New Britain Rock Cats
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New Britain Rock Cats | ||
|
||
| League | Eastern League | |
| Division | Northern Division | |
| Year founded | 1995 | |
| Major League affiliation | Minnesota Twins | |
| Home ballpark | New Britain Stadium | |
| Previous home ballparks | Beehive Field | |
| City | New Britain, Connecticut | |
| Current uniform colors | red, black | |
| Previous uniform colors | {{{previous colors}}} | |
| Logo design | The wordmark "Rock Cats" in red outlined in black with the words "New Britain" centered above. The wordmark is superimposed over a silver cat wearing a black and red cap while pitching a baseball. The cat's tail underlines the wordmark. | |
| Division titles | 1998, 2001 | |
| League titles | 2001 | |
| Manager | Riccardo Ingram | |
| Owner | ||
The New Britain Rock Cats are a minor league baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Rock Cats play in New Britain Stadium.
The Cats' current manager is Riccardo Ingram. Prior to the 2006 season, the team was led for five years by twin brothers Stan Cliburn (manager) and Stu Cliburn (pitching coach), now both with the Twins' triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings.
Contents |
[edit] History
The franchise's timeline can be traced back to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which was the home of the Red Sox' double-A affiliate for several years in the 1960s and from 1970 to 1972. When the Pawtucket Red Sox became a triple-A team in 1973, the Sox moved their double-A franchise to Bristol, Connecticut. Known as the Bristol Red Sox, the team played at Muzzy Field for ten seasons from 1973 to 1982. Starting with the 1983 season, owner Joe Buzas moved the team some 10 miles east to New Britain. Now known as the New Britain Red Sox, the team played its home games at Beehive Field, which is still standing next to the current stadium.
As Beehive Field became outdated and new facilities began to pop up in other cities around the league, Buzas was faced with the choice of staying in New Britain and building a new stadium, versus moving the franchise again. The Red Sox front office supported the idea of moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, because it was closer to their fan base, but ultimately in August 1994, Buzas decided to stay. The Red Sox promptly pulled their affiliation and moved it, at the time, to Trenton, New Jersey (ironically, further away from the fan base). For the 1995 season, Buzas signed a new development agreement with the Minnesota Twins, and this affiliation has continued ever since. During the 1995 season (their only season in Beehive Field), the team was known as the Hardware City Rock Cats, a reference to New Britain's nickname "The Hardware City". Since 1996 when they moved into the current stadium, the team has been the New Britain Rock Cats. Stanley Works continues to be a significant sponsor of the team and ballpark.
During 2003 and 2004, the team was involved in several lawsuits over its Friday night fireworks displays. A group of residents living near the stadium claimed the noise was disruptive, and the ash and debris damaged their cars and homes. In May 2005, Judge Marshall Berger allowed the shows to continue after attending one himself, but ruled that their frequency should be scaled back.[1] The team is currently limited to only one show a month (generally held on the first Friday home game), and has added laser-light shows and other "quiet" promotions to replace the missing fireworks.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Third baseman Todd Walker (1995)
- Outfielder Torii Hunter (1996-98)
- Infielder David Ortiz (1997 and brief rehab in 2001)
- First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz (1997-98)
- Catcher A.J. Pierzynski (1998 and 2000)
- Outfielder Michael Cuddyer (2000-2001)
- Pitcher Juan Rincon (2000-2001)
- First baseman Justin Morneau (2001-2003)
- Catcher Joe Mauer (2003)
- Pitcher Francisco Liriano (2004-2005)
[edit] Season records
(Place indicates finish in Northern Division)
- 1995: 65-77 (5th), manager Sal Butera
- 1996: 61-81 (5th), manager Al Newman
- 1997: 70-72 (3rd), manager Al Newman
- 1998: 83-59 (1st), manager John Russell
- 1999: 59-82 (5th), manager John Russell
- 2000: 51-91 (6th), manager John Russell
- 2001: 87-55 (1st), manager Stan Cliburn
- 2002: 67-72 (4th), manager Stan Cliburn
- 2003: 73-68 (2nd), manager Stan Cliburn
- 2004: 70-70 (3rd), manager Stan Cliburn
- 2005: 70-71 (4th), manager Stan Cliburn
- 2006: 64-78 (6th), manager Riccardo Ingram
[edit] Playoffs
- 1998 season: Defeated Binghamton 3-1 in semifinals; lost to Harrisburg 3-1 in league championship series.
- 2001 season: Defeated Norwich 3-1 in semifinals; declared league co-champions with Reading when championship series was cancelled due to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- 2003 season: Lost to New Haven 3-2 in semifinals.
[edit] Trivia
- In an episode of the television series Cheers in which former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Sam Malone attempted to make a comeback to professional baseball, he was assigned to the New Britain Red Sox.
- Every year towards the beginning of the season (usually the first game), a large field trip is planned for the entire New Britain school district to attend.
[edit] External links
- New Britain Rock Cats official site
- New Britain Rock Cats' MiLB Page
- Unofficial site for the old Bristol Red Sox club
| Minnesota Twins Franchise | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | AA | A | Rookie |
| Rochester Red Wings | New Britain Rock Cats |
Fort Myers Miracle Beloit Snappers |
Elizabethton Twins Gulf Coast Twins VSL Twins |
| Eastern League | ||
| Northern Division | Southern Division | |
|---|---|---|
| Binghamton Mets | Connecticut Defenders | New Britain Rock Cats | New Hampshire Fisher Cats | Portland Sea Dogs | Trenton Thunder | Akron Aeros | Altoona Curve | Bowie Baysox | Erie SeaWolves | Harrisburg Senators | Reading Phillies | |
