The New Haven County Cutters were an independent
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
team based in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
. From 2004 through 2007, it played in the
Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of ...
(the "Can-Am League," formerly known as the
Northeast League
The Northeast League was a professional independent baseball league that operated in the Northeastern United States from 1995 until 1998 and from 2003 until 2004. Between 1999 and 2002, the league was part of the Northern League after the two leag ...
in 2004), an
independent league that is not affiliated with
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
or with the
Minor League Baseball organization.
Franchise history
Massachusetts Mad Dogs
Originally based in
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...
, the Massachusetts Mad Dogs were named during an event that included students from Lynn and nearby
Nahant, Massachusetts
Nahant is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,334 at the 2020 census, which makes it the smallest municipality by population in Essex County. With just of land area, it is the smallest municipality by are ...
. The Mad Dogs were members of three different independent baseball leagues. They began to play in
1996 as an expansion team in the
North Atlantic League
The North Atlantic League was the name of two minor baseball leagues. The first was a Class D affiliated system that operated from 1946 until 1950, and the second was an independent minor league that played from 1995 until 1996. Three of that le ...
with former major league star
George Scott as manager, and he would manage the team for all four years that the Mad Dogs played in the region. They dominated the NAL, going 56-21 and winning the pennant by 13 games, but fell 2-0 in the best-of-3 playoffs to the Catskill Cougars. The Mad Dogs drew the most fans in the league with 52,384.
When the NAL folded after the 1996 season,
the Mad Dogs jumped to the
Northeast League
The Northeast League was a professional independent baseball league that operated in the Northeastern United States from 1995 until 1998 and from 2003 until 2004. Between 1999 and 2002, the league was part of the Northern League after the two leag ...
and went 45-37, tying for the second half northern lead (23-17) with the
Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
The Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs were an independent baseball league team based in Albany, New York from 1995 to 2002. The team played at Heritage Park in Colonie. The Diamond Dogs competed in the Northeast League from 1995–98 and then in the ...
. Massachusetts lost in the playoffs 2 games to 1 to Albany. The first year in the Northeast League drew 72,681 fans, second to Albany's 72,985.
The Mad Dogs fell to 39-45 in 1998 and they were next to last in attendance, drawing only 47,123 fans. In 1999, the Northeast League merged into the
Northern League to form the Northern League East Division. The club was 41-45 in a tight division. They finished one game out in the first half; they tied for the last place in the second half but were just 4 games back. Attendance fell to last in the
Northern League's Eastern Division with 38,528. Following the 1999 season, the team suspended operations citing major issues with the team's home in Lynn,
Fraser Field
Fraser Field is a baseball park in Lynn, Massachusetts that has played host to many minor-league baseball teams over the years.
The North Shore Navigators of the New England Collegiate Baseball League call Fraser Field home. In the springtime, ...
.
Berkshire Black Bears
After a three year hiatus, the franchise was resurrected, this time in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfieldâ ...
as the
Berkshire Black Bears, playing at historic
Wahconah Park
Wahconah Park is a city-owned baseball park located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and nestled in a working-class neighborhood. One of the last remaining ballparks in the United States with a wooden grandstand, it was constructed in 1919 and seats ...
.
Despite the change of location, the losing continued and the team drew minimal support from the area. Following the 2003 season, the team moved again, this time to
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
. Owner Jonathan Fleisig attributed the move to criticism of the team from the Pittsfield civic leaders.
New Haven County Cutters
During their four seasons in New Haven, the Cutters had varying degrees of success. Their first season saw them leading the
Northeast League
The Northeast League was a professional independent baseball league that operated in the Northeastern United States from 1995 until 1998 and from 2003 until 2004. Between 1999 and 2002, the league was part of the Northern League after the two leag ...
South Division for most of the first half of their season, but the team severely faltered down the stretch of the first half and ended up losing the division to the eventual league champion
New Jersey Jackals
The New Jersey Jackals are an American professional baseball team based in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is owned by Al Dorso, a businessman who also owns the Sussex County Miners, ...
in a one-game playoff at Yale Field. The bad streak continued, and the Cutters fell to the last place in the division in the second half and cost first-year manager
Jarvis Brown
Jarvis Ardel Brown (born March 26, 1967) is an American Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, and Baltimore Orioles. He won the World Series with the Twins.
Career
Brown was born i ...
, a former
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
prospect, his job.
In 2005, led by first-year manager
Mike Church
Mike Church (born 1962) is an American radio and internet talk show host, and singer/songwriter.
''The Mike Church Show'' was the first-ever produced talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio (now Sirius XM Radio). Prior to its cancellation in October ...
, The Cutters' fortunes started out badly in the first half with an 18-28 record. However, in the second half, they had a complete reversal of fortune and won their first half-season division championship, with a 28-18 record, and qualified for the Can-Am League playoffs.
However, the Cutters' luck ran out in the first round of the playoffs, as they were eliminated 3 games to 1 by the eventual league champion
Worcester Tornadoes
The Worcester Tornadoes were a professional baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States. The Tornadoes were a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league which wa ...
.
In 2006, the Cutters kept pace with league-leading
North Shore Spirit
The North Shore Spirit was a minor-league baseball team based in Lynn, Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. The Spirit played in the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball (the "Can-Am League," also known as the Northeast League), an ...
with the second-best overall record in the league. The Cutters once again were defeated in the first round of the
Can-Am League
The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional, independent baseball league with teams in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization ...
playoffs by the
Brockton Rox
The Brockton Rox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. Formerly a professional baseball franchise, the Rox were a member of the independent Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, fr ...
three games to one.
On October 30, 2007, Cutters' President David Boyle, Chairman Jonathan Fleisig, and Vice Chairman Rick Handelman announced that the team would "not be playing baseball at Yale Field in 2008." The Cutters were joined by the
North Shore Spirit
The North Shore Spirit was a minor-league baseball team based in Lynn, Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. The Spirit played in the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball (the "Can-Am League," also known as the Northeast League), an ...
in no longer being part of the Can-Am League in the 2008 season.
On November 9–10, 2007, the Cutters held a sale at Yale Field to sell-off any remaining Cutters merchandise to those interested in getting their piece of New Haven baseball history.
Notable alumni
*
Gavin Fingleson
Gavin Fingleson (born 5 August 1976) is a South African born- Australian switch-hitting former professional baseball player. Primarily a second baseman, he has also played designated hitter, third base, shortstop, and first base.
Early life
Fi ...
, Olympic baseball
silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
winner
See also
*
Professional baseball in Connecticut
References
{{reflist
Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball
County Cutters
West Haven, Connecticut
Professional baseball teams in Connecticut
Sports clubs disestablished in 2007
Baseball teams in the New York metropolitan area
Defunct independent baseball league teams
Defunct baseball teams in Connecticut
Baseball teams established in 2004
Baseball teams disestablished in 2007
North Atlantic League teams