Congratulations, loser

That salutation goes out to whoever stole the Hartford Dark Blues plaque from the grounds of the Church of the Good Shepherd in the Coltsville section, where the team played baseball in the 1870s. Donors had contributed about $1,500 to commemorate the Blues' role as one of the National League's original eight teams.

The Hartford Courant reports that the plaque was stolen sometime over the weekend, barely six months after it was installed. "The plaque, post, and even the concrete were lifted out of the ground and carried off," Ron Bolin of Wethersfield, chief organizer of the plaque's installation, told the newspaper.

So, nice going, thief or thieves. What exactly are you planning to do with this item? Fence it? Good luck with that. Keep it in your basement for your own viewing pleasure? That sounds likely to get pretty old pretty quickly. Your best option is to make some kind of arrangement for its safe return, preferrably to Bolin, even if it's anonymously. Here's his e-mail address.

Angering the baseball gods is very, very bad for your karma.

The Karen O'Maxfield photo of the plaque, above, can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Vintage baseball, new swag

A follow-up to a post from a few months ago: The new, Hartford-based Friends of Vintage Base Ball has opened an online store, where you can buy t-shirts and other items to support the cause. In announcing the store, founders Karen "K.O." and Gary "Pops" O'Maxfield also said: "We're working with the City of Hartford and the Coalition to Strengthen the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood on bringing weekly vintage base ball games to Colt Park starting in April of this year. Look for a game schedule and news about a 4th of July weekend tournament at our website."

Some history with your food?

If you're looking for a place to eat downtown, check out Tinker's Main Seafood & Grill, at 489 Main Street. It occupies the space of the late, great Municipal Cafeteria and has old photographs of downtown on the walls, including some of the "Muni." All of the photos are large and sharp, revealing lots of detail. You'll find more in the Subway restaurant next-door.

Patrons of the Muni will recognize the bar in Tinker's, which was salvaged from the old restaurant. Those of us who've always bemoaned the city's lack of venues for bands playing original music will remember the Muni's valiant stab at remedying the situation in the '90s, when it doubled as a sort of nightclub. My favorite show: Jonathan Richman, with just his drummer.


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Conference to focus on 'Connecticut at War'

Published on the H-Connecticut list:

"The Association for the Study of Connecticut History (ASCH), publisher of the journal Connecticut History, Connecticut Militia Heritage Committee, Connecticut Military Department, Connecticut State Library, and Manchester Community College are sponsoring a one and one half day conference on the subject of Connecticut at War on November 13-14, 2009. The meeting will feature concurrent and plenary sessions with speakers from diverse backgrounds discussing a variety of subjects.

"Men and women from Connecticut have been engaged in war and related home front activities for more than 370 years, from the time of the Pequot War to the Global War on Terrorism. These include King Phillip's War, the French and Indian Wars, American Revolution, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and, most recently, Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Although research has been undertaken on many of these subjects, no conference has yet been held that focuses exclusively on Connecticut perspectives. This meeting will bring together people from different backgrounds and areas of expertise to explore wartime experiences from the time of the earliest days of European settlement to the present.

"Researchers are invited to submit proposals concerning Connecticut involvement in specific conflicts at both individual and unit levels, home front activities that could include defense related industries and support for those serving overseas, and ones that focus on citizen soldiers in the Connecticut militia and Connecticut Army and Air National Guard. Those studying the roles of women and minorities in
times of conflict are encouraged to participate.

"Historical society and museum personnel, graduate students, independent scholars, military personnel, teachers, and members of the academy are all invited to make presentations. For consideration, please submit a paper/presentation title, abstract of its contents, and a short c.v. Application deadline is May 1, 2009.

"Proposals should be sent to Bruce P. Stark, Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. Or emailed (in MSWord format) to: bstark@cslib.org. Telephone: (860) 757-6512

"For information, please contact Bruce P. Stark, bstark@cslib.org ; David Corrigan, dcorrigan@cslib.org ; or George Ripley, George.Ripley@sunlife.com."