Rock Cats Extend Partnership With Minnesota

Published on August 14, 2008 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Britain Rock Cats News Release


New Britain, CT - The New Britain Rock Cats announced today that they have extended their highly productive Professional Development Contract (PDC) with the Minnesota Twins for another two years. This latest extension of the two professional baseball clubs formal working agreement will run through the end of the 2010 Season, bringing the dynamic partnership between Minnesota and New Britain to16 consecutive seasons.

The New Britain franchise is now in its 36th season, making it the longest continuously operating professional sports franchise in the state of Connecticut. With this current PDC extension, the 16-year affiliation between New Britain and Minnesota places it among the longer uninterrupted partnerships in the historic Eastern League.

Bill Dowling, President and CEO of the Rock Cats, commented on the new agreement from his office in New Britain. "Our franchise has enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with the Minnesota Twins for the past fourteen years and we are delighted to inform you today that it will continue. The people in Minnesota - most notably General Manager Bill Smith, his predecessor, Terry Ryan, and Director of Minor Leagues, Jim Rantz - are honest and forthright professionals and trustworthy partners. They have consistently provided our fans with a steady stream of talented young players who have refined their baseball and community relations skills here in Connecticut, before moving on to the larger stage in Minnesota. We are proud of our shared history and delighted it will be continuing".

The 2008 Twins - with a roster loaded with former New Britain Rock Cats - are in serious contention for this year's American League Central Division title; Minnesota has won that Divisional crown in four of the previous six seasons.

Jim Rantz, Minnesota's Director of Minor Leagues, said: "We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with the Rock Cats organization for two more years, as they have proven to be excellent partners. Further, we have always appreciated the supportive New Britain fan base, and their knowledge of the game. This combination of strong front office and great fans made our decision to extend in New Britain an easy one".

Before this new Agreement goes into effect, however, the 2008 Rock Cats have 10 home games remaining in the current campaign. The team will return home from its longest road trip of the 2008 Season next Tuesday night, August 19th. In their second-to-last homestand of the year, the Rock Cats will take on both Erie (affiliated with the AL's Detroit Tigers) and Akron (partners of the AL's Cleveland Indians) for three games each. Erie will be at New Britain Stadium on Tuesday (8/19), Wednesday (8/20), and Thursday nights (8/21) next week, while Akron will be in the Hardware City on Friday (8/22) and Saturday (8/23) nights, before they help the Rock Cats close out the homestand with a Sunday afternoon (8/24) matinee.

The Rock Cats' 2008 Season will come to close on Labor Day Weekend when the ‘Cats welcome Binghamton (affiliates of the NL's New York Mets) to New Britain for 4 big games, from Friday night (8/29) through Monday afternoon (9/1).

Fans seeking tickets for any of these final ten contests may get them by calling the Rock Cats Ticket Office at (860) 224-8383 or by visiting the Box Office (10 AM - 6 PM, M-F; 10 AM - 2 PM, Sat.) at New Britain Stadium. Fans interested in the convenience of on-line purchasing may get their tickets by visiting the club's website - www.rockcats.com - and following the simple instructions.

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



Eastern League Stories from August 14, 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