Rock Cats Set For 2009 Home Opener

Published on April 14, 2009 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Britain Rock Cats News Release


New Britain, CT - The wait is just about over. With the calendar page recently turned to April - and the arrival of Spring and its warmer temperatures now imminent - the New Britain Rock Cats are ready to open the gates of cozy New Britain Stadium this Thursday night (4/16) for their 2009 Season's Home Opener. And when, at 6:05 PM, the umpire shouts "Play Ball!", Connecticut's oldest continuously-operating professional sports franchise will lift the curtain on its record-setting 37th consecutive season of Eastern League Baseball in the Nutmeg State.

Here is a quick overview of events that will be happening in and around New Britain Stadium during this First Homestand of 2009:

THURSDAY NIGHT, APRIL 16TH, 6:05 PM:

It's the Home Opener as the Rock Cats kick off the home portion of their 142-game 2009 Eastern League schedule at New Britain Stadium. Performing in the Hardware City for the first time under their new manager, 48-year-old Tom Nieto, the Rock Cats will be hosting the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the EL affiliate of the American League's Toronto Blue Jays. Opening Night festivities include the year's first Meet the Players Autograph & Photo opportunity, as several Rock Cats players will be in the home dugout for a "meet and greet" session with fans from 4:35 - 5:15 PM. This fun opportunity will be a 2009 Thursday Night staple this season and is sponsored by Guida's Milk & Ice Cream. In addition, Opening Night/2009 is also a Family-4 Pack opportunity at the Stadium as families can get 4 Reserved Seats, 4 Hot Dogs, 4 Sodas and 4 Popcorns for just $30! The new season's first Ceremonial First Pitches will be tossed out by, among others, New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart, a variety of popular personalities from NBC-30 TV, and four local cancer survivors associated with the American Cancer Society and the upcoming Relays for Life. The Rock Cats are particularly proud that these brave individuals - true Hometown Champions! - will be on hand to personally help us start the new season. Once the pre-game festivities have concluded - and all the players introduced - The Governor's First Foot Guard will Parade the Colors, after which NBC30 personality Anjeuli Porter will step forward to sing Our National Anthem. After all that, the Rock Cats and New Hampshire will engage in the first home baseball battle of 2009. For those of you who can't make it out to the Stadium, the Rock Cats Radio Broadcast team of Jeff Dooley, Joe D'Ambrosio, and Scott Gray will get together to call the Opening Night action on News/Talk 1080, WTIC-AM for the very first time in the 2009 Season!

FRIDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 17TH, 12:05 PM:

The Fisher Cats from the Granite State will be back with us at High Noon on Friday for the first Baseball in Education (BIE) Day action of the new season. This will be an occasion when thousands of local school kids will join us to witness what will be, for many, their first professional baseball game. The special day-time action will be sponsored by our friends at Dattco Transportation and Achieve Financial Credit Union. Good seats also remain available for any business people who want to take a long lunch in the warm sun - or retirees who like their baseball the old-fashioned way - in the daylight. Join us!

SATURDAY NIGHT, APRIL 18TH, 6:35 PM:

The gang from New Hampshire is back on Saturday night for Game 3 of this four-game Opening Series. Much like the Rock Cats, our guests from the north bring several highly-touted prospects with them - indeed, five of their guys are cited by Baseball America as being among the Toronto organization's "Top Prospects" - and two of their big contributors are New England guys, East Lyme, CT's Todd Donovan and Springfield, MA's Nick Gorneault. Both are OFs out of Siena and UMass, respectively. In addition to the action on the field, Saturday Night will also feature 2009's first Post-Game Fireworks Show at New Britain Stadium! And once the dust settles from all of that - the new season's first AT&T Post-Game Launch-A-Ball contest will take place, a fun occasion when fans have the opportunity to win terrific prizes by successfully tossing tennis balls at targets on the field. Sounds easy, right? And everyone wins because all proceeds benefit the Rock Cats Foundation, a community charity.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 19TH, 1:35 PM:

The Rock Cats will wrap-up their 4-game Opening Series against New Hampshire with a Sunday afternoon contest. In addition to the baseball action on the field, the good folks at Stone Academy have sponsored a 2009 Rock Cats Magnet Schedule giveaway for the first 2,000 fans through the gates. The Rock Cats will also be honoring our friends from the United States Postal Service - the men and women who get to us daily, no matter the weather - and, as it's the first Sunday home game of the new season, it's also the year's first "Barnum Financial Family Fun Day", a weekly occasion when children under 12 can enjoy a Postgame Run of the Bases! This is a fabulous way for kids and on-looking parents to end a memorable family outing to New Britain Stadium.

