Great quote by Scott Williamson, who is quoted in the recent New York Times article In Newark, Playing for a Return to the Big Leagues. Living in Korea, where there’s a pro league established enough to attract some decent minor league players, I’m already pretty tuned in to guys on the major league fringe. I’d say the Newark Bears are a bit different, if only because most of these guys have played a number of years in the big leagues, whereas the players that sign in Korea are younger, AAA-level players.
Anyway, an enjoyable read for sure:
The Bears decided to stockpile their roster with well-known players like Armando Benitez, Carl Everett, Shawn Chacon, Jacque Jones, Marlon Anderson and Keith Foulke as a strategy for attracting fans and winning games. But as the Bears finish the last two weeks of their Atlantic League schedule, their plan has produced a modest record and minimal fan support.
4 responses so far ↓
1 John Brooks // Sep 11, 2009 at 6:23 pm
The Bears decided to stockpile their roster with well-known players like Armando Benitez, Carl Everett, Shawn Chacon, Jacque Jones, Marlon Anderson and Keith Foulke as a strategy for attracting fans and winning games. But as the Bears finish the last two weeks of their Atlantic League schedule, their plan has produced a modest record and minimal fan support.
As I’ve always said the Newark Bears always have succeded in getting enough major league players for your kid to get excited about getting an autograph from, but experiencing the Aberdeen Ironbirds(a former Atlantic Lg team right in my own back yard), to know that no player who was once a somebody a la the Newark Bears is very excited about playing in Newark.
I remember reading an article about Foulke earlier this year, he goes from throwing the last pitch to end the Curse in 2004 and is indy ball now.
2 John Brooks // Sep 11, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I’m basically saying its opposite of the reason why players go to Asia on the 4-A fringe. In the Atlantic League usually with Newark its players past their prime, who already made millions, who the Bears are banking on attracting fans, whose pride is too crushed by going from MLB to indy ball while a lot of the fringe 4A players embrace going overseas. All you see in the Atlantic League is players bitching to get out of it.
3 Shinsano // Sep 11, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Yeah. I agree. Must be an interesting locker room. I’m sure some of those guys have made millions and others have lost millions.
4 Weekend Reading: Brooklyn, Brooklyn Take Me In | pitchers & poets // Sep 12, 2009 at 6:58 am
[...] And because much of north Jersey is practically a borough, I include this great story from the New York Times about the Newark Bears and their litany of veteran major leaguers waiting for — and not getting — that big September call up. Keith Foulke. Armando Benitez. Jacque Jones. Carl Everett. The list goes on. (via East Windup Chronicle) [...]
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