New Britain, CT - With this year's Eastern League
All-Star Game set to
be played Wednesday night at Metro
Bank Park in
Harrisburg,
PA,
the New Britain Rock Cats are simultaneously
preparing to begin the second half
of their 2010 campaign on Thursday night (7/15). The Rock Cats - far
from
satisfied with the results of their first half - will look to step up
their
play when our friends from Maine
- the Portland Sea Dogs
- paddle into New Britain Stadium
on Thursday evening to start the second half of the 2010 campaign.
While the
returns from April through mid-July were less than hoped for, the 'Cats
now have
another eight weeks to balance the scales. The Hardware City Boys have
certainly
played hard and given it their all but have experienced an
inordinate number of
injuries and virtually no luck at all. If a semblance of balance is one
of
life's certainties - i.e., good and bad luck eventually come into
balance -
then rookie Manager Jeff Smith can expect a 2nd
Half in which the
Baseball Gods smile down upon his
dugout and dictate both good health and great luck! These cosmic
theories will
get their first test on Thursday night when Portland brings
a very talented club - and
the Red Sox rehabbing bullpen guy, RHP
Manny Delcarmen - in for a 4-game series. And, as
its Rock Cats Baseball, there will be
loads of pre-game, in-game, and post-game fun for fans of all ages at
New
Britain Stadium this week. Here's a preview:
THURSDAY, JULY 15th,
7:05
PM:
The
'Cats and 'Dogs will go
at it in Game 1 of this big series at 7:05
PM on Thursday night. The Portland band - fortified
with Red
Sox RHP Manny Delcarmen, who is slated to come out of the
Sea Dogs' bullpen Thursday
night - is a talented one that took the
early-season measure of the
Rock Cats. The second half looks to be a whole new ball game and
Manager
Smith's guys will be rested and ready. Thursday night will also be Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund Night
with an Eco-Friendly
Tote Bag giveaway,
courtesy of the aforementioned CEEF.
These guys make "going green" pretty stylish! Thursday is also an
occasion for
another Twisted Tea
Social Hour at a variety of upper-level, in-stadium
venues that will feature food and drink specials from 5:30
PM onward.
Boston Red Sox
Relief Pitcher Manny Delcarmen Scheduled for Rehab Assignment in New
Britain This Weekend
FRIDAY, JULY 16th, 7:05 PM:
The Sea Dogs - loaded with Boston Red Sox hopefuls - will
be
back for Game 2 of this four-game set at 7:05
PM on Friday night. The team that
launched the likes of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Buchholz, and Papelbon is once
again stocked with talented prospects who hope soon to
advance to the next
level. On the subject of rising and
shining, Friday night will also
feature another Spectacular
Postgame Fireworks
Show, sponsored by our friends at Stanley
Black & Decker. To get everyone in the mood for both
the baseball competition and
the fireworks, gates will open at 5:30 PM
for another Heineken Happy Hour in
the most
enjoyable Heineken Hot Corner. Join
us!
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, 12:30 - 2:00 PM
- ROCK CATS'YOUTH BASEBALL CLINIC:
New
Britain
Manager Jeff Smith, his coaching staff and players will head
out of the home
dugout and onto the diamond to conduct the 2010
season's 2nd
Youth Baseball Clinic. These are occasions when kids
12-and-under are invited onto the field to receive a
variety of hitting, fielding, throwing and base running tips from the
pros! The
session - sponsored by the good people at TD
Bank - will run 90 minutes. Kids are advised to bring their
own hats,
gloves, bats and, as appropriate, water. All attendees (kids) who
register
inside the Stadium's Main Gate will receive both a Rock Cats 2010 TD Bank Youth
Clinic
T-Shirt
and a free ticket to Saturday night's
game against visiting Portland.
Youth League coaches, Moms, Dads, and Grandparents are all warmly
invited to
sit in the stands as our guests - while fondly observing their favorite
stars
go through their instructional paces.
SATURDAY, JULY 17th,
7:05 PM:
While
Game 3 of this
important series has a 7:05 PM
first
pitch - the action outside the Stadium will start a
lot sooner than that. There
will be a Saturday night Pre-Game
Block Party in front of the stadium starting at 4:30 PM.
Sponsored by our neighbors at Guida's Milk
& Ice Cream and D'Angelo's,
the late afternoon fun will consist of a variety of
games, inflatables, and other kid-centered pursuits that should get
everyone in
the mood for the baseball action that follows.
If you
happen to hear a
bagpipe or two - or see some delightful colleens step-dancing at the
Main Gate, you won't be dreamin' - it'll be because it's Irish
Night at the Stadium! Baseball
and B'Gorrah! And thanks to our Green Friends at TD Bank - we'll be giving away Kelly Green
Rock Cats Hats
to the
first 2,000 fans through the turnstiles. Let us hope the Luck
of the Irish favors the Rock Cats on Saturday night!
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 18th,
1:35 PM:
The
series' finale between
the Rock Cats and visiting Portland
will take
place at 1:35 PM on Sunday
afternoon. Sleep late on Sunday morning because there is lots of fun
stuff happening
at New Britain Stadium in the afternoon! For openers, it's another Food Allergy Awareness Day at the
Stadium when kids with peanut and/or nut allergies will be welcomed in
free-of-charge
to enjoy the action in a specially scrubbed section of New Britain
Stadium.
This allergen-free section makes the game a carefree one for kids and
parents,
alike. In addition, there will be a Kids' Drinking Cup Giveway on
Sunday
afternoon - thanks to Guida's Milk &
Ice Cream, again - for the first
1,200 kids (12-and-under) through the doors.
It's
also Western Mass Day at the
Stadium as a number of Bay State
folks will join us for ceremonial first pitches in a special pre-game
ceremony.
This day is sponsored by the East Coast's foremost supplier of
trophies, the
well-regarded Dinn Brothers Trophies of
Holyoke.
One of
many things that Connecticut
and Western Massachusetts
have in common is their shared
legacy of magnificent dairy farms. And the two will jointly celebrate Keep Local Farms Day on Sunday. This is
a regional initiative intended to preserve this important piece of our New England heritage - our local
Dairy Farms. We can help
maintain their presence by supporting them - buying locally, etc. Is
there
anything better on a hot Summer day than a cold glass of fresh milk or
cup of
ice cream? Not much! And last but hardly least - as
its Sunday - it's also Family Fun Day at the Stadium -
with
a Postgame
Run-of-the-Bases, sponsored by the Barnum
Financial Group. What a terrific way to wrap up the day - and
the 9th
Homestand of 2010!
Good
seats remain available
for all four games this week against Portland - the Eastern
League affiliate of the American
League's Boston Red
Sox. Fans may secure tickets either by stopping by
the New Britain
Stadium Box Office between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM - or by calling the
Rock Cats
Ticket Office at (860) 224-8383. For those interested in the
convenience of
on-line purchasing, tickets may be procured in this manner by visiting
the
Club's website - www.rockcats.com
- and
following the easy instructions.
--- THE 2010 SEASON IS PRESENTED
BY STANLEY BLACK & DECKER ---
