Independent Coverage of an Independent League

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY - Gary Carter fortified his Cooperstown credentials with the Mets two decades ago. Now, the Hall of Fame catcher is returning to New York to bolster his image and his résumé for the next phase in his career, officially becoming the fourth manager in Ducks history Monday afternoon.

“I’m very proud to be back in New York and with this organization,” said Carter after donning a home white No. 8 Ducks jersey. “I came here to try and provide a championship with the Ducks. I love to teach and to be in uniform and work with the kids. I’m here to provide my knowledge and experience.”

During his introductory press conference at Citibank Park, Carter said he is looking forward to managing again while also attempting to repair his reputation. Last spring, Carter was criticized by media members and former Mets teammates for publicly suggesting he would be interested in the Mets job before Willie Randolph was fired in June.

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Tags:   Carl Everett · Central Islip Ny · Citibank · Ducks History · Edgardo Alfonzo · Flyers · Foray · Gary Carter · Golden Baseball League · Hall Of Fame · Heart On My Sleeve · Last Spring · League Clubs · Major League · Media Members · Minor Leagues · Monday Afternoon · Orange County · Two Seasons · Willie RandolphNo Comments.

Gary Carter won’t get his dream job of managing the Mets this coming season, but he may have gotten a close second.

Instead of being in the dugout of Citi Field, the Hall of Fame catcher will manage at Citibank Park, taking the helm of the Long Island Ducks.

“As we head into our 10th anniversary season, we are excited to have Gary on board to lead our team,” said Ducks principal owner Frank Boulton in a statement. “He has had great success in baseball both as a player and a manager, and we are confident he will help bring an Atlantic League championship back to Long Island.”

Carter comes to Long Island fresh off a year where he managed the Orange County Flyers of the Golden League to a championship. Before that he managed in the Mets system in 2006 and 2006. Yet minor league manager is not his ultimate goal. The member of the 1986 Mets wants to manage in the majors and made it clear this past year when he lobbied on Sirius Satellite for Willie Randolph’s job, even though the manager still was employed by the team.

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Tags:   10th Anniversary · 1986 Mets · Anniversary Season · Boulton · Buddy Harrelson · Citibank · Coach Buddy · Coach Carter · Current Team · Dave Lapoint · Dream Job · Dugout · Gary Carter · Hall Of Fame · Keith Hernandez · Long Island Ducks · Minor League Manager · Pitching Coach · Principal Owner · Willie RandolphNo Comments.

We spoke to Atlantic League officials today and this is what we learned:

• The league is working on two schedules right now, one with the Newark Bears and one without them. If there are eight full teams then expect a 140 game season and if the Road Warriors are around a 126 game season will be in order.
• No decision has been made yet on what to do about the Bears, although it will be sooner rather than later, because the league needs to put the schedule out.
• When a decision is made, the Atlantic League Independent will have an official or two on the record. But right now, things can change from day to day, so it would be improper for them to comment.

So there you have it. We hope to have more as the week goes along, but right now that’s all there is to report.

Tags:   Game Season · Independent · League Officials · Newark Bears · Road WarriorsNo Comments.

This situation looks bleak for the Newark Bears as the phones and internet service have been shut off in the team’s front office. [Try calling the number, it doesn't work].

From what we are hearing, the Atlantic League may look to go back to the Road Warrior format if this situation is not settled. The Warriors were back in 2007, but went away last season as the league added an eighth team.

It was though the Warriors would return in 2009 if a team would have been added in Richmond, VA, but those plans have seem to fallen through.

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Tags:   Atlantic League · Bear Team · Collapse · Eighth Team · Internet Service · Newark Bears · Richmond · Road Warrior · Slim Chance · WarriorsNo Comments.

In these tough economic times it’s not unusual for businesses to close.

The Atlantic League is no exception.

After Friday’s stunning announcement that the Newark Bears will cease operations, the Atlantic League and the city of Newark will have to make some tough decisions.

Right now, there are no Newark Bears. Owner Marc Berson it was time to shut the doors rather than lose money next season. Newark is one of the weaker teams in the Atlantic League in terms of attendance, averaging 2,764 a game in 2008, the second lowest on the circuit. It may not get better next year in the current economic climate.

Yet that doesn’t mean Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium will be dark next season. It is possible for the other Atlantic League owners to come in and buy the Bears from Berson. Ducks owner Frank Boulton just bought the Bridgeport Bluefish to keep them afloat and it’s not out of the question for the Bears to get a bailout as well.

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Tags:   Asking Price · Atlantic City Surf · Attendance · Bailout · Berson · Boulton · Bridgeport Bluefish · Can Am League · City Of Newark · Ducks · Eagles · Economic Climate · Economic Times · Essex County · Franchise · Nashua Pride · Newark Bears · Riverfront Stadium · Road Warrior · Stunning AnnouncementNo Comments.

BRIDGEWATER, NJ - Somerset’s fourth Atlantic League Championship came on a night when an unsuspecting hero emerged for the Patriots. Leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, game tied at two, catcher Travis Anderson crushed a 2-1 fastball over the left field wall for the 3-2 victory over the Camden Riversharks.

