Team History
New Haven, Connecticut, along with Portland, Maine, was granted an expansion Double-A franchise on October 3, 1992. The new ballclub was named the New Haven Ravens in January 1993, the result of a contest sponsored by the New Haven Register, WELI and WTNH. The Ravens began play in the 1994 season affiliated with the Colorado Rockies. The team hosted the 1998 Double-A All-Star Game, was league runner-up in 1995 and 2003, and won the Eastern League Championship in 2000 with an 82-60 record, defeating the Reading Phillies 3 games to 1 in the championship series. The Ravens played in Yale Field.
The team was sold on January 27, 2003 to Lowell Spinners owner Drew Weber, with the intention of moving the franchise to Manchester, New Hampshire. The Eastern League baseball team owners voted to approve the move during the league playoffs later that same year on September 3. The team's first season in Manchester was 2004. The first season was played at Gill Stadium southeast of the downtown area while the current ballpark, Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, was under construction.
On July 19, 2005, Drew Weber sold his controlling interest in the team. Art Solomon became the new controlling owner with 60 percent ownership, while Weber retained a 40 percent ownership share. On July 12, 2008, Solomon purchased full ownership of the Fisher Cats from Weber.
Gary Cathcart was named the team's new manager on November 28, 2007; Cathcart had served as the Fisher Cats' hitting coach during 2005 and 2006, and had most recently managed the single-A Lansing Lugnuts.
On July 16, 2008, the team hosted the 2008 Eastern League All-Star Game and Home Run Derby between the Northern Division and Southern Division. Travis Snider of the Fisher Cats won the Home Run Derby over Luis Montanez of the Bowie Baysox 7 to 6. In the All-Star Game itself, the Northern Division defeated the Southern Division 5-3 before a Northeast Delta Dental Stadium record crowd of 8,762.
Read more about this topic: New Hampshire Fisher Cats
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