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Rock Cats To Conclude 2010 Home Season With Celebration Of Region's Fabulous Fans

August 31, 2010 - Eastern League (EL1)
New Britain Rock Cats News Release


NEW BRITAIN, CT - With the temperatures beginning to cool - and school bells

summoning their young charges after another beautiful New England Summer - the New Britain Rock Cats will be concluding their 2010 Eastern League season over the upcoming Labor Day Weekend at New Britain Stadium. While the baseball action is always the centerpiece in New Britain - and, indeed, the high-flying Trenton Thunder, EL partners of the 2009 World Champion New York Yankees, will be with us for four important games between Friday (9/3) night and the campaign's finale on Monday (9/6) afternoon - the Rock Cats and their presenting sponsor Stanley Black & Decker

have designated the entire weekend as an occasion to tip their caps to their fabulously loyal fans! This tribute will take many different forms - from a sky-illuminating, final Fireworks Extravaganza on Friday night to the opportunity for one lucky fan to win a Free Trip to next year's Spring Training with the Minnesota Twins, to daily Giveways, $1 Tickets, the "Tool Olympics", and other fan-participation contests and raffles that will celebrate our favorite fans season-long display of Home Town Pride. And if the hometown Rock Cats win one game this weekend - we're guessing that's the least they'll do - all fans at that game will receive a Free Ticket to 2011's Opening Night Game! Anticipating the curtain going up next year will help us all get through to next April.

Here are the details:

FRIDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 7:05 PM:

The final series of the 2010 Season kicks off on Friday night when the Rock Cats host the

Playoff-bound Trenton Thunder, EL partners of the swaggering New York Yankees. The 1st Place Thunder are clearly a talented bunch but no matter what the official Standings say - these two clubs always play each other tough. It was, after all, on

Labor Day Weekend just one year ago that the `Cats eliminated these Young Yanks from 2009 Playoff contention! Trenton's savvy manager, Tony Franklin, might just remind his troops of that bit of baseball history this weekend. But the banging in the batting cages will not be the only pre-game hammering going on at New Britain Stadium this weekend. The good people - and our valued neighbors - at Stanley Black & Decker are sponsoring a contest at the Stadium's main gate to determine the 2010 MVP of Tools! If you think you might be the Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau of Tools, come to the ball park at 5:30 PM on Friday night to find out. Enter the Hardware City's version of the 2010

Tool Olympics. Part of Stanley Tool's Fan Appreciation Week, this competition - for both men and women 18-years-of-age-and older - will feature a Dewalt Screw Driving event as well as a Stanley Nail Driving contest. All local participants have a chance to win terrific prizes - including Stanley Tool Sets and Free Tickets to another of the three games during this Fan Appreciation Week, with two winners - one male/one female - being crowned the MVPs of Tools! Take a bow!

Once the sawdust has settled in the Tool competition, the action will move inside the Stadium where the Stanley folks will lead a special pre-game ceremony on the field. Stanley Tools will be presenting a check to local New Britain charities and foundations as a conclusion of their 2010 Tale of the Tape Initiative. At the start of the season, Stanley Tools pledged to make a donation for every Home Run belted by a Rock Cat in New Britain this year; this pre-game presentation makes that generous pledge a reality. Moreover, as another component of Fan Appreciation Week, Stanley Tools and the Rock Cats will honor those who have made New Britain Stadium such a fun place to be this year. Stanley's local employees have custom made one-of-a-kind tape measures to be given out to the first 4,000 fans through the gates! Along with the aforementioned check presentation, local kids from New Britain will participate in the longest, continuous tape measure project yet around the field, utilizing special Rock Cats Tape Measures made just a few blocks away! Each a future architect or engineer - if not ball players!

All this pre-game activity will make participants and onlookers thirsty and hungry. Great night to be both as its German-American Heritage Night at the Stadium with ethnic food specials available on the concourse from the renowned East Side Restaurant. Moreover, there's a Heineken Happy Hour happening at 5:35 PM in the nearby Heineken Hot Corner should one need to wet their whistle.

Elsewhere on the concourse, the Rock Cats and Connecticut Children's Medical Center are conducting a Memorabilia Madness Fundraiser (great sports stuff for auction!) to benefit CCMC's A Brighter Hope campaign for local kids with cancer. Let's take the Jonas' Brothers recent lead and kick in! There are items from the Rock Cats, Thunder, Red Sox, Twins, and more! There's also a Special $20 package that includes game ticket, food, soft drink and two Raffle Tickets for the Memorabilia Drawing! And it's all for an incredibly worthy causeall good!

