Duquette to field collegiate team in Hinsdale

By Tony Dobrowolski
TDobrowolski@berkshireeagle.com
Berkshire Eagle Staff

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

HINSDALE -- Former Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette is headed back to organized baseball, although this time it's in a summer collegiate league.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Duquette said he has received preliminary approval from the New England Collegiate Baseball League to move the
NECBL's Thread City Tides of Willimantic, Conn., to the Dan Duquette Sports Academy on Michaels Road.

The Willimantic (Conn.) Chronicle reported last week that Duquette purchased the Tides, who have been located in Willimantic for 10 years, at the
NECBL's monthly meeting in Newport, R.I., on Dec. 14.

The NECBL is a wooden bat league with college players competing on 13 teams and located in all six New England states. The Tides, along with the
Middletown (Conn.) Giants, who recently moved to Holyoke, are charter members of the league, which was founded in 1993 and began play the following
year.

The North Adams SteepleCats were an expansion team in the league last summer, drawing an average of 850 fans per game.

Duquette, a Dalton native whom the Red Sox fired in March 2002, said he was "working toward" having the Tides play in Hinsdale next summer. However,
final approval from the NECBL is contingent on capital improvements being made at his sports camp, which opened last spring and is located on the
shores of Plunkett Reservoir, roughly 10 miles from downtown Pittsfield.

"The most notable would be the addition of lights," Duquette said.

According to its Web site, the sports academy has a baseball field of major league dimensions that has bleachers but no lights.

Duquette said yesterday the NECBL would not require that a grandstand be built at the sports academy so that the Tides could play there.

"We could accommodate the NECBL with bleachers, and the addition of a press box, lights and a concession tent," Duquette said.

"I'm excited about the NECBL," Duquette said. "It's one of the premier college baseball leagues in the country."

NECBL teams play a 42-game schedule that begins in early June and ends in August.

NECBL Commissioner Kevin Mcllvane and Executive Vice President Joel Cooney yesterday did not return telephone calls seeking comment. Cooney, however,
told The Eagle earlier this month that the owner of a sports academy located in the vicinity of Pittsfield was interested in bringing an NECBL
franchise to the Berkshires, but did not want to play at Wahconah Park.

Wahconah Park became vacant after the Berkshire Black Bears of the Northeast League moved to New Haven, Conn., earlier this month.

Earlier this month, Mayor Sara Hathaway and Mayor-elect James M. Ruberto discussed the possibility of bringing an NECBL franchise to Wahconah Park next
year with Connecticut baseball consultant Bob Wirz, who has ties to several professional and amateur baseball leagues. But those talks appeared to have
died when Ruberto said he was more interested in placing a professional baseball team in Wahconah Park than a collegiate league squad.

Duquette said he would be interested in speaking with Pittsfield officials about the possibility of playing games at Wahconah Park.

"I don't know what the city of Pittsfield's plans are for Wahconah Park, but we could explore that," he said. "But the league has given me preliminary
approval to play at the sports academy provided we make certain capital improvements."

Duquette said he became interested in bringing an NECBL franchise to his camp after watching the SteepleCats play in North Adams last summer.

"We saw North Adams play several times," Duquette said. "I like what they've done both in the county and with the NECBL. With the Black Bears out of
Wahconah Park, we thought it would be a good time to get involved with the NECBL.

"We're excited about the potential of bringing a team to Central and Southern Berkshire County," Duquette added.

According to previous conversations with NECBL officials, the Tides have been looking to relocate since the end of last summer, when they finished last
in the NECBL's seven-team South Division with a 16-25 record. Attempts to move the Tides to the Albany, N.Y., and Portsmouth, N.H., areas fell through.

Tides General Manager Joe Cerruto told the Chronicle that the franchise had been looking for a buyer for several months before Duquette came forward.
Cerruto told the Chronicle that the NECBL rejected an offer to move the Tides to Albany.

"He must have heard the team was for sale and that our attempt to sell the Tides to the New York group was not approved," Cerruto told the Chronicle.
"Dan came out of nowhere."