Power is back on! I lost power from...

7:30 Sunday morning to 8:00 PM Tuesday night. Thanks to bacci for the news re: Brett Pill being called up to the show!!

Tonight Irene! As the only good thing about...

the approaching Armageddon is the postponement of the Norwich Navigators promotion night that was scheduled for tonight. The game between Vermont and CT has been moved up to 1:05 this afternoon from 7:05 but the promo is pushed back to Sat. Sept 3nd which enables me to attend.
Props to the front office for using the correct vintage logo of the Gators on the scoreboard and not the bastardized "Giants" Gators version.

Be safe everyone!

IronBirds gift wrap it for CT 5-1...

to the tune of 4 errors and a run scoring wild pitch as the Tigers win their fifth straight and climb a game over .500. Tigers jumped out to a quick lead in the first as PJ Polk reached on an error, stole second went to third on a Dean Green single (2 for 3)and came home on a wild pitch.
Tigers starter Tom Collier held Aberdeen scoreless thru his six innings of work allowing just 3 hits while striking out 6. Collier gave way to reliever Scott Green who loaded the bases with no outs on a single, walk and HBP before being pulled for Jeff Barfield. Barfield (2-2) gave up a sac fly which resulted in a double play for the Birds lone run and induced a ground ball to get out of the jam.
The Tigers in the bottom of the seventh loaded the bases with no outs on a Green walk, an Aaron Westlake single and Jeff Holm's attempt at a sac bunt turned into a single. The fielding follies on the left side of the IronBirds infield then committed three errors resulting in four runs for a 5-1 lead.

Misc fan notes: Many thanks for a tidy 2 hour and 15 minute or so game time; usually the Yankees-Red Sox are cruising into the top of the fifth inning at that mark in their games...

About 50 or so dogs on hand for "Bark in the Park" day at Dodd...wierd hearing barking at Dodd during the game...

Always good chatting with Joe Perez prior to the game

Pics: game hero Barfield and Collier

Tigers hang on and win 4-3 tonight...

over the Aberdeen IronBirds at Dodd. Matt Crouse (4-1) pitched 6+ strong innings yo earn his fourth straight victory. The Tigers scored on an error in the second inning to jump out to a 1-0 lead.
Connecticut tacked on three runs in the third on a Tyler Collins (2-4) RBI single, a Den Green sac fly and an Arron Westlake RBI single to make in 4-0 Tigers. The baby Birds of Baltimore scored a pair of runs in the seventh. The first Ironbird run was doubled in by Ryan Zrenda of Old Lyme, CT. Zrenda, a Brown grad, was just signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent earlier this week. The double was his first pro hit in his second game. He had a large cheering section on hand.
Melvin Mercedes (save, 2) allowed a run in the top of the ninth to make the score 4-3 to wrap up the game in just over two hours.

Pics from top to bottom: Collins, Westlake and Crouse

Tigers jam Jamestown 6-0 behind the pitching...

of NYPL All-Star selected Brennan Smith and an explosive Tiger line up. Smith went 7 innings pitched allowing just three hits and striking out 5 as he improves to 2-3 while lowing his ERA to an impressive 2.10.
The Tigers lineup broke out the bats tonight lead by the Tigers other All-Star selection Dean Green who hit two homers, a solo shot and a two run homer to pace the CT attack. Green now has 6 homers on the season and is batting .366. Eugenio Suarz and Tyler Collins each went 2 for 4 with a double, with Collins driving in two runs and Suarz one. Chad Wright also went 2 for 4 with a double.
CT improves their record to 23-28 as they try to chase down Vermont for the division lead.

Misc fan notes: Great to be back at Dodd! Good catching up with GM Andrew Weber as he caught me up with the latest news and the great scuucess of Al Kaline Day earlier thise week. The Norwich Navigators tribute night on August 27th sounds special!

Pics top to bottom: Collins, Smith and Green

Henry Sosa to make his MLBB debut...

with the Astros against the D-backs tonight. The former Defenders pitcher was aquired from the Giants last month.

Post #2000...according to Blogger this is the...

two thousandth post of greg's connecticut defenders/tigers blog. An earlier version, "minor (baseball) details" which is found under the link to the right titled "My 2005 Norwich Navigators blog" debuted on July 8, 2005 and logged 94 posts before giving way to this current version. This edition was created on Sunday October 16, 2005 to coincide with the franchise name change from the "Norwich Navigators" to the "Connecticut Defenders."

Along the way we've seen a couple of different owners, several GMs, the very real prospect of Dodd baseball ending in 2009, a subsequent league change, a playoff run (at last in '09) and another that fell just short on the last day of the 2010 season. We've seen some Norwich/Connecticut players progress to the majors to become household names and witnessed the ends of baseball careers. I've made friends in the stands, on the field, up on the concourse and in the press box. It continues to be fun ride all these years and posts later.

Having said all that; it's my intention to scale back the blog. Without boring everyone with details, work and every day life are placing a premium on my time like never before. Up until this year the blog was pretty much a 365 day operation with game updates, pics and other topical stuff. I'll still be posting but not with the frequency of past years. I'll post game recaps of games I see at Dodd and will put up some pics along the way but once the season ends the blog will be pretty much in dry dock. Feel free to look in and post and I will post from time to time but I want to provide everyone the courtesy of an explaination as to why you might be staring at the same pic for a week or so.
Thanks for YOUR time all these seasons and making this part of your routine. The blog WILL continue...

As for the pic, there is one person pictured who's still at Dodd...can anyone pick that person out and name him??

ES....

Tigers drop a pair in Auburn yesterday...