Essex Base Ball Club and the New London Thames in a vintage rematch.

Essex BBC

1861

L 8-7

1864

W 5-3

The Atlantics traveled to the far reaches of New England to take on the Essex Base Ball Club at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, Massachusetts. Beginning with an 1861 match, the Essex team tallied five aces in the first six innings off of Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach's pitching and some poor defense by the Atlantics. Finally, in the bottom of the sixth inning the top of the Atlantic order roped three hits, including a double by Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma and scored three aces. The Essex squad kept the pressure up by scoring two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, while the Atlantics tallied a single ace in the seventh to enter the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by four.

With two outs the Atlantics rallied to score three aces on consecutive hits by Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant, Dreambucket and Kevin 'Flash' Harrison, followed by a well struck ball by George 'Wildhorse' Ferchland, and another hit by Willy Mo. This left runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Atlantics trailing by a single run. An Atlantic rookie who will remain nameless succumbed to the pressure and ticked a foul ball to the very able Essex catcher Brian Sheehy to seal the game at the final score of 8-7.

The second match was played to the rules of base ball as they were in 1864. For the Atlantics, the pitcher and catcher switched positions and it was now Wildhorse who stood between the lines. The Atlantic defense played much better in the second game and kept Essex from scoring in six of the nine innings. Although Essex was ahead for most of the match, the Atlantics put their hits together late scoring in the sixth, seventh and twice in the eighth inning to win the match 5-3.

On the day, both teams leftfielders had exceptional plays in the field and both teams defenses held up to their reputations. Dreambucket led the offense in the first game with four hits, two aces and two doubles, followed closely by Shakespeare with three hits, two aces, and three stolen bases. Anthony 'TC' Cannino and Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian each had two hits a piece.

In the second match, Wildhorse accrued four hits, two stolen bases and an ace to lead the rest of the Atlantics who it seems attempted to test the right fielder often but instead found him capably up to the task of tracking fly balls for nine put outs in the game.

The Atlantics head south tomorrow to the town of New London in Connecticut to take on the Thames in a rematch of last year.

New London Thames

1861

W 6-4

1864

W 16-4

The Atlantics went south from Massachusetts and their carraiges led them to New London, Connecticut, home of the Thames Base Ball Club. Playing their second 1861 match of the weekend, Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant had four hits, including a double and an ace, while Anthony 'Dirty Pirate' Cannino, Brian 'Pesky' Travers and Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma had two hits each. Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore tossed a complete game for the victory 6-4.

The second match to the rules of 1864 showcased the Atlantic offense led by the Dirty Pirate, Anthony 'Willy Mo' Stelmach, Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma and Pigtail. Even Richard 'Tree' Ness reached base four times with a hard single, a double over the leftfielder's head, and a flyout deep to left. Not to be out done, the defense was on point as Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian retrieved a shot in the left-center gap, fired a bullet to Dreambucket, who turned and fired a bullet to Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo to nail a runner at home. Tree pitched the complete game for the win 16-4.

The Atlantics next play the New York Gothams on Governor's Island on Saturday August 25th at Noon.

New York Gothams

1864

W 10-7

Press:Brooklyn Trolley Blogger»

1864

L 8-5

Video:Ziheng Lim»

The Brooklyn Atlantics and the New York Gothams decided that they would need a neutral site to play their matches this weekend so as to afford neither club an unfair advantage given by a large crowd of spectators. So they met in the middle of the harbor or as close as they could get on Governor's Island.

The Gothams brought with them a 15 match winning streak on the field at Governor's Island and had earlier this year bested the Atlantics out in Smithtown on Long Island. The Atlantics brought their famed defense to settle the score. The first match showed off the speed at the top of the Gothams lineup as they scored six aces in their first two innings. However the Atlantics fought back and finally went ahead late by the score of 10-7. The Gothams threatened in the ninth but their fate was sealed as the final out was notched via the old hidden ball trick.

Anthony 'Dirty Pirate' Cannino, George 'Wildhorse' Ferchland, Frank 'Hammy' Obidienzo, and Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma each stroked two hits for the Atlantic offense in the first match as Hammy picked up the victory.

The second match began after a short break and the Gothams came out swinging scoring a couple runs in the first inning. This back and forth match left the Atlantics lacking in hits, as only the Dirty Pirate, Dreambucket and Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore could manage more than one. The Gothams took the second game to the score of 8-5 leaving Pigtail with his first loss of the year.

The second match did see some solid defensive work by both squads and even included a triple play. With the bases loaded a seemingly innocuous pop-up to Atlantic shortstop Dreambucket turned into three outs by his purposeful non-catching of the ball, tagging the Gotham runner at second, stepping on second base and then throwing out the runner on third who had waywardly wandered off the bag. Modern players should be reminded that there was no 'infield fly' rule in this era.

