By Ricardo Kaulessar

Many readers of this newspaper can relate to the sentiment that this especially brutal winter cannot end soon enough – and that baseball season cannot come fast enough.

Major league baseball players are already in the midst of spring training in warmer places while locally, boys and girls, young and old, are indoors (or even outdoors as the snow starts to clear away) with bat, ball and glove in hand getting in shape for games to come.

Meanwhile, fans are preparing to watch their favorite teams over the next few months, whether itâ€s from the bleacher seats at Yankee Stadium or in the living room staring at a plasma screen.

And for some, it is an opportunity to remember the landmarks and individuals from the Hudson/Bergen County area that have a significant place in baseball history.

Hoboken as the site of the first recorded baseball game in 1846 and Jersey City as the location of the legendary Jackie Robinsonâ€s debut in a professional baseball game in 1946, and as the birthplace of those who got to the “big show” including Joe Borowski (Bayonne), Willie Banks (Jersey City) and Johnny Kucks (Hoboken). Several aficionados of Americaâ€s pastime shared recently about how they await the start of another year where the worries are more about box scores than snowplows.

Prose for the pros

It may be hard to believe but baseball and poetry can be compatible. Jersey City resident Frank Messina is proof of that as both a fan of the New York Mets since birth and as a writer of numerous poems about the game, a number of which fund their way into his 2009 book “Full Count: The Book of Mets Poetry.”

He started off the interview with two haikus about his favorite activity: Spring Training – “Sun shines on diamond/two birds on a citrus limb/ball meets bat: a “crack!” and Ageless – “Grandpa opens gift/two tickets to the ballgame, a gray-haired child smiles.” Messina then shared about his anticipation for when play starts next month.

“Iâ€m looking forward to this season, especially after a torrential winter. The great thing about being a Mets fan in 2014 is having little or no expectation,” Messina said. “You can simply enjoy the game of promising young players along with watching a few veterans such as David Wright and Bartolo Colon. The same goes for the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. Promising teams, but simply in a time of flux.” He then added, “As for the Yankees, itâ€ll be a year of saluting Derek Jeter, as it should be. Hopefully, that wonâ€t be a distraction to the Yankees†bigger mission: to win a championship.”

BasebALL the time

If baseball is your vocation, then it isnâ€t just for the springtime but it is year-round. Raf Hernandez is testament to that credo as the owner of the Hudson Baseball Center, a baseball training facility in Union City where players of all ages can come to the center not just in the winter but the other three seasons to work out and prepare. Hernandez, a Brooklyn native who resides in Union City, has been involved in all facets of the game for over 20 years going back to his days as a star shortstop for Brooklyn Tech High School. The longtime Yankee fan weighed in on the pros and cons of the upcoming season.

“There is the sentiment about what baseball symbolizes: itâ€s springtime, the winter is ending, and catchers and pitchers reporting to spring training. And for many fans, it gives them a fresh start,” Hernandez said. “But for me, it is a time when business starts to die off as it gets warmer, when people go outside to play. By the summertime, the center is pretty much dead.” Hernandez continued, “Unfortunately, people prepare for the season like theyâ€re cramming for an exam by coming in a month or two before when training should be done all-year. Thereâ€s no off-season.”

Throwback to another age

There was a time when baseball was known by two words. Frank Stingone knows all about that period as someone who runs the Hoboken Nine Vintage Base Ball Club. The team, in its third year of operation, specializes in playing base ball from April to October in compliance with 1864 rules that calls for no gloves, only balls and bats from the era, and classic uniforms. Hoboken resident Stingone said the Mile Square City, while having few available ball fields, is a great place to play for the Hoboken Nine and for visiting teams because of its place in the history of the sport, especially the intersection of 11th and Washington Streets where a monument marks the home plate of the famed Elysian Fields that held the 1846 exhibition. He then pointed out that the cold weather is having an impact on his teammates. “They have been itching to get out and they are excited to start playing,” Stigone said. “They are getting sick of the snow.”

For more information about the Hoboken Nine Vintage Base Ball Club, http://hobokennine.jimdo.com/, the Hudson Baseball Center, http://hudsonbaseballcenter.com/ and Frank Messina, http://www.spokeface.com/.

The post Baseball -Going from Snowballs to Baseballs first appeared on River View Observer.

Hoboken gave birth to baseball? Thatâ€s right. Just take a stroll over to 11^th and Washington Streets and youâ€ll be standing where Elysian Field used to be and where first, second, third and home bases were designated on June 19, 1846. Thatâ€s the day the first game was ever played and its cemented in Hobokenâ€s history and as well as those street corners – just read the plaques in the sidewalk.

Some folks disagree with baseballâ€s Hoboken origins, especially those affiliated with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which throws its own  curveball claiming the first game was played in Cooperstown in 1839. To most Hudsonites, though, Hoboken is the birthplace of baseball. The city even has its own vintage baseball team.

