Long Island Ducks
Encyclopedia
The Long Island Ducks is an American
professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York
. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball
. Since the 2000 season, the Ducks have played their home games at Bethpage Ballpark - formerly known as EAB Park, Citibank Park, and Suffolk County Sports Park.
The "Ducks" name refers to Long Island
's duck-farming heritage, which is further represented by the Big Duck
ferrocement. The Big Duck is in Suffolk County
, in which Central Islip is also located.
The Ducks currently own the independent league baseball single-season attendance record of 443,142 fans. They reached this total in the summer of 2001, surpassing the previous record of 436,361 fans which the team had also set in 2000. The Ducks reached the 3 million mark in attendance in September 2006.
Bud Harrelson
, a 1971 Rawlings Gold Glove Award
winner, is a part-owner of the Ducks. He was the first manager of the team following a stint as the New York Mets
manager.
anticipated the arrival of professional baseball for many years, until the Ducks' inaugural 2000 season. The New York Mets
and the New York Yankees
own the territorial rights to keep an affiliated team, Major
or Minor
League, from moving within 75 miles of their respective ballparks. The last attempt by any team to move to Long Island was made by the Albany-Colonie Yankees. The Albany-Colonie team hoped to reestablish themselves in Suffolk County
, home to the Ducks, but the Mets prevented the move. The Yankees later moved to Norwich, Connecticut
, becoming the Connecticut Defenders
(now the Richmond Flying Squirrels
). Baseball fans on Long Island enthusiastically support the Ducks and have led the Atlantic League's attendance since its beginning. In 2007, team owner Frank Boulton expressed his contentment with the Ducks to Baseball America saying, "The Long Island Ducks are the best thing I've ever done in baseball." Despite their success at the gate, the Ducks did not field a championship team until the 2004 season, when they defeated the Camden Riversharks
in a three-game sweep to capture the Atlantic League Championship Series.
In 2005, a controversial former MLB player John Rocker
signed with the Ducks in an attempt to revive his career. He asked New Yorkers to "bury the hatchet," claiming his willingness to play on Long Island proved he had matured since his controversial comments. Rocker was poorly received by the fans and ended up pitching with an 0-2 record and an ERA
of 6.50.
On August 14, 2007, the Ducks appeared in national headlines in the United States after former Major League player José Offerman
assaulted opposing players of the Bridgeport Bluefish
. In his second at-bat with Bluefish pitcher, Matt Beech, Offerman was hit by a pitch. He retaliated by hitting Beech's hands with a bat, as well as striking catcher John Nathans in the head. Nathans was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher, and Offerman was arrested and taken into custody.
On Monday November 10, the Ducks announced that Gary Carter
would be the new manager for the 2009 season.
's "Reuse a Shoe" program, in which sneakers are collected at Bethpage Ballpark to be recycled and used for materials to create new playing surfaces and sports equipment.
The Ducks wear caps produced by The Game Headwear
and uniforms by Rawlings
. The home caps are black throughout with the cap logo centered on the front. The cap logo is the stylized, cartoon duck head. The away caps are green with the duck head cap logo. The batting helmets are green with the webbed-foot logo.
The home jersey is white with black pinstripes with the "Ducks" wordmark centered across the front. The numbering on the jersey is primarily in green with white outline and black drop shadow. The away jerseys are grey with the "Long Island" cursive wordmark centered across in green with white and orange outline. The numbering is in green with white outline and orange drop shadow. The alternate is a sleeveless, green jersey with the "Ducks" word mark centered across the chest. The numbers are in orange with white drop shadow.
over the Ferry Cup, which is sponsored by the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company. The two teams border on Long Island Sound
, and many fans of both teams regularly cross it to support them. The current Bluefish/Ducks rivalry record is 85-83, in favor of Bridgeport.
is an anthropomorphic
duck named QuackerJack. He wears the Ducks' full home uniform with green and white sneakers. He debuted on March 18, 2000 at Citibank Park. His name alludes to a popular baseball game food produced by the Cracker Jack
brand, and the quacking sound of a duck.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York
Central Islip, New York
Central Islip is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, U.S.. The population was 31,950 at the 2000 census.-History and overview:...
. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Since the 2000 season, the Ducks have played their home games at Bethpage Ballpark - formerly known as EAB Park, Citibank Park, and Suffolk County Sports Park.
The "Ducks" name refers to Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's duck-farming heritage, which is further represented by the Big Duck
Big Duck
The Big Duck is a ferrocement building in the shape of a duck located in Flanders, New York, on Long Island. It was originally built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer in nearby Riverhead, and used as a shop to sell ducks and duck eggs. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in...
ferrocement. The Big Duck is in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, in which Central Islip is also located.
The Ducks currently own the independent league baseball single-season attendance record of 443,142 fans. They reached this total in the summer of 2001, surpassing the previous record of 436,361 fans which the team had also set in 2000. The Ducks reached the 3 million mark in attendance in September 2006.
Bud Harrelson
Bud Harrelson
Derrel McKinley "Bud" Harrelson is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers from to . After retiring, he served as a coach for the World Champion Mets, and as manager of the Mets in 1990 and 1991...
, a 1971 Rawlings Gold Glove Award
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
winner, is a part-owner of the Ducks. He was the first manager of the team following a stint as the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
manager.
History
Residents of Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
anticipated the arrival of professional baseball for many years, until the Ducks' inaugural 2000 season. The New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
and the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
own the territorial rights to keep an affiliated team, Major
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
or Minor
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
League, from moving within 75 miles of their respective ballparks. The last attempt by any team to move to Long Island was made by the Albany-Colonie Yankees. The Albany-Colonie team hoped to reestablish themselves in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, home to the Ducks, but the Mets prevented the move. The Yankees later moved to Norwich, Connecticut
Norwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
, becoming the Connecticut Defenders
Connecticut Defenders
The Connecticut Defenders were a minor league baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 season, when the Defenders relocated to Richmond,...
(now the Richmond Flying Squirrels
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a minor league baseball team in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond...
). Baseball fans on Long Island enthusiastically support the Ducks and have led the Atlantic League's attendance since its beginning. In 2007, team owner Frank Boulton expressed his contentment with the Ducks to Baseball America saying, "The Long Island Ducks are the best thing I've ever done in baseball." Despite their success at the gate, the Ducks did not field a championship team until the 2004 season, when they defeated the Camden Riversharks
Camden Riversharks
The Camden Riversharks is an American professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
in a three-game sweep to capture the Atlantic League Championship Series.
In 2005, a controversial former MLB player John Rocker
John Rocker
John Loy Rocker is a retired American Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, the Texas Rangers, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as well as the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball...
signed with the Ducks in an attempt to revive his career. He asked New Yorkers to "bury the hatchet," claiming his willingness to play on Long Island proved he had matured since his controversial comments. Rocker was poorly received by the fans and ended up pitching with an 0-2 record and an ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 6.50.
On August 14, 2007, the Ducks appeared in national headlines in the United States after former Major League player José Offerman
José Offerman
José Antonio Offerman Dono is a former professional baseball player who played professional baseball for nearly 20 years...
assaulted opposing players of the Bridgeport Bluefish
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
. In his second at-bat with Bluefish pitcher, Matt Beech, Offerman was hit by a pitch. He retaliated by hitting Beech's hands with a bat, as well as striking catcher John Nathans in the head. Nathans was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher, and Offerman was arrested and taken into custody.
On Monday November 10, the Ducks announced that Gary Carter
Gary Carter
Gary Edmund Carter , nicknamed "Kid" and "Kid Carter", is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. During a 19-year baseball career, mostly with the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets, Carter established himself as one of the premier catchers in the National League, winning three Gold...
would be the new manager for the 2009 season.
Go Green
The Long Island Ducks have implemented an environmental conservation program called "Go Green." The program includes the placement of solar panels on the roof of Bethpage Ballpark to power the luxury suite level, the placing of "Ricky Recycle" receptacles throughout the ballpark for each home game so fans can recycle their bottles and cans, the enrollment in an electricity reduction program called Operation Save New York, and the participation in Nike, Inc.Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
's "Reuse a Shoe" program, in which sneakers are collected at Bethpage Ballpark to be recycled and used for materials to create new playing surfaces and sports equipment.
