EL1 New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Happy New Year from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Published on December 31, 2008 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


we bid farewell to 2008, an incredible year for the Fisher Cats. And we could not have done it without you, the best fans in Minor League Baseball!

In this week's newsletter, we'll recap the excitement of the past 12 months, including the Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game, an all-time single-season franchise attendance record, the grand opening of both the Samuel Adams Bar & Grill and the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame at Merchantsauto.com Stadium, and a number of awards from the likes of Minor League Baseball, the Eastern League, Baseball America, NH Business Review and even PETA!

We want to thank each of you for making 2008 such a successful and memorable year and wish you all a happy and safe New Year as we take aim at making 2009 our finest season yet!

The year began in glorious fashion with the Granite State Baseball Dinner in January, held at the Manchester National Guard Armory. "Mr. Red Sox" Johnny Pesky, legendary Red Sox slugger Jim Rice, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter and Toronto Blue Jays General Manager J.P. Ricciardi were among the honored guests at the charitable dinner to benefit the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (ChaD) and the Fisher Cats Foundation. Fisher Cats outfielder David Smith was the recipient of the inaugural Northeast Delta Dental Gold Crown Award as the team's MVP, and Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Jesse Litsch won the Fisher Cats annual Alumni Award.

Individual tickets to Fisher Cats games went on sale in February, Spring Training began and the Fisher Cats presented a check for $51,315.97 to ChaD, representing half the proceeds raised at the previous month's Granite State Baseball Dinner.

In March, NH Business Review's Best of Business (BOB) Awards honored the Fisher Cats as the 'Best Sporting Event To Bring a Client'. As Spring Training concluded in Dunedin, FL, the Fisher Cats Opening Day roster was announced. Veteran pitchers Mike MacDonald and Ricky Romero joined returning outfielders Aaron Mathews and Ryan Patterson to serve as the leaders of the youthful club.

April began with the Fisher Cats Radio Network expanding to full statewide coverage, adding WKKN 101.9-FM in Keene and WTSL 1400-AM/94.3 FM in Lebanon to the flagship WGIR 610-AM in Manchester, 930-AM in Rochester and 1540-AM in Exeter. The franchise officially unveiled the 4,600 square foot Samuel Adams Bar & Grill in left field, featuring 11 flat-screen TVs, an 85-foot mahogany bar and an expanded menu for fans to enjoy a sports-bar atmosphere before, during and after games.

Also on Opening Night, the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame was opened on the concourse directly behind home plate, offering fans a chance to learn about baseball's greatest hitters while viewing memorabilia from past and current players. This free exhibit saw former players such as Johnny Pesky, Bernie Carbo, Rico Petrocelli and Bill Monbouquette sign autographs for fans during select Fisher Cats games.

May witnessed the Fisher Cats and New Hampshire Fish & Game creating a 12-week partnership through the 'Fish or No Fish' Game that included prizes and giveaways, including a fishing trip sponsored by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.

June was an extremely busy month that started with the Fisher Cats donning specially-designed uniforms to honor the memory of Conant High School student-athlete Stephen Record as part of a fundraiser in his honor. Also in June, the Fisher Cats held Law Enforcement Night, presenting the annual Officer Michael Briggs Community Hero Award. Ten high school seniors were presented with a combined $25,000 in Scholar Athlete Scholarships from the Fisher Cats Foundation, with the monies raised at the Granite State Baseball Dinner.

The four NHIAA State Championship Baseball Games took place at Merchantsauto.com Stadium, and the Fisher Cats won Baseball America's Logo Mania contest as having the 'Best Use of a Cat Logo' in all of Minor League Baseball.

July was perhaps the most memorable month in club history. The Bank of America Baseball Block Party at Veterans Park in downtown Manchester, NH, welcomed thousands of fans, Eastern League executives and All-Stars to a free party that kicked off festivities for the Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game. The following night, Fisher Cats outfielder Travis Snider outslugged Bowie Baysox outfielder Lou Montanez to capture the riveting Irving Oil Home Run Derby, and the North All-Stars defeated the South All-Stars before a Merchantsauto.com Stadium record crowd of 8,762 fans.

The Fisher Cats also partnered with Team Emma's Enchantment to raise $7,500 for the Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon that raises money for life-saving cancer research. And Scott Richmond, the Fisher Cats Opening Day starting pitcher, made his Major League debut for the Blue Jays.

In August, Snider was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse and later in the month advanced all the way to Toronto. Snider and Fisher Cats second baseman Scott Campbell were named post-season Eastern League All-Stars. Other honors bestowed upon the Fisher Cats included Head Turf Manager Eric Blanton being named the EL's Sports Turf Manager of the Year and Merchantsauto.com Stadium being proclaimed the Most Vegetarian Friendly Ballpark in Minor League Baseball by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The Fisher Cats set a club attendance record for the fifth consecutive year with 373,227 fans attending regular season games in 2008.

In September, Scott Campbell won the Blue Jays Webster Award as the organization's top player in Double-A, and Brett Krochmal of Auburn, NH, won a brand new 2008 Honda Civic after winning the Fisher Cats/Autofair 'Spin to Win' competition.

The Fisher Cats and Centrix Bank announced that through their two-year partnership on 50-50 raffles at Merchantsauto.com Stadium, the local community was able to raise $21,161. The Fisher Cats and Bonneville & Son announced their four-year partnership to support Kristen's Gift netted $10,000 for kids and families coping with pediatric cancers at ChaD as a result of runs scored by the Fisher Cats in home games. The Fisher Cats/ RiverStone Strikeout program raised $8,810 for the Chaplain Emergency Relief Fund, which benefits New Hampshire military families in need of relief from temporary financial hardships.

There were more accolades for the Fisher Cats in October, as the team won the Eastern League's award for most outstanding promotional effort, community involvement and overall operation. Team President Rick Brenner was named the league's Executive of the Year and Director of Public Relations Danielle Matteau was named the EL's Woman Executive of the Year. BaseballDigest.com declared the Fisher Cats as the MiLB team with the 'Best New Uniforms' of 2008. The Blue Jays also announced that Gary Cathcart would return for his second season as the Fisher Cats manager. He'll be joined by new hitting coach Paul Elliott and new pitching coach Tom Signore.

The Fisher Cats released their 2009 Promo Schedule in November, complete with 21 Atlas Fireworks Nights and 34 giveaways. And the Granite State Baseball Dinner returned to the Manchester National Guard Armory, with every dinner attendee receiving a free, autographed Johnny Pesky poster. Pesky joined Chris Carpenter, Mary Pratt, Bob Tewksbury, Cedric Maxwell and many more on the guest list. Fisher Cats pitcher Brett Cecil won the Northeast Delta Dental Gold Crown Award, and David Purcey was the recipient of the Alumni Award. The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame joined forces with the Fisher Cats for this event, which saw a record crowd of over 1,100 in attendance.

In December, the Fisher Cats announced that an all-time record $133,949.76 was raised for CHaD, the Ted Williams Museum and the Fisher Cats Foundation at the dinner. And to close out the year, the New Hampshire Union Leader recognized the Fisher Cats as the top sports story of the year.

All in all, it was a fantastic 2008, and we very much look forward to creating more outstanding memories in 2009.

From everyone with the Fisher Cats to all of you, Happy New Year!

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from December 31, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central