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Berkshire Baseball Saves the Day?
Independent-league team to play at Yale Field in '04
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Business New Haven
12/22/2003
By: BNH
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An agreement in principle has been reached to bring the Berkshire (Pittsfield, Mass.) Black Bears of the Northeast League to New Haven.
A subcommittee of the Baseball Foundation of Connecticut and representatives of the independent Northeast League met in New Haven earlier this month to ensure that the short-season, independent league would in fact begin play at Yale Field in late May.
"We have come to an agreement on all issues," said Rick Handelman, an investment advisor from Scarsdale, N.Y., who would be one of the principals of the franchise. Handelman has also met with Yale University representatives to iron out details of joint use of Yale Field with the Yale baseball team.
"We put a good brand of baseball on the field, and it's a fun, family experience," Handelman told the New Haven Register.
Handelman is a minority owner of the Brockton (Mass.) Rox in the Northeast League.
The New Haven Ravens left following the 2003 season for Manchester, N.H., leaving New Haven with little hope of obtaining another affiliated minor-league team in time for the 2004 season. But the Northeast League commissioned Handelman to negotiate a lease with the Baseball Foundation of Connecticut.
Handelman worked out a deal with Berkshire principal owner Jonathan Fleisig to relocate the franchise to New Haven. Fleisig will remain as one of the principal owners of the New Haven franchise with Handelman.
The Northeast League is a short-season independent (that is, not affiliated with Major League Baseball) league whose teams play 46 home dates between late May and the end of August. It currently has teams in Brockton and Lynn, Mass., Bangor, Me., Quebec, Allentown, Pa., Montclair, N.J., and Elmira, N.Y.
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