New Britain Rock Cats
From SoSH
| Location: | New Britain, Connecticut |
| Established: | 1983 |
| MLB Affiliation: | Minnesota Twins |
| League: | Eastern League |
| Level: | AA |
| Ballpark: | New Britain Stadium |
| Championships: | 1 (2001 co-champion) |
| Division Titles: | 2 (1998, 2001) |
| Wild Card: |
The New Britain Rock Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The Rock Cats play in New Britain Stadium.
The Cats have announced former Major League pitcher Bobby Cuellar as the team's new manager for the 2008 season. He replaces Riccardo Ingram who headed the club during the 2006 and 2007 campaigns.
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Franchise History
The franchise's timeline can be traced back to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which was the home of the Red Sox' Double-A affiliate from 1965 to 1969. The franchise then moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1970, and spent two years in the Ocean State. When the Pawtucket Red Sox became a Triple-A team in 1973, the Sox moved their double-A franchise to Bristol, Connecticut. Known as the Bristol Red Sox, the team played at Muzzy Field for ten seasons from 1973 to 1982. Starting with the 1983 season, owner Joe Buzas moved the team some 10 miles east to New Britain. Then known as the New Britain Red Sox, the team played its home games at Beehive Field, which is still standing next to the current stadium.
As Beehive Field became outdated and new facilities began to pop up in other cities around the league, Buzas was faced with the choice of staying in New Britain and building a new stadium, versus moving the franchise again. The Red Sox front office, led by Dan Duquette supported the idea of moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, because it was closer to their fan base and closer to the Western Mass home of Duquette, but ultimately in August 1994, Buzas decided to stay. The Red Sox promptly pulled their affiliation, and moved it to Trenton, New Jersey (ironically, farther away from the fan base). For the 1995 season, Buzas, who owned the Salt Lake Buzz (Minnesota AAA) signed a new development agreement with the Minnesota Twins, and this affiliation has continued since. During the 1995 season (their only season in Beehive Field), the team was known as the Hardware City Rock Cats, a reference to New Britain's nickname "The Hardware City". Since 1996 when they moved into the current stadium, the team has been the New Britain Rock Cats. Stanley Works continues to be a significant sponsor of the team and ballpark.
During 2003 and 2004, the team was involved in several lawsuits over its Friday night fireworks displays. A group of residents living near the stadium claimed the noise was disruptive, and the ash and debris damaged their cars and homes. In May 2005, Judge Marshall Berger allowed the shows to continue after attending one himself, but ruled that their frequency should be scaled back. The team is currently limited to only one show a month (generally held on the first Friday home game), and has added laser-light shows and other "quiet" promotions to replace the missing fireworks.
Major League Affiliations
- Minnesota Twins (1995-present)
- Boston Red Sox (1983-94)
Franchise Names
- New Britain Rock Cats (1996-present)
- Hardware City Rock Cats (1995)
- New Britain Red Sox 1983-94
Notable Alumni
- Torii Hunter
- A.J. Pierzynski
- Michael Cuddyer
- Juan Rincon
- Justin Morneau
- Joe Mauer
- Francisco Liriano
- Pat Neshek
Notable Red Sox Who Played Here
Trivia
- In an episode of the television series Cheers in which former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Sam Malone attempted to make a comeback to professional baseball, he was assigned to the New Britain Red Sox.
