Rock Cats Get Set for 2010 Season's 4th Homestand

Published on May 19, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Britain Rock Cats News Release


New Britain, CT - With one-fourth of the 2010 Eastern League Baseball Season now in the books - and the reconstituted Rock Cats striving with all they've got to grab some early-season victories on the road - the team from the Hardware City is getting ready to bring its determined ways back home to New Britain Stadium. The Rock Cats will be returning from Maine to their home turf in Connecticut this Friday night (5/21), prepared to do baseball battle for seven straight days (and nights) with two Eastern Division opponents who are talented and already off to solid starts in the new season. En route to New Britain Stadium are the Binghamton Mets - the orange, black, and blue clad partners of the National League's New York Mets - and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the current occupants of 1st Place out of the Granite State who are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. These two Divisional rivals will be with us from Friday evening (5/21) to the following Thursday (5/27) morning. Both of these visiting clubs should be great fun to watch - each is already beginning to stake claims in the Eastern Division standings - with, again, all the attendant baseball drama starting on Friday night.

Here are some additional details about the Rock Cats' 4th Homestand of 2010:

FRIDAY NIGHT, MAY 21st, 6:35 PM

The Binghamton Mets, partners with the National League's New York Mets, will assist the Rock Cats start the new season's 4th Homestand at 6:35 PM on Friday evening. This will be the first of only two visits the Metropolitans will be making to Connecticut in 2010. This bunch from western New York is playing well - these B-Mets have a winning record and currently lead the entire circuit with a Team Batting Average of .267 - and will be looking to climb even higher in the divisional standings this weekend. The Friday night fun at the Stadium will start early with a Heineken Happy Hour - with Food and Drink specials featuring Heineken and Heineken Light Cans in the upper-level Heineken Hot Corner starting at 5:05 PM. It's also National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Night at the Stadium and we are most pleased that the Connecticut MS Chapter will be with us. Once the night's hardball action concludes on the diamond, please stick around as a spectacular Post Game Pyro Technic Show will illuminate the central Connecticut skies! This after-game blast is sponsored by our pals at Stanley Black & Decker. Welcome home' Cats!

SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 22nd, 6:35 PM:

The Mets from Binghamton - a club filled with prized Prospects per the recent analysis of Baseball America - will be back with us for Game 2 of this 3-game series at 6:35 PM on Saturday night. In addition to all the baseball action on the diamond, the Rock Cats will also be hosting a Pre-game Block Party at 5:00 PM on Saturday, where fans and children can sample inflatables, games, and other fun activities made possible by the good people at D'Angelo's and Guida's Milk and Ice Cream. While the Block Party goes on, fans with Topps Attax baseball cards are invited to come to the Stadium at 3:30 PM to register for a competition that will start at 5:00 PM to determine our Regional Qualifier for the Topps Attax National Championship to be held this summer at Citi Field in New York. Bring your Topps Attax cards and your lucky charm; this could be great! Speaking of great, Saturday night is also Best Buy Night at the Stadium when the giant retailer - and several of its suppliers - will be on hand to both exhibit new products and offer fans the opportunity to win terrific prizes every inning! Last but hardly least, the great stadium performer - Dancing Christopher - will be "in the house" to bring smiles to the faces of fans of all ages. This is a very entertaining show and the good guys at Best Buy are sponsoring his appearance. And once Saturday evening's game is completed, fans are urged to stick around as the Stadium lights stay on for the Launch-A-Ball contest, a fun game whereby fans toss tennis balls at various on-field targets with a chance to win great prizes. The tennis balls are $1 each - this is very enjoyable for fans from 7 to 77 - and everybody wins in the end as all proceeds go to charity via the Rock Cats Foundation!

SUNDAY AFTERNOON, MAY 23rd, 1:35 PM:

The three-game series with the New York Mets' affiliate closes with another special Sunday afternoon contest. This is Senior Sunday at the Stadium as the Rock Cats are partnering with the Connecticut Visiting Nurses' Association and Starion Energy to extend every entering senior citizen a coupon for a free Hot Dog and Bottled Water. In addition, VNA personnel will be strategically located throughout the Stadium offering fans free health screenings, upon request. Moreover, Sunday is also Travelers Championship Day at the ballpark - this year's big golf tournament will be held at River Highlands in Cromwell between June 24-27- and the first 1,200 fans through the gates on Sunday will receive a nifty 2010 Travelers Championship Tote Bag! Very cool! In addition - before the Rock Cats and B-Mets even get started on Sunday afternoon -"Rocky" and a dozen or so of his furry friends will be on the field for a pre-game Mascot Day Kickball Match! Our Sunday guests of all ages - from kids to young-at-heart seniors - will get a genuine kick out of this friendly competition.

Speaking of kids, we'll have a couple of very special organizations with us on Sunday afternoon: both the Connecticut Partnership for Children and the Connecticut Chapter of the American Diabetes Association will be with us for the afternoon action. We are thrilled to have them and wish them the very best in their important work!

This special Sunday will conclude - as all Sundays do at New Britain Stadium - with an opportunity for all kids 12-and-under to enjoy a post-game Run of the Bases, sponsored by our family-friendly pals at the Barnum Financial Group. These good people make every Sunday afternoon Family Fun Day at the Stadium!

