Play Ball!

Let us start off the first inning by checking out the local teams that we will be following all year long. This will just be a brief run-through to give you an overview of the teams and once the rosters are set we can get our hands dirty and go more in-depth with individual team breakdowns. You can check out the links on the right side of the page as well to get direct news and info from the teams themselves.

Pawtucket Red Sox – The Paw Sox are, of course, the AAA affiliate for the Boston Red Sox. Located about an hour south of Fenway, just outside of Providence, the Paw Sox play their home games at the 64 year-old McCoy Stadium. They are the longest tenured minor league team in New England as they enter their 41st season in Pawtucket. Contrary to popular belief, Pawtucket Patriot is NOT served at the stadium.

Portland Sea Dogs – Head north of Yawkey Way to check out the AA farm team for the Sox. The Sea Dogs are one of 3 New England teams who play in the Eastern League. They take up residence at Hadlock Field which features a full scale replica of the Green Monster in left field. If you make the near two hour trip from Boston to check out the Sea Dogs, be sure to keep your eyes open for the rising lighthouse behind centerfield after a Sea Dog homer.

Manchester Fisher Cats – Manchester also plays in the Eastern League, as the AA affiliate for the Toronto Blue Jays. The trek from Fenway to Manchester will put about 50 miles on your car and take a little over an hour. The Cats play at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium which has an adjacent hotel that overlooks the field, just past the left-centerfield wall. The team was initially slated to be named the “Primaries”, but some people thought it was a bit too political.

New Britain Rock Cats – The third of the 3 Eastern League teams in New England use New Britain, Connecticut for their home base. The Rock Cats have been the AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins since 1995. These Cats play at New Britain Stadium which is a two hour drive from Fenway and a bit over 100 miles. There can be up to 8 mascots running around the stadium at any given time including 3 cats, a lion, a dog, an eagle and of course a walrus.

Lowell Spinners – The closest team to Fenway just so happens to be the big club’s single A affiliate in the New York – Penn League. About 30 miles northwest of Boston sits the always packed LeLacheur Park. The Spinners have been a huge hit since moving to Lowell in 1996 based on the obvious Red Sox affiliation and the selling out of 346 straight games and counting! The UMass Lowell baseball team also calls LaLacheur field home…plenty of great seats still available to see them play.

Vermont Lake Monsters – The longest trek to make from Boston to a minor league team in New England is the one you make to Burlington, Vermont to see the Lake Monsters. I assure you this is a ride worth taking if you love scenic New England, with a nice little baseball reward at the end. The Lake Monsters also play in the New York-Penn League as the A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Centennial Field, the home of the Lake Monsters, was named one of the “top 10 ball park destinations in the U.S.” by ESPN.com’s Jim Caple.

Connecticut Tigers – At this time there is not too much information available on the Tigers since this will be their inaugural season. We do know that they will play in Norwich, Connecticut which will require a 100 mile drive southwest of Landsdowne Street. The Tigers will ensure that baseball goes on at Dodd Stadium as they fill the void left by the Connecticut Defenders who fled south to Richmond, Virginia. The A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers will be participating in the short-seasoned New York-Penn League. A “name the team” contest is slated for the Tigers following the 2010 season, so this will be the only year they intend to use the same name as their parent ballclub.