Vermont Lake Monsters
Encyclopedia
The Vermont Lake Monsters are a minor league
baseball
team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League
, affiliated with the Oakland Athletics
. The team plays its home games at Centennial Field
on the University of Vermont
campus in Burlington, Vermont
. The team was located in Jamestown, New York
(as the Jamestown Expos) prior to 1994, and was an Expos/Nationals affiliate from its founding until September 2010, when it became an Oakland Athletics
affiliate. On August 16, 2005 the then-Expos were featured on ESPN
SportsCenter
as a part of the program's "50 States in 50 Days" segment on Vermont.
in Burlington since 1976, purchased the franchise rights of the Jamestown Expos
and moved the franchise to Burlington, retaining the Expos name. The Vermont Expos played their first game at Centennial Field
on June 16, 1994. The Expos lost 6 to 5 to the Pittsfield Mets
but more than 5,000 fans turned out for the game.
announced on September 29, 2004 that they would move to Washington, DC after the 2004 season. They would re-name themselves the Washington Nationals
. Minor League Baseball
gives clubs 60-days after the end of the season to change their names and logos. Vermont did not have enough time for an identity change and retained the nickname Expos for the 2005 season.
During the 2005 season, the club announced its plan to change the nickname and solicited suggestions from its fans. The team received 30,000 fan suggestions for the new name. The New York Times reported that the two leading contenders were "Green Mountain Boys" and "Lakemonsters".
They announced the new name, "Lake Monsters", and revealed the new team colors and uniforms on November 15, 2005. The Expos colors of red, white and blue were replaced with the Lake Monster colors of navy blue, columbia blue and green. The name references Champ
, the legendary Lake Champlain
monster which had been the team's mascot since 1994.
The club's last game as the Vermont Expos was on September 8, 2005. They opened the 2006 season as the Vermont Lake Monsters.
- closer than the Boston Red Sox' Fenway Park
. While baseball fans in Burlington tend to root for the Red Sox and Yankees
, Montreal was the closest Major League Baseball stadium until 2005.
On July 22, 2005, the Vermont Expos held its first "Tribute to the Expos" promotion and honored Andre Dawson
at Centennial Field. While the club changed its name to the "Lake Monsters" in 2006, the organization held its second "tribute to the Expos". The club honored pitcher Dennis Martinez
and for the game, wore powder-blue Expos uniforms with the Expos name on the front and a Lake Monsters patch on the left sleeve. On August 5, 2007, the Lake Monsters honored the Expos again and brought Tim Wallach
to Burlington.
as their new affiliate. In late September the Oakland A's signed a two year contract with Vermont to become their new affiliate. This marked the first time in the Lake Monsters 14 year history that it wasn't an affiliate of the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. Vermont will kick off its first year as an affiliate of the Oakland A's beginning in June 2011.
(1994, Houston Astros
) Orlando Cabrera
(1995, Cincinnati Reds
) Michael Barrett (1995, San Diego Padres
) Milton Bradley (1997, Seattle Mariners
) Jorge Julio
(1998, Atlanta Braves
) Wilson Valdez
(1999, Philadelphia Phillies
) Jason Bay
(2000, New York Mets
) Brandon Watson
(2000, AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs; set the Minor League Baseball
hit-streak record of 43 games in 2007) Jason Bergmann
(2002), Washington Nationals
Darrell Rasner
(2002, New York Yankees
) John Lannan
(2005), Washington Nationals
Danny Espinosa
(2008), Washington Nationals
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...
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...
team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League
New York - Penn League
The New York – Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "Short-Season A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early...
, affiliated with the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. The team plays its home games at Centennial Field
Centennial Field
Centennial Field is the name of two sports facilities at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. One is used for baseball and the other is now primarily used for men's and women's soccer. It once serving as the home field for the school's football and lacrosse teams...
on the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
campus in Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
. The team was located in Jamestown, New York
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
(as the Jamestown Expos) prior to 1994, and was an Expos/Nationals affiliate from its founding until September 2010, when it became an Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
affiliate. On August 16, 2005 the then-Expos were featured on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
as a part of the program's "50 States in 50 Days" segment on Vermont.
History
In 1993, Burlington businessman Ray Pecor, the owner of Lake Champlain Transportation CompanyLake Champlain Transportation Company
The Lake Champlain Transportation Company provides car and passenger ferry service at four points on Lake Champlain in the United States. From 1976 to 2003, it was owned by Burlington, Vermont, businessman Raymond C. Pecor, Jr. who is Chairman of the company's board...
in Burlington since 1976, purchased the franchise rights of the Jamestown Expos
Jamestown Jammers
The Jamestown Jammers are a minor league baseball team in Jamestown, New York, United States. The team is the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Miami Marlins and plays in the New York - Penn League...
and moved the franchise to Burlington, retaining the Expos name. The Vermont Expos played their first game at Centennial Field
Centennial Field
Centennial Field is the name of two sports facilities at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. One is used for baseball and the other is now primarily used for men's and women's soccer. It once serving as the home field for the school's football and lacrosse teams...
on June 16, 1994. The Expos lost 6 to 5 to the Pittsfield Mets
Pittsfield Mets
The Pittsfield Mets were a minor league baseball team moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts from Little Falls, NY by an investment group organized by Michael T. Casey. The team played in the New York - Penn League, and were affiliated with the New York Mets from 1989 to 2000 and the Houston Astros in...
but more than 5,000 fans turned out for the game.