The Atlantics next venture to the Catskill Mountains to play the Roxbury Nine at Kirkside Park on Saturday September 1st.

Roxbury Nine

1864

W 8-1

Radio:WIOX 91.3 FM

1898

L 11-6

The Atlantics met their longtime competitors, the Roxbury Nine, at Kirkside Park alongside the east branch of the Delaware River. In the shadow of the Catskill Mountains the two vintage teams played an 1864 and 1898 doubleheader. The first match showed off the Atlantics defense as they put up eight whitewashes in a row before allowing a single ace to cross the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Atlantic lineup scored in bunches throughout the game as eight Atlantics struck hits in the match led by Sean 'Toothpick' Ness who had three aces, Kevin 'Flash' Harrison who had a homerun and two aces, and Anthony 'Dirty Pirate' Cannino and Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant who had doubles. Richard 'Tree' Ness pitched the complete game victory.

After a short break, the second overhand match was broadcast on local Roxbury radio station WIOX. The Atlantics batted first but started off the game quietly going 1-2-3 in the first inning. Shakespeare took to the pitching line for the Atlantics but after quickly finding runners on the corners the stellar poet injured his groin while attempting a pick-off. Dean 'Dreambucket' Emma came into the game to pitch in his place and did a fine job of it with Roxbury only scoring their one runner from third.

The Atlantics tied the match in the top of the second on a passed ball and both teams played the game tough the rest of the way. Seven Atlantics had hits, including Flash with two doubles and three aces, and Dreambucket with a double and two aces but some misplays in the outfield gave the home team enough of a lead to take the 11-6 victory. Dreambucket pitched admirably the rest of the game to the brazen behinds of Toothpick and Matt 'Krawler' Kouyoumdjian while rumors abound of an Ed 'Pigtail' Elmore sighting in the outfield.

Mountain Athletic Club

1864

W 13-7

1864

W 13-10

The Atlantics met the club from Fleischmann's known as the Mountain Athletic Club on their rivals field this past sunday to roundout a vintage weekend of ball playing. Although both teams took advantage of the close proximity to the trees in rightfield, the Atlantics took great care in judging the bounces off of MAC bats to limit their aces to seven. The Atlantic lineup was led by Anthony "Willy Mo" Stelmach and Dean "Dreambucket" Emma with four hits each while cousins Anthony "Dirty Pirate" Cannino and Matt "Krawler" Kouyoumdjian had two hits a piece to tally a total of thirteen Atlantic aces.

The second underhand match saw a closer score as the MAC players took advantage of the rule differences from the modern era and increased their score to ten aces against Ed "Pigtail" Elmore's pitching. This match saw many successful Atlantic at bats as Greg "Hawk" Dengel had three hits and aces, while Dreambucket also had three hits, including two doubles and aces, and Kevin "Flash" Harrison had three hits including a double and a triple. Additionally Willy Mo, the Dirty Pirate, and Vincent "Tuna" Aurora stroked two hits a piece.

On the day, Pigtail picked up both wins and Frank 'Shakespeare' Van Zant did a fine job arbiting the games. The Atlantics next appear in public at the Merrick Street Fair on Saturday September 8th beginning at 10 AM and then follow that up with playing the New York Mutuals at the Smithtown Historical Society on Sunday at 11 AM.

New York Mutuals

1864

W 15-6

1864

W 15-3

The Atlantics welcomed the New York Mutuals, another squad of Long Island base ballists, to their homefield at the Smithtown Historical Society this past Sunday. The first of two 1864 matches began with the Mutuals brazzenly taking out a 4-0 lead. The Mutuals offense scored mostly in the early innings lead by their lead off hitter and centerfielder Rich "Fingers" Effinger who struck the ball well into the trees in right centerfield. The Atlantics however never faltered and methodically began their assault on Alyssa Mulligan's pitching led by Dean "Dreambucket" Emma with four hits and Kevin "Flash" Harrison with three hits including a double and two triples.

The Atlantic leftfielder Anthony "Dirty Pirate" Cannino also contributed to the offense with a single, double and three aces while Vincent "Tuna" Aurora struck the ball well without any results until finally he was rewarded with a single in the eighth inning. Frank "Hammy" Obidienzo pitched the complete game and secured the 15-6 victory.

The second match featured a pitching duel between Peter "Wheels" Halecky and Tuna, who was making his pitching debut of the season. This time the Mutuals fared no better, with the Atlantic defense supporting Tuna's innaugural performace. Leading the Atlantic offense was "Tricky Rick" Stattler, Dreambucket and Flash with two hits a piece as the Atlantics matched their first game ace total of 15 and held the Mutual attack to a sparse 3 aces. Tuna received his first victory of the season and Frank "Shakespeare" Van Zant did an exemplary job as the arbiter of the matches.