They call themselves the Hoboken Nine Vintage Base Ball Club and they play baseball the way it was originally played – by 19^th century rules. They wear uniforms designed like the ones worn in 1846 and their balls and bats are replicated from that period, too. The Hoboken Nine competes against other vintage teams to promote the history of baseball and for the sheer pleasure of playing baseball as a gentlemanâ€s sport.

Their next game is Thurs, Aug 22 at 7:30 pm, where the Hoboken Nine plays the NY Gothams at Richmond County Bank Ball Park at St. George in Staten Island.  This is the first full season for the team – theyâ€ll play about 60 games this year – and for team founder Frank “Walnuts” Stingone and team Captain Chris “Lucky” Lutkin – thereâ€s a learning curve as they compete with other vintage ball teams who have been doing it a lot longer.

“So far weâ€re 6 wins, 15 losses,” Stingone says. “Some teams have been doing it 15 years; weâ€re still getting the hang of it.”

Last year, the team played exhibition games and this year, the team joined the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball Association (www.mid-atlanticvintagebaseballassociation.com) and the Vintage Base Ball Association (www.vintagebaseballassociation.com).

“We play a gentlemanâ€s game,” Stingone says. “Youâ€re not supposed to question the ump. If weâ€re really out on base, weâ€re supposed to admit that weâ€re out. Itâ€s more gentlemanly than competitive.”

Stingone describes it as “baseball with a twist”.

“Itâ€s a good time,” Stingone says. “It draws a lot of fans. They get a kick out of the 1864 rules and fans seem to like the ump. Heâ€s dressed as a 19^th Century gentleman in a black suit, black top hat and cane.”

Along with the 19^th Century rules, uniforms and gentlemanly behavior, thereâ€s also the lingo the players use. The teamâ€s pitcher is called a “hurler”; an out is a “hand” and the hitters are called “strikers”. Nicknames are also a team tradition and the Hoboken Nine has some doozies: Hereâ€s the roster:

Louis “Pig Pen” Crocco, Tony “T-Bone” Peters, Todd “Wrong Way” Montgomery, Martin “Hay Bale” Josefski, Dave “Double D” DaCosta, Pat “Corned Beef” Oâ€Leary, Henry “Falcon” Falconi, Dan “Grit” Jacobson, , Jake “Snake” Scott, , Jeff “IP” Radlin, Eric “Money” Feldmann, Jason “Q” Kulak, Damian “Devil” Nash, , Dave Nelkin, Rafael “Riff” Badagliacca, Mark “Mad Dog” Gasper, Luis “Sweet” Melendez, Ian Heller, Mike “Cabaret” DiMasi, Frank “Walnuts” Stingone, Chris “Lucky” Lutkin, and Dale Lawrence – the only team member without a nick.

“There are hundreds of teams that play different yearâ€s rules,” team captain Lutkin says. “We play 1864 rules. That game is played without gloves and youâ€re allowed to catch the ball on a bounce – on the bound – and if you catch it on the hop the batter is out.”

The balls back then were home-made, Lutkin says, and players couldnâ€t throw them very far and it was harder to catch a ball on the fly, so the game was more about fielding than hitting.

“Back then you had to make the ball available to hit,” Lutkin says. “The guys in the outfield were playing the running game — stealing bases – and the fielding game – the fielders try to field the ball or throw the ball back to someone to tag them out – and all with no gloves.”

One of the main aspects of vintage baseball is historical accuracy, which is maintained by the umpires who are aficionados of the rules and the behavior of the players of the day, Lutkin says.  All of the baseball clubs were social clubs back when it started and it wasnâ€t until the 1870s that they started charging admission and paying players. Thereâ€s a reenactment to the proceedings, Lutkin says, but the teams play a real game of baseball, and to be historically correct, teammates maintain a gentlemanly style of play.

“If a guy slides into second and a tag is applied, but the Ump calls him safe, the pitcher can ask the player ‘were you tagged sir?â€â€ Lutkin says. “If the player says, ‘yes I was,†he will walk off the field in good sportsmanship. It happened to me and it happened to end a game against us. This aspect brings a lot of people to the game. In the modern game thereâ€s a lot of competitive animosity.”

Lutkinâ€s father was a WWII veteran and a Civil War re-enactor who made military-style muskets. An amateur history buff, Lutkin researched his father and grandfatherâ€s history and how baseball affected their lives and Americaâ€s history.

“Baseball was a game used by a community of people to help them heal from the Civil War where 700,000 men died,” Lutkin says. “Baseball was a way to engage people, get them outside and moving on from the devastation of war.  Thatâ€s such an interesting connection and why itâ€s so ingrained in the culture of America.”

For more info, visit: www.hobokennine.jimdo.com.

