Memorial Day weekend was in full swing during Beach Haven’s Throwback Softball Game at Walsh Field Sunday, May 24, when past and present borough employees competed against members of the local volunteer fire department. It was a high-scoring game, 22 to 16, with Beach Haven employees taking home the winning title.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds Fantasy Island's Mayor Gator throws out the first pitch |
“It was an awesome game; we had a lot of laughs. It was exactly what Beach Haven needed,” said municipal registrar Darcy Kolodziej, who played in the game and helped call it with Glen Kalina from WJRZ. “We had so many groups involved: Beach Haven Future, the Long Beach Island Historical Association, public works. Everyone was involved. It was perfect.”
During the third inning stretch, spectators cheered on Terry Dorman, Ryan Knight, Joe Mangino and Alyssa Tromm in a wing-eating contest, provided by The Chicken or the Egg restaurant. Dorman and Knight were both named the winners after a tie-breaking round also ended in a tie.
The event was also sponsored by Fantasy Island Amusement Park as well as The Boardwalk and Ben and Jerry’s, which provided each team with matching red or blue jerseys.
Fantasy Island’s Mayor Gator threw the first pitch and handed out Ferris wheel passes.
Despite losing the game, Beach Haven Fire Chief Matt Letts said his team played well, especially considering they did not practice.
“I hope we do this every year; it was wonderful,” said Councilman James White, who was sitting in the crowd. “It’s so nice to see everyone come out and enjoy themselves and make Beach Haven what it really is.”
One of the first of many events held in honor of the town’s 125th anniversary this year, the game was attended by residents and visitors alike. The excitement of the event coupled with the thrill of the start of summer 2015 and its accompanying gorgeous weather was plain to see as families and friends lounged in the bleachers and across the lawn, singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and cheering on their favorite players.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds Wing-eating contestants get into the zone. |
“It’s been a great day. We’ve had a terrific turnout, and the weather couldn’t be any better,” said Barb Cona, executive director of Beach Haven Future, which provided “throwback” softball snacks, including hotdogs, Crackerjacks, peanuts and more, all priced for $1.
BHF President John Wachter added that he hopes the town makes the game a regular summer event.
Softball and baseball have a long history in Beach Haven. Back in the day, ball games were often held in celebration of bigger events such as the official incorporation of Beach Haven in 1890 and the opening of the Causeway Bridge in 1914.
The history of sport in Beach Haven is detailed in John Bailey Lloyd’s books, Six Miles at Sea: A Pictorial History of Long Beach Island, New Jersey and Two Centuries of History on Long Beach Island. It is as follows:
In the late 1800s through early 1900s, nearly every town in the country had a semi-pro baseball team that played other teams within a 25- to 50-mile radius. The visiting team was usually guaranteed a minimum of $100, win or lose; instead of admission fees, a hat was passed among the spectators to collect money. Beach Haven was a popular place to play because wealthy summer visitors often contributed large sums of money to the pot.
The town had three ball fields over the years. The first was built in the 1890s at Beach Avenue, between Marine Street and Ocean Boulevard on the south side of the former Baldwin Hotel. It was located just two blocks east of the current Walsh Field. The Williams and Converse cottages, nicknamed the “Onion Domes,” are still standing in the old outfield on Atlantic Avenue.
Ball games were also played in the streets in front of the former Baldwin and Engleside hotels. Hotel employees had their own informal teams that played after-hours and often included African-Americans. All organized teams were racially segregated. The “Negro” leagues did not end until after World War II, when major-league baseball was integrated.
Women played only in unofficial mixed-gender “ladies” games at the big hotels. In these games, men had to wear skirts as a handicap. As the skirts on bathing suits became shorter, women started to wear shorter skirts with stockings or leggings in sports, and “ladies” baseball in Beach Haven ended by World War I.
The Beach Avenue ball field was moved in 1912 to empty land between Sixth and Eighth streets, and it was demolished in 1941.
As the Island became more populated, John Walsh – a former town councilman who owned a dry goods store where the Surflight Theatre currently sits – pushed for a new, better field. In 1924, the town bought the present site on Bay Avenue, located between Pearl Street and Ocean Boulevard, and filled it with dredge spoils from the Mordecai Fairway. It was dedicated as the Walsh Field in 1926. For $9,646, it was painted bright green, included fencing, locker rooms, public bathrooms and covered seats.
Beach Haven and Tuckerton teams traditionally rivaled each other twice a year. Before the railroad arrived, the players traveled across the bay in catboats.
In 1925, the Beach Haven team went 21 for 24 and was named the Ocean County champion.
The most famous local player was Roger “Doc” Cramer, who was discovered by Connie Mack and played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928. Cramer later played for Boston and then Detroit in the 1945 World Series.
Although ball games in Beach Haven lost their appeal after WWII, the town became known for hosting donkey ball. Lois Pinnix, a former Beach Haven resident who now resides in Barnegat Township, remembers attending donkey ball games around the 1950s, which were usually held as fundraisers for the Beach Haven Volunteer Fire Co., she said. Her husband Charlie is the oldest living member of the fire company at 91 years old. He served for about 60 years, and was often involved in the games.
“They’d sit on a donkey and hit the ball, and they’d have to run sitting on the donkey, and that’s what made it funny,” Pinnix recalled. “Donkeys have a mind of their own; sometimes they won’t move. It was all for fun; it was nothing serious.”
The town’s next 125th anniversary event will include a bay bash and pig roast with a free concert by Garage Kept at Walsh Field on June 20. Tickets are available at beachhavenfuture.com, or at Murphy’s Market, Buckalew’s Restaurant, Spice It Up, Crust and Crumb Bakery and borough hall.
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