The Atlantics next travel to Philadelphia for a festival of vintage base ball on Saturday September 15th and return to Smithtown for the Smithtown Fair on Sunday September 16th.

Lewes Base Ball Club

1864

W 11-0

Chesapeake and Potomac BBC

1864

W 22-2

Many teams from around the east coast took trains and carriages to the city of Philadelphia where a vintage base ball exhibition took place on the Parade Grounds of the local Navy Yard.

The Atlantics first challenger was a newly formed club, the Lewes BBC, from Delaware. As usual the Atlantic defense was in fine form to support the pitching of Ed "Pigtail" Elmore. The Lewes club's lead-off man reached base in all of his at-bats but was unable to make it past third base as the Lewes club was shutout in the match, the Atlantics second shut-out of the season. To complement the fine pitching and defense, which ellicited three strikeouts and multiple fine defensive plays was an offense not seen in many a match as George "Wildhorse" Ferchland and William "Billy Goat" Kowalczyk returned to the lineup.

Greg "Hawk" Dengel and Dean "Dreambucket" Emma led the Atlantic barrage with three hits each followed by Wildhorse, Billy Goat and Pigtail with two hits a piece. In all the Atlantics tallied 11 aces to take the game.

The second match was against the Chesapeake and Potomac Base Ball Club who were assisted by members of the Philadelphia Athletics and also featured the return of Stephen "Sully" Sullivan to the ball field against the Atlantics. This match witnessed Anthony "Dirty Pirate" Cannino leading the way with four hits and three aces, while Frank "Hammy" Obidienzo, Wildhorse and Dreambucket also contributed three hits to the attack. Not to be outdone by Pigtail in the first match, Hammy threw a complete game including two strikeouts but gave up two aces in the fifth inning. When the finaly tally bell had rung the score stood at 22-2.

The Atlantics will be at the Bellmore Street Fair this coming Saturday September 22nd beginning at 11 AM and will then take on the Eckford BBC at our homefield in Smithtown the next day, also at 11 AM.

Brooklyn Eckfords

1864

W 8-4

1864

L 9-8

The Atlantics welcomed their cross-borough rivals the Eckfords to their scenic home grounds of the Smithtown Historical Society this past Sunday. The original Eckfords and Atlantics were rivals in Brooklyn and their modern day recreations continued their competitive matches just where they left off all those years ago.

The first match featured pitching from Frank "Hammy" Obidienzo of the Atlantics and Eric "Express" Miklich of the Eckfords, with umpiring by Sean "Toothpick" Ness of the Manetto Hill Surprise BBC. The Atlantics scored first and last with a few in between as William "Billy Goat" Kowalczyk, Dean "Dreambucket" Emma and Kevin "Flash" Harrison each struck two hits a piece leading the Atlantics to an 8-4 victory.

The second match showed a change in pitcher as Steve "Richmond" Krauss came in for the Eckfords while the Atlantics kept Captain Hammy out between the pitching lines. Billy Goat was replaced by George "Blackjack" Pappas who recently returned from a scouting trip. In this match the Eckfords came out strong scoring three aces in the first frame and featured a tight contest with a tie game going into the sixth inning. Behind the plate Matt "Krawler" Kouyoumdjian played aggressive defense throwing out a couple of would-be base stealers.

The Atlantics moved ahead by two aces in the eighth inning but even a two run deficit and a double play, Anthony "Willy Mo" Stelmach to Dreambucket to Flash, did not hold down the Eckfords. In the top of the ninth, Rich "Fingers" Effinger, Al "Rocky" Belbol, Express and the rest of the Eckfords combined to score three aces and take a 9-8 lead. Despite fine hitting by Greg "Hawk" Dengel with four hits, Flash with three hits, and Dreambucket and Krawler with two hits, the Atlantics failed to tally an ace as the Eckfords split the doubleheader.

This weekend also saw the Atlantics at the Bellmore Street Fair with Ed "Pigtail" Elmore manning the tables on Sunday.

The Atlantics next play on Saturday October 7th at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration against the New York Mutuals. Games begin at 11:00 AM and will feature a doubleheader to the rules of baseball as they were played in 1864.

New York Mutuals

1864

W 11-3

1864

Canceled

The Atlantics met the New York Mutuals at their home field at Old Bethpage Village Restoration on a rainy day in early October. Anthony "Willy Mo" Stelmach went between the lines for the Atlantics and backed by the usual solid defense allowed only three aces in the first game. The Atlantic offense was led by Anthony "Dirty Pirate" Cannino, Greg "Hawk" Dengel, and George "Wildhorse" Ferchland who each contributed two timely hits apiece. Dean "Dreambucket" Emma reached base in four out of five at-bats, and Nick "Butcher" Baruso came up with a clutch hit in the seven run fifth inning to put the game out of reach.