The Teamâ€s August Schedule:

The post COVER STORY-Gentlemen’s Baseball: Hoboken Nine Vintage Baseball Team Plays by the (Old) Rules first appeared on River View Observer.

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A native of New Jersey and former Major League pitcher of Saint Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox, Ralph Citarella joins the new Newark Bears Professional Team as their pitching coach for the 2012 season. Mr. Citarella has already begun to train and assist the Bears with player development and is preparing for spring tryouts in April.

Ken “Obie” Oberkfell, former 2011 Bench Coach for the New York Mets, will be joining the New Newark Bears Professional Baseball Team coaching staff for their 2012 season. Obie played in the Major Leagues for 16 years. He played on the 1982 World Series Championship for St. Louis Cardinals. In 2005, he was awarded Manager of the year by Baseball America.

Citerella and Oberkfell will be making their first appearance during the Bears annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball on Saturday, February 18^th at the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium located at 450 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102.

For more information contact the Newark Bears office at 973-848-1000 or send an email to info@newarkbears.com. You can also learn more by visiting www.newarkbears.com.

The post Newark Bears Sign Two New Coaches- Ralph Citarella and Ken “Obie” Oberkfell first appeared on River View Observer.

Home-style Cooking, Family Fun and 30 TVs Tuned to Sports!

By Sally Deering

 Whether you want to take the family out for some delicious home-style Italian cooking or you’re a sports fan itching to see your favorite team on a large screen TV while munching mouth-watering Buffalo wings, The Big Apple Sports Palace in Bayonne has it all – 30 Large Screen TVs, shuffleboard, pool, a Sopranos pinball machine and fabulous food at affordable prices.

Vinny Bottino and his wife, Elaine opened The Big Apple in 1976 and in 1989, their son Vinny and his wife Toni took over, expanded the space and put in a kitchen, much to the delight of their regulars. Now known as the Big Apple Sports Palace, families can enjoy home-style Italian cooking and sports fans can watch their favorite games broadcast from 30 TVs including a digital projection screen.
 
“It was a neighborhood place, one room, and my father-in-law Vinny had rock and roll bands on the weekends, local people playing music,” Toni says. “We never changed the bar, but we changed the walls and floors and put a kitchen in the back. Now it’s a neighborhood place for people to have a great meal and a good time.”
 
In 2000, the Bottinos expanded next door and made it into a dining room with an outdoor Tiki bar that features a pool table and TV broadcasts of every Yankees, Devils and Giants game, even championship boxing. 
 
“Once the Yankees and Mets are out of baseball, the season’s pretty much over,” Toni says. “But there’s always next year.”
 
Regardless of what team’s playing, it’s the food at The Big Apple that attracts customers and turns them into regulars, like the Specialty Pizzas – Taco Pizza, Shrimp Scampi Pizza and Philly Cheese Steak Pizza ($15 each,) and the Wraps: Veggie, Chili ($5 each,) Chicken Fajita, Steak Murphy ($6 each.) The dinner menu features Chicken in a Basket ($8,) Shrimp in a Basket ($9,) Chicken Marsala ($11.95) and Shrimp Francaise ($14.95.) And then there are the taste-bud popping appetizers like Fried Mushrooms ($5,) Fried Calamari ($9,) and for all you wing-lovers, the big and juicy Buffalo kind (10 for $5; 25 for $10.) Everything tastes great especially with The Big Apple’s extensive list of draft and bottled beers, frosty cold and ready to quench every beer-lover’s thirst.  

 “I have a big menu,” Toni says.

 And those prices can’t be beat especially in today’s economy where everybody’s stretching their dollars and taking the family out for a meal and a good time can take a big bite out of your wallet.

 “You can take your family to our restaurant, feed them, have drinks and not pay a hundred bucks,” Toni says. “And when you buy ten pizza pies, you get one free. We’ve been doing that since we opened. It’s a thank-you to our loyal regulars.”

The Big Apple also has a loyal staff.

“I have people who have worked for me for ten to eighteen years,” Toni says. “That’s a pretty good record. My best friend Debbie Mattiello, she’s been here 18 years, My brother- in-law Mark works here and, of course, my husband Vinny. It’s a family business.”

The Big Apple offers off-site catering for wedding receptions, corporate events, bridal and baby showers and caters on-site parties, too. Toni and the crew revamped the menu last year to include a selection of wraps and salads for those who like to eat light and every day The Big Apple’s menu includes lunch specials.

“You have to constantly change and bring new ideas in and that’s what we try to do,” Toni says.

 

The Big Apple Sports Palace

412-414 Broadway

Bayonne

201-858-1075

Kitchen is open 11 am to midnight; bar opens at 11 am and closes 2 am on weekdays; 3 am on weekends

For more information, visit their website at www.Bigapplesportspalace.com

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