New baseball era begins in Norwich

June 25, 2010 12:00 am • Last Updated: June 25, 2010 9:22 am

By By CLAIRE BESSETTE Day Staff Writer

Bryan Barkley, director of facilities and turf management at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, places a tarp over home plate Thursday as workers prepare the stadium for the Connecticut Tigers' home opener on Saturday.

Norwich - The weather forecast is good, and the ticket window at the Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium has been busy in the days leading up to Saturday night's home opener for the Connecticut Tigers.

The Tigers, the new Class A New York-Penn League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, moved into Dodd Stadium this spring from Oneonta, N.Y. The team has been playing on the road since the season started June 18. During that lengthy road trip, management has been making final preparations for the Dodd Stadium opener Saturday and home games running through next Wednesday.

The Tigers play the Vermont Lake Monsters Saturday and Sunday, and the Lowell Spinners, the minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Team General Manager Andrew Weber said he couldn't give a count yet on the size of the crowd expected Saturday, as ticket sales are continuing. But he hopes to hand out all 5,000 magnet schedules to be given away that night.

Mayor Peter Nystrom, who has been promoting the team on his own this spring, will throw out the first pitch at Saturday's home opener.

"I'm going with the advice of the Gipper," Nystrom said of his pitching mound debut. " 'Throw long and throw far.' It doesn't have to be accurate. If I throw it over the catcher's head, they'll say, 'Oh, what an arm.' "

Every Sunday starting this weekend following the 1:05 p.m. game, children will be able to line up on the first base side to run the bases. Anyone who brings a baseball glove to the game will receive a free ball from Dick's Sporting Goods to play catch on the field.

The Connecticut Defenders, plagued by low attendance, left last fall. Their exit ended 15 years of AA baseball in the city.

Nystrom said he is "very excited" and looking forward to the baseball season because the Tigers weren't assigned Norwich but instead chose to come here. Now it's time for the city to show its support for professional baseball at Dodd Stadium, he said.

Some people in southeastern Connecticut have met the team's mascot, CT the Tiger, who has been "very busy at local fairs and festivals," Assistant General Manager Eric Knighton said.

Old, familiar mascots Tater the Gator and Cutter the Eagle have been "grandfathered" and should be seen at times at Dodd Stadium. One of those times should be Sunday, Aug. 1, as local mascots have been invited to CT's birthday celebration.

Throughout the season, the Tigers will have regular promotions on certain days. On Tuesdays, fans who bring a Kraft Singles cheese wrapper to the box office will receive one free ticket with one ticket purchased. The Kraft promotion is running in many minor league ballparks across the country this summer. On Wednesdays, the team will run specials on a four-pack of tickets and food. The familiar "Thirsty Thursday" will return with beer specials. Friday is fireworks night, also a familiar popular attraction.

Ensuring that traffic flow into Dodd Stadium remains smooth is high on the minds of both city and team officials. Weber had hoped to win approval from Police Chief Louis Fusaro to allow two lanes of traffic heading into the park starting at the four-way stop sign on Wisconsin Avenue, but Fusaro nixed the idea.

Fusaro said even on a Saturday evening the plan could disrupt traffic for employees or trucks trying to leave the Stanley Israelite Norwich Business Park as game traffic is approaching. "All it takes is one car," he said.

Weber and Fusaro both said they do not expect a repeat of the stalled traffic that plagued the start of a college baseball tournament at Dodd Stadium in early June.

All three gates entering Dodd Stadium will be open, and parking-lot staff will collect the $2 parking fee much deeper in the parking lot rather than at the road entrance. Half the parking fee is donated to the Mayor's Food Pantry.

The first gate will be for season-ticket holders, VIP guests and handicapped parking. As traffic becomes heavier, the team will fill both gravel parking lots at the same time, keeping traffic flow moving, Weber said.

c.bessette@theday.com