Finally, at game's end, soak up the last bit of Summer with 2010's final Friday Night

Fireworks Extravaganza. Like so much else this season, Friday's Fireworks Show is presented by Stanley Black & Decker. We appreciate you all!

SATURDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 4th, 7:05 PM:

The Thunder are back for Game 2 of this season-concluding series at 7:05 PM on Saturday night. Rock Cats players, however, in an attempt to show their direct appreciation to fans, will be out at four local Best Buy stores (Manchester, Meriden, Newington and West Hartford) from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM ready to take on all in-store challengers in a game of Wii Home Run Derby! The first twenty fans to beat the `Cats will receive $5 Gift Cards from Best Buy; the top scoring fan from each Best Buy location will be invited to play an on-field Wii HR Derby competition that night in a pre-game tournament at New Britain Stadium. Family and friends of the four competitors will be given complimentary tickets for the evening's game with the winner taking home a new Nintendo Wii! Wowii!

At 4:30 PM on Saturday, the last Pre-Game Block Party of the year will begin the Stadium parking lot just outside the main gates. Sponsored by D'Angelo's and Guida's Milk & Ice Cream, these are always kid-friendly gatherings that include games, raffles and inflatables for the enjoyment of our youngest fans and their families.

For fans a bit older, a special fundraising gathering will take place on Saturday night at 6:05 PM in the Comcast Picnic Patio, where the Rock Cats will host a Ballpark Beer Tasting Benefit to assist the Families of the innocent people involved in the recent tragedy at the Hartford Distributors facility in Manchester. Ballpark food, a huge selection of brews for sampling, and a ticket to the evening's game are available for just $25. Good deal; great cause!

Once the gates open on Saturday night, the good people from Crown Oil Company will be there to greet all comers with a Free Magnet 2111 Rock Cats Schedule. Keep it by your thermostat! And, as its Saturday night, we'll enjoy the final Sammy Saturday of 2010 - where fans go up to the open-air Samuel Adam Rooftop Bar & Grill and partake as they choose in a variety of Sam Adams Food and Drink Specials! This opportunity begins at 5:35 PM.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th, 1:35 PM:

While the Rock Cats seek to conclude the 2010 Season on a high note, and our guests - Trenton - seek to keep their edge for an extended Postseason run, many of our fans are enjoying their final live baseball games before they return to school in earnest. With that being the case, the `Cats are going to show their appreciation to this special group of fans by presenting each with a cool Drawstring Bag - this practical and good-looking giveaway is sponsored by the group that can make us all look a bit better, Supercuts. Sunday is also Amnesty Day at the Stadium - whereby - in appreciation for their patronage - the Rock Cats are inviting all fans holding tickets to 2010 Season games that for some reason they couldn't use - to use them on THIS day - it's our version of Get Out of Jail Free Day at New Britain Stadium. All is "forgiven"bring that unused ducat to the Ticket Window and get a new one! Welcome!

And as it's Sunday - it's also the final Barnum Financial Group Family Fun Day of 2010 whereby, at game's conclusion, all kids get to Run-The-Bases; this will be their final opportunity in 2010 for an unforgettable experience. Don't miss it! Rocky will be waiting at Home Plate with a furry High Five!

MONDAY AFTERNOON, LABOR DAY, SEPTEMBER 6th, 1:35 PM:

The curtain falls on the Rock Cats 2010 Season on this Labor Day afternoon. That talented group of ball players from the Garden State is with us again for their final Regular Season contest before they commence the 2010 Eastern League Divisional Playoffs later this week. They'll be looking to build momentum for their postseason run; after a season full of challenges, Manager Jeff Smith's Rock Cats will be seeking to conclude matters on a positive note - with a Win. For these reasons, this should be an entertaining finale.

The New Britain franchise will close the year with another expression of Appreciation to their fantastic fans - by offering all General Admission tickets for just $1.

If you're hungry and want your Labor Day not to be laborious, think about coming in for our final All-American Ballpark Bar-B-Q where fans - for just $10 beyond the price of your ticket - can enjoy an All-You-Can-Eat Barbeque in the Comcast Picnic Patio. Sponsored by Kayem, ballpark fare offered includes Hamburgs, Hot Dogs, Salad, Chips and a Soft Drink. Leave the cooking to someone else on this Labor Day!

Good tickets remain available for all four games of this season-concluding Labor Day Weekend Series against Trenton. Fans interested in securing tickets may do so by visiting the New Britain Stadium Box Office any day this week between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Fans may also procure tickets by calling the Rock Cats Ticket Office at (860) 224-8383 or, if interested in the convenience of on-line purchasing, by visiting the club's website - www.rockcats.com - and following the simple instructions.



Eastern League Stories from August 31, 2010


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