Bridgeport Booster Club to Hold its Annual Meeting
Published on February 24, 2005 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Bridgeport Bluefish News Release
The Bridgeport Booster Club is having its Annual Meeting on March 13 at 11:30 AM in the Bridgeport Holiday Inn. The Club will be electing this year's officers and directors and revealing plans for the 2005 season. We are extremely proud of our Booster Club which has been around as long as our team ha, and boasts many charter members going all the way back to our inaugural season in 1998. If you're interesting in joining the Booster Club, contact Tim Cashman at Tacashman@aol.com or call him at 203-876-8059.
Hey, did you see the article in the Connecticut Post about the WNBA's Connecticut Sun coming to the Arena at Harbor Yard to play the Charlotte Sting in a preseason game on May 8? We've had the best lacrosse players in the world play here, and now we'll have the best female basketball players. It's a terrific opportunity to see former UCONN greats Nykesha Sales and Ashja Jones, and former University of Minnesota star guard Lindsay Whalen. The game will be in the evening so it won't interfere with our Sunday afternoon baseball game at 1:35 PM against the Lancaster Barnstormers, our third game that weekend against the newest entry into the Atlantic League. Here's what Mayor John Fabrizi had to say, I've stated it before and I'll state it again that Bridgeport is becoming the sports Mecca in Connecticut!¨ Well said, Mr. Mayor.
Here's an excerpt from a Brad Durrell editorial from a recent edition of the Bridgeport News: "Real estate is making Bridgeport attractive again. Thanks to improvements in the city's image and physical appearance, more people feel comfortable living, working and visiting the region's most affordable city. New people are moving into Bridgeport to replace all the people who want to leave - and there are plenty of people who want to move out. Some of these new residents aren't flinching at the high taxes. They paid more elsewhere because their previous homes in the suburbs and New York City were worth so much more."
Thomas Boswell is a sports writer for the Washington Post who has this to say in an article on Jose Canseco: "This is the time when all his bizarre and excessive behavior over the years comes back to haunt him. If you finally reach a point where you have something to tell and you desperately want to be believed, that's when your reputation counts. Jose's reputation, unfortunately, is for bar fights with his twin brother, fly balls bouncing off his head, over fences and dating Madonna." We here in the Atlantic League remember Jose best for his brief stint with the Newark Bears for several weeks at the beginning of the 2001 season. Though Jose didn¡¦t hit the Bluefish very well, he did have one mammoth home run that ricocheted off the top of the Arena wall beyond our left field foul pole. He used the Atlantic League to get one last shot at the bigs as he finished out that season with the Chicago White Sox where he hit the final 16 home runs of his Major League career to leave him with 462 dingers, just 38 shy of the number that might have gotten him elected to the Hall of Fame.
Our friend, Mike Ashmore, who has a great web site (www.atlanticleaguebaseball.com) that is unaffiliated with the Atlantic League but which contains a treasure trove of A.L. information writes that Long Island Ducks pitcher Bill Pulsipher has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. And another former Duck, Carlos Baerga, has signed with the Washington Nationals. So the Ducks may have lost Pulsipher and Baerga for now, they did just announce that have re-signed Bluefish nemeses Justin Davies (for his sixth season) and Jason Johnson. You can be sure the great rivalry between the Bluefish and the Ducks will continue.
Speaking of Mike, he wrote a great letter to the editor of the Connecticut Post supporting our effort to get a better lease with the City of Bridgeport. Although the Post didn't print his letter, he has consented to letting us reproduce the letter here in its entirety. Read on. "My name is Mike Ashmore, and I operate the website atlanticleaguebaseball.com. We cover all the teams in the Atlantic League, interviewing players from around the league and keeping in contact with each team for the latest news. With that being said, I've been keeping a close eye on the situation regarding the lease amendment issue with the Bluefish, and I must say that any situation that would jeopardize the future of this great franchise would be one that council members would surely regret in years to come. The people in the Bluefish front office have always been good to me, and all the players and coaches have been nothing but approachable, kind and very giving of their time during my two year stint of covering the league. Anyone I've ever encountered with the Bridgeport logos stitched onto their hats or jerseys has done nothing but be an excellent representation of the image that Bridgeport is trying to portray. Anything done to possibly damage the franchise and its future in the city would be unwise. Where would all these jobs go? Where would all these people, who likely love working in sports just as much or more than I do, go? Where would the players, most of whom use the Bluefish to get their careers back on track, play? But most importantly, where would the fans go to see top-notch baseball at affordable prices? The Red Sox have raised their prices for the umpteenth time, and deservedly so. The Yankees aren't the greatest alternative either when the same amount of cash gets you a watered down beer in the Bronx or a front row seat in Bridgeport, I know which one I'm picking every time. Hundreds of players have been signed by Major League organizations from the Atlantic League, you never know which member of the Bluefish will be the next to go. Hundreds of former Major League players have played in the Atlantic League as well, players ranging from Hall of Fame lock Rickey Henderson to Bluefish legend Mike Guilfoyle! Paying $8, or whatever minimal fee it is to see players like that is an absolute steal and something that Bridgeport natives need to do to take advantage of more often. Do the Bluefish need help? Sure they do. So rather than potentially harm the franchise by not approving the lease amendments , why not work with a franchise and front office that's been more than willing to put their blood, sweat and tears and perhaps most importantly money into this team. The Bluefish are the league's all-time winningest franchise since their inception in 1998, and it would be a shame, not to mention an embarrassment, if they disappeared. The league that I learned to love simply would not be the same, and certainly not for the better. I urge anyone reading this to look at what you'd be missing if you lost the Bluefish, and to do the right thing." It's old news now, but just to remind any readers who haven't heard, we did get a favorable vote from the Bridgeport City Council, by a 14-6 tally, and we're in the process right now of implementing the lease changes. Meanwhile we're busily preparing for our eighth season, only 63 days from Opening Day on Thursday evening, April 28 at 7:05 PM against the Long Island Ducks. Query? Will they give out their rings that night? Doubtful.
Check out our website, www.bridgeportbluefish.com, if you have any interest in singing the National Anthem at one of our 70 home games this season. The auditions are at the Stamford town center this year from 1:00 pm TO 4:00 pm On Saturday, April 2. Or if you want to try to play for the Bluefish this season, our Open tryouts are one week later on April 9, at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard.
For those of you who have asked, the answer is "Yes", Brady Williams, the newest Bluefish player, is indeed the son of former Red Sox manager Jimi Williams. Our most ardent fans know that Jimi himself was in the house for several games last year to watch his son play against us (as a Pennsylvania Road Warrior).
Flash! Congratulations to our Bluefish/BridgeSports Spelling Bee team which last evening won the Cardinal Shehan Center Corporate Spelling Bee at the Holiday Inn. Our gallant team consisted of Janet Granger-Happ, Charlie Dowd and John Cunningham. Janet must have been the leader of that motley crew! :)
Atlantic League Stories from February 24, 2005
- Patriots sign outfielder Tyrone Pendergrass - Somerset Patriots
- Bridgeport Booster Club to Hold its Annual Meeting - Bridgeport Bluefish
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