New blog

And the winner is....Tiger Beat.

Congrats to Greg for the winning entry. Sorry, no prizes beyond a handshake.

Here's the link:
http://connecticuttigerbeat.blogspot.com/

With that, we bid a fond farewell to the Connecticut Defenders Home Base. It served us well.

See you on the other site.

Last days

Guys and gals,

Get your blog name requests in ASAP. Spread the word...I will unveil the new blog name next week.

Name that blog

Taking suggestions for the new blog name

Someone already suggested Tigers Tales

A new day

As some suggested, this is a day of celebration; a new day for the community. A second chance, if you will. I can't really disagree with that notion. I'm also not jumping through hoops set ablaze, either.

Understand that there are things that don't quite sit well. I'm not going to get into everything at this time, but just understand there are things that could have been handled better.

Namely, the whole process. One thing I learned from watching the Defenders leave and the Tigers arrive is that Minor League Baseball works at its own pace and has no problem trampling anyone or anything in its path.

A primary concern is that, at least publicly, the search to fill jobs won't really start until the relocation gets the good 'ol rubber stamp. That part is expected to be a technicality. Here's the rub: there are several minor league experienced people in town who can help make this transition smooth as possible. There are built-in relationships with the community/advertisers, etc. There are businesses who earmarked some money for baseball season BUT became tired of waiting around the holidays. Some have already spent their bucks. Others are on the verge. Meaning, the opportunity to rake in the maximum dollars available is already gone out the window. The dollars that linger, well, those are not under a cake lid like in the Geico commercials. These stacks of cash have someplace to go besides baseball.

Had Minor League Baseball -- and the New York Penn League -- not dragged its feet for months, the Tigers could have been up and running weeks, if not a month or more ago.

Don't be shocked if there are severe struggles this season especially if the Tigers are new faces top to bottom.

Big picture: Having a new team is good. I just hope that the late start and even later move to get into the local game doesn't doom the first season at Dodd Stadium.

It's the...

Connecticut Tigers. Team will change name after 2011.

Delay

No announcement until next Thursday...deal will happen...with Tigers.

Baseball is back!

New York Penn League President Ben Hayes said Tuesday at the Norwich City Council meeting that, should the lease be finalized -- which it unofficially is -- a new team will arrive Friday.

“We’re going to have, hopefully, the final lease is on the agenda for the Alderman’s consideration,” said Hayes. “If it’s approved, we’re hopeful to come back here in a few days and make an announcement.”

Who is it?

Oneonta.

The Tigers had a member of their relocation committee at Dodd Stadium on Friday.

Latest on the NYPL

The Norwich City Council meets Monday to iron out the terms of a lease it will present to the New York-Penn League. My understanding is that the lease should appease most, if not all, of the league's concerns.

From what I'm being told, it isn't a lock that Vermont moves — there are four teams in consideration — and the NYPL gets to pick who the lucky team is.

Just a thought: Oneonta has to be in the running, but when the team was sold prior to the 2009 season, a term of the sale was the team stayed in place until its lease expired following the 2010 season. Could it be another year until there's baseball at Dodd Stadium? I think that's unlikely, but I wanted to throw that out there.

If you care...

The Eastern League has realigned with new division names.

The Eastern Division:
New Hampshire
New Britain
Trenton
Reading
Portland
Binghamton

The Western Division:
Akron
Erie
Altoona
Harrisburg
Bowie
Richmond

Auction

Connecticut Defenders jerseys are being auctioned off starting Thursday at noon. The team’s camoflage jerseys will be the first on the auction block. To bid, go to http://ctdefenders.milbauctions.com

Meeting

The city appointed negotiating council met today with members of the NY-Penn League, including president Ben Hayes.

My understanding is that the Eastern League and New Britain have waived any rights to the territory, so unless someone finds a way to botch this, there should be a team in place by month's end and no later than mid Novemeber.

Just a taste

I've received several letters, e-mails and phone calls in the last week, and I want to say THANK YOU! It is with this beat, more than any other, that I hear how you feel, what you think and what you hope. It is appreciated and I hope we can keep this up next year.


