Wednesday, May 23, 2012

STORYLINE Sacramento River Cats

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As we look forward to summer and the end of the rain, the baseball season draws near.

While most teams in the area fail to attain success, the Sacramento River Cats have been successful from the start. They first came to Sacramento in 2000.

The Sacramento River Cats are the minor league affiliate for the Oakland Athletics. In the past decade, they have won four Triple-A Championships and eight Pacific Division Championships. They have also sent a long list of players to the major league including Barry Zito, Erik Byrnes, Nick Swisher and others.

As the franchise continues to produce, the list of players that make it to the pros through the Sacramento River Cats will continue to grow.

Sacramento led the Pacific Coast League with 86 wins in 2009 and hope to top that in 2010. A large part of their success is due to manager Tony DeFrancesco, who has compiled a 499-364 record in his six years in Sacramento, the first win of 2010 making 500 for DeFrancesco.

This season, be on the lookout for guys like first baseman/outfielder Chris Carter and outfielder Matt Carson to continue what they did last year.

The 6-foot-5 Carter, who was recently named the top prospect in the Oakland A’s organization by Baseball America, knocked a ball out of the park in each of the four first-round playoff games. Carter also matched a franchise record by recording three homers in a late August game against Reno.

Carson had 116 hits, 77 RBIs and 25 homers in 2009 and hopes to continue his success this season.

Even with the River Cats' success as a team, Raley Field continues to be a ballpark for the fans, offering a number of ticket packages and improving an already satisfying environment. To make the experience even better, Raley Field has added a new sound system, a new scoreboard and wider high-definition jumbotron.

Opening day for the River Cats is Friday, April 16. The opening day weekend will be celebrated with dollar hot dogs and desserts, followed by fireworks and team posters that will be given out on Saturday. On Sunday the kids will be able to run the bases with Dinger and get autographs from their favorite River Cats.

There are 17 days until Opening Day at Raley Field and this year hopes to be another successful year for the River Cats and our community.

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Joel Rosenberg

March 29, 2010 | 9:37 PM

Going to Raley Field for a cold beer on a warm night is a highlight of the summer for me. The fact that I can walk from the Sacpress office (or anywhere downtown) is a definite plus, too.

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A Yoni

March 30, 2010 | 5:57 AM

When I first moved to Sacramento one of my greatest disappointments was that there was no Major League Baseball because I LOVE baseball! Coming from a city where there was a professional team in nearly every sport and huge sporting town, I was sure I would greatly miss my favorite summer past-time but then I discovered the River Cats. While they're not my beloved St. Louis Cardinals, they're running a very close race. I was very impressed with Raley Field, how interactive they can get with the fans during a game, all the special promotions and activities they put on at the field, but most of all with discovering that Minor League doesn't mean that there is any less action in the game. Those guys can really play ball and have done exceptionally well as a team for years now. I just got my game schedule and calender of promotions in the mail yesterday and can't wait for the season to start! But of course, I do still have to have my MLB TV to keep up with the Cards too, lol.

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Lisa Palmer

March 30, 2010 | 3:36 PM

Raley Field is quickly becoming a great place to spend a summer night. Last year, they had a day where you could take your dog to the game. It was a lot of fun, though I don't think my pup payed much attention to the game. Do you know if they'll be doing it again this year?

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Michael Morris