Autumn Years Summer 2024

Oritani Field, Hackensack.

and grounds were a howling mass of hu manity. The air at times was split with cheers, yells and explosives of a powdery and dynamite nature.” The term baseball fan was first used in Bergen County in 1902; before that, peo ple were known as baseball fiends, root ers and cranks. Fiend often has negative connotations and, interestingly, found its way into a 1923 article about a woman filling for divorce. The headline declared, “Alleges Husband is a Baseball Fiend.” A rooter brings to mind the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (“Let me root, root, root for the home team/If they don’t win it’s a shame”). The root ers were so well known for enthusiastic cheering that an 1895 newspaper car toon showed a man with an enlarged chin and cheeks; a person asked, “Why is his face so large?” The answer: “He is one of the local rooters.” An 1884 description of a

ladies present gave a civilized look to a sport that could draw rowdy crowds. At a game in Allendale, it was reported that the local constable made use of his “billy club” on the fans. At a May 1878 home game with the Ryans of Ruth erford against the Alaskas of Staten Island, it was reported that “A very large number of people were present for the exceedingly fine game, and the crowds were quiet and orderly.” The newspaper was quick to emphasize that the crowds were “orderly.” Sometimes the crowds were not so or derly. An 1885 game in Passaic between the Clippers of that city and the Fort Lee Stars nearly resulted in a riot when the local team and fans disputed an um pire’s call. A 1903 game at the Oritani Field Club in Hackensack was described this way: “The grandstands were closed after it reached capacity. And the stands

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Women’s ball teams Remember the Penny Marshall movie, A League of Their Own , which told the story of women in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League? That league was created because the men were off fighting World War II. Bergen County, however, had women playing baseball way before then. In 1903, Wal lington had two women’s teams: It was reported that “a bachelor girls’ baseball club” had been organized to oppose the Wallington Bachelor Girls’ Bicycle Club team. The Bicycle Club team provided them selves with uniforms consisting of me dium-length skirts with bloomers. The initials of the team were sewn on their red and gold blouses. It was not until they held a practice game that it became clear that nobody on the team knew how to keep score. A brother of one of the team members came to the rescue and taught them the rules. Later, one of the Wall ington teams invited a Newark women’s team to a game at the field used by the

crank was one who “thinks baseball, talks baseball, dreams baseball and does all but play it.” Hackensack’s Evening Record newspaper reported in 1902 that one of the Hackensack Wheelmen baseball cranks ex claimed after a recent game, “Well, we won; but it wasn’t much of a game.” A fan claim ing credit, rather than a player? That was a crank.

Rooters in Englewood.

40 AUTUMN YEARS I SUMMER 2024