It was easy to forget the Spring of 2006. Rain, cold and disappointment highlighted the season in New England, and July provided new hope that life would return to normal and the sun would shine again. July 1 greeted Newtown with bright skies and warm temperatures as the Sandy Hooks anticipated their upstate rivals the Simsbury Taverneers for the third meeting of the campaign. The Taverneers had upstaged the Hooks in the previous two meetings and today would be the first time the local squad would meet their rivals on home turf.

Due to a scheduling mix-up with a local band of gypsies (flea market), the Sandy Hooks were spared the agony of performing at the blistering Asylum Grounds, their inherited home field, and were relegated to the dominative Dickinson Park at the south end of the village. Though designed to play host to aluminum bats and grapefruit sized balls, this verdant ground perched between a network of cornfields and tick ridden swamps, provides a picturesque oasis for this early-Summer match.

As the warm breezes kissed the towering oaks surrounding the palatial diamond, the honorable Louis Margolus called the captains to order and outlined his plan for the '86 match. Taverneer skipper John Lucker, who just barely managed to cobble together a best nine, sent his star hurler 'Hands' Patrina to face the Hooks ace 'Muhl' Snyder in the box. All parties exchanged pleasantries as both squads worked on their strategies and took the field.

Confident of their perceived advantage over the beleaguered Simsbury squad, the locals made quick work of the first inning with stout defense and a good measure of offensive punch taking a 1 - 0 lead going into the top of the second.

Being the first time in twelve matches the locals had managed to shut-out an opponent in the first inning brought measured celebration from the Newtown contingent.

Happiness was short lived though as the visitors finally reached their stride in the second frame by unleashing their first counterattack; an aerial bombardment unseen in previous matches supported by costly fielding miscues that resulted in eight big runs for the Taverneers (as well as numerous balls lost to the swamp). The Sandy Hooks would continue to play catch-up for the remainder of the day and despite a couple of offensive charges late in the match punctuated by a pair of massive 'Bulldog' Paes skyballs, which seemed to awed both the cranks and Taverneers, the Hooks were never able to close within three runs of the Simsbury eight (one Taverneer had to leave early to attend a wedding celebration) for the remainder of the match.

The shortened dimensions of the field provided little or no advantage to either team as only two round trippers were slugged (one by each team). Many players contributed to the slugfest in both a positive and negative way, and the match ended in a 15 to 11 advantage to the visitors. Hands and toes couldn't total the error committed yet Patrina pitched a complete game for Simsbury while Snyder and 'Pudgey' Dieckman showed good form for the home club.

The match ended within the two hour and seven inning time limit, and it was decided, based on the numerous injuries faced by the visiting squad, as well as the level of action in game one, only one match would be played on that day. Huzzahs were exchanged and everyone shook hands knowing that both clubs would meet again soon when the sky is high and base ball is in the air.

Hat's off to the Simsbury Taverneers for a well played match under somewhat adverse conditions and the Sandy Hooks for showing more offensive firepower than in any previous outing this season. One crank was heard to exclaim, 'If the Sandy Hook lads could just hold on to the ball, it might have been a lot different game'.

Thanks also goes to Governor Margulos for managing a good match, and keeping the combatants in check.