Long Island Ducks
From SoSH
| Location: | Central Islip, NY |
| Established: | 2000 |
| MLB Affiliation: | None |
| League: | Atlantic League of Professional Baseball |
| Level: | Independent |
| Ballpark: | Citibank Park |
| Championships: | 1 (2004) |
| Division Titles: | 1 (2004) |
| Wild Card: |
The Long Island Ducks are a professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York, in the United States. The Ducks are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2000 season, the Ducks have played their home games at Citibank Park.
The name "Ducks" refers to the "Big Duck", which is 20-foot tall, 30-foot long structure in Suffolk County, where Citibank Park is located. In 1988, it was moved to Sears-Bellow County Park when the original site in Flanders was marked for redevelopment. Big Duck preservationists and the Friends for Long Island's Heritage campaigned to save it. The Big Duck, originally a marketing tool, is a tribute to Long Island's well-known duck farming industry.
The Ducks currently own the independent league baseball single-season attendance record of 443,142 fans. They reached this total in the summer of 2001, surpassing the previous record of 436,361 fans which the team had also set in 2000. The Long Island Ducks recorded their 2 millionth fan since the stadium opened in 2000. The Ducks reached the 3 million mark in attendance in September, 2006.
Bud Harrelson was key in founding the team. He started out as the Ducks first manager and currently owns part of the team.
The team plays in Citibank Park, formerly known as EAB Park.
The current team has 13 former major league players as well as 4 former all-stars.
Contents |
Team History
The Long Island Ducks inaugural season in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball was 2000, even though the Long Island area had waited for professional baseball for many years. The New York Mets and the New York Yankees have the territorial rights to keep an affiliated team, Major or Minor League, from coming within 75 miles of their respective ballparks. The last attempt to come within the territory was made by Albany Colonie Yankees when they tried to move to Suffolk County, home to the Ducks, but the Mets prevented the move. The Albany team later moved across the Long Island Sound, to Norwich, Connecticut and became the Navigators, who are now known as the Connecticut Defenders. Baseball fans in Long Island have been very excited about the Ducks and have led the Atlantic League's attendance since their beginning. Despite their success at the gate, the Long Island Ducks have not had success on the field until their 2004 Atlantic League Championship season when they defeated the Camden Riversharks in a three-game sweep. After the Ducks' 2004 championship season, the Ducks participated in the Atlantic League playoffs for the next three seasons.
Teams and Records
- 2007 70-49 Manager: Dave LaPoint
Attendance
- 2007.....427,536...6,108 per game
Current Roster
Field Management
- Manager - Dave LaPoint
- Bench Coach - Don McCormack
- 3rd Base Coach - Bud Harrelson
Front Office
- Principal Owner/CEO - Frank Boulton
- Senior VP of Baseball Operations, Co-Owner - Bud Harrelson
- General Manager - Michael Pfaff
- Front Office Staff
Major League Ducks
Former Ducks that returned to the Majors
Former Major Leaguers with the Ducks
John Rocker
In 2005, John Rocker signed with the Ducks in an attempt to revive his career. He asked New Yorkers to "bury the hatchet," claiming his willingness to play in Long Island proved he had matured since his controversial comments. Rocker was poorly received by the fans and ended up pitching with an 0-2 record and an ERA of 6.50.
On June 25, 2005 Rocker announced in a statement that "After pitching for two months with the Long Island Ducks, the consistency required to pitch at the Major League level, and the consistency I demand from myself, are not where they should be. As a result, I have elected to take a step back and reevaluate the options available to me. I would like to thank the Long Island Ducks organization for the opportunity they've given me to help me reestablish myself as a Major League pitcher."
José Offerman
On August 14, 2007 Jose Offerman, playing for the Ducks in a game against the Bridgeport Bluefish in Bridgeport, homered in the first inning off of pitcher Matt Beech. In his second at-bat, Offerman was hit by a pitch, causing Offerman to become irate and charge the mound with his bat in hand. He hit Beech's hands with the bat, as well as hitting catcher John Nathans in the head. Nathans was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher, and Offerman was arrested and taken into custody.
Citibank Park
Citibank Park is a 6,002-seat baseball-only stadium in Central Islip, New York that opened in 2000, with a win against the Aberdeen Arsenal. It was built as a the home of the Long Island Ducks baseball team. The Long Island Lizards, of Major League Lacrosse, used the park for some of their home games during the 2001 season. The name of the park was changed from EAB Park prior to the 2002 season.
Field Dimensions
Left Field: 325 ft
Center Field: 400
Right Field: 325
