The old ball game

Editor's note: This story was researched and written by Fred Lindlaw of the Woodbury Historical Society and reminiscences by Francis Van Etten.

WOODBURY — This past week marked the beginning of the 2016 professional baseball season. And even though the cool early spring temperatures may make play less comfortable for both players and patrons alike, the enthusiasm and significance for our “national pastime” cannot be cooled
It’s no news to old-timers, but it may come as a surprise to newer residents that Woodbury is rich in local baseball history. In days gone by, the town was marked by fierce rivalries and outstanding ball-playing talent which came to be known far and wide.

The history and tradition of baseball in Woodbury goes back at least to the early 1900s and generated excitement at all levels of play – high school, town and American Legion leagues, among others.
The hamlets of Highland Mills and Central Valley each had two teams apiece into the 1930s and through the post-World War II years, which produced some intense local rivalries.
All the towns in Orange County had teams as well, especially in the American Legion league.
Highland Mills resident Frances Van Etten, 83, has very fond memories of the glory days of baseball in the Town of Woodbury. With her father Phil Woodward senior and brothers Phil and Dave all involved in baseball, Francie had no choice but to become a fan.
Back in the day, there would always be a game on Sunday afternoon at the field next to what is now Smith Clove Elementary school.
With fans in the stands and the late Joe DeGregorio selling roasted peanuts, the sense of community was almost palpable.
“What baseball did for this town in those days was to bring the community together,” Francie recalls. “It was a time for families to enjoy life a little better and have a good time. It was just great!”
There were so many talented players over the years, but perhaps among the most renowned was a young man named Bob Hansen who was playing in the 1940s. Known as “Bullet Bob” and “The Smoke Ball Artist,” Hansen pitched for Central Valley High School (CVHS) prior to the merger of Monroe and Woodbury schools in the ‘1950s. (CVHS is what we now know as the Education Center on Route 32.)
Bob Hansen threw seven no-hitters in his extraordinary high school career, including four in his senior year.
To no one’s surprise, when he pitched his last game for Central Valley High School in 1947, 750 fans and 11 major league scouts showed up.
And a grand and glorious finish it was when he retired the first 20 batters in a row.
After graduation, and at age 18, Hansen signed with his “dream team,” the New York Giants, receiving a $4,000 signing bonus, which he gave to his widowed mother to pay her debts.
Unfortunately, he never threw a pitch in a major league game due to a career-ending injury a short time later.
Pitching for the Jersey City Giants of the International League in what were intended to be his final two starts before the big leagues, Hansen tore the rotator cuff in his shoulder snapping a curve ball in the second inning.
Unaware of how bad the injury was, he kept pitching for five more innings, making the damage even worse. In those days surgery was not an option and later, having lost his blazing fastball, he did not make the roster as the Giants had intended.
After a career in the U.S. Air Force, Bob Hansen retired but remained an avid baseball fan for the rest of his life. His cheering was transferred to the Mets since the Giants went west to San Francisco.
Bob passed away in October 2015, with his baseball prowess noted in his obituary, including in the reference to him as “Bullet Bob.”
Bob Hansen’s baseball story was previously documented and celebrated in displays at a Woodbury Historical Society Gatehouse Committee Open House in 2010, along with those of some of Woodbury’s other “baseball greats” – Dave Woodward, Bud Conklin, “Butch” Van Etten, Bob Peltz who later went pro, Dick Haylock who played in various Woodbury leagues for 33 years (1929-1962), CVHS coach George Balconoff and more.