Writing Update

This has been one of the most unusual weeks of the about 15 months that I have been "retired." It is the first week in that time that I have had no meetings or other commitments, especially evening meetings. Part of the explanation is that a lot of what I do is church based and this being Holy Week, the secular side of the church kind of shuts down. That also makes it difficult even to do church work at home as information, follow up etc. from the church office isn't that easy to do.

As a result this has been a week to concentrate more fully on writing and reading and it has been productive in both areas. A lot of the reading has been focused on "The Way We Live Now" by Anthony Trollope, the last of my three books for the Victorian challenge. It is about 900 pages long, but for some reason I have been flying right through it, well past half way and enjoying it as well.

However, it has been the writing that has really gotten the most attention and it has been a very productive week - to the point that after doing one more thing, I think I am going to take off until Monday. Of course, a lot of that is involuntary, Easter has its own schedule and tomorrow, Carol and I are off to the Pearl Theatre in New York to see another play where my God-daughter is the assistant stage manager. I expect to write about that within the next few days.

There have been two focal points for the writing - the proposal for the Ebbets Field book and the editing of the William Lloyd letters. The proposal for the Ebbets Field book is due by May 1st, but it should go out of here well before that. I am very happy with the team that we have put together, five published authors with a good background in baseball, Brooklyn and ballparks. How's that for alliteration - DT would be proud. I think the proposal has gotten better in each draft, the input of the contributors plus the thought process has really made a difference. I am really excited about this possibility and very much hope we get the project. The process has also led me to think again about another book possibility - something that would combine a biography of Charles Ebbets, a history of the Dodgers from 1883 to Ebbets' death in 1925 and how the team became such a community institution. The Ebbets Field book could help set the stage.

I have also made quite a bit of progress on the William Lloyd letters. Lloyd was a member of the 33rd New Jersey and something like 40 of his letters survive. About two years ago, a special friend introduced me to her God-son who volunteered to transcribe the letters themselves. He did a great job (he is now part of the potential Ebbets Field team) and I have been working on editing them. To my surprise I have already finished a rough first draft, there is still a lot more to do, but I should meet my self-imposed deadline to get it off to a potential publisher by September 1st. I am going to intentionally take a break from that project to think a little bit more about the best way to do this. I keep seeing or feeling a connection between William Lloyd and the attitudes/actions of various soldiers in "Henry V," so I need to think about that some more. DT may have some thoughts as he usually does with anything regarding Shakespeare.

My non-fiction reading this week has been related to another possible book project. I have posted before about the possibility of a book about Andrew Jackson and his war with the Second Bank of the United States. My next step in pursing that was to read the biography of Nicholas Biddle, the President of the bank and Jackson's adversary. It would be an exaggeration to say that I can't put it down, but I am reading it with a lot interest in the subject. I think there are some related themes here that could make for an interesting book - the wisdom of populist attitudes towards banks, attitudes about people who make money from money, how the BUS actually worked and our relationship to material things. I need to keep reading and thinking about this as well as the larger Brooklyn book, no matter what happens with the Ebbets Field book - so we will see what happens, but I am grateful for such a productive week.

Remembering What's Really Important

A couple of weeks ago I had a phone call from the Director of Development at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark asking if I would help out with their search process for a new head of their finance department. I was glad to do so, Paul Zinn is a 1997 graduate of St. Benedict's and St. Benedict's is a wonderful place. As the Assistant Headmaster said to one of the candidates, "our mission is to provide a top flight education to those who can't afford one."

Being back at St. Benedict's reminded me of many things and, while there has been a lot of turnover, it was good to see some of the people who played an important part in Paul's time there. All of this reminded me of when we were going through the college search process. Paul had been accepted at Bates and we went to a reception for new students in New York City. The then head of admissions told me that Bates had targeted St. Benedict's as a place where they wanted to recruit students and they hoped Paul would be the pioneer in that regard. Paul did go there and it was definitely a great experience for him.

While I had heard of one other St. Benedict's graduate going to Bates, the assistant headmaster told me the story of the most recent Gray Bee to go to Lewiston, Maine. From what I understand this young man literally had no functioning immediate family - one parent missing, the other with major substance abuse issues. When it came to the financial aid application documentation, there was literally nothing available - ultimately all they could come up was a photo copy of a welfare check. Fortunately Bates was true to its word and accepted the young man and, I assume, gave him the necessary financial aid. Just to confirm how much the student was on his own, the assistant headmaster was the one who took him to school last September.