MONDAY NIGHT, MAY 24th, 6:35 PM:

With the Binghamton squad now having made its way out of Connecticut, in comes that group from the Granite State - the New Hampshire Fisher Cats - EL partners of the American League's Toronto Blue Jays. New Hampshire is making its second visit of 2010 to the Hardware City and they return a bit pumped up as they presently sit atop the Division in 1st Place. These would-be Blue Jays are loaded with talent and, under rookie skipper Luis Rivera - the former Bosox Infielder - are obviously off to a strong start. These two clubs always play each other tough, and this week's action will be unusually concentrated as they'll engage five-times-in-four-days. Monday night is also the evening set aside to honor area Disabled American Veterans, and a number of these local heroes will be on hand for pre-game recognition and ceremonial First Pitches. Monday is also the night for a Baseball Card Series Giveaway, featuring top Minnesota Twins prospects on the Rock Cats roster. And lastly, to help relieve some of the pre-game anxiety, please join us for the every Monday Night, All-You-Can-Eat-All-American Buffet in the Comcast Picnic Area. This economical weekly feature - unlimited Hamburgs, Hot Dogs, Salad, Chips, and Soft Drinks - is sponsored by Kayem, and available to all fans for just $10 over the price of a ticket. Come hungry!

TUESDAY NIGHT, MAY 25th, 5:05 PM / TWILIGHT DOUBLEHEADER:

The high-flying Fisher Cats are back with us at 5:05 PM to "Play Two" - Games 2 and 3 of this now 5-games-in-4-days series. This Twilight DH adds the make-up game from an April Rain Out to the regularly scheduled 6:35 PM tilt; both contests tonight will be seven innings in duration.

We will be joined on Tuesday night by the folks from the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance of Connecticut, who will be conducting a fundraiser. Welcome!

Tuesday night is also Supercuts Stadium Superstar Poster Series Night where, in recognition of the 15th year of pro baseball here at New Britain Stadium, the franchise and Supercuts will honor some of the great players who have worn the New Britain uniform over the last decade and a half. Tuesday night's offering is #1 in the series that will, when concluded, cite players Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, David Ortiz, and Michael Cuddyer; collect them all! Tuesday is also the occasion when the Principal Financial Group's Family Fun Fest will be set up just outside the Stadium's Main Gates. Opening at 2:05 PM - three hours before game time - this terrific Family Fun Fest is completely free and features batting and pitching cages, a t-ball stadium, a "steal home" bungee run, a "side-by-side" super slide, a Mobile Video Game Arcade (sponsored by Great Clips), a mobile Minor League Baseball Museum, and a photo booth where kids can put themselves on a Travelodge baseball card or Sports Illustrated for Kids simulated magazine cover! Again, it's all free. Come early - stay late!

Finally, as it's Tuesday night, it's also Kids Eat Free Night in New Britain, meaning that every child 12-years-and-under will receive a voucher upon entry for a free Hot Dog and Drink; Kids Eat Free Night is sponsored by Bimbo (pronounced BEAM-BO) Breads, the wide-ranging bakery. Another Tuesday feature this season is the special KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Ticket Offer: All one needs to do is buy one regularly priced Rock Cats ticket and - with the presentation of a Kraft Singles wrapper - they will receive a second, adjacent ticket, free! Tasty deal.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MAY 26th, 6:35 PM:

New Hampshire is back at the Stadium at 6:35 PM on Wednesday night to play Game #4 of this 5-game set. And the two teams will not be alone

Wednesday night is also Family 4-Pak Night whereby families and groups of four coming out to the ball park get 4 Reserved Seats, 4 Hot Dogs, 4 Popcorns, and 4 Soft Drinks for $30! We thank SBLI for again sponsoring this every Wednesday night Stadium staple! Moreover, the first 1,500 fans through the turnstiles will receive a green baseball, courtesy of our friends at The Scotts Miracle Gro Company. And lastly, Wednesday evening is also Robotics Night at the Stadium, featuring very talented high school students from across Connecticut who will be both exhibiting their various team projects - as well as showcasing the "FIRST Robotics Program". The savvy students want the wider world to know about "FIRST" - the acronym for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology". These young people are great - some of them have already won Regional competitions and competed in the Nationals - and they'll have their robots with them to entertain fans. Their ongoing efforts are important as they will continue to keep America great. Thank you all!

THURSDAY MORNNG, MAY 27th, 10:35 AM:

It's getaway day in New Britain and, in response to growing fan requests, the Rock Cats and New Hampshire will play another 10:35 AM Morning Game at the Stadium. When the weather cooperates, these are totally delightful start times for fans of all ages in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. To sweeten the pot even further, our friends from the Talcott Mountain Science Center will be with us to explain how local wind currents might interact with a high fly ball - or a split fingered fastball; fear not, there won't be a quiz. The good people at Dattco Transportation and Achieve Financial are the sponsors of this, our third Baseball in Education Day of the 2010 Season. Many good seats remain available for business people looking to bring their morning coffee to the ball park, kids who may be free to join us, and retirees who can see a professional baseball game and get home in time for a nap! Come on down!

Fans seeking tickets to any of the eight games on this upcoming 4th Homestand of 2010 may secure them by visiting the New Britain Stadium Box Office (M-F, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM; Sat/Sun 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM), or by calling the Rock Cats Ticket Office at (860) 224-8383. Fans interested in the convenience of on-line purchasing may secure tickets by visiting the club's website at www.rockcats.com.

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Eastern League Stories from May 19, 2010


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