The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

. They were a member of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

and, later, 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 Bears played their home games at

Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, originally simply Riverfront Stadium, was a 6,200-seat baseball park in Newark, New Jersey, United States built in 1999. It was the home of the Newark Bears, who played in the Atlantic League of Professional Ba ...

. The team folded after the 2013 season.

History of Newark baseball

Newark was the home of several former minor league baseball teams, from the formation of the Newark Indians in 1902 and the addition of the

Newark Eagles The Newark Eagles were a professional Negro league baseball team which played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. They were owned by Abe and Effa Manley. History Formation The Newark Eagles were formed in 1936 when the Newark Dodg ...

of the Negro National League in 1936. A Federal League team, the

Newark Peppers The Newark Peppers, originally known as the Indianapolis Hoosiers, were a Federal League baseball team from 1913–1915. The Federal League (FL), founded in 1913, was a third major league in 1914 and 1915. History The Federal League began as an in ...

, also played in 1915. The original Newark Bears were a team in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...

from 1926 to 1949. They played their home games at the former Ruppert Stadium in what is now known as the Ironbound section of Newark.

The Bears of the Atlantic League

The Newark Bears are named for the former Newark Bears team of the International League. The new team was formed in 1998 by former

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

catcher Rick Cerone, a Newark native. However, the Bears played their "home" schedule at

The Ballpark at Harbor Yard The Ballpark at Harbor Yard was a 5,500-seat minor-league ballpark in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut that opened on May 21, 1998. The stadium was located next to the Webster Bank Arena, now known as the Total Mortgage Arena. It was named "Harbo ...

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequo ...

that season while awaiting the completion of their new home field. In addition, the Bears played several home games during the first half of the 1999 season at Skylands Park in Augusta. The Bears inaugurated their new park,

, in Newark on July 16, 1999. Over the years, the Bears attracted star talent to their club.

Ozzie Canseco Osvaldo "Ozzie" Canseco Capas (born July 2, 1964) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former Major League Baseball player José Canseco. He was manager for the Brownsville Charros of the ...

played for the Bears in 2000 and 2001, and his brother José Canseco was with the team for part of 2001 as well.

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played his 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with hi ...

played the first half of the 2003 season with the Bears and was named Most Valuable Player in the Atlantic League All-Star Game. He was subsequently signed by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

but was released at season's end, and he returned to the Bears for 2004. Also in 2003, José Lima pitched for the Bears at the beginning of the season; after the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

signed him away from Newark, Lima won his first seven decisions for the Royals. Other notable alumni include Scott Spiezio,

Edgardo Alfonzo Edgardo Antonio Alfonzo (born November 8, 1973), nicknamed Fonzie, is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an infielder from to , most notably as a member of the New York Mets, wi ...

, Armando Benítez, Carl Everett, Ramiro Mendoza, Scott Williamson, Keith Foulke, Jay Gibbons,

Jim Leyritz James Joseph Leyritz (born December 27, 1963) is an American former professional baseball catcher and infielder. In his 11-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Leyritz played for the New York Yankees, Anaheim Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston ...

, Daryle Ward and Lance Johnson.

Rescue from bankruptcy and possible demise

The Newark Bears, under former owner Marc Berson, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 24, 2008. The team's existence was almost compromised until the Bases Loaded Group, LLC purchased the team, guaranteeing a $1 million line of credit to the Atlantic League. The Bases Loaded Group consisted of executives from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, some hailing from Newark. The primary leader of the group was Tom Cetnar, former General Manager of the Bears in 2001. He served as president and was a member of the ownership group.

Move to the Can-Am League

The Newark Bears joined the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball on October 6, 2010. The Bears were one of three teams to join the league for the 2011 season, with the traveling New York Federals and the expansion Rockland Boulders. Newark was originally to be one of three cities to represent New Jersey in the Can-Am League along with Little Falls, home of the

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, Sk ...

, and Augusta, home of the Sussex Skyhawks. The Skyhawks, however, elected to stop operating after the 2010 season. In 2010, the Newark Bears were purchased by New Jersey radiologist Dr. Douglas Spiel and his partner, Danielle Dronet. The Can-Am League announced on November 28, 2013, that the Newark Bears would not operate in 2014, with the remaining four teams now a division in the American Association. An auction for the team's assets was held on April 26, 2014.