The search for the finance position went very quickly and I certainly hope the person works out. I don't know that I contributed that much to the process, but it was good to be re-connected to the school. I hope I can find other ways to help out now that I have been reminded once again, what is really important.

The time is out of joint

Other than some rain outs, most major league teams were in action yesterday. One of the classic debates this time of year is whether the pitchers are ahead of the hitters or vice-versa. It is one way of wondering when players will get into mid season form. Unfortunately there is already one aspect of baseball that is already in mid season form - the length of games. As much as I love baseball, this is one area where I think the game is going backwards.

Yesterday's Mets-Reds opener lasted 3:17 in a game where only three runs were scored and the Reds only had three hits. Not surprisingly, the Yankees-Orioles game was even longer at 3:31, although it seemed like it lasted over four hours. I suppose the
10-5 score mitigates the latter game, but American League games, especially Yankees games always seem interminable to me.

It doesn't have to be this way, the classic example that I have used is the Brooklyn Dodgers-Boston Braves 26 inning game from 1920 - the longest game ever played in terms of innings. That game lasted about 3:45, in other words, they played almost three games in just 15 minutes longer than it took the Yankees and Orioles to play one. I realize that is a obscure example from a different era of baseball, but I found a more modern example the other day. In preparing to submit the Ebbets Field historic ballparks proposal, I was looking at the first book in the series about Forbes Field. It has the box score from the classic seventh game of the 1960 World Series between the Yankees and the Pirates which Pittsburgh won on Bill Mazeroski's ninth inning home run. The score of the game was 10-9, it was the seventh game of the World Series and it took all of 2:36 to play!

Some might object to my concern on the basis of why would you want to see less rather than more baseball. My point is, however, that you don't see more baseball, you see the same amount of baseball, it just takes a lot longer to play it. Last year at Phillies/Marlins game, Carol asked me why the games take so much longer - I told her to focus on how much time is wasted by batters stepping out of the box between pitches. Changing that alone would make a big difference.

Two years ago we were at a minor league game in New Hampshire with Paul and Sarah. One of the pitchers took so long between pitches, that it was as if he didn't want to throw the ball. Thinking about that later, it occurred to me that he was being trained to throw that way. The idea must be something along the lines that you can control the game more by slowing it down. Yet that certainly isn't the way great pitchers work - they work fast to keep hitters off balance. Again changing that philosophy would make all the difference in the world.

I don't want to seem negative about opening day - one of the highlights of any season. But this has bothered me for a long time and, unfortunately, I don't see it getting better. On a more positive note, I know that my Shakespeare buddy, DT, enjoyed the Yankees-Orioles game because for at least for one day, the Orioles are in first place and ahead of the Yankees. Let the games continue, but could we please move it along a little!

The Play's the Thing - A Visit to the Past

My set of DVD’s of the BBC’s “An Age of Kings” series arrived in Friday’s mail. While my plan is to watch the whole series in regnal order (the order in which the events take place), I decided to watch a few selected scenes among other things to test my memory of something I saw almost 50 years ago. I chose somewhat by random three scenes – the great tavern scene in Henry IV, Part I, the band of brothers speech in Henry V, and the scene at the end of Richard III when Richard is visited by the ghosts of those he had killed on the way to the throne.

My memory of the great tavern scene was that I didn’t like it, primarily because I didn’t like Falstaff. While I still see his shortcomings very clearly, I can also now see how attractive he is as a character and just how funny he really is. Seeing the scene for the first time at the age of 15, I don’t think I was old or mature enough to appreciate it. Now I recognize the brilliance of the scene, just how funny and enjoyable it really is – perhaps one of the greatest scenes Shakespeare ever wrote. Hal is played by Robert Hardy who has had a long and distinguished acting career and certainly plays the part well. I didn’t know the actor, who played Falstaff, but he was good and the scene was as good as any other versions that I have watched.

Interestingly I had no memory at all of the band of brothers speech in the Age of Kings version. What I did remember was how disappointed I was at how short the actual battle scene is in this version. Now having seen Robert Hardy give the speech, I have to say I was disappointed, part of that is probably because to me every other version I have ever seen pales in comparison to Kenneth Branagh’s version in his movie of the play. My memory of the fight scene was exactly on target, the scene of the fighting at Agincourt lasted probably less than a minute and takes place primarily in Henry’s imagination. I think one of the reasons I was so disappointed all those years ago was that the battle scenes in Henry IV, Part I were so effective. Of course, I realize now that in the latter play the fight between Hal and Hotspur is crucial to the play while in Henry V the issue is not Henry’s valor, but how he inspires others to fight for him.

