Governor Proclaims 'Pittsfield Baseball Day'
 |
| Gov. Deval Patrick issued a proclamation on Wednesday declaring Sept. 5 "Pittsfield Baseball Day" |
PITTSFIELD — Gov. Deval Patrick issued a proclamation on Wednesday declaring Sept. 5 "Pittsfield Baseball Day," honoring the city's place in baseball history.
He dated the proclamation to coincide with the anniversary of Pittsfield's 1791 bylaw on baseball.
Click here for a full size graphic of the proclamation.
The bylaw is thought to be the oldest documentation of the game in North America. Mayor James M. Ruberto thanked Patrick for this special recognition of Pittsfield and also voiced his appreciation for First Home Plate co-founders Brian P. Johnson and Phil Massery, who have spearheaded the effort to build permanent monuments in honor of Pittsfield as baseball's "Garden of Eden."
"I'd like to thank Governor Patrick for taking the time to acknowledge this important date in the history of the game of baseball, the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Pittsfield," said Ruberto in a press release. "His proclamation will give even more momentum to the work being done by First Home Plate to create permanent fixtures in Pittsfield that will serve as a true historic and cultural destination."
The proclamation states Pittsfield's "storied baseball chapter" — which includes the first intercollegiate game and historic Wahconah Park — belongs beside such legendary markers as the Green Monster and the 2004 World Series.
Kathy Quinn of the mayor's office said she was unsure of how the proclamation came about but noted Patrick's involvement in Pittsfield.
"The governor is well aware of the great things happening in the city," said Quinn, adding that individuals such as the Red Sox's Daisuke "Dice-K" Matsuzaka have brought attention to the city's baseball efforts. Patrick, who has a home in Richmond, has been a frequent visitor to the west end of the state, unlike his predecessor Mitt Romney.
Patrick was in Lenox on Tuesday to welcome the new owners of GE Plastics, now part of SABIC Basic Industries. The star pitcher visited Pittsfield in early July to peruse the handwritten bylaw and minutes from that town meeting 216 years ago.
The ordinance bans "play at any game called Wicket, Cricket, Baseball, Batball, Football, Cats, Fives or any other games played with Ball, within the Distance of eighty yards from said Meeting House," in an effort to preserve the new building's windows. Violators faced a fine of five shillings.
Historian John Thorn tracked down the bylaw while doing research on the origins of baseball. He found a reference to it in an 1869 book on Pittsfield's history. A librarian found the original document in a vault in the Berkshire Athenaeum, where it remains.
The gubernatorial proclamation is the latest of several milestones of the First Home Plate cause, which has included recognition at Fenway Park for the 215th anniversary of the 1791 bylaw, a feature on the Boston Red Sox program "Red Sox Stories," the production of the song "Happy Birthday Baseball," and numerous features in local, regional and national press outlets.
The foundation also helped launch the Art of the Game, a two-year initiative that merged the city's baseball history with the Berkshires' growing arts enclave. It's working to erect monuments to Bat, Ball and Glove in the downtown as a permanent reminder of the city's role in the great American pastime.
"We are confident that the governor's proclamation will be another springboard forward," said First Home Plate's Johnson in a statement. "Pittsfield's truly remarkable distinction in the history of baseball is something that should be celebrated by generations to come and a permanent monument will become another key historic and cultural draw to a revitalized Pittsfield."
The proclamation is available for viewing in the mayor's office and the text is also available. Contact the mayor's office for more information at 413-499-9321.
Tags: baseball,
