I first started following the Atlantic League in 2005, so all of the teams were pretty new to me. I remember a few things about the Bridgeport Bluefish that year:
- They had a player named Rolo Avila who apparently wanted to copy Johnny Damon’s Red Sox-era look.
- Former Mets pitcher Robert Person played for them for a short time, and he was really nice about signing a bunch of baseball cards for me.
- Their backup catcher, Kevin Lidle, is the brother of former Mets pitcher Cory Lidle.
Beyond that, well, my memory is a bit fuzzy. The 2005 Bridgeport Bluefish finished the season with a 55-85 record under manager Jose Lind, who had been a Gold Glove second baseman for the PIttsburgh Pirates in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Outfielder/first baseman Gary Burnham was the team’s best hitter, with a .320 average, 18 home runs and 84 RBI in 132 games. Pitcher Pat Ahearne, who had a cup of coffee with the 1995 Detroit Tigers, led the Bluefish with 8 victories. Other former big leaguers who spent time on the roster included Stephen Larkin, Angel Miranda, Will Pennyfeather, and Tony Rodriguez.
Choice SportsCards produced a 30-card team set for the Bluefish in 2005. There are 25 player cards, 3 cards for the manager and coaches, 1 for the mascot, and an unnumbered logo/checklist card. The fronts are glossy, with a variety of action photos. A few are noteworthy: Tim Cain‘s card uses an image that may be from a road game, unusual for a minor league team set. (I can’t quite decide if he’s wearing grey uniform pants or if the photo is just dark.)
Stephen Larkin’s card seems like it should really be a Long Island Duck’s (LI Ducks Blog author Corey Mansfield believes the player is Jimmy Goelz). Pat Collins‘ card uses a low-resolution image that shows significant compression artifacts. For the most part, though, the cards look nice and the oddities just add to the charm.
The card backs are printed in black and white, with a smaller, cropped version of the main photo, stats and biographical information.
The checklist includes:
- Pate Ahearne
- Luis Arroyo
- Rolo Avila
- D.J. Boston
- Gary Burnham
- Pat Collins
- Brad Cornett
- Gustavo Escobar
- Angel Espada
- Jamie Gann
- Josh Kalinowski
- Dan Krines
- Hector Kuilan
- Stephen Larkin
- Kevin Lidle
- Josh Miller
- Angel Miranda
- William Pennyfeather
- Robert Person
- Tony Rodriguez
Phil Rosengren- Brian Warren
- Brady Williams
- Patrick “Peanut” Williams
- Tim Cain
- B.B. the Bluefish
- Jose “Chico” Lind
- Terry McGriff
- Jim Dedrick
- unnumbered checklist/logo card
This set is one of the more difficult Bridgeport Bluefish sets to find. STB Sports has the run from 2000-2004, plus the 2008 team set, but no 2005 set. Your best bet may be to check eBay and see if one turns up.
Jose Lind must’ve silently refused my autograph requests about six times on six different dates in Newark. The seventh time, he came over and muttered, “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today.” Then he signed about 15-20 cards for me. The lesson to draw from this is, never be rude to your autograph quarry; patience will win out.
I once got Robert Person to sign at Shea. In Newark, as a Bluefish, Person also signed numerous pieces for me; he has a nice, legible flowing signature. He had a short haired, conservative look at Shea; as a Bluefish, Person had long dreadlocks. It took an extra instant to be sure it was him.
I’m gonna guess the Duck on Larkin’s card is Kevin Baez.
A very good point – patience and courtesy are always worthwhile when seeking autographs.
I know I got Jose Lind to sign a couple of cards while he was managing the Bluefish, but I don’t particularly recall anything about meeting him.
BTW, I still have all the cards Lind signed in a binder. I’m a collector, not a dealer, if anyone wonders.
The Bluefish mascot is priceless!
I love mascot cards, just to see the wacky concepts teams come up with.
It’s not Baez on the Larkin card. Baez always used a black glove, and had a wrist band on his elbow as well as his wrists taped. I
I think it’s Dominick Ambrosini