Finally I watched the ghost scene in Richard III primarily because I remember it as the most effective version of that scene that I have ever watched. My memory was accurate and it didn’t disappoint all these years later. While he tries to sleep the night before the battle of Bosworth Field, Richard is visited by the ghosts of his victims. Each of them tells Richard to “Despair and Die,” it is a lot easier to work in the ghosts in a film version, but even Olivier’s movie (which I hated) doesn’t come any near as close in its haunting realism.

As I watched these three scenes and thought about them, I started comparing them in my mind to other versions I have seen over the years – some as recently as last fall. At first I was disappointed to think that in some ways I have seen them done better at other times. But then I realized the importance to me of “An Age of Kings” is not that they were necessarily the best Shakespeare I have ever seen, but rather it was my first experience with Shakespeare. Regardless of whether they were the best, they were the first and they were good enough to keep me interested for almost five decades. That is more than sufficient reason to honor them and to watch them again – something I look forward to a great deal.

Opening Day - 2009

Usually it seems like it takes forever for the start of the baseball season to get here. While there was some sense of a wait this year, it all became a blur over the past few days. A blur of the past, present and future.

Today marked the opening match for the Eureka Base Ball Club of Newark which played the Flemington Neshanock at the Somerset Patriots home field in Bridgewater (pictured here). It was the first time that I was actually on the field at one of these minor league type stadiums, it was nice, but it didn't feel as intimidating as I thought it would.

It was an interesting match, played by 1864 rules where the major difference is that any batted ball caught on a bounce is an out. It changes the game dramatically as what would be line drive singles today are just ordinary outs. Most 19th century games and their 21st century counterparts are high scoring affairs, but today was exactly the opposite. I am not sure if pitchers were ahead of the hitters early in those seasons, but the cold wind today reminded why opening days in those days was usually in June. Of course, as somebody reminded me, on the other end, they played through Thanksgiving.

Today the Neshanock got off to a 2-0 start in the first, a lead they extended to 5-0 after six. The sixth was the only really bad defensive inning for the Eureka which is a hopeful sign. Last year too many times one or two bad plays let innings and games escalate out of control. The Eureka rallied in the 7th for three runs and then tied it with one out in the ninth. Having the last at bat is always crucial in baseball and it was today as the Neshanock scored quickly to with the match. The game didn't end though as in the 19th century, the bottom of the ninth was played regardless of who was ahead. There was no more scoring, however, so the Eureka dropped their first match of the year 6-5.

It was however, a close match, the Eureka seem to have improved and hopefully it will be a good year. While I could have done without the wind, it was great to be out on a base ball field again and great to see some of the guys who I got to know last year. I am really glad that I decided to get involved in this - I wish it had been around about ten years ago when Paul and I might have been able to play together, but you can't have everything.

The other reason that baseball sort of came on the scene like blur is the opening of the new stadiums for the Yankees and the Mets at the same time that I have been working on the proposal for the Ebbets Field historic ballparks book. I am especially interested in the Mets new stadium with its Ebbets Field like features especially the rotunda - Carol and I have tickets to a game on May 13th and I am really looking forward to it.

As part of my preparation for the proposal, I have been reading the first book in the series which is about Forbes Field. Apparently the relatively new PNC ballpark in Pittsburgh has some nostalgic features based upon Forbes Field. At some point in the book, one of the writers mentions how those kind of features are sort of a nostalgic look back at what is felt to be a simpler time. However, as he points out, when Forbes Field opened in 1909 that was not how people then looked at it - they thought of it as a modern ballpark with many features that incorporated the latest technology. An interesting thought when preparing (hopefully) to write about Ebbets Field - trying to look at it going into the future rather than looking back at it from today.

Clearly I am ready for the 2009 season!

State Budget Hearings - The Assembly

Today, April 2nd was my day to testify at the State Assembly budget hearings on behalf of the Historical Commission grant program which, in turn, funds the New Jersey Historical Society budget. This is the second year that I have testified at both the State Senate and Assembly budget hearings and for whatever reason, the two experiences are very different.

I don't think it has anything to do with party as the experience is the same across party lines. The purpose of the Senate hearings appears to be to allow anyone who wishes to, to get their position on the record. Most people testifying end up reading their testimony and the times I have been there, there have been few, if any questions from the senators. I am not trying to be critical, it is just so different from the Assembly.

