New Haven Cutters fold..thanks for the heads up lc..

New Haven County Cutters folding
Sean Barker, Sports Editor
10/30/2007
Email to a friendPrinter-friendly
Add the New Haven County Cutters to a long list of minor league professional franchises that have tried, yet failed to succeed in the Greater New Haven market.


The Cutters will cease operations immediately, the Register has learned, ending a four-year run at Yale Field.

If no team fills the void left by the Cutters it will mark the first time in 15 years a professional baseball team has not competed in Greater New Haven. It would also mark the first time in 109 years that a professional sports team, either baseball or hockey, did not operate in Greater New Haven.

A member of the independent baseball Can-Am League, the Cutters were unable to create a buzz with their product, despite an active involvement in community.

General Manager Marie Heikkinen-Webb launched "Cutters Baseball...Off the Field & In the Community." As a result of the program, the Cutters organization was a recipient of the NB Solutions! 2007 Community Outreach Award, for outstanding work in the community.

No records of attendance are kept on the Can-Am League website, but according to Ballpark Digest, the Cutters were 47th out of 55 independent teams in total 2006 attendance.

The Cutters came to Yale Field in 2004, a year after the Eastern League's New Haven Ravens left. The Ravens had played at Yale Field since 1994.

New Haven was the home of a professional hockey team from 1926-94, then again from 1997-2000. The New Haven Coliseum, home to the New Haven Nighthawks from 1972-92, was imploded Jan. 20 of this year.

This was the third run of professional baseball in Greater New Haven, which supported a team from 1899-1932, then again from 1972-82 with the West Haven Yankees, A's and White Caps at Quigley Stadium.

NEW HAVEN AND THE MINORS

With the Cutters announcing their departure, 2008 will mark the first time in 109 years that a minor league baseball or hockey team has not competed in Greater New Haven. A look at the history of minor league baseball and hockey in Greater New Haven since 1899.

BASEBALL

New Haven Blues, Connecticut League (1899-1908)

New Haven Black Crows, Connecticut League (1909)

New Haven Prairie Hens, Connecticut League (1910)

New Haven Murlins, Connecticut League (1911-12)

New Haven White Wings, Eastern Association (1913-14)

New Haven Max Feds, Colonial League (1915)

New Haven Murlins, Eastern League (1916-18)

New Haven Weissmen, Eastern League (1919-20)

New Haven Indians, Eastern League (1921-22)

New Haven Profs, Eastern League (1923-30)

New Haven Bulldogs, Eastern League (1931-32)

West Haven Yankees, Eastern League (1972-79)

West Haven Whitecaps, Eastern League (1980)

West Haven A's, Eastern League (1981-82)

New Haven Ravens, Eastern League (1994-2003)

New Haven County Cutters, Can-Am League (2004)

New Haven County Cutters, Can-Am League (2005-2007)

HOCKEY

Eagles, CHL (1926-36)

Eagles, AHL (1936-43)

Eagles, EHL (1943-44)

Eagles, AHL (1945-46)

Ramblers, AHL (1946-50)

Tomahawks, EHL (1951-52)

Nutmegs, EHL (1952-53)

Blades, EHL (1954-72)

Nighthawks, AHL (1972-92)

Senators, AHL (1992-93)

Beast, AHL (1997-99)

Knights, UHL (2000)

Sources: American Hockey League, hockeydb.com; Baseball in New Haven, Sam Rubin; P.S. Luchter


Sean Barker can be reached at sbarker@nhregister.com





** I like some of those team names. Never went to a Cutters game and only a half dozen or so Ravens games.