Muzzy Field
Encyclopedia
Muzzy Field is a stadium
in Bristol, Connecticut
. The ballpark, which is adjacent to the city's Rockwell Park, was built in 1939 and has a capacity of 4,900 people. In 2010 it was the home to the Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
. It is also used for high school sports, primarily baseball
and football
. Currently three high schools employ the field: Bristol Central High School, Bristol Eastern High School, and Saint Paul Catholic High School. The stadium features a ring of tall pine trees that line the outside of the outfield wall and the brickfaced grandstand.
Muzzy Field was the home of the Double-A Bristol Red Sox
of the Eastern League
from 1972 to 1982. Former Boston Red Sox
stars Jim Rice
, Fred Lynn
, and Butch Hobson
honed their skills while members of the "BriSox." The ballpark also housed the old Bristol Owls of the Class-B Colonial League in 1949 and 1950, as well as various amateur baseball teams, notably the Bristol En-Dees and the local American Legion
team. The Bristol Nighthawks, a now defunct franchise of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
, played their home games at Muzzy Field during both 1994
and 1995
.
Muzzy Field was the site of the Big East Conference
baseball championship tournament
for a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 2004 the stadium was also the site of an American Idol
audition. (See The Bristol Press, August 7, 2004.)
A local, though probably apocryphal, legend holds that Babe Ruth
hit the first home run in Muzzy Field when traveling with a barnstorming baseball team in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
Muzzy Field is also the location of the annual "Battle for the Bell" contested by the two city public high schools, Bristol Eastern and Bristol Central. The two meet annually on Thanksgiving morning, with the winner holding claim for the bell for the following year.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
. The ballpark, which is adjacent to the city's Rockwell Park, was built in 1939 and has a capacity of 4,900 people. In 2010 it was the home to the Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
New England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...
. It is also used for high school sports, primarily baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. Currently three high schools employ the field: Bristol Central High School, Bristol Eastern High School, and Saint Paul Catholic High School. The stadium features a ring of tall pine trees that line the outside of the outfield wall and the brickfaced grandstand.
Muzzy Field was the home of the Double-A Bristol Red Sox
Bristol Red Sox
The Bristol Red Sox was name of an American minor league baseball franchise. Based in Bristol, Connecticut, it was the Double-A Eastern League farm system affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for ten seasons, 1973 through 1982, and played at Muzzy Field....
of the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
from 1972 to 1982. Former Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
stars Jim Rice
Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice , nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989...
, Fred Lynn
Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
, and Butch Hobson
Butch Hobson
Clell Lavern "Butch" Hobson, Jr. is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Hobson played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.After retiring, he managed the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox...
honed their skills while members of the "BriSox." The ballpark also housed the old Bristol Owls of the Class-B Colonial League in 1949 and 1950, as well as various amateur baseball teams, notably the Bristol En-Dees and the local American Legion
American Legion Baseball
American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by teenage boys in 50 states in the USA. More than five thousand teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1925 at Milbank, South Dakota...
team. The Bristol Nighthawks, a now defunct franchise of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
New England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...
, played their home games at Muzzy Field during both 1994
1994 NECBL season
The 1994 NECBL season was the inaugural season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league operating in the northeastern United States region of New England...
and 1995
1995 NECBL season
The 1995 NECBL season was the second season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league added two new franchises, the Central Mass Collegians of Leominster, Massachusetts, the league's first team outside the state of Connecticut, and the Danbury Westerners of Danbury, Connecticut...
.
Muzzy Field was the site of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
baseball championship tournament
Big East Baseball Tournament
The Big East Baseball Tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Big East Conference. It is a double-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. ...
for a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 2004 the stadium was also the site of an American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
audition. (See The Bristol Press, August 7, 2004.)
A local, though probably apocryphal, legend holds that Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
hit the first home run in Muzzy Field when traveling with a barnstorming baseball team in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
Muzzy Field is also the location of the annual "Battle for the Bell" contested by the two city public high schools, Bristol Eastern and Bristol Central. The two meet annually on Thanksgiving morning, with the winner holding claim for the bell for the following year.