At the beginning of the Assembly budget hearings, Assemblyman Lou Greenwald, who is the chair, asks people not to read their testimony. Rather he suggests that it would be better to use the allotted five minutes for interaction with the committee. At another hearing, I heard him say that what comes out of that dialogue is often used by the committee members in their own deliberations. That makes the experience more challenging, at least for me, but it certainly does seem to be a productive approach. Below is my written testimony which I kind of summarized verbally, I felt the testimony went fine, but I could have done a better job in the dialogue that followed. At the end Assemblyman Greenwald said we needed to have more dialogue and so I plan to pursue that. It was a draining experience, but one that was important.

"I am here to testify about funding for the Historical Commission’s grant program. I want to start by thanking this committee not just for the opportunity to be heard, but equally important the chance to be part of a discussion. In times such as these the more inclusive the process, the better the chance of finding the best solutions for the problems that face our state.

During the trying times of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said that “we must learn to think anew.” That idea seems just as relevant in these difficult times as it did then. Thinking anew today about the state budget can mean many things, two that seem particularly appropriate are the ideas that tax payer dollars must be spent in the most cost effective way possible and that we should all be focused on strengthening our state’s economy. I believe that New Jersey’s history organizations can make important contributions in both areas.

I hope that we all agree that it is important for our school children to learn about the history of their community and their state. If so, then clearly strong history organizations can help to teach that history in a cost effective manner. If school children in Paterson or Bordentown are going to learn about the history of their communities, surely it is more cost effective to use resources and programs developed by history organizations rather than have each school district develop their own programs. As we move beyond the local this becomes even more true, if school children in Camden County and Monmouth County are going to learn about the history of their region, then again it must be cost effective to have multiple school districts drawing on the resources of county and state historical organizations.

Strong history organizations can also make an important contribution to our state’s economy. The strongest history organizations are those that develop strong programming which generates revenue which is in turn used to generate more programming and so on. In that way history organizations become a strong economic engine – an engine that helps not just that organization, but also the local and state economy as well. This can be especially important in difficult economic times like these when many families are looking for less expensive vacations closer to home.

The operative word in what I have said so far is strong – strong history organizations can make the contributions that I mention. Unfortunately most New Jersey history organizations today are not strong, and many are in serious danger of not being able to carry out their mission. Just one example, is that the New Jersey Historical Society, the only state wide history organization has been closed to the public since the middle of February. We plan to re-open soon, but the crisis remains. Our problem is not that our costs are too high, but our revenue is too low. The 25% cut proposed in the 2010 budget will have a devastating impact not just on NJHS, but on all history organizations. I urge you to restore the proposed cut – please help New Jersey history so that New Jersey history can help New Jersey."

A Case of Identity

Recently I was talking with a long time friend about a program he was working on to help improve the quality of life in a New Jersey community. In that situation one of the problems is that the community does not have a sense of its own community identity. That would be sad in any situation, but it is particularly sad in this case because the community has a rich history that has apparently been forgotten. Unfortunately much the same thing could be said of our state – we lack a sense of our identity, in large measure because we don’t know our own rich history.

At least part of the reason for this is that New Jersey history is not adequately studied in our public schools. Unfortunately there is now a very real risk that the situation will get worse. The State Board of Education will shortly consider new guidelines for teaching social studies in the our state schools – guidelines that put less, not more emphasis on New Jersey history.

In fact, according to a number of social studies educators, the new guidelines hardly mention New Jersey beyond the Revolutionary War. Among other things this could eliminate the teaching of New Jersey’s role in the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, industrialization and immigration. Especially upsetting to me is the possible elimination of teaching about New Jersey in the Civil War. With the 150th anniversary of the Civil War just two years ago the timing couldn’t be worse. This is especially true since an all volunteer group, that I am fortunate to chair, has put New Jersey in the lead among northern states in planning for the observation of this anniversary.

Just one sentence of a joint statement by social studies educators speaks volumes on this issue. “The 1947 New Jersey Constitution made radical changes in state and local government and brought the state to the forefront of progressive reforms that provided a model for other states to follow.” How many of us know anything about that? Yet, it is something that should make all of us proud to live in New Jersey. Couldn’t such justifiable pride help shape our identity as a state and, therefore, help us be the kind of state we can and should be.

Time is running out on this issue as approval of these standards could come as early as this month. This is a time for action. Please write the Commissioner of Education who serves as the Secretary of the State Board of Education at State Board of Education, 100 River View Plaza, P.O. Box 500, Trenton, NJ 08625.