Vincent "Tuna" Aurora rounded the bases with two steals and two aces tallied while the muffin "Scout" made some fine catches in the garden while hitting the ball hard for a double in only his second vintage at-bat ever. Alas, the rookie did what most rookies do in their first at-bat ... the dreaded FB2. At the end of nine frames the tallykeeper marked down a final ace count of eleven aces for the Atlantics versus three for the Mutuals.

A second game was quickly started in an effort to avoid the oncoming poor weather with Wildhorse pitching a shutout through two innings. The Atlantics were ahead six tallies to zero when the arbitor deemed the playing conditions unsafe and the game was called off.

The Atlantics next play the Brooklyn Eckfords at the Atlantics home field at the Smithtown Historical Society Grounds on Saturday October 20th to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the passing of Jim Creighton, one of base ball's first super-stars. A doubleheader according to the rules of base ball at the time of Creighton's death in 1862 rules will be played beginning at 11AM.

Brooklyn Eckfords

1862

W 13-7

1862

W 18-1

The Brooklyn Eckfords and Brooklyn Atlantics met in honor of the 150th anniversary of the passing of one of the first super-stars of base ball, Jim Creighton. Two matches were played according to the rules of base ball in 1862, the year of Creighton's untimely death. At the age of 21 years old, Creighton was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Excelsiors and an innovator in the methods of pitching with his famous "speedball" when he suffered an internal injury while swatting a homerun and passing a few days later.

The first game included a pitching matchup of Vincent "Tuna" Aurora of the Atlantics against Eric "Express" Miclich of the Eckfords. The match stayed very close through four innings until the Atlantic began to pull away for the 13-7 victory. The Atlantic bats were hot as most of the lineup recorded multiple hits in the first game and were led by Anthony "Dirty Pirate" Cannino, two hits including a triple and two aces; Greg "Hawk" Dengel, two hits and an ace; Dean "Dreambucket" Emma, two hits including a double and two aces; Billy "Goat" Kowalczyk with two hits including a double and an ace; Anthony "Willy Mo" Stelmach with two hits and two aces; and Matt "Krawler" Kouyoumdjian with two hits including a double and two aces as well.

In between matches both teams stood on the first base foul line and paid respect to the life and times of Jim Creighton. The elder Atlantic, Mickey "The Lip" Tangel, read a poem by Robert L Harrison, and both teams shared a moment of silence to honor the memory of one of the first bonified super-stars of the game.

In the second game, both teams switched pitchers with George "Blackjack" Pappas tossing for the Atlantics and Richard "Fingers" Effinger for the Eckfords. This game saw a little more offense from the Atlantics and a little less from the Eckfords as the final score saw a lopsided victory of 18-1. The Atlantic battery was led by the Dirty Pirate with three hits, two doubles and two aces; George "Wildhorse" Ferchland with three hits, and Krawler with three hits, a double and three aces tallied. Both Tuna and Blackjack made their second pitching appearances for the Atlantics this season and both received their second wins adding significant pitching depth to the Atlantic rotation.

The Atlantics play next Saturday October 27 in Salem, Massachusetts against the Providence Grays in a pair of 1864 matches beginning at 11AM. The matches will be at Salem Common, in the heart of the town. Witches and Wizards are welcome but spells, hexes, or hijinks are forbidden.

Providence Grays

1864

W 7-6

1864

W 9-5

The Atlantics traveled north to the land of Witches in Northern Massachusetts and played the Providence Grays one last time this season. Spectators of both the human and unnatural variety viewed with curiosity the game of base ball as it was played during the Civil War.

The first match witnessed back and forth scoring and a tie game into the eighth inning. Anthony "Dirty Pirate" Cannino and Vincent "Tuna" Aurora led the Atlantics with two hits each, but Kevin "Flash" Harrison tallied the go-ahead and eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth on a ball struck by Marc "Nice n Easy" Josloff" into the hole that the Shortstop could not come up with. This quick match featured fine defense by both squads and timely hitting made the difference in the result.

After a short break, Ed "Pigtail" Elmore returned to the field to pitch both halves of the doubleheader and continued his winning streak. This time the Dirty Pirate, Matt "Krawler" Kouyoumdjian and Flash each had three hits, while Dean "Dreambucket" Emma roped a homerun to right-center field near a 350 year old stone gazebo. The Atlantics and Grays celebrated afterwards to a fine season by both teams and we look forward to continuing this fine play next year.

The Atlantics finish their season at home on Saturday November 3rd at the Smithtown Historical Society against a new team, the Hoboken Nine from New Jersey. Games will be played to the rules of base ball in 1864 and begin at 11AM.