Happy New Year from the Bluefish Staff!

December 29, 2004 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Bridgeport Bluefish News Release


Each year during the Holiday Season, our most senior Marketing person, John Harris, composes a holiday poem. He has consented to our sharing his poem with you, and it is reproduced below:

Bluefish Holiday Greetings
John Harris ‘04

‘Twas the night before Christmas at 500 Main,
and the staff was walking down memory lane.
Thinking of members present and past,
who helped build a legacy they hope will last.
Like Mickey and the owner group who had the panache
to get the ball rolling & put up the cash.
And Ken, the inventive one, always hell-bent
on finding new schemes to bring into the tent.
And Charlie, our leader, who'd done this before –
now a part of Bridgeport & New Haven lore.
Running the team, charming the mayors,
with Melissa to handle the needs of the players.
Gone are some others, like Shoey and Burke,
who did their part to make the plan work.
And Rogers, Farrell, Lawrence, and Chris –
memorable names from that first Bluefish list.
Replaced by new blood like Rebecca and Kim,
to help bring ticketing revenue in.
And "sales studs" like Andy and Mary and Joe
with the mission of making ad revenue grow.
The building's in good hands with Shannon and Carm,
and the field is "A+" with Craig minding the farm.
Now Rachael's a school marm, and JB's a ‘Shark --
running the show down in Camden's new park.
So JC and Rick, here from Day One,
stepped up to the plate to get the job done.
Senior ‘Fish Harris still works with some clients
that date back to last century in their Bluefish alliance.
And Jen splits her time with equal aplomb
between "Fantasies", nursing, and as Madeleine's mom.
And the "backroom trio" – Barb, Tammy, & Bump –
keep panning for gold to get us over the hump.
And last but not least – in more ways than one –
there's Josh, our "Soul" brother, if you'll pardon the pun.
An entrepreneur, symbolizing the theme,
that captures the essence of this great Bluefish team.
New members come and seize the baton,
ensuring the Bluefish race will go on.
Our TWO MILLIONTH fan will shortly arrive –
a crowning beginning to 2005.
Let's seize that success, and shift into high gear –
and make 2005 an outstanding year!

Happenings in the ‘hood: Just down the street toward Long Island Sound (at Seaside Park Beach) is a former restaurant called "Conty's" that was an "iconic establishment drawing customers for 40 years", according to Weichert Realtors. That's because Weichert is trying to sell Conty's for a cool $1.75 million. "3/4 acre w/parking offers unobstructed views and is posed for growth. Grandfathered restaurant w/full liquor license. Here's hoping an investor comes along and restores Conty's to its former glory!

More happenings... What a weekend our ‘hood had just before Christmas! The Klein hosted four magnificent performances of "The Nutcracker"; The Playhouse on the Green had a Comedy Night on Friday night, featuring Jim Dailakis, the king of celebrity impressions, along with stand-up comedians Phil Selman and Eddie Clark. On Saturday night, the Playhouse hosted Abbey Road, Connecticut's #1 Beatles Tribute Band on Saturday night, followed by a Holiday Sing-a-Long on Sunday afternoon with The Wayne Hiller Octet. This editor was at the Arena at Harbor Yard for the stunning Holiday Concert performed by The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, celebrating maestro Keith Lockhart's 10-year anniversary with the Boston Pops. And if you chose to just stay home, you could have tuned into the NBC special on Saturday afternoon which featured Andrea Bocelli in concert with Olympic Figure Skaters. This special, entitled "Tribute on Ice" was, of course, filmed earlier at the Arena at Harbor Yard, a show that sold out in just one day. And we haven't even mentioned the Sound Tigers hockey games, or the Fairfield University Men's and Women's Basketball games at the Arena. Our ‘hood is truly becoming a happening place!

You remember how we lamented the fact that we had to leave our ace right hander Kevin Henthorne unprotected in the dispersal draft which allowed the expansion Lancaster Barnstormers team to begin assembling their 2005 team. Since Henny was arguably the best pitcher in the entire league last year, this was obviously a tough decision for GM Charlie Dowd. We only did it because we were fairly certain that Henny would not be coming back to pitch in the Atlantic League next summer. Our belief was, of course, based on the fact that he returned home at the beginning of September last season, just when we needed him most for our stretch drive for the second half championship of the Northern Division. Well, the Barnstormers have traded the rights to Henthorne to the Atlantic City Surf, as the "player to be named later" in the Surf's trade of infielder Ryan Minor to the Barnstormers. So it now appears that if Henny comes back, he will be in a Surf uniform.

Congratulations and best wishes to former Bluefish field manager Duffy Dyer who has accepted the filed manager position of the Erie Seawolves (Eastern League AA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers). Duffy piloted the Bluefish for two seasons (2001 and 2002), compiling a 137-115 record, and leading our team to the Atlantic League Championship Series in 2002 which we lost to the Newark Bears. Duffy's wife, Lynn, reports that they have just become grandparents again for the 6th and 7th time! A member of the famous 1969 World Champion New York Mets squad, Duffy will begin his 40th season in professional baseball this coming season. He played 14 years in the Major Leagues with four different teams. He most recently worked the past two seasons as an advance scout for the New York Mets. We wish Lynn and Duffy the very best!

We welcome two new Group Sales Representatives to the Bridgeport Bluefish! Courtney Smith joins us from Garden City, South Carolina. She is a recent graduate of Coker College in Hartsville, SC with a degree in Biology. She has interned with the Oakland Raiders National Football League team. Her interests include knitting, sports (that's good!), and spending time with friends. Bryon Wideman joins us from Baton Rouge, LA. He is a recent graduate of Louisiana State University, with a BA degree in Journalism. He has worked as a sports reporter, waiter, and as a lobbyist. Named "Best Sports Writer in the South", Bryan's interests include music, football, and traveling. Both Courtney and Kevin have come directly to us from Game Face, Inc., a sports sales academy in Portland, OR.



Atlantic League Stories from December 29, 2004


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