On Sunday, the once formidable Newtown Sandy Hooks took their beleaguered corps to Hartford County, the home of the storied Hartford Dark Blues, to play a match of the 1860's. The Newtown nine battered by numerous season ending injuries and malaise took the month of August off to rest and recuperate yet come September found they had less manpower then before the 'holiday'. In spite of that fact, a rag-tag group of ballists and hangers-on cinched-up their belts and set course for South Windsor to meet their opponent.

The morning was crisp and bright and a gentle breeze spawned dust devils as the two clubs found their places on the parched field. In a previous engagement at Dickinson's Pond in May, the Sandy Hook's split with their upstate rivals in see-saw battles that saw the locals out-slug the Dark Blues 23 to 22 in a heroic spectacle followed by a disappointing second game shortfall.

On this day, the ad hoc guests consisted of Margolus, Paes, Long, Carasone, 'Pops' Pendergist, and Pernerewski supported by Shaw who was thrust out of retirement to bolster the shorthanded barnstormers. As the two clubs met around center dish, the Hooks short two ball handlers negotiated the rights to a father and son tandem who would fill their ranks and enable the contest to commence. The 'Smith Brothers' 'Smitty' and 'Sawmill', as they are known, provided the necessary tonic to set the course for an amazing battle that was about to unfold.

'Bulldog' Paes, bat impresario, barrister and musician from Sandy Hook looking for a new outlet for his multifaceted talents, accepted the hurling duties for the Newtown nine. The lanky southpaw, know for his constant banter and heavily 'loaded' pitches making his initial start of the season made it clear from the beginning, he was ripe for the task.
Sliding back and forth along the 45 foot pitching line and using a confusing repertoire of un-hittable hurls, 'Daisy Cutter' Frank's Hartford nine found particular difficulty getting their offensive machine percolating. Whenever they were lucky enough to tag a Bulldog offering a well-positioned short-scout or glue-fingered gardener would extinguish their efforts.

On numerous occasions the tandem of 'Pops' Pendergist and 'Smoke' Carasone (known for his on-field cigarette smoking and persistent chatter) put the kibosh on sure doubles to the gap, snaring nearly anything launched in their direction. Sparkling plays took place on every corner of the diamond as the tenacious 'Bulldog' pawed his way through the indomitable lineup.

On the offensive side, the reconstituted Sandy Hooks generated more firepower than this scribe has seen since the early months of the campaign. The always dangerous 'Bingo' Long drove in four runs with a doubles and singles that helped initiate high scoring innings while 'Moose' Margolus, back to form after a spleen injury suffered in a sliding accident in the Orators match at McLaughlin Vineyard in June, generated three key hits while scoring two critical aces.

It has been stated, when 'Pops' Pendergist steps to the dish time stands still for the opposing nine. On Sunday, Pendergist again balanced his aerobatics in the field with four runs-batted-in coming from two monumental triples that nearly landed in North Windsor, along with a handful of well-timed singles. As one opponent noted: 'You always know he's going to crush the first offering he sees, and you best send your left fielder to far reaches of the yard to anticipate the descending orb.'

The highly dependable 'Honus' Pernerewski sporting the first remnants of a bronchial infection, 'Smoke' Carasone the Civil War vet who generates his own form of bronchial pollution, 'Sawmill' Smith, and 'Shutta' Shaw, returning from years of inactivity, contributed four safeties each to keep the turnstiles buzzing and enhancing the final tally.

Shaw, who appears more adept with a camera than bat and has not played a full match in more than a decade, showed advancing signs of chemical decomposition (some would say early stages of rigor mortis) as he plodded through his tasks. In spite of that fact, his perceptibly younger brethren spent nine glorious innings tearing-up the base paths to score a game total 16 runs and 29 hits (a combined .560 batting average) to insured a decisive and moral-boosting 16 to 12 victory for the day's effort.

	Hired gun 'Sawmill' Smith launches a cannon blast

In fairness to our opponents, it should be stated in the second match of the day, the Dark Blues spanked the upstart Hooks mercilessly for their questionable sportsmanship (in sending half a team to play on their home grounds) by a defining score of 14 to 8 in seven innings. The Hooks were down to five players at this point in the day but that said the exhibition was performed with great gusto and camaraderie, and everyone left on a high note. The Hooks thanked their opponents for their patience and hospitality.

This would stand to be the final game of the '07 season for the Newtown Sandy Hooks. It was an up and down year for the hometown nine as they completed the season with 10 wins and 18 defeats (two the direct result of forfeits), losing many good players to the ravages of the game, age and family commitments. The team is grateful for the opportunity to represent their hometown, wishes good luck to their rehabilitating mates and look forward to healthier campaigns in future years.