Bridgeport Bluefish

Bridgeport Bluefish
Team logo Cap insignia
League	Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (Liberty Division)
Location	Bridgeport, Connecticut
Ballpark	The Ballpark at Harbor Yard
Year founded	1997
Nickname(s)	Park City Blues, Park City Nine, The Fish, Magic City
League championships	1 (1999)
Division championships	5 (1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2010)
Colors	Navy blue, teal, silver, white
Retired numbers	42, 21, 1, 19
Ownership	Frank Boulton
General Manager	Jamie Toole
Media	Connecticut Post
Website	bridgeportbluefish.com

The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team is a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. They play their home games at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

History of Bridgeport baseball

The game of baseball was first played in Bridgeport, Connecticut soon after the Civil War ended. Teams that called the city home included the Victors, Soubrettes, Orators, Crossmen, Mechanics, Hustlers, Bolts, Americans, Bees and the Bears. Bridgeport was the home of Major Leaguer James "Orator" O'Rourke, who signed the first African-American to play for a professional baseball team in 1895. Visiting Major League and Negro League teams often played exhibition games in the shadow of the Bridgeport's smokestacks. The last affiliated minor league baseball team, the Bridgeport Bees, played in the Interstate League and the Colonial League from 1941 to 1950. Professional baseball would not be played in Bridgeport for about another half-century, until the arrival of the Bluefish in 1998.

Bridgeport Bluefish

The first game of the Bridgeport Bluefish was May 21, 1998, and the team has had many winning seasons. The team has been to five Atlantic League Championship Series, and won in 1999 versus the Somerset Patriots. They lost to Atlantic City (1998), Newark (2002) Lancaster (2006) and to York (2010).

The Bluefish, and the Atlantic League itself, tend to attract veteran minor leaguers as well as the occasional Major Leaguer at the end of their careers. Some of the former major-leaguers who have sported Bluefish jerseys include Endy Chávez, Shea Hillenbrand, Alex Hinshaw, José Offerman, Edgardo Alfonzo, Deivi Cruz, Junior Spivey, Quinton McCracken, Antonio Alfonseca, Willy Mo Pena, Joey Gathright, Adam Greenberg and Mariano Duncan.

The Bluefish won their first league championship in 1999, and have won the most games in Atlantic League history. The land under The Ballpark at Harbor Yard was purchased by the city of Bridgeport from Donald Trump for $1 and with the forgiveness of back taxes owed on the property. The Jenkins Valve plant was demolished to make way for the stadium. The success of the Bluefish led to major redevelopment of the South End, including construction of the Arena at Harbor Yard and a multi-use parking garage.^[1] In many ways, the renaissance of Bridgeport was started by the Bluefish.^[2]

The original founders of the Bluefish were Mickey Herbert, Jack McGregor, Mary-Jane Foster, and the Bridgeport Waterfront Investors. Herbert anchored the team through a mayoral scandal and difficult financial circumstances. Prior to the 2006 season, the franchise was purchased by Get Hooked, LLC, a group of investors from Fairfield County that included McGregor and Foster. However, Get Hooked dropped the Bluefish prior to the 2008 season in favor of seeking a new ballpark for the city of Yonkers, New York. The Bluefish were purchased by Frank Boulton, who is also the owner of the Long Island Ducks and the founder of the Atlantic League.

The Bluefish became the first team in Atlantic League history to record 1,000 victories as a franchise in 2012. On June 27, 2012 the Bluefish defeated the York Revolution 2-1 at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard to capture the victory.^[3][4]

For one day in May 2016 Jennie Finch was a guest manager for the Bluefish, thus becoming the first woman to manage a professional baseball team.^[5] The team played and won one game that day.^[5]

Logos and uniforms

The official colors of the Bridgeport Bluefish are navy blue, teal, and silver. The primary logo consists of the "Bluefish" wordmark in navy blue with white and teal outline superimposed over a depiction of a cartoon bluefish holding a baseball bat.

