On the surface, it would seem like an independent minor league baseball team in Nashua, N.H., that's run by former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette and managed by ex-Sox player Brian Daubach would be a pretty popular draw. That initial impression would be wrong, though. Tuesday, the American Defenders of New Hampshire were locked out of their own stadium by the city's mayor for failing to pay rent along with police and fire bills. In order to ensure that the team wouldn't sneak into the park and try to play, Nashua mayor Donnalee Lozeau also ordered city workers to park a tractor on home plate. Seriously.
After reading the first few paragraphs of that story, I expected the team to respond by disputing the taxes or the charges levied or something like that. Instead, Duquette more or less throws up his hands and says, "Hey, it's not my fault no one came to the games and the team is broke." Daubach says that he doesn't expect to be playing any home games for the remainder of the season and that the team has cleaned their lockers out.
The Defenders play in something called the Can-Am (Canadian-American) League. I won't pretend to know a lot about the Defenders OR the Can-Am league, but I'm sure Wikipedia can tell us more. A quick glance shows us that five Can-Am teams have folded since the end of the 2005 season (including the hilariously named Ottawa Rapidz, whom I can only assume were HARDCORE XTREEEEM TO THE MAXXX) and that the Defenders' colors are navy, red, gold, white, and desert camouflage. Needing to see this in action, I clicked over to the Defenders' site and holy cow, they look like a trippy version of the Padres with presumably at least a little less talent.
Look, I know that the death of the independent leagues and small-town baseball is sad and things like this are inevitable in our current economic climate. But the team wore hideous camouflage uniforms, couldn't pay their bills and the mayor parked a tractor on home plate to ensure they wouldn't try to play a game in a stadium they were locked out of. Maybe this isn't funny, but I can't stop laughing whenever I think about it.
Pictured: a locked gate at a market in Moscow. Which isn't really applicable, except that it is a locked gate and hey, that gets us halfway there. Not pictured: a tractor on home plate.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-26-2009 @ 10:00PM
APerfectGentlman said...
Pat Lackey, if you get even a dime for what you write, you are overpaid. I am so sick of bloggers who have little or nothing to say about subjects they admit they know nothing about, with the only goal to be as "snarky" as possible. I am puzzled as to how any of you were given space. Ifyou're being paid, you're stealing money.
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8-27-2009 @ 8:32AM
Tim said...
Hey Pat. Looks like Duquette reads your work. And he wants your dimes
8-27-2009 @ 11:59AM
papam11 said...
Listen, I live in the area. With the name, "The American Defenders of New Hampshire", and wearing camouflage uniforms, what in heck did you think was goin go happen? Why not Bigbird suits or french maid outfits?
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8-27-2009 @ 12:30PM
aegholding said...
I also live in the area and the team has been done the past 2 seasons only to have someone buy them up and try and keep it running. What a waste. 20 minutes to the north is the Blue Jays AA affiliate in Manchester, NH and 20 minutes to the south is The Red Sox A team in Lowell Mass. And 45 minutes to the south is The Red Sox. The prices for the defenders are the same as the A and AA affiliates and they don't play as well as some over 30 teams I have seen.
One plus is that when it is all done the city of Nashua will once again have a great ball park for the city youth as was the wish of the family that donated the land and money to build the stadium. Since the Defenders, and before them the Nashua Pride have been there the youth of the city have not been able to use the park.
This Stadium and city have a long proud tradition with baseball with the Nashua Dodgers affiliated with the Brooklyn Dodgers playing there in the 30's and 40's with players like Roy Campenella and Brooks Robinson playing there. And AA ball played there in the late 70's and early 80's with the Pirates and Angels having teams there. The Nashua Pride even had a stretch of good teams, but it's time the Defender's or whatever they would become are done.
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8-29-2009 @ 3:12PM
bjibeaver said...
I beg to differ regarding the city youth use of this facility. My son played Babe Ruth, Legion and High School baseball in Holman Stadium. The State HS baseball tournaments are played in Holman Stadium. During the school spring season and sometimes fall season, Holma Stadium is busy 7 days a week with baseball games.
The ONLY folks not using this major league quality facility is the HS football crowd. Which BTW has a first class field nemed Stellos Stadium that would put most NCAA DII and III fields to shame. The youth issue is a dead horse.
The reason for the teams turnover and demise of pro ball is Manchester, Lowell and Fenway Park all within a 50 mil radius. The Nashua team owners could not compete for the limited fan base and available disposable funds.
8-29-2009 @ 2:32PM
jeddy said...
They draw 1,100 People. That is twice what the West Palm Expos draw. They make Money on the concession Stand to stay in Business. The Major League Team paid the Salaries and supplied Uniforms.
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8-29-2009 @ 4:20PM
denverlev said...
And what does Jackson and Hitler have to do with minor league baseball IDIOT?
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8-29-2009 @ 5:24PM
Linda said...
WOW- get a life.
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8-29-2009 @ 5:29PM
naturebunny1 said...
This happened once before, too--the independent Nashua Hawks of the North Atlantic League were locked out back in 1996. The city just can't support minor league baseball at the level necessary for owners to make the profits they want to see.
Note to ageholding--Brooks Robinson never played there (nor did Jackie Robinson)--Holman Stadium was home to the Nashua Dodgers from 1946-69, and Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, and Walter Alston played there during that period. With Campanella and Newcombe, it was (in 1946) one of the first integrated pro teams in the US, along with the Pawtucket Slaters and Providence Chiefs.
Note to jeddy--the American Defenders are unaffiliated, so no big-league money was trickling down to them. It's true that they were overpriced for the level of play (I sat through some games--calling them the equivalent of a single-A club would be far too generous).
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