The New Britain Bees are an
American collegiate summer baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
team based in
New Britain, Connecticut. They are a member of the
Futures Collegiate Baseball League
The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is an eight-team collegiate summer baseball league. It has four franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Format
The Futures League is a wood-bat ...
(FCBL), a wood-bat league with teams in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
, and
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. Founded in October 2015, the Bees played the 2016 to 2019 seasons as an independent professional baseball team in the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The Bees have played all their home games at
New Britain Stadium
New Britain Stadium is a baseball venue in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. It is the home of the New Britain Bees of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Opened in 1996, the stadium seats 6,146 spectators.
The stadium is part of the ...
, where they succeeded the
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They played ...
, who played in the
Eastern League before moving to
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
, becoming the
Hartford Yard Goats
The Hartford Yard Goats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats, which play in the Eastern League, are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The team was founded in 2016 when the New Britain ...
.
The "Bees" name alludes to
Beehive Field
Beehive Field is a stadium in New Britain, Connecticut. The ballpark has a capacity of 4,700. It is primarily used for baseball and was the home of the New Britain Red Sox (Boston Red Sox AA affiliate) from the time of their move to the city in 1 ...
, an older baseball park which stands next to New Britain Stadium. The civic motto of New Britain suggests, "Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey." Additionally, the civic emblem and flag incorporate a beehive as a symbol of industriousness. New Britain's official nickname is the "Hardware City," referring to its industrial heritage – namely as the headquarters of
Stanley Black & Decker. The former Rock Cats club, both with the "Hardware City" and "New Britain" monikers, also drew its name from manufacturing.
Logo and colors
The New Britain Bees colors are black, gold, and white. The primary logo features the "Bees" wordmark in a Roman font with a metallurgy-inspired serifs. The gold outline surrounding each letter alludes to honey, complete with a stylized beehive.
History
Atlantic League
In October 2015, it was announced that New Britain would be home to a new Atlantic League team for the upcoming season.
On November 6, 2015, The Bees got their nickname. "Bees" was chosen after a community fan vote with a local newspaper. The other name finalists were "Hammers", "Hard-Hitters", "Stingers" and "Hornets".
On December 8, 2015, The Bees announced Patrick Day as the first General Manager in franchise history. Day joined the Bees after previously serving as the General Manager of the
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseb ...
.
On December 16, 2015,
Stan Cliburn was named the first manager of the team, he had previously served as manager for the
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They played ...
.
On January 10, 2017, The team announced that Patrick Day would step down as General Manager to pursue another job opportunity with the
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in d ...
. Gerry Berthiaume was named as his replacement. Berthiaume had previously been involved with professional baseball in New Britain, as he served as General Manager of the
New Britain Red Sox
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
and
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They played ...
.
Just a week before the opener of their second season, it was announced that the Bees majority ownership was sold to a group led by Anthony Iacovone. Iacovone is the chief executive officer of the digital advertising technology company AdTheorent.
Frank Boulton and his group continue to be connected with the club as minority owners.
On September 27, 2017, The Bees announced yet another new General Manager, the third in three seasons, as Gerry Berthiaume announced his retirement from professional baseball after only one season with the Bees. Brad Smith was named the new GM after serving as the Vice President of Business Development for both the Bees and
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...
. Smith's baseball experience dates to 1995 as a concessions intern with the
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...
, working his way into a president/GM/ownership role from 2005–2015 with the
Kannapolis Intimidators
Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...
. While with Kannapolis, Smith negotiated the team's stadium lease and naming rights, as well as managed the day-to-day operations of the team and facility. He also has experience as the owner and president of the
Wilmington Sharks, a summer collegiate team in the
Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal League which operated in the area from 19 ...
from 2014 to 2016.
On November 17, 2017, it was announced that former
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
second baseman
Wally Backman
Walter Wayne Backman (born September 22, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is best known for his time with the New York Mets from – and was a member of their 1986 World Series-winning team. He was also the for ...
would become the second Field Manager in franchise history, replacing
Stan Cliburn. But that would only last one season. A little over a year after being named Manager of the Bees, Wally would take the open manager position with the Bees' division rival
Long Island Ducks, leaving the Bees to find their third field manager in four seasons.
