Catskill Cougars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Northern League (2000)
- Northeast League (1997–98)
- North Atlantic League (1996)
| Catskill Cougars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Independent (1995–2000) |
| League |
|
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (1) | 1996 |
| Team data | |
| Name | Catskill Cougars (1995–2000) |
| Colors | Red, gold, black, white[1] |
| Ballpark | Baxter Stadium |
The Catskill Cougars were a minor-league baseball team based in Mountaindale, New York, in the state's Catskill Mountains region. The Cougars played in the North Atlantic League in 1996 and the Northeast League (later known as the Can-Am League), from 1997–1998, and in the Northern League in 2000. The North Atlantic and Northeast leagues were independent leagues that were not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. Following the departure of the Northeast League's Sullivan Mountain Lions after one season in Mountaindale, the Cougars played their home games at Baxter Stadium, and were part-owned by comedian Bill Murray.[2]
The Sullivan Mountain Lions played as one of the six teams in the inaugural 1995 season of the Northeast League. They left Mountaindale after only one season and, under new ownership, were replaced by Catskill Cougars, a new team in the year-old North Atlantic League. In their first season, the Cougars boasted the NAL's second-best offense, but also its second-worst pitching staff; they were actually outscored in their league games. However, aided by several victories by default over the bankrupt Nashua Hawks, the Cougars finished 43-35, good enough for second place and a spot in the league championship series against the Massachusetts Mad Dogs, who finished 13 1/2 games ahead of the rest of the NAL. The Cougars then stunned the Mad Dogs by sweeping the best-of-three title series, two games to none, becoming the first pro baseball team based in Sullivan County to win a championship.
The team also did well in attendance, averaging 1,075 fans per game, which ranked third in the six-team league. The Cougars used former major-leaguers Wally Backman and Gates Brown as managers. However, the North Atlantic League filed for bankruptcy and folded after the 1996 season.[3]
Northeast League
By 1997, the Northeast League had grown to 8 teams. The Cougars entered the league, but did not enjoy the same success; they finished the season in the cellar (21-62) and were last in the league in almost all offensive, pitching and defensive categories. They still averaged 925 fans per game. The team featured former major-leaguers Vance Lovelace, Kerwin Moore, and Matt Murray.
In 1998, the Cougars improved on the field, finishing 6th in the league (36-47). The team was led by former Houston Astros player Juan Guerrero. The Cougars drew about 1,000 fans per game. However, other teams in the league such as Allentown, Albany and New Jersey were averaging about 2,300 fans per game, thus breaking the 100,000 fan mark for the season. The Cougars suspended operations after the 1998 season.