Thank you Sports Blogs......

as they added my blog to their "Peoples Sports Network" of blogs. Great site, well laid out and a ton of blogs in all sports. Link is on your right.

A journey into the photo vault.....

I always take my digital camera to the game. This started with the 2002 Norwich Navigators season. It turned out to be the last year the Navigators were with the Yankees. In 2003 they would become a Giants farm team. It was a great year as the Navigators won the Eastern League championship. The team also hosted the Double A All-Star game. Roger Clemens had a rehab start.
Anyway I'll be putting up pictures from the 2002 season on my "old" blog--"minor (baseball) details." The link for that ("My 2005 Norwich Navigators blog") is to the right. Pictures were being taken back then with a Kodak digital camera. I'll put in pictures up in order of date on a more or less daily basis. Went to about 40 games or so that season. Check it out.

Welcome Minor Leagues blog featuring...

John Sickels to our links list. Extensive site--give it a look and bookmark. Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome MVN's Minor Details web link to the

the blog. Found it last night. Great baseball site; check it out. They were nice enough to set me up as a link on their page.

Defenders debuted their new mascot and home uniform jersey..

today at Fort Trumbull in Groton. It was pouring rain and the event was held indoors instead of on the Coast Guard training barque Eagle. Too bad--I have never been on the Eagle before. Anyway a few observations:
1.) I like the home jersey. It's white; the way home jerseys should be. Patches on both sleeves--one a Giants logo and the other a Defenders logo. Simple but good looking patches. I disliked the black BP style uniforms the Navigators had been wearing as the primary home uniform for the last three years since becoming a Giants farm team. They looked too casual. The Navigators in their first year with the Giants had a nice cream colored home uniform like the parent team but it quickly fell out of favor with the players and were rarely worn ( once in 2004 for the home opener and twice in 2005 also the home opener and at the end of the 2005 season to be signed and sold as game used). I heard they were ill-fitting as well.
The Navigators as a Yankee farm team home uniforms changed over the course of their tenure but were very classy looking uniforms even the vest style ones. It's great to see a return to class. If they want to develop a Sunday only or home alternate later use the vest style; it's a sharp look if done right.
2.) The mascot. It's an American Eagle. It looks vaguely familar somehow but it's keeping with the motif of Defenders. They had Navy and Coast Guard folks at Fort Trumbull with the U.S.C.G. Eagle docked nearby. A nice tidy package--another plus. And the marketing people will have a school kid contest to name the bird and keep the interest level up in the off season. Get the Eagle into the schools and make those kids Defenders fans and have them drag their parents up to Dodd. Good thinking.
3.) The food. A nice spread at the conference provided by the new food vendor for the next two seasons, CulinArt. They will take over the concession stands and upgrade with food from Nathans and Carvels and others. This is the first time this company is in a minor baseball stadium. No word on the pricing. I give the team props for another improvement.
4.) Another improvement. They're updating the website. They had press conference pics and story already up same day.

Congrats Eliezer Alfonzo! The 2005 Gators catcher...

makes the S.F. Giants 40 man roster yesterday. The catcher came up in May and was an offensive force. He earned a promotion to Triple A Frenso by mid August (could of used him for the playoff run that fell short). He has a real chance of being the Giants backup catcher in 2006.

Defenders new web page is up!! Check it out...

Also the new mascot will be revealed on the Coast Guard Academy training ship, the Eagle, docked at Fort Trumbull, New London Nov. 22 @ 11AM. Nice job on the website. It shows a lot of promise (the link is to the right). I'd like to see some vehicle on the website for them to accept fan pictures; maybe it'll come. First promo of the year will be April 25; a bobblehead of the new mascot! I'm really looking forward to see how they fill out the promo schedule in respect to the amount of them and who the sponsors are. First day of walk up tickets is Dec. 17.

Front page article in The Norwich Bulletin today...

about the Defenders perhaps becoming a New York Mets farm team. The Defenders owner is a Mets fan and both the Binghampton and Connecticut PDCs run out at the end of the 2006 season. Interesting stuff and it would help attendance especially with possible rehab assignments from Mets players. The rehab appearances by David Cone, Roger Clements, and other Yankees players were big time events back in the Yankee/Norwich Navigators days up at Dodd. The other hint is that one of the Defenders jersey is the same color scheme as the Mets alternate jersey. Check out Will's article via the Norwich Bulletin link at the right.
Misc note: Went out to breakfest today in Norwich and the place had Defenders 2006 schedules out.

Stopped by Dodd Stadium today and the new logo is on...

entrance sign and stadium facade already. The gift shop and electronic scoreboard remodels haven't happened yet.

S.F. Giants looking for #4/5 starters for next season...

according to the Courant this morning. Could mean them trading away some minor bb prospects to get them and of course that impacts the Defenders. For a real good Giants fan website check out http://mb3.scout.com/bsanfranciscogiants

Linked!!

to CTWeblogs. Welcome to my blog re: the local Eastern League Double A team the Connecticut Defenders nee the Norwich Navigators. The Navigators suffering low attendance recently change their name to:
a.) a name that makes local sense i.e. the Sub Base
b.) a name that hopefully sucks in a wider fan base
c.) a chance to new sell new caps, t-shirts, etc
d.) to create a new beginning

They have a new owner, GM and marketing director. Can they turn things around? Hope so. I go to about 30-35 games a year. I love it up there. I started a Navigators blog last year; see link at the right.
I'll be blogging on off-season marketing moves until the season starts April 6, 2006.

Cap History 101, part 5 of an occasional series

This one is from the 2002 season. Another freebie for purchasing a mini ticket plan. I have two of these; rarely worn. The team had a promo night that year with Burger King and gave away the same cap which also had a BK logo on it. For parts 1-4 check out the Navigators blog link to the right.

cap series to resume here on Friday

as we go deeper into the closet. To catch up hit the Navigators 2005 blog link to the right.