RIP....

Lance Berkman....

one of those late season pick ups that just didn't pan out...

Tex.....

Javy delivers...

Ed Kirkpatrick passed away a couple of weeks ago...

a player from my youth I remember him as a Los Angles Angels outfieder. LA was the team he broke in with but he also played for the Royals, Pirates, Brewers and Rangers.

There's some other 2010 player passings I'll be making note of as the year winds down in later posts.

If someone offered me a 3 year $45 million contract....

after the worst season of my career....on the other hand this will be his last playing contract and his last try for grabbing the big ring...

Everyone have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

2002 Tater......

I've always preferred the "purple" Tater...and it's great that he's been kept around both both the Defs and Tigers.
Check out Joe Perez's latest blog entry re: the CT Tigers owner. Link is on the right.

College summer league coming to Groton next year...

From today's New London Day:

"Renovated high school field to host 21 games

Groton - The New England Collegiate Baseball League is bringing a team to the area, and an anonymous donor is contributing about $500,000 to turn Fitch High School's baseball diamond into a small stadium.

"There's certainly no downside we can see," said Superintendent of Schools Paul Kadri.

The team is currently based in Bristol and will be made up of college freshmen, sophomores and juniors who hope to draw the attention of scouts for Major League Baseball teams.

Games will start next summer, providing local residents the opportunity to see action similar to games played in the well-known Cape Cod Baseball League. There will be 21 home games played at Fitch.

Kadri said plans are under way to improve and expand the current baseball field, adding lights, stands, a press box, fences and improved dugouts. Basic components of the field need to be in place by mid-May, Kadri said.

The New England Collegiate Baseball League plays an eight-week season that starts in June - when the Fitch baseball season will have ended - and runs through playoffs in August. The league was founded in 1993 and has teams from all six New England states.

Kadri said that in addition to being a new source of summer entertainment, the league will provide opportunities for youth baseball clinics and appearances by the team's still-undetermined mascot.

Elementary school students are being asked to come up with ideas for the team's name and mascot, Kadri said.

"They're going to be the Mystic somethings," Kadri said. "Matter of fact, we have a competition going on among the elementary schools - both here and in Stonington - to come up with team names, a mascot name, and maybe a drawing of the mascot."

The plan has been approved by the both the Groton Town Council and Board of Education. Architects are currently working on a plan for site improvements, Kadri said."

I could never had been a ball player....

because frankly my signature is not all that crisp.

From today's Bulletin:

"The Eastern Connecticut Conference baseball tournament will have one home this spring: Dodd Stadium.

According to ECC baseball chairman, Peter Vincent, the league’s principals approved a plan that will allow the quarterfinals to be played on the same day, May 25. To accomplish that, the first game is set to begin at 11 a.m., followed by games at 1:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. The semifinals will follow at 4 and 7 p.m. on May 26 with the championship game set for 7 p.m. on May 27.

“The way the bylaws read is that the schools least impacted by the early dismissal will play the first game in the morning,” Vincent said.

That means if St. Bernard makes the tournament, it will play in the first game since it will have dismissed for the year by that time.

“We will check with the schools involved and whomever is OK with the early dismissal will play in the first game,” Vincent said.

The Ledyard athletic director said the coaches brought up the proposal to hold the entire tournament at Dodd Stadium, and its current inhabitants, the Connecticut Tigers, were happy to oblige.

“It’s great for the league and the kids and everybody. All eight teams get the opportunity to play at a great facility,” Vincent said.

Will it help the tournament’s image?

Baseball league tournaments, unlike soccer, volleyball, basketball and tournaments, don’t hold much importance for players and coaches. That’s because of pitching. League coaches are hesitant to use their top aces because the state tournament begins the following Monday and pitchers need rest.

One way the conference is trying to remedy that is by not scheduling league-generated games the week of the tournament. Rainouts, of course, could alter that.

“There may be more available arms now,” Vincent said of the scheduling decision. “Realistically, though, if a team is chasing a (state) championship, things probably won’t change much, but it might for a team just chasing a title.”"

Nice to see, again, the Tigers being supportive to area. This goodwill needs to be returned.

54,000 plus fans jammed....

the "new" Yankee Stadium last night to watch the Army and Notre Dame football game. And they were able to use both end zones!

Waldis Joaquin

was released by the Giants yesterday. The '09 Defenders reliever made his MLBB debut on 8/9/09 and appeared in a total of 14 games for the Giants over the past two seasons.

Congrats Felix Hernandez...

a 13-12 record can win the Cy Young.

Enter Sandman....

seriously best closer in the history of the game, all with one team, a first ballot HOFer....

Kerry Wood...

really like to see him back....

From today's Hartford Courant by Don Amore:

"The Yankees released their ticket prices for 2011, keeping about half of them the same, tweaking the price of others. No surprise, there will be some increases.

Bleacher seats are going from $12 up to $15, and premium seats, the ones that were overprices to begin with and slashed in 2009, are going to to back up slightly, from $250 to $260. These seats were originally $325.

Some other seats will go up $5 or $10 per ticket.

They have not yet determined the 2011 price for those famous "Legends Suite" seats near home plate.

There will be some specials and discouts available.

The Yankees, as is their recent habit, analyzed the prices tickets were commanding on sites like Stubhub and raised prices of seats that were being sold for more than face value. Yankees CFO Lonn Trost told AP:

"We're not trying to take away the ability of fans to make a profit when they resell tickets but the ones where we raised prices were not selling for just above face, but were far above face."