Logos and uniforms
The official colors of the Long Island Ducks are black, green, orange, and white. The primary logo features the "Ducks" wordmark in orange with black outline. The wordmark begins with a stylized, cartoon duck head in the form of a capital, cursive "D." The secondary logo is the webbed foot of a duck in orange with black outline.The Ducks wear caps produced by The Game Headwear
The Game Headwear
The Game Headwear originated as Neil's Sporting Goods in the 1960s. Initially started to equip little league and school athletic teams, the company's business greatly increased in the 1970s and 1980s...
and uniforms by Rawlings
Rawlings (company)
Rawlings is a sports equipment manufacturing company in the United States. It was founded in 1887. The parent company is Jarden, Inc. Rawlings specializes in baseball equipment, but also manufactures softball, basketball, training equipment and American footballs...
. The home caps are black throughout with the cap logo centered on the front. The cap logo is the stylized, cartoon duck head. The away caps are green with the duck head cap logo. The batting helmets are green with the webbed-foot logo.
The home jersey is white with black pinstripes with the "Ducks" wordmark centered across the front. The numbering on the jersey is primarily in green with white outline and black drop shadow. The away jerseys are grey with the "Long Island" cursive wordmark centered across in green with white and orange outline. The numbering is in green with white outline and orange drop shadow. The alternate is a sleeveless, green jersey with the "Ducks" word mark centered across the chest. The numbers are in orange with white drop shadow.
Season-by-season records
| Long Island Ducks - 2004 to 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | W - L Record | Winning Percentage | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2004 | 65-61 | .516 | 3rd in North Division | 5-1 (won championship) |
| 2005 | 66-74 | .471 | 1st in North Division | 1-2 (lost division final) |
| 2006 | 73-53 | .579 | 2nd in North Division | 0-2 (lost division final) |
| 2007 | 72-54 | .571 | 1st in North Division | 0-2 (lost division final) |
| 2008 | 71-69 | .507 | 1st in Liberty Division | 0-2 (lost division final) |
| 2009 | 73-65 | .528 | 1st in Liberty Division | 2-3 (lost division final) |
| 2010 | 70-68 | .507 | 3rd in Liberty Division | Did Not Make Playoffs |
| 2011 | 78-47 | .624 | 1st in Liberty Division | 4-4 (lost in championship round) |
| Totals (2000–2011) | 914-803 | .532 | 1st Place 5 times | 1 championship |
| Playoffs | 12-16 | . | ||
- 1 Atlantic League Championship (2004)
Ferry Cup
The Long Island Ducks contend with the Bridgeport BluefishBridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
over the Ferry Cup, which is sponsored by the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company. The two teams border on Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
, and many fans of both teams regularly cross it to support them. The current Bluefish/Ducks rivalry record is 85-83, in favor of Bridgeport.
Radio
All of the Long Island Ducks weekend games are broadcast on My Country 96.1 fm starting in 2011, with the rest of the games broadcast over the Ducks official website. Chris King, David Weiss, and Michael Polak serve as the team's official broadcasters.Live on Internet TV
The Long Island Ducks' games are broadcast live on iBN Sports.Mascot
The Long Island Ducks' official mascotMascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is an anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
duck named QuackerJack. He wears the Ducks' full home uniform with green and white sneakers. He debuted on March 18, 2000 at Citibank Park. His name alludes to a popular baseball game food produced by the Cracker Jack
Cracker Jack
Cracker Jack is a U.S. brand of snack consisting of strong molasses flavored candy-coated popcorn and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of nominal value inside. Some food historians consider it the first junk food...
brand, and the quacking sound of a duck.
Retired numbers
 |
| Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947... |
| 2B Second baseman Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base... Retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997 |
Official websites
- Long Island Ducks
- Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
- Official Long Island Ducks Twitter Page
- Official Long Island Ducks Facebook Page
- Official Long Island Ducks Foursquare Page
- Official Long Island Ducks YouTube Page