Bluefish World Series Party A Rousing Success
Published on November 1, 2004 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Bridgeport Bluefish News Release
In 1999, the UCONN Huskies' Men's basketball team won a national championship, the New York Yankees won the World Series, and the Bridgeport Bluefish won the first professional sports championship in Bridgeport in 94 years. When the UCONN men brought home another national championship this spring, we thought it was time for the Yankees and the Bluefish also to bring home championships. It has, however, been a cruel September for Yankees and Bluefish fans as defeat was surely plucked from the jaws of victory for both of our teams. Now that the arch-rival Boston Red Sox and Long Island Ducks have shed their runner-up images, it is time to move on. Will Pennyfeather and Rolo Avila were here this week, both recovering form post-season surgeries, and we have already begun to focus on how to assure another playoff-bound team for 2005. We are quite excited about our schedule for next year, most notably because there are no 15-game home stands. Rather, we have a balanced schedule for the first time ever, with 70 home games, and 70 away games. There will be no patsies (may the Road Warriors rest in peace) to play, and the league will almost certainly be characterized once again by its incredible parity. As you know, this past season, every team except the Road Warriors were in the playoff hunt right up to the last week of the season.
And speaking of the Boston Red Sox, our 4th Annual VIP World Series Party, held this year at Murphy's Law last Wednesday evening, was a rousing success. Lots of closet Red Sox fans emerged from the woodwork to cheer on their team in the fourth and final game of the World Series. For the seventh season in a row, our Booster Club gave out awards to our best pitcher and best hitter. The Golden Arm Award went to right-handed pitcher Kevin Henthorne, and the Foster Award went to designated hitter Jose Amado. A good time was had by the overflow crowd that filled Murphy's Law. We even got sports reporter Bill Gonillo from Channel 12 to show up with his camera! (Of course, there was free food! :) Here's just a sample of one of the e-mails we received after the event: I just wanted to thank you and your very capable assistants, Kim Pizighelli, Rebecca Ramos, Joe Skarupa, Melissa Perkins, and Mary Cappello, and any others who made the party so great. The party is always a big hit, and something I and others look forward to each October. I hope it continues next year, and thanks again. Mary Cappello is already working on the next party ("Meet the 2005 Bluefish") in April, 2005!
Hey, Bill Gonillo, do you know what Micosoft Word's "spell check" tries to do with your last name? You're right, it tires to change it to "Gorilla"...
Thanks for everyone who bought raffle tickets at our World Series party! Your generosity raised $350 for our Bluefish Foundation, a contribution which by itself is enough to fund an enrichment scholarship for a needy Bridgeport middle schooler!
Wondering why our GM, Charlie Dowd, wasn't at the World Series party? He was off to Japan to represent the Atlantic League in some interesting discussions. Seems the Japanese Major League would like to be able to develop its younger players in America, but not in affiliated baseball since it would really like those players to develop and return to Japan to play professional baseball. Unlike Hideki Matsui or Ichiro Suzuki who became stars in Japan before jumping to Major League Baseball here in the United States. Charlie was selected since he is the Atlantic League GM with the most tenure and also because he has had recruited and had many Japanese players on his teams over his career. The latest such player was our own Masaru Imazeki, a right-handed pitcher who had two outstanding seasons pitching here with us in 2002 and 2003.
Speaking of that Japan trip, Butch Hobson, manager of the Nashua Pride apparently also went to Japan representing the Atlantic League. Here's what Scott Stanchak, a writer for a website called "Atlantic League Baseball" (www.atlanticleaguebaseball.com) which has no official connection with the league writes about a potentially interesting development in Nashua: "According to an inside source, most of Nashua's front office has been let go and the club will be taken over by the league. It looks like (Chris) English is looking to sell partial ownership to local investors and having Atlantic City Surf owner Frank Boulton. (Butch) Hobson, who is now in Japan on a scouting trip paid for by the league, has his status in limbo. The Bridgeport Bluefish has displayed an interest in Hobson. Angel Miranda was recently offered the pitching coach job in Newark (Bears) but no official word on that. Rick Wise is looking to go to Lancaster. If Hobson does leave, look for Glenn Murray, who has an interest in managing the club, to be strongly considered." Editor's note: Don't put too much stock in rumors, and you can bet the Nashua Pride won't fold or be taken over by the league (a la the Road Warriors). All this should be lots clearer after the Atlantic League Board meeting next week in Atlantic City.
Be sure to get out and exercise your constitutional right to vote tomorrow! One of the more interesting ballot items anywhere is in the City of Danbury. Here there is a referendum whereby Danbury residents will vote in favor of, or against, the city building a stadium on the city's west side for an independent baseball team, the Connecticut Coyotes of what used to be the Northeast League (and presumably is now an expansion franchise in the newly-formed Can-Am League). Danbury News-Times reporter Marl Langlois has been writing a series of articles in the News-Times about the pros and cons of a city having an independent professional baseball team. If you go online and peruse the archives of the News-Times (www.newstimes.com) over the past couple weeks, you can find these articles which certainly make for interesting reading. Is it a good deal for the City of Danbury to bond a 4,000-seat stadium which, according to Langlois, is money the city will have to bond? That's a pivotal question in a city that is far smaller than Bridgeport. And remember that the City of Bridgeport was able to get the Ballpark at Harbor Yard constructed with only $7 million in city bonds (with the balance of the construction costs being footed by a $10 million contribution from the pharmaceutical giant, Zurich Re, and a multimillion investment by the Bluefish owners). The City of Bridgeport's investment can rightly be viewed as an infrastructure investment that has led to all kinds of subsequent investments in the city (most notably the $60 million Arena at Harbor Yard next door). Will a $12 million infrastructure investment by the City of Danbury yield similar positive private investments in the City of Danbury? That's a $64 question Danbury voters will have to wrestle with. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton has said that the City of Danbury will likely move ahead if the vote in support of the city bonding for the ballpark is 55% or higher in favor.
The editorial board of the Danbury News-Times came down on the side of a "yes" vote: "There is every reason for voters to say YES in this non-binding referendum. A YES vote will allow city officials to seek a true cost assessment for building a stadium in this baseball-rich city. Voters will later be asked to approve the spending of funds to construct a stadium. So, at this stage, there can only be one logical vote, a YES." We'll report the results of the referendum vote in our next e-mailing.
Didya know that the new General Manager of the New Haven County Cutters, 28-year old Marie Heikkinen Webb, is only the fourth current female GM in all of minor league baseball?
On a sad note, one of our Bluefish Booster Club members has passed away. She is JoAnn Feher, who died on October 23 after a long illness. She had a distinguished political career, and from 1979 to 1991 served on the Common Council (now the City Council) for four terms and was the only Republican and the first woman member of the Council. Current Booster Club President Tom White served with her on the Council and writes: "I knew JoAnn from serving on the City Council with her. A quiet, modest person. I usually delivered her (Booster Club) pin to her personally when she was the assistant registrar of voters. She was very dedicated to her husband who died a few years ago after a prolonged illness. She attended Bluefish games over the years and would stop by the table when I staffed it. She was a reliable, hard working member of the Republican Party. All that knew her will miss her." We extend our condolences to JoAnn's family.
Atlantic League Stories from November 1, 2004
- One on one with Joe Gannon of the Newark Bears - Newark Bears
- Bears deliver a hit with Fall Fest - Newark Bears
- Bridgeport Bluefish Strike Out Hunger - Bridgeport Bluefish
- Bluefish World Series Party A Rousing Success - Bridgeport Bluefish
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.
