I got the following email from our Blog buddy, Don Maxwell, and thought I would pass it along to see if anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere could shed some light on the subject. Hope to hear from someone!
Pete S
Pete,I was wondering if anyone ever mentioned anything about the New Gretna baseball teams, especially the one called the New Gretna Bullets. It was in the late1930's, possibly early 40's, before most all the players were called to military service.Anyway, New Gretna had a first rate team and they played teams in Tuckerton, Manahawkin, Port Republic, etc. They also had a second team, a group of guys I remember like Jack Mathis, Chod and Larry Cramer, Jack Sears, etc. Well, they were always complaining to Curly Lamson, the first team's manager, that they never got to play in any games.So one day Curly, having heard it so much, said "Okay you guys want to play so bad, we'll play you whenever you're ready." So, the seconds formed their own team and named themselves the New Gretna Bullets and set a date for the match. Quite a few spectators turned out that day for the game, expecting to see the New Gretna Bullets get a trouncing. Well, just the opposite happened. The Bullets beat the New Gretna first team by a pretty good margin, and they never failed to rub it in. Probably the only ones who would remember it is someone in their 80's by now. Maybe Cliff Brown or someone in his or my age group.Don Maxwell
This entry made me think of an earlier one posted in March 2009 about baseball in NG. When I saw this entry it made me wonder if my Grandfather Boot Mathis might have been one of the players. I really could not tell if he was a player but evidently he was a FAN if he and Woody Allen could get the minister to lay off his decree that there be no baseball in NG on Sundays.
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Don, I remember them well. Lew Allen played for the Bullets. I remember he got hit ibthe head by a fast ball and got a fractuered skull, which finished him for the season. Dave K
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