It Happened In NJ: The Day Baseball was Born; Potentially, Maybe…

BY PETER ZABLOCKI WRITER

AREA - Today, Maxwell Place in Hoboken is the epitome of luxurious living with condominiums and townhomes overlooking the New York skyline. Some may even remember it being the Maxwell House Coffee plant site throughout the twentieth century. Still, the location’s roots are even more profound than that. For buried well below the brick buildings is the Elysian Fields park – the site of the first-ever organized baseball game in the United States, played on June 19, 1846.

The myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball and first played it in Cooperstown, New York, has long been discredited. It was a brainchild of a special commission established in 1903 to research the sport’s origins and based on a testimony of an older man – and friend of Abner’s – who claimed to have seen Doubleday make up the rules and play the game sixty years before. Ironically, the so-called founder never admitted to doing so. In fact, at the time of the said occurrence, Doubleday was present at West Point Academy and nowhere near Cooperstown.

It is still a major point of contention for baseball enthusiasts, considering that it makes the Baseball Hall of Fame’s location in New York State based solely on unproven hearsay. For a precise, albeit more controversial origin of America’s past, one should look no further than Hoboken, New Jersey.

In the 1840s, thousands of New Yorkers rode the ferryboats to Hoboken each Sunday. Their destination was often the famed Elysian Fields, which provided a peaceful sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the nearby metropolis. The visitors enjoyed the five-acre paradise’s cafes, strolls through the flower-booming gardens, and cricket matches. It was also where a twenty-five-year-old New York volunteer fireman and banker, Alexander Cartwright, would spend his days playing “town ball” – an Americanized street version of the British game of rounders. More akin to dodgeball, the game would see players try not to get hit with the ball thrown directly at them to get them out on their way to secure bases (laid out in

Key Factors...

FROM PAGE 6 needed with careful monitoring patients undergoing withdrawal.

Perhaps, one of the most significant hurdles to seeking services is navigating the complex healthcare system, which often leads to angst and frustration. To help ease the process, Saint Clare’s offers a “Walk-In Program.” As the name suggests, the program does not require any appointment on weekdays. (Appointments are needed on weekends). People seeking treatment can walkin and within minutes will be assessed. This enables a convenient, discreet, and comfortable access to treatment. Within minutes, the patient can get onto the detoxification unit!

Treatment consists of, but is not limited to, a medical de- tox with medications individualized the need of the patient, regular treatment team meetings, 12-Step program. WRAP: Wellness, Recovery and Action plan, Group Therapy and free of charge HIV and Hepatitis C testing. In addition, laundry facilities, cable TV and phone services are available to all patients.

Finally, upon successful completion of detoxification services, appropriate referrals are made for continued care with staff assisting in linkage of services and co-ordination of care.

Saint Clare’s Behavioral Health accepts, in addition to most commercial insurance, Medicaid and Medicare. A Morris County grant is also available for uninsured Morris County residents. Charity care a square), all while the men on the field would fight to catch the ball off the bat (with the batter standing between home and first base) through a freefor-all melee.

In 1845, Cartwright decided to organize his buddies into a baseball club. Named the New York Knickerbockers after his firehouse and made up of other members of higher social standing, Cartwright’s club adopted new regulations to make the game more entertaining, safer, and quicker. Approved by club members on September 23, 1845, Alexander’s rules saw the square turned into a diamond, the batter staying at home, and bases placed nine- is available for screening for those uninsured in other counties.

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