2005 name change
The Montreal ExposMontreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
announced on September 29, 2004 that they would move to Washington, DC after the 2004 season. They would re-name themselves the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
. Minor League Baseball
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...
gives clubs 60-days after the end of the season to change their names and logos. Vermont did not have enough time for an identity change and retained the nickname Expos for the 2005 season.
During the 2005 season, the club announced its plan to change the nickname and solicited suggestions from its fans. The team received 30,000 fan suggestions for the new name. The New York Times reported that the two leading contenders were "Green Mountain Boys" and "Lakemonsters".
They announced the new name, "Lake Monsters", and revealed the new team colors and uniforms on November 15, 2005. The Expos colors of red, white and blue were replaced with the Lake Monster colors of navy blue, columbia blue and green. The name references Champ
Champ (legend)
Champ, or Champie, or Champy, is the name given to a reputed lake monster living in Lake Champlain, a natural freshwater lake in North America, partially situated across the U.S.-Canada border in the Canadian province of Quebec and partially situated across the Vermont-New York border...
, the legendary Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
monster which had been the team's mascot since 1994.
The club's last game as the Vermont Expos was on September 8, 2005. They opened the 2006 season as the Vermont Lake Monsters.
Expos legacy
The franchise was the last professional ball club to carry the Expos name. The team's home ballpark, Centennial Field, is 100-miles from the Montreal Expos' last home ballpark Olympic StadiumOlympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
- closer than the Boston Red Sox' Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
. While baseball fans in Burlington tend to root for the Red Sox and 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...
, Montreal was the closest Major League Baseball stadium until 2005.
On July 22, 2005, the Vermont Expos held its first "Tribute to the Expos" promotion and honored Andre Dawson
Andre Dawson
Andre Nolan Dawson , nicknamed "The Hawk", is an American former center fielder and right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played for four different teams, spending most of his career with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs .An 8-time National League All-Star, he was named the...
at Centennial Field. While the club changed its name to the "Lake Monsters" in 2006, the organization held its second "tribute to the Expos". The club honored pitcher Dennis Martinez
Dennis Martínez
José Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher...
and for the game, wore powder-blue Expos uniforms with the Expos name on the front and a Lake Monsters patch on the left sleeve. On August 5, 2007, the Lake Monsters honored the Expos again and brought Tim Wallach
Tim Wallach
Timothy Charles Wallach , nicknamed "Eli" in reference to actor Eli Wallach, is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from to for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, and California Angels. He won three Gold Glove awards for defensive excellence and 2 Silver Slugger...
to Burlington.
Change in Affiliates
The 2010 season was the last season the Vermont Lake Monsters played as affiliates of the Washington Nationals. In mid September 2010, the Nationals changed teams and signed the Auburn DoubledaysAuburn Doubledays
The Auburn Doubledays are a minor league baseball team in Auburn, New York, USA, that is owned and operated by Auburn Community Baseball. They are a member of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League and have been a farm team of the Houston Astros , the Toronto Blue Jays , and Washington...
as their new affiliate. In late September the Oakland A's signed a two year contract with Vermont to become their new affiliate. This marked the first time in the Lake Monsters 14 year history that it wasn't an affiliate of the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. Vermont will kick off its first year as an affiliate of the Oakland A's beginning in June 2011.
Notable alumni
Geoff BlumGeoff Blum
Geoffrey Edward Blum is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. During his major-league career, he has also played for the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox...
(1994, Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
) Orlando Cabrera
Orlando Cabrera
Orlando Luis Cabrera, nicknamed "O-Cab" and "The OC", is a Colombian-American baseball infielder.He won a World Series championship in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. He has played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins,...
(1995, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
) Michael Barrett (1995, San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
) Milton Bradley (1997, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
) Jorge Julio
Jorge Julio
Jorge Dandys Julio Tapia is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles from 2001–2005, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, and the Florida Marlins in 2007 before being traded...
(1998, Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
) Wilson Valdez
Wilson Valdéz
Wilson Antonio Valdez is a Major League Baseball utility infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies.-Early career:Valdez was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Expos on February 4, 1997...
(1999, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
) Jason Bay
Jason Bay
Jason Raymond Bay is a Canadian professional baseball player. An outfielder, he currently plays for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball...
(2000, 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...
) Brandon Watson
Brandon Watson
Brandon Eric Watson is an American outfielder who is a free agent. Although he bats left-handed, Watson throws right-handed.Watson spent a portion of the and the with the Washington Nationals...
(2000, AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs; set the Minor League Baseball
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...
hit-streak record of 43 games in 2007) Jason Bergmann
Jason Bergmann
Jason Christopher Bergmann is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. He was born in Neptune, New Jersey, and grew up in Manalapan Township, New Jersey where he played high school baseball at Manalapan High School...
(2002), Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
Darrell Rasner
Darrell Rasner
Darrell Wayne Rasner is a starting pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League.Rasner attended the University of Nevada, where he was a health ecology major...
(2002, 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...
) John Lannan
John Lannan
John Edward Lannan is a left-handed starting pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization....
(2005), Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
Danny Espinosa
Danny Espinosa
Daniel Richard "Danny" Espinosa is a Major League Baseball Second baseman for the Washington Nationals.-College career:...
(2008), Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...