June signaled the beginning of the second month of the base ball season and my second month in the Saint Louis metro area...and yet, we only had six games in the books due to various unpredictable weather circumstances. After lackluster performances at our matches in Springfield, Illinois against the Springfield Long Nine, our record stood at a disappointing 2 victories and 4 defeats, with rainouts taking another six matches off the books. But June would be different. It was summer, and it was time for the Shepard Barclay tournament. To the victors go the spoils:
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The Shepard Barclay trophy with
engraved participants from the past
decade. |
The Shepard Barclay festival this year was scheduled to include us (the Saint Louis Perfectos), our sister team (the Lafayette Square Cyclone), the Murphysboro (Illinois) Clarkes, the Rock Springs Ground Squirrels (from Decatur, Illinois), and the Indianapolis Hoosiers. The Barclay tournament also happens to coincide with the Lafayette Square spring home and garden tour, which was set to celebrate its 44th year. The spring home and garden tour is a major fund-raiser for the Lafayette Square neighborhood, bringing in visitors from around the region (and indeed around the country) to view the centuries old mansions. It kicks off the summer season in Lafayette Square:
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Summer in Lafayette Square Park features free concerts
or movies every Friday night. |
As the unpredictability of 2013 would have it...a funny thing happened on the way to the first weekend in June:
Let's just say "severe weather" has had its way with us so far this spring. With tornados sweeping through the Saint Louis metro area and flooding being a risk around the Mississippi River, we wisely chose to cancel the first day of the Shepard Barclay festival. This would effectively remove the Indianapolis Hoosiers from the tournament as they weren't willing to travel for just one day of base ball on Sunday.
Despite the scary weather on Friday night, the storms passed through and the spring home and garden tour began on Saturday without a hitch. Altogether there were 11 homes and 6 gardens on the tour, including this house on Park Avenue which belongs to our friends Bruce and Jean-Paul:
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Bruce and Jean-Paul's house is a fine
example of the "Second Empire" architecture
within Lafayette Square. |
Bruce and Jean-Paul have lived in the neighborhood and worked on rehabbing their house for the past 13-years. They are committed to keeping the architecture of the neighborhood true to its Victorian roots and ensuring that Lafayette Square remains an elegant destination for tourists in Saint Louis. Bruce has done an incredible amount of work in the garden behind the house:
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Bruce and Jean-Paul's garden which they
share with their Miniature Schnauzer
"Baron von Krieger" |
This mansion on Lafayette Street, just south of us, recently underwent major upgrades to the interior:
Not to be outdone, the lovely backyard garden of Mike and Kathy's "Park Avenue Mansion Bed and Breakfast," one of three B&B's in the neighborhood:
If you got tired from walking around the neighborhood to the various house and garden tours, you could take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the park:
Or, if you were feeling particularly adventurous, simply walk through the park on one of the hidden garden paths:
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This path is adjacent to what used to be
the "West Pond" which we hope to
rebuild in the next couple of years. |
On your walk, you just may run into some folks dressed in "period" garb from the 19th century, there to take in a vintage base ball game:
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These lovely folks happen to be
the parents of Perfectos team Captain
"Danger" Pellegrino. |
Sunday proved to be a fine day for base ball and the Shepard Barclay festival went on with six games on tap, including this one featuring the Lafayette Square Cyclone and the Rock Springs Ground Squirrels:
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Note the hay bales which serve as a backstop in back of
the catcher (a position referred to as "behind" in
vintage jargon). |
By now you may be asking yourself, "Well, who was Shepard Barclay?" I'm glad you asked...
Shepard Barclay (1847 - 1925) is most well known as a lawyer, judge, and member of the State of Missouri Supreme Court. But that is only a small part of why we honor him with this festival. Barclay is also considered a pioneer of base ball in the state of Missouri. While still a young lad, Barclay remembered being taught the game of base ball (along with other youth in Saint Louis) in Lafayette Square Park by a man from New York whom he referred to in his writings as "Jere Frain." Additional research shows one "Jere Frain" to likely be Jeremiah Fruin, a somewhat well known player from the east, who along with Merritt Griswold admitted to developing the game in Missouri while being stationed there during the Civil War period.
Shepard Barclay, one of the two men's pupils, would go on to become a well known local player with both Saint Louis University and one of the top local amateur teams, the Saint Louis Unions. We honor all three men in our league, with the "Shepard Barclay Festival" in June, the "Jeremiah Fruin Festival" in September, and the Missouri Cup at the end of the season in which all of the local Missouri teams compete in a tournament to win the "Merritt Griswold Trophy" and bragging rights as the top vintage team in Missouri for that year.
This year's Barclay festival would be just one day, and coming off the two match defeat in Springfield in which I did not play, I wanted to play well and help the Perfectos win the tournament. Although I had played mostly as first tender (first base) and right scout (right field) so far, we were without our center scout "Pitchfork" Bergdorf for the festival, so I would play there.
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The great thing about playing center in Lafayette Square Park
is that at least you have lots of interesting things to look at
while you're chasing drives into the power alleys... |
Fortunately I played well in center on this day and we easily dispatched our rivals in the first match, the Lafayette Square Cyclone, by a score of 10-2. I hit the ball sharply but finished 0-3 on the match, flying out to the Cyclone's superb left scout "Wheels" Olmsted twice. I also made several plays in center, although the one I will most remember is one that I dove for but ticked off my hands. It was a dink over the short scout's head and I tried to catch it on the first bound, diving full out. It was only after hitting the ground and attempting to roll that I realized the true difference between being 48-years-old and 18-years-old. My ribs and shoulder are still aching.
In the second match we were taking on our chief rivals for the tournament, the Murphysboro Clarkes. We knew the winner of this match would likely win the tournament and it was a hard-fought game 'til the end. We played excellent defense against the Clarkes good hitters.
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Perfectos left scout "Hawkeye" MacKenzie tracks a drive
off the bat of a Clarke's ballist. |
I was able to get one base hit against the Clarke's superb hurler "Knute" Schultz, and tally one of our five aces.
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Doing the only thing that matters in vintage base ball...
tallying an ace. |
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| A difficult match but we would hold on for the 5-4 victory. |
After the victory over the Clarkes we had a couple of hours to relax, talk to the cranks (fans) that had gathered and explain the game to them, and take in some of the other matches. We would then play the final match of the tournament against the Rock Springs Ground Squirrels, all the way from Decatur, Illinois. I began the final match with just one hit in six at bats, not living up to my raised role in the batting order as the fifth striker. But that would change in the final match as I had three hits, drove in a runner, and scored another ace.
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| Finally driving the ball into the gap during the last match. |
Taking an 8-1 lead into the final inning against Rock Springs, we would let them back into the game with several muffs that allowed them to tally more aces. We would hold on for an 8-6 victory, ending the tournament undefeated at 3-0 and raising our season record to 5 victories and 4 defeats. Altogether a successful festival, home tour weekend, and adventure in Saint Louis.
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The Clarkes congratulate us on our tournament victory:
(l-r) Chatterbox, Dixie, Hawkeye, King, Stoney, Turnpike,
Walnuts, Mute, Hammer, and Danger. |
Huzzah!
Dixie.
