Defenders' Cutter swoops into action

It's been a whirlwind offseason for the Connecticut Defenders.

In October, after 11 seasons as the Norwich Navigators, the Eastern League franchise selected Connecticut Defenders as its new moniker. One month later the club unveiled an eagle as its new mascot. And now, that eagle has a name: Cutter.

The name was the winning entry in a "Name the Mascot" contest that drew more than 1,100 responses, many from local elementary and middle schools. The team chose "Cutter" because it has both nautical and baseball connotations. Connecticut is the home of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy as well as the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine.

"The name was a perfect blend of everything we were trying to accomplish," said Shawn Holliday, the Defenders' director of broadcasting and media relations. "It's inspired by the Coast Guard and a specific type of ship, and also refers to a kind of pitch. We're helping to teach a new generation about the cutter."

A cutter is a term for a cut fastball, a pitch with high velocity and a late break. The submission of the name "Cutter" was a late break for the team, which had been struggling to find an appropriate designation for its new mascot.

"We joked for a long time about going with something like Joe or Bob or Frank, and also considered Ernie the Eagle and Bender the Defender," said Holliday. "But in the end it came down to Cutter. It made too much sense not to use it."

The name was revealed at the Defenders' Winter Fan Fest, which was held at Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium this past Saturday.

"The Fan Fest brought a lot of new people to the aquarium, and is a perfect example of how we're reaching out to all of Connecticut. We have a lot more to do, but so far we haven't made a false step," said Holliday. "There are going to be changes at the ballpark, too, including a new videoboard and an expanded souvenir store. We've done more for the fans and fan entertainment this year than we've ever done before."

Of course, the ultimate complement to all of the Defenders' changes so far would be to put a winning team on the field.

"In 2006 we'll have a lot of players coming up from (Class A Advanced) San Jose, where they won the California League Championship," said Holliday. "If they can do that here it would be the icing on the cake."

It would also give Cutter, and the state of Connecticut, a lot to cheer about.