On January 8, 2018, the Bees announced that New Britain native & former MLB pitcher,
Mauro Gozzo
Mauro "Blond Herring" or "Goose" Gozzo (born March 7, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and current manager of the Gastonia Honey Hunters. He played all or parts of six seasons in the majors, from until .
Career Playing
H ...
, would take over as field manager in 2019. Gozzo spent the 2018 season as New Britain's pitching coach under Wally Backman. Before joining the Bees coaching staff in 2018, Gozzo spent some time as a private instructor for players such as MLB pitchers
Matt Cain
Matthew Thomas Cain (born October 1, 1984), nicknamed "The Horse", "Big Daddy", "Big Sugar" and "Cainer", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the San Francisco Giants ...
&
Drew Pomeranz
Thomas Andrew "Drew" Pomeranz (born November 22, 1988), nicknamed Big Smooth, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, ...
.
Futures Collegiate Baseball League
It was reported on October 3, 2019 that the Bees might no longer play in the Atlantic League come the 2020 season.
Neither league nor team officials would comment on that, but the team's assistant general manager said, "There will be Bees baseball in New Britain in 2020".
On October 28, 2019 the Bees announced that they were joining the
Futures Collegiate Baseball League
The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is an eight-team collegiate summer baseball league. It has four franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Format
The Futures League is a wood-bat ...
The Bees were able to play a limited number of games during the 2020 season and in January 2021 they announced a five year extension with the city of New Britain and the
Futures Collegiate Baseball League
The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is an eight-team collegiate summer baseball league. It has four franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Format
The Futures League is a wood-bat ...
.
On March 9, 2021 the team announced that Brad Smith, whom had been serving as the Bees' General Manager since 2018, had purchased the ball club from previous ownership group Frank Boulton, Mike Pfaff, Anthony Iacovone, Tony Amin and Vic Picone. It was also announced that Mike Pfaff will remain with the Bees in an advisory position.
Notable current/former players
Former major-leaguers who have played for the Bees include:
Josh Thole (2018),
Cole Garner (2016),
Greg Golson (2016),
Eric Fornataro (2016–2017),
Nick Greenwood (2016–2017),
Josh Outman (2016, 2018),
Scott Patterson
Scott Gordon Patterson (born September 11, 1958) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as Luke Danes in ''Gilmore Girls'' and as Special Agent Peter Strahm in the ''Saw'' films. He also starred as Michael Buchanan in the ...
(2016),
Josh Zeid (2016),
Joe Beimel
Joseph Ronald Beimel (pronounced "BUY mul") (born April 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, ...
(2017),
Casey Coleman
Kenneth R. "Casey" Coleman Jr. (March 24, 1951 – November 27, 2006) was a sportscaster and radio personality in the Cleveland area for nearly 30 years.
Early life
Coleman was born in Cleveland in 1951 to legendary play-by-play announcer K ...
(2017),
Brandon League
Brandon Paul League (born March 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. League has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is a former closer and one-t ...
(2017),
Jonathan Pettibone (2017–2018),
Sammy Gervacio (2018–2019),
Manny Delcarmen
Manuel Delcarmen (born February 16, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He previously pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2005 through 2010, mainly for the Boston Red Sox; he was a member of Boston's 2007 World Serie ...
(2018),
Zach Stewart (2018–2019),
Mark Hamburger (2018),
Darrell Ceciliani (2018),
Reid Brignac (2018), Andy Van Hekken (2018),
Alejandro De Aza
Alejandro Alberto De Aza Ceda (born April 11, 1984) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, C ...
(2019), Manny Ramirez Jr. (2018), and
Evan Scribner (2018).
Manager History
Season-by-season records
References
External links
*
{{New Britain, Connecticut
Former Atlantic League of Professional Baseball teams
Futures Collegiate Baseball League teams
Baseball teams established in 2016
Amateur baseball teams in Connecticut
2016 establishments in Connecticut