Mythbusted: Independent Baseball Thrives
Posted on March 24, 2009
The anti-CMP cult like to scoff at the Pensacola Pelicans because they aren’t affiliated with a major league baseball team. They call them – semi-professional or a hobby team. They call the American Association a sub-professional league. They insinuate that no city, especially Pensacola, would build a stadium for an independent team.
Of course, they are wrong. Here are the profiles on several independent teams and their stadiums:
ATLANTIC LEAGUE
BRIDGEPORT BLUEFISH
Harbor Yard, home of the Bridgeport Bluefish, was the first new, fully completed ballpark in the Atlantic League’s first year of play. Built in 1997-98 with 5,500 seats, the State of Connecticut and City of Bridgeport each contributed $8 million to Harbor Yard’s $19 million cost. The remaining $3 million was contributed by the original Bluefish ownership group. El Nino contributed a very mild winter so the Bluefish could open on schedule and on budget.
CAMDEN RIVERSHARKS
The Camden Riversharks opened Campbell’s Field on May 11, 2001 in front of a league record crowd of 7,192 fans. Campbell’s Field sits in the shadow of the magnificent Ben Franklin Bridge that spans the Delaware River and connects New Jersey and Philadelphia.
LANCASTER BARNSTORMERS
Following a 44-year absence, professional baseball made its triumphant return to Lancaster on May 11, 2005 when the Lancaster Barnstormers began play at state-of-the-art Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Barnstormers franchise has welcomed more than 1.1 million fans in its first three seasons, becoming one of the elite franchises in North America’s premier independent baseball league.
LONG ISLAND DUCKS
The Long Island Ducks, 2004 Atlantic League champions, play at Citibank Park, located in Central Islip, N.Y. The 22 million dollar facility seats 6,002 fans, and is home to Long Island’s first professional baseball team. The Ducks principal owner is long-time Brightwaters resident Frank Boulton. Frank has owned and operated many successful minor league franchises, including the Prince William Cannons, the Albany-Colony Yankees (Class-A and AA affiliates of the New York Yankees), the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Class-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals) and the Atlantic City Surf. Frank is the founder and chairman of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
The Ducks are also owned by former Mets shortstop and current Senior VP of Baseball Operations, Bud Harrelson. Bud was a key member of the 1969 World Champion and 1973 National League champion New York Mets. In 1971, he won the Gold Glove for his outstanding defensive play at shortstop for the Mets. Following his playing career, Bud stayed within the Mets organization as a minor league coach and manager, before taking over the managerial reigns of the team from Davey Johnson during the 1990 season He has also been involved with the ownership of the Wilmington Blue Rocks baseball team (Class-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals).
Entering their 10th Anniversary Season in 2009, the Ducks own a nine-year average attendance of 6,094 (101.5% of capacity) and have led all independent leagues in attendance in each season of their existence. Drawing over 400,000 fans to their ballpark each season, the Ducks are recognized as the gold standard in Independent baseball operations. In 2007, Baseball America honored the club as the Independent Organization of the Year. They currently own the independent minor league baseball single-season attendance record of 443,142 fans. They reached this plateau in the summer of 2001, surpassing the previous record of 436,361 fans which was held by…the Long Island Ducks in 2000.
NEWARK BEARS
The defending Atlantic League Champion Newark Bears are entering their eleventh season overall, and tenth in their state-of-the-art home, Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. Conveniently located in the heart of downtown Newark, with a Newark Light Rail stop dropping fans off right in front of the stadium and a NJ Transit train station just one block away, The Den offers a terrific urban setting with breathtaking views of downtown Newark, the Passaic River, railroad bridges, and the Manhattan skyline.
A 6,200 seat facility, Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium offers an intimate setting along with several premium areas including 20 Luxury Suites, each with indoor and outdoor seating for 20 people, the 500-person Prudential Picnic Den, and The Executive Party Deck, which is a single-party location.
The Newark Bears Experience combines championship-caliber baseball along with fun, family-oriented, and often-zany, promotions, at an affordable price. Highlighting the action each and every game is the team’s official mascot, Rip-n-Ruppert, whose kinetic energy entertains the fans all game long!
The Bears are one of only two teams in the history of the Atlantic League to have won more than one league championship. Newark claimed its first crown in 2002, winning behind the league’s only Triple Crown winner Jimmy Hurst, and then grabbed the 2007 title, with veteran outfielder Jose Herrera hitting three home runs in the championship series’ deciding game.
Future Hall-of-Famer Rickey Henderson played for the Bears during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. And big-name former Major Leaguers Jose Lima, Jose Canseco, Jaime Navarro, and Lance Johnson, among others, have also played for Newark.
SOMERSET PATRIOTS
The Somerset Patriots are managed by 1977 Cy Young Award winner and New York Yankees great Sparky Lyle, who was a two time World Champion with the Yankees. Lyle has earned two Atlantic League “Manager of the Year” honors (1999 and 2003) and has led Somerset to Three Atlantic League Championships, five South Division Championships, and eight Half Titles. He has been the manager since the inaugural season of the league in 1998 and is the winningest manager in Atlantic League history.
The Somerset Patriots continuously rank among the top drawing minor league baseball teams throughout the nation and have drawn over 3,000,000 fans in the first nine seasons at Commerce Bank Ballpark.
The Somerset Patriots play between 70-72 home games at Commerce Bank Ballpark, located off Route 287 in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Commerce Bank Ballpark is a state of the art multi-use facility with 6,100 seats, 20 luxury suites, a picnic area, a general admission turf club, and a family section. Fans always know the score by gazing toward one of the largest scoreboards to be found anywhere in the minor leagues.
Somerset County appropriated the funds for development and construction of a ballpark and the lease was signed with the Somerset Patriots. Steve Kalafer, owner of Flemington Car and Truck Country Family of Dealerships, is the Chairman of the team. Patrick McVerry is the President/ General Manager of the Patriots.
YORK REVOLUTION
After nearly 13 years of development, Opening Day Partners and the York County Industrial Development Authority announced on April 25, 2006 that York would field an Atlantic League team in 2007. It marked the first game of professional baseball played in York since 1969. In June 2006, site demolition on the stadium site commenced, and a few months later construction of $33 million Sovereign Bank Stadium began.
On June 15, 2007, Sovereign Bank Stadium opened its gates displaying the 37-foot-high Arch Nemesis left field wall, the tallest wall in all of professional baseball. The park holds a seating capacity of approximately 5,200 in addition to 20 sky boxes and vast outfield lawn seating. The Bud Light Picnic Pavilion in right field can accommodate 600 fans, and the DownTown Playground in left-center features a riding carousel for the young and young at heart. The main entrance to Sovereign Bank Stadium features the Brooks Robinson Plaza, named in honor of the Hall-of-Fame third baseman who began his professional career in York in 1955.
The Revolutionary theme is an important part of the in-game atmosphere at Sovereign Bank Stadium. A fan-favorite is the cannon blast from Cannonball Charlie, decked out in wartime apparel, following each home run and each win at home by the Revs.
Other Independent baseball teams
Gary Railcats – built stadium 2001 www.railcatsbaseball.com
Joliet Jackhammers – built stadium 2002 www.jackhammerbaseball.com
Kansas City T-Bones – built stadium 2003 tbonesbaseball.com
Schaumburg Flyers – built stadium 1999 flyersbaseball.com