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Chatham Anglers

The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, MA. Prior to the 2009 season, the team changed its name to the Chatham Anglers due to Major League Baseball Properties' trademark of "Athletics and A's". The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League and plays in the league's Eastern Division. Chatham currently plays its home games at Veteran's Field in the town of Chatham. The A's have been operated by the non-profit Chatham Athletic Association since 1963[1]. Like other Cape League teams, the Chatham Anglers are funded through merchandise sales, donations, and other fundraising efforts at games such as fifty-fifty raffles.

In 2007, Chatham finished the year in second place in the Eastern Division with 53 points and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2005, where they were swept by eventual champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Chatham has not won the league championship since 1998, when they defeated the Wareham Gatemen three games to two in the championship series.

History

The Pre-Modern Era

Amateur baseball in the town of Chatham dates back to the early 1900s and the old Cape Cod Twilight League. Chatham was the dominant team in the league throughout the 1930s, winning the Twilight League championship seven consecutive times between 1933 and 1939[2]. The team has played at its current home ballpark, Veteran's Field, since 1923.

The Modern Era

Chatham has seen significant success in the league's modern era, winning a total of five Cape League Championships. They began the modern era by reaching the Cape League championship series for four consecutive years. Their first title came in 1967, when Thurman Munson led the team to a 30–9–4 record in the regular season and a championship victory over the Falmouth Commodores[3]

The A's reached the championship series four more times before they finally won another league title in 1982 when they swept the Hyannis Mets three games to none in the championship series.

Chatham was one of the league's most successful teams throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Chatham made the playoffs nine out of ten years between 1991 and 2000, including with Cape League titles in 1992, 1996, and 1998. The A's have claimed more Cape League Regular Season (7) and Post-Season (7) Eastern Division titles than any other team, their last of which came in 2001 when they lost the championship series to the Wareham Gatemen.[4]

On October 17, 2008, in response to a licensing agreement between the Cape League and Major League Baseball, the A's announced that their team name would be changing to the Chatham Anglers. They will retain their red, white, and blue colors, and the uniforms will still have pinstripes.

The Anglers have a long standing rivalry with the Orleans Firebirds. Besides from the two towns sharing a border, in 2005 when Orleans pitcher Shaun Haviland hit Evan Longoria with a fastball, Longoria and Haviland continued to jaw with each other down the first baseline. The next at bat Longoria took Haviland to deep center and stared him down the first baseline.

The A's in media

The Chatham A's were featured prominently in the 2001 Warner Bros. motion picture Summer Catch, starring Freddy Prinze Jr.. Jim Collins' The Last Best League (2004, ISBN 0-306-81418-8) is a non-fiction account of the 2002 Chatham A's, which featured infielder Jamie D'Antona.

Famous alumni

Scott Schoeneweis

References

  1. ^ 1998 Cape Cod Baseball League Official Yearbook, p. 14
  2. ^ 2001 Cape Cod Baseball League Official Yearbook, p. 15
  3. ^ Alder, Eric (2005-07-28). "Chatham A's 1967 Team Honored". The Cape Cod Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
  4. ^ Cape League Championships. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
  5. ^ Fenton, Jim (June 24, 2008). "Brockton will host a Cape Cod Baseball League game Saturday night". Enterprisenews.com. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
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