Connecticut Defenders

Did You Know?

• The Defenders were scheduled to host the Eastern League All-Star Game at Dodd Stadium on July 11, 2007, but the game was canceled due to fog; fan activities and the home run derby went on as scheduled, with over 6,500 fans attending.
• The Defenders' last manager, Steve Decker, was announced as the team's new skipper on December 28, 2008.

History

In 1994, the New York Yankees decided to relocate their Double-A affiliate from Albany, New York, where it had been called the Albany-Colonie Yankees since 1985, to Norwich, Connecticut, rebranding it as the Norwich Navigators. Construction on a new ballpark began in November of that year, and the team played its first game on April 6, 1995, beating Bowie. The home opener came 11 days later, also a win, this time over Reading. Over the next six seasons, Norwich made the Eastern League playoffs four times, often powered by players who were or would become Yankees. On September 14, 2002, the Navigators captured their only league championship, defeating Harrisburg in five games at home under first-year manager Luis Sojo. Shortly after, the Yankees ended their partnership and aligned with the Trenton Thunder. That fall, the San Francisco Giants became the new parent club, starting in 2003.

In 2005, boxing promoter Lou DiBella’s group purchased the team. With attendance dropping, management decided to refresh the franchise’s identity, holding a public contest to choose a new name and logo. The winning name, submitted by Robert Schaub of East Hampton, Connecticut, was unveiled on November 14, along with a new bald eagle mascot that debuted eight days later. A second contest to name the mascot resulted in “Cutter” on February 11, 2006. The “Defenders” name and eagle mascot honor the nearby United States Coast Guard Academy in New London and the U.S. submarine base in Groton. In 2005, the team organized rallies supporting the sub base after it was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure list, and it was eventually removed.

In September 2008, the Giants extended their player development contract with the Defenders through 2010. The next season, the Defenders won the Southern Division title and entered the Eastern League playoffs, beating the New Britain Rock Cats three games to one in the division series to reach the championship series for the second time in franchise history. They lost that series three games to one to the Akron Aeros.