MONDAY NIGHT, APRIL 20th, 6:35 PM:

With New Hampshire departed, in come the Portland Sea Dogs, the Eastern League partners of AL's Boston Red Sox. The games between the Rock Cats and Sea Dogs are always spirited - and meaningful - as both clubs play in the circuit's highly competitive Northern Division. Portland brings loads of talented baby Bosox with them, including 1B Lars Anderson, the kid slugger who Baseball America ranks as Boston's #1 Prospect!

Monday Night is also the 2009 Rock Cats first All You Can Eat Monday - whereby, for $10 on top of the price of a game ticket - fans are invited to a private picnic area where they may indulge themselves with Hot Dogs, Hamburgs, Chips and Soft Drinks. Come early and hungry! There will be a number of college kids in the house on Monday night who will not be participating as its College Night at the Stadium and, in addition to a special Pre-game (5:35-6:35 PM) Social Hour in the newly-renovated Samuel Adams Rooftop Bar and Grill, there will be a Hot Dog Eating Contest for the hungry scholars on the field! Sponsored by Kayem - New England's premier hot dog maker - the winning contestant will be awarded a flat screen TV! Something to recover in front of...The on-field baseball action between the 'Cats and 'Dogs begins at 6:35 PM.

TUESDAY NIGHT, APRIL 21ST, 6:35 PM:

Portland is back at New Britain Stadium this night to play the middle game of this early-season three-game series. The Rock Cats will be doing all they can on their home field to get off to a good start against a Divisional opponent and thereby set a winning tone for entire season. Portland, like the Rock Cats, is always a determine component, so the on-field action should again be intense. Tuesday Night is also Kids Eat Free Night in New Britain, whereby every child under age-12 accompanied by an adult receives a coupon upon entry for a free Hot Dog (Kayem!) and Juice or other Soft Drink. The kids and their parents have the good folks at Harte Nissan to thank for this tasty treat. In addition, it is School Immunization Night at the Stadium where, in a collaboration with the City of New Britain's Health Dept., the Rock cats will offer a free tickets to every child who comes with an adult and presents an up-to-date Immunization Record, We want our youngest fans to be healthy and our guests. Finally, in a tip of the cap to all those men and women who make our work lives easier, Tuesday Night is also Administrative Assistant Night, and a number of local AA's will be honored by their workmates and will march to the mound to toss out ceremonial First Pitches. Enjoy and thank you!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22ND, 10:35 AM:

The first Homestand of the new campaign wraps up with the season's second Baseball in Education (BIE) Day game, a morning affair for local school kids - along with business people who can take an early lunch in the sun, and retirees who can catch a game and still get home in time for their nap. Something for everybody! This BIE Day is again sponsored by the kid-friendly folks at Dattco Transportation and Achieve Financial. There will be pregame educational tips offered about science and baseball by the enlightened folks from the Talcott Mountain Science Center - and, as its Wednesday, it will also be Family 4-Pack Day, an occasion when families and fans can get 4 Hot Dogs, 4 Sodas, 4 Popcorns and, oh yeah, 4 Reserved Seats, for the price of $30. A great deal on the full baseball experience. Bring your kids and your coffee and see the up-and-coming Red Sox stars take on the Rock Cats under the mid-April sun.

Good seats are available for each of the seven games that comprise the Rock Cats' first Homestand of the new year. They may be purchased at the New Britain Stadium Box Office, online at www.rockcats.com, or by calling the Rock Cats Ticket Office at (860) 224-8383. Finally, please know that the 2009 campaign will be the 10th under the fan-friendly direction of the club's ownership group headed by Bill Dowling and Coleman Levy. The franchise has distinguished itself over the last decade as one that delivers family-friendly fun and excitement at affordable prices.

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Eastern League Stories from April 14, 2009


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