We're just passing that along. ... anyway, the Yankees averaged

46,491 per game last season, tops in the major leagues."

And there's a pretty good women's bb game on tonight; good tickets remain.

Robinson Cano at bat....

Can the football Huskies make it to Yankee Stadium?

Also from yesterday's New London Day:

By Claire Bessette

Publication: theday.com

Published 11/11/2010

The Connecticut Tigers minor league baseball team waited for months and months before finally winning approval to move to Norwich in April, just two months before the 2010 baseball season started.

I remember Day Assistant Sports Editor Mike DiMauro saying “they get a free ride this year,” meaning the region couldn’t judge the success of the team based on attendance or sponsorship during that first year.

The Tigers’ staff had little chance to book big groups and day camps, which already had made their decisions on outings. Companies already had committed their advertising dollars for the year, and it was months too late for any hope of Christmas gift ticket sales. The team barely had enough time to order merchandise for the gift shop by Opening Day.

The Tigers did OK in attendance, 50,511 for the season, averaging 1,485 per game – better than the team had done in Oneonta, but not as well as the Connecticut Defenders before that team left Norwich for greener pastures.

Tigers General Manager Andrew Weber said this week that things already are looking up. All but one or two of the 2010 season ticket holders have renewed for 2011 and the rest are expected to renew. Companies are returning calls for sponsorship advertising, and the Tigers plan to be visible and active in the community during the off season.

Team officials also now have time to schedule high school and college games for Dodd Stadium in April, May and June before the Tigers’ season starts.

Tigers season tickets went on sale to the general public on Monday. The Tigers open on June 20. Most local schools should be done for the summer by then, and the weather will be warming up on summer’s eve.

“The difference this year compared to last year should be great,” Weber said. “The difference between starting now verses starting in April.”

Check it out at www.cttigers.com. See you at the ballpark.

From today's New London Day:

MLB wants better lighting for Tigers at Dodd Stadium
By Claire Bessette


Norwich - Ever since engineers first adjusted the light towers at the Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium in the spring of 1995 to prevent flooding the entire Plain Hill area with nighttime brightness, stadium officials have struggled to provide enough light for the minor league baseball playing field.

An inspection report required by Major League Baseball on all minor league facilities once again cited Dodd Stadium for poor lighting in both the infield and outfield, ordering corrections by the start of next season.

The Connecticut Tigers' first home game is June 20.

Other violations found during the Aug. 28 inspection included an insufficient number of players' lockers and a misaligned first base. Also, the pitcher's mound was the wrong height. One metal post along the first base foul line was unpadded, presenting a safety hazard to players, and the stadium needs a written maintenance plan.

The 15-year-old stadium also lacks several recommended features, such as a handicapped bathroom on the skybox level and larger office space, but those are not required renovations.

The Norwich Baseball Stadium Authority discussed the report Wednesday with Connecticut Tigers General Manager Andrew Weber.

Gary Schnip, the authority member who oversees stadium operations, did not attend Wednesday's meeting. On Thursday, Schnip said he has read the report and has contacted the authority's stadium lighting consultant, Tom Lemons of TLA Associates in Massachusetts. He said the work should wait until spring, noting that the stadium's new short-season Class A team starts its season in June rather than early April, as previous Dodd Stadium teams had.

"That gives us a little more time," Schnip said, "although we don't want to wait too long, because they're hoping to bring some college games there next spring."

Weber challenged the report's claim that the stadium failed to comply with the number of lockers in the home and visitors' clubhouses. Dodd Stadium has 30 lockers in each clubhouse, enough for AA minor league teams, which have 25-man rosters. The stadium was built for the AA Norwich Navigators, which later became the Connecticut Defenders.

The Defenders moved to Richmond, Va., last year, and the Class A Tigers moved in. Class A teams can have up to 35 active players on the roster, so Dodd Stadium must add five lockers to the home clubhouse and three to the visitors' clubhouse.

Weber told the authority he requested a waiver of the requirement but was denied. He said new lockers would have to be added to the center of the home clubhouse, a move he resists. Weber said he would speak to Major League Detroit Tigers team officials before deciding how to add the lockers.

Weber told the authority that the team already has padded the fence post and will re-set first base and the pitcher's mound before winter. Staff already has written the required maintenance plan.

Weber said the Tigers are very pleased with Dodd Stadium, as exemplified by the team's quick move in September to renew the two-year player development affiliation with the Connecticut Tigers.

As for the cramped administrative offices described in the inspection, Weber chuckled.

"They should go to Oneonta," he said, referring to the stadium in Oneonta, N.Y., where the Tigers had played before moving to Norwich.

Joba......

Wonder how much that contract will be?

A HOFer as a manager?

First snow of the season today......

the wet slushy kind that will melt soon enough. How many days to pitchers and catchers?

2011 CT Tigers season tickets....

on sale tomorrow!

We'll get them next year....

is it Spring yet???

I'll always remember Sparky's acting....

on an episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati."


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panda is a champ!

How sweet it is.....

Giants win it all!!!!!!!!!!

TI, Nate, Pablo, Sergio, MadBum, Jonathan, Matt (a Navigator) and Brian(another Navigator!) wear the ring!!!!!!!!!

MadBum with a gem last night.....

and Brian Wilson completes the 4-0 win with a scoreless 9th as the Navs/Defs have a great night on the hill and the Giants can wrap it up tonight!