Here is a nice piece of memorabilia from the early days of the Atlantic League. It is a 2000 program for the Aberdeen Arsenal, roster
and general admission/youth tickets.
Playing for just the 2000 season in the Atlantic League, the
Aberdeen Arsenal, based in Bel Air, MD, would play their home games at Thomas
Run Park at Hartford Community College. Aberdeen
featured former DET/SF/ATL MLB All-Star Darrell Evans as its manager, no-hit MLB
pitcher Rick Wise as pitching coach and Billy Ripken as its Director of Baseball
Operations.
Ripken with
his Hall of Fame brother would soon establish the short-season-A Aberdeen
Ironbirds (2002) as a minor league team of the Baltimore Orioles. (…you're my…brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family) Hopes for the Arsenal to have their
own home stadium dissipated when potential stadium funding for the area went to
the Ripkens and the Arsenal was disbanded.
Playing against Aberdeen that day, were the Lehigh Valley Black
Diamonds (2000-01). The Black Diamonds were originally established as a
founding team of the Atlantic League (the Newburgh (NY) Black Diamonds) prior
to 2000, and then morphed into the Pennsylvania Road Warriors post 2001 – a ball
club that would play exclusively on the road to balance out the number of teams
in the Atlantic League. Lehigh Valley
would play their home games in Memorial Park in Quakertown, PA.
Wayne Krenchicki and Steve “Fookie” Foucault were on the
field staff of Lehigh Valley. Each would go on to have extended careers within the Atlantic League.
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