It's a good thing I won't need to re-name the blog.

All-time Defenders/Navigators team

Will be released in Sunday's Bulletin.

Statement from Lou DiBella

“On behalf of the Defenders organization we want to thank our friends and fans in the region for their loyal support over the years, especially this past season,” said Team President and Managing Partner Lou DiBella. “It was a fantastic year on and off the field.  I’m going to do everything in my power to facilitate and encourage the return of baseball to Dodd Stadium. I look forward to seeing all my friends in Norwich and the Southeastern Connecticut region at an affiliated game at Dodd Stadium in the near future.”

Go to www.NorwichBulletin.com to read the letter of intent to vacate Dodd Stadium and teh audio file of the press conferemce.

Hanging by a small red thread, or seam

Walking throughout Dodd Stadium, there was plenty of gallows humor. Some people couldn't wait to be done and others wished today would somehow stay a day away.

If there's away for someone to speak at their funeral, this is much of what it felt like. The sense of inevitable, the lack of control in the process. It was all too much.

I sat in my press box seat, maybe for the last time, opened the shades that allow me to look upon the field and imagined the numerous Defenders I saw take their swings or go into the windup on the mound. For once, they all blended together into an amalgamation.

Nervousness, and maybe a dash of hope for a last-minute surprise, were hiding under the surface. Yet the last day of school with a final exam or two to go theme lingered.

There is no crying in baseball, but there is most certainly sadness.

Some details

“It is a bittersweet day leaving Norwich,” McEacharn said. “I generated relationships there. We moved there. We feel an obligation to the community. We don't like to move teams. But the team simply could not withstand the financial pressure. They were losing money, a lot of it, on an annual basis, just to stay open.”

Lou DiBella will remain as team owner after months of attempts by the league to remove both the franchise from Norwich and DiBella from ownership. It was only after a long series of missteps that the league settled on keeping DiBella on board if it meant it being the only way to get the team into Richmond. DiBella will have  co-general partners, Gary Green of Alliance Baseball, LLC and Harvey Ross of Ross Holdings, LLC.

Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Penn.) is a joint venture between the ownerships of Trenton and Reading with team President Chuck Domino becoming the Chief Executive Manager of the Richmond franchise. Also joining Joining Domino are Todd Parnell as the Vice President and COO and Bill Papierniak as the general manager. Also on hand was the parent club San Francisco Giants Director of Player Personnel Bobby Evans.

Connecticut’s lease at Dodd Stadium ran through 2012 with buy-out fees after each remaining season. To terminate the lease, the franchise has to pay the city a $140,000 termination fee. That, combined with other itemized fees, leaves ownership with a total bill of $247,171.19.
That bill is made up of:
n $47,777.56 for 2009 base rent
n $1,502.50 for 2009 attendance surcharge
n $41,510.59 for 2009 utilities reimbursement
n $140,000 for lease termination
n $8,952.97 for 2009 fireworks coverage
n $7427.77 for MV and PP takes and interest

The Richmond team name will be selected with a Name-the-Team contest.

It's over

The 15-year Double-A baseball run at Dodd Stadium has come to an end this morning. It was announced in Richmond, Va., that the Defenders, once the Navigators, are on their way out of town for next season.

FYI

Check NorwichBulletin.com tommorow for updates on the happenings in Richmond. I will have some audio and video there as well as commentary here on the blog.

I spent 90 minutes at Dodd today with the staffers and it's a weird place to be right now.

The final moment

10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 at the Diamond in Richmond, Va.

Nothing has really sunk in but here are some pictures

From top to bottom: 90 minutes before game time -- the view from the seat I sat in at my first game at Dodd;The press box gang, from front to back: Rick, Chris, Kat and Ed; Brock Bond fouling off a pitch; Greg and Hondo; The Mascot pedal car race: "Tater's in the green, Cutter's in the feathers."; A picture worth 1,000 words; A ballpark gone silent.