Logos and uniforms

The Newark Bears went through three phases of logos and uniform colors. When the franchise began, it had a purple, black and white color scheme. In the mid-2000s, the team went to red, black, and white. When the club ceased operations, its colors were navy blue and white. The primary logo consisted of a stylized bear holding a baseball bat superimposed over a depiction of the Newark skyline over a baseball diamond. The "Newark Bears" wordmark was centered at the base of the logo and included white accents and a black outline. The Bears' uniforms were traditional in design. The home cap was navy blue throughout with a white block "N" centered on the front. The home jerseys were white with traditional navy blue pinstripes. A navy blue, block "N" was prominently displayed on the left breast. The road jersey was gray with the cursive "Newark" wordmark in navy blue, centered diagonally across the front. Both home and away jersey sleeves sported the Bears' primary logo. The Bears wore navy blue belts and socks with all uniforms.

Season-by-season records

* 2 Atlantic League Championships (2002, 2007)

Rivalries

Shortly after the Newark Bears joined the Can-Am League, they announced a formal rivalry with the

. Since both teams played in Essex County, they established the County Executives' Cup to formalize this geographical contest.

Radio

Bears games were aired on

WSOU-FM WSOU (89.5 FM) is a non-commercial, college radio station. The station broadcasts from the campus of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. It is a student-run station with university administrator Mark Maben serving as its current ...

89.5 from 1999 to 2003, and again from 2007 to 2008. Previous announcers for the team include Seton Hall color commentator Dave Popkin, former

WNEW-FM WNEW-FM (102.7 FM, ''NEW 102.7'') is a hot adult contemporary formatted radio station, licensed to New York, New York and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are located at the Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Ma ...

disc jockey Jim Monaghan, MLB Network host Victor Rojas,

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and w ...

announcer Brian Bender, former

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

broadcaster Jim Cerny, Jason Page, Ray Alexander, and Erie Otters broadcaster Paul Roper. In 2009, longtime New York sportscaster Spencer Ross served as both radio broadcaster and team on-field MC.

Mascots

The Newark Bears' official

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as ...

s were

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

bears named Ruppert and Effa. They wore the team's home jersey and cap. Ruppert was named after Jacob Ruppert, who owned the former Newark Bears team in the 1930s. Effa alludes to

Effa Manley Effa Louise Manley (March 27, 1897 – April 16, 1981) was an American sports executive. She co-owned the Newark Eagles baseball franchise in the Negro leagues with her husband Abe Manley from 1935 to 1948. Throughout that time, she served as the ...

, the first woman to own and operate a professional baseball team (the Newark Eagles) and the only female member of the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

Retired numbers

; 21 (

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...

): OF, retired in 2009 ; 42 (

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

): 2B, retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997 ;1 ( Quentin Davis): OF, retired in 2012

Notable former players

* Armando Benítez * José Canseco *

* Ramón Castro * Carl Everett * Jay Gibbons *

* José Herrera * Bobby Hill * Doug Jennings *

Danny Kanell Daniel Kanell (born November 21, 1973) is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League who is currently employed by CBS Sports, along with Fox Sports 1 and SiriusXM. He wa ...

* Steve Kent *

Al Levine Alan Brian Levine (born May 22, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who pitched 234 games in the minor leagues, and 416 games in the major leagues. Early and personal life Levine, who is Jewish, was born in Park Ri ...

* José Lima * Rob Mackowiak *

Rubén Mateo Ruben Amaurys Mateo (born February 10, 1978 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) is a former professional baseball outfielder. He has played six seasons in Major League Baseball, playing for the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pir ...

Hensley Meulens Hensley Filemon Acasio Meulens (; born June 23, 1967), nicknamed "Bam Bam", is a Curaçaoan professional baseball coach and retired player. He is the hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). A native of Curaçao, ...

Tim Raines Jr. Timothy Raines Jr. (born August 31, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He is the son of Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Famer Tim Raines. Raines played for the Baltimore Orioles organization through , playing for the ...

* Jeriome Robertson *

Randall Simon Randall Carlito Simon (born May 25, 1975) is a Curaçaoan former professional baseball first baseman. He has played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), LVBP and one in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) between 1997 an ...

Phil Weintraub Philip Weintraub (October 12, 1907 – June 21, 1987) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. Weintraub played for 13 minor league teams, for whom he had an aggregate batting average of .337, as well as for the New Yo ...

References

External links

* {{NewYorksports Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball teams Sports in Newark, New Jersey Professional baseball teams in New Jersey Baseball teams in the New York metropolitan area Defunct Atlantic League of Professional Baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in New Jersey 1998 establishments in New Jersey Baseball teams established in 1998 Sports clubs disestablished in 2013 Former Atlantic League of Professional Baseball teams 2013 disestablishments in New Jersey Defunct independent baseball league teams Baseball teams disestablished in 2013