“It’s a dream come true. That’s what you dream about as a kid,” Anderson said of his first walk-off home run in six seasons in the Atlantic League.

“It couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” post season Most Valuable Player Brandon Larson said. “We knew it was going to be someone who wasn’t in the limelight all season who was going to come out and win it for us.”

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Tags:   Alec Zumwalt · Anderson Anderson · Brandon Larson · Bridgewater Nj · Center Fielder · Centerfielder · Decisive Game · Eighth Inning · Felix Rodriguez · Home Crowd · Inning Game · John Hunton · League Veteran · Left Fielder · Pitch Count · Relief Pitcher · Shutout Innings · Travis Anderson · Walk Off Home Run · Warning TrackNo Comments.

BRIDGEWATER, NJ - Whether it be Atlantic League, Major League or Little League, a championship is a championship, and the Somerset Patriots are one step closer to a fourth title.

Wednesday night, the Pats closed out the York Revolution in game two of a best-of-three division championship series with a 6-4 win at Commerce Bank Park.

Fans that came out to the game saw it all Wednesday night: home runs, double plays, stellar pitching and meltdowns, comebacks and errors.

“I couldn’t have scripted that,” Patriots manager Sparky Lyle said after the game.

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Tags:   Brandon Larson · Center Fielder · Comebacks · Commerce Bank · Double Play · Double Plays · First Baseman · Jason Aspito · Jason Richardson · Kennard · Little League · Park Fans · Play Ball · Scoreless Innings · Sixth Inning · Somerset Patriots · Sparky Lyle · Thir · Third Baseman · Unearned Run · VieraNo Comments.

NEWARK, NJ - The hallmark of any championship team is being able to bear down and get the job done in the face of adversity. This was ultimately the difference between the 2007 Atlantic League champion Newark Bears and their 2008 incarnation.

Yes, their 6-1 loss to the Somerset Patriots on July 6th was a heartbreaker, a game that had first place in the Freedom Division for the first half on the line, but they had a whole second half to atone for what could have merely been a bump in the road.

However, they started the second half of the Atlantic League season 1-6 and we never able to recover from that disastrous start. Watching the Bears on the field, it was clear they had not gotten over their first half miscue.

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Tags:   Aldridge · Arm Fatigue · Bullpen · Bump In The Road · Cogs · Divisional Race · Fire Power · First Game · Heartbreaker · Home Runs · Johan Santana · July 6th · League Champion · Mike Bumstead · Newark Bears · Pat Stanley · Ramon Castro · Riverfront Stadium · Somerset Patriots · Val MajewskiNo Comments.

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — Four years ago to the day, Lance Davis pitched the best game in his Ducks career, going 7 2/3 innings as the Flock won a one-run game to advance to the championship round en route to the organization’s only Atlantic League title.

Davis—the only Duck remaining from the 2004 squad—couldn’t find his dominant form Tuesday night. The southpaw was tagged for four runs in 5 2/3 innings as the Camden Riversharks won, 5-1, in Game 1 of the Liberty Division playoffs in front of 4,910 at Citibank Park.

Camden sent nine men to the plate during a four-run sixth inning, taking control of the best-of-three set. The Riversharks will have two chances to close out the series at home starting Wednesday night. Game 3, if necessary, will also be held at Campbell’s Field.

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Tags:   Camden Riversharks · Carl Everett · Dave Lapoint · Division Playoffs · Double Plays · Drop Game · Edgardo Alfonzo · Elimination Game · Franchise Record · Game 1 · Game Winner · Kevin Walker · Lance Davis · Night Game · Panic Situation · Pete Rose · Pete Rose Jr · Postseason Games · Run Game · Straight BattersNo Comments.

BRIDGEWATER, NJ - Tuesday night, the Somerset Patriots had the opportunity against the Lancaster Barnstormers to nail down its fifth 70-plus win season in the teams 11-season existence.
The Pats capitalized on its chance by beating the ‘Stormers, 9-2, in front of 4,064 fans at Commerce Bank Park.

The victory gave Brian Tolberg (1-0) his first win of the season. Tolberg pitched six innings, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks. He struck out three in only his second start of the season.

Somerset made sure early on that its pitcher would not have to worry about run support. First Baseman Josh Pressley tied teammate Brandon Larson for the league lead and the team record for home runs with a three-RBI blast in the first inning. Pressley has 29 home runs this season and has tallied eight RBI so far in this series.

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Tags:   Barnstormer · Brandon Larson · Bridgewater Nj · Commerce Bank · David Castillo · Eric Ackerman · Fan Appreciation Night · First Baseman · Home Portion · Jason Richardson · Lancaster Barnstormers · Matt Hagen · Mike Caruso · Offensive Output · Ryan Radmanovich · Somerset Patriots · Steve Kelly · Third Baseman · Tyler Anderson · ZooperstarsNo Comments.