The primary cap is navy blue with a teal brim and button, with the cap logo depicting a bluefish interwoven with a capital "B" centered on the front. The home jersey is white with traditional navy blue piping below the collar and around the sleeves. The "Bluefish" wordmark is centered across the front in navy blue with white outline and teal drop shadow. The away jersey is grey with navy blue piping, and the "Bridgeport" wordmark centered across the front in navy blue with white and teal outline. The Bluefish also have a teal alternate jersey, with navy piping with the "fishhook" wordmark centered across the front.

Season-by-season records

• 1 Atlantic League Championship (1999)
• 5 Division Championships (1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2010)

Ferry Cup

The Bridgeport Bluefish contend with the Long Island Ducks over the Ferry Cup, which is sponsored by the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company. The two teams border on Long Island Sound, and many fans of both teams regularly cross it to support them. The Ducks currently hold the Ferry Cup by winning the 2011 season series 12-6. As of 2011 the Bluefish-Ducks rivalry record is 114-112, in favor of Bridgeport.^[7]

Mascots

One of the Bridgeport Bluefish official mascots is an anthropomorphic bluefish named B.B. He wears the team's alternate jersey (number 98) with black sneakers. B.B. was born on May 29, 1997 in Cape Hatteras. He later migrated to the Long Island Sound, and joined the Bluefish soon after. The mascot's name alludes to the initials of the team and its nickname.^[8]

Captain L.I Sounder is another source of entertainment at the Harbor Yard. He wears a uniform of a sailor. L.I Sounder's name referred to the nautical rank of captain and a name for a Long Island Sound resident. Sounder occasionally appears at Bluefish home games.

Current roster

Retired numbers

42 (Jackie Robinson)

2B, Retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997

21 (Roberto Clemente)

RF, Retired by the Bluefish in 2006^[9]

19 (Luis Lopez)

3B, Retired by the Bluefish on September 19, 2015

Guest managers

On several occasions, the Bluefish have had promotional nights in which former baseball players and managers, as well as other celebrities, have been enlisted to serve as guest managers.

References

See also

• Professional baseball in Connecticut

External links

• Official website

Sports teams based in Connecticut
Baseball	EL Hartford Yard Goats NYPL Connecticut Tigers ALPB Bridgeport Bluefish New Britain Bees NECBL Danbury Westerners Mystic Schooners FCBL Bristol Blues Torrington Titans
Basketball	WNBA Connecticut Sun
Football	WFA New England Nightmare
Ice hockey	AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers Hartford Wolf Pack FHL Danbury Titans NWHL Connecticut Whale
Soccer	USL PDL Connecticut FC Azul
Roller derby	WFTDA CT RollerGirls MRDA Connecticut Death Quads
Rugby union	NERFU Connecticut Yankees RFC Hartford Wanderers RFC New Haven Old Black RFC New London County RFC
Softball	ASA Connecticut Brakettes
College athletics (NCAA Div. I)	Central Connecticut Blue Devils Connecticut Huskies Fairfield Stags Hartford Hawks Quinnipiac Bobcats Sacred Heart Pioneers Yale Bulldogs

Sport teams based in the New York metropolitan area
Australian rules football	USAFL New York Magpies
Baseball	MLB New York Mets New York Yankees NYPL Brooklyn Cyclones Hudson Valley Renegades Staten Island Yankees ALPB Bridgeport Bluefish Long Island Ducks Somerset Patriots CanAm New Jersey Jackals Rockland Boulders Sussex County Miners
Basketball	NBA Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks WNBA New York Liberty D-League Long Island Nets Westchester Knicks ABA Jersey Express EBA Hudson Valley Hype Entertainment Teams Harlem Wizards
Football	NFL New York Giants New York Jets WFA New York Sharks
Hockey	NHL New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers FHL Danbury Titans NWHL New York Riveters
Lacrosse	MLL New York Lizards
Rugby league	USARL Brooklyn Kings New York Knights White Plains Wombats
Rugby union	USAR New York Athletic Club RFC Old Blue
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Roller derby	WFTDA Gotham Girls Roller Derby Jersey Shore Roller Girls Long Island Roller Rebels Suburbia Roller Derby MRDA New York Shock Exchange
Team tennis	WTT New York Empire
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