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Yale Field / New Haven County Cutters

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Year Opened	1927
Capacity	Approximately 4,500
Original Cost	Approximately $450,000
Owner	Yale University
Dimensions	333L, 400C, 306R
Playing Surface	Grass
Last Visit	2007
Web Site	cuttersbaseball.com
Online Broadcasts	Yes
Online Ticket Sales	Yes
Phone	203/777-5636
Ticket Prices (2007)	Executive Seats: $12.95; Box Seats: $10.95; General Admission: $8.95 ($5.95 for 12 and under or 65 and older). All tickets are $1.00 cheaper if purchased in advance of game day.
League	Can-Am Association
Parking	$3 in lot next to ballpark
Address/Directions	252 Derby Ave. (Rt. 34), West Haven, CT. There are exits for Rt. 34 off of both I-95 and the Wilbur Cross Parkway.
Text By:	Mike Pastore
Photos by:	Steve Kapsinow
Rating

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The view down the line.

It's hard to imagine today how important a city like New Haven, Conn., was to sports in the United States in the early 20th century. Before towns like Chapel Hill, N.C., and Gainesville, Fla., became bastions of college athletics and before the NFL and NBA became what they are today, and even before ESPN, there was the Ivy League and there was baseball. How far back do sports go in New Haven? Walter Camp, who practically invented the game of American football as we know it today, did it in New Haven. Walter Camp Field is directly across the street from Yale Field, as is the famous Yale Bowl football stadium.

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The entrance to Walter Camp Field. Everything in the area drips with history.

Let's clear something up right off the bat: Yale is located in downtown New Haven. Many would say Yale is downtown New Haven. The school's athletic facilities are located in nearby West Haven because that's where there was space for young men to frolic and play the Ivy League way back at the turn of the 20th century. What would eventually become Yale Field was an apple orchard purchased by the school in 1882. By 1902 there was an open field with a few bleachers. In 1927, for the grand sum of $500,000, Yale built a concrete and steel ballpark on the site and Yale Field was born.

Think about baseball in 1927, which is considered a pretty magical year in baseball history because of the team the New York Yankees fielded that season. And now consider this: many of the players you just thought of passed through little old Yale Field, sitting on Rt. 34 in West Haven. That fact hasn't been lost on Yale or the current summer tenants of Yale Field, the New Haven County Cutters of the independent Can-Am Association.

The lower concourse is filled with the names of those who played at Yale Field. To give you an idea how extensive the list is, here's a sampling. There are the legends: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Yogi Berra and Smokey Joe Wood. There are those who could hit, like Todd Helton. There are those who couldn't hit, like Rey Ordonez. There are future Hall of Famers, like Derek Jeter. There are those better known for other sports, like P.J. Carlisemo. And there are those better known for what they did outside of sports: like late NBC president Brandon Tartikoff and former President George H.W. Bush, who was captain of the Yale baseball team in his college days. In the NCAA Regionals in 1981, Yale's Ron Darling and St. John's Frank Viola pitched a legendary game at Yale Field that saw Darling no-hit St. John's for 11 innings before surrendering a run and losing in the 12th. Of course, both Darling and Viola would later pitch in the World Series as big leaguers. They're all there on the wall of the lower concourse.

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Some of the many greats to play at Yale Field.

Maybe it's the names on the wall, or maybe it's the ivy-covered exterior, or the steel structure of the ballpark roof, but it's not hard to imagine some of those names coming through West Haven on barnstorming teams. Even with the modern amenities that now exist at Yale Field, there are plenty of reminders that the ballpark goes back to the magical year of 1927.

That brings us to the New Haven County Cutters.

From 1994 to 2003, Yale Field was home to the New Haven Ravens, a member of the Eastern League. Following the 2003 season, the Ravens headed for Manchester, N.H., and became the Fisher Cats. After the Ravens split town, the Berkshire Black Bears left Pittsfield, Mass., for New Haven and the Cutters were born. If you've read Jim Bouton's Foul Ball then you know at least part of the story about the move.

Marketing an independent minor-league team is an uphill battle, and team ownership admits there's plenty of competition for the time and money of New Haven County residents. Everything from local carnivals, the beach, and cultural events, to other minor-league teams in Bridgeport, Norwich and New Britain are in the mix. Major-league baseball in New York and Boston is a day-trip away. The Ravens left a bad taste in the mouth of some fans and sponsors before they left New Haven, and all of that leaves the Cutters flying below the radar in a crowded marketplace. The team is bringing in help with marketing and branding to try to build an identity, and they should probably start with establishing what a Cutter is. It's a ship, yes, and it's also a pitch. It might be time to pick one and stick with it, or do away with the Cutters name completely. If there's an advantage to flying below the radar it's that you're unlikely to upset too many people if you scrap your name and start over.

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Note the manual scoreboard in center field.

Whatever direction the Cutters go in with regards to selling their product, one asset they can use to their advantage is their ballpark. If the weather is nice (it wasn't the night we went, but that's not the Cutters' fault) and you want to watch some baseball with an almost-homemade meal (more on that later), Yale Field is right there on Route 34, where it's been for 80 years now, and it's waiting to be found.

When the Cutters rule the roost from the end of May until the end of the summer, it's minor-league baseball the way you've probably come to expect it. The night of our visit was Harry Potter Night. The following night was a Thirsty Thursday (beer specials), combined with midget wrestling and a visit from Ms. Connecticut. They put on a show at Yale Field, as they do at almost every minor-league ballpark in the country. Without the capacity requirements of the Eastern League, which the Ravens needed to follow, the Cutters were free to remove some bleachers and make adjustments to the ballpark and its atmosphere. There's a Fun Zone for kids down the left field line, and it's covered with a net to keep the kids safe but provide an open view of the game for their parents. There's a large picnic area in right field for groups, and more picnic tables in a short porch built into right field, which measures only 306 feet from home plate. Catch a home run in your hot dog.

That all sounds standard for 2007, doesn't it? So do the Executive Seats with waiter service and cupholders and a small table in between them. So do the pair of luxury boxes built in next to the press box that can expand to one large luxury suite and feature air conditioning, waiter service, a TV, a sink and fridge (prices start at $500, but that includes a $100 food credit). But then take a walk up to the upper concourse of Yale Field, where the last row still has the original seats from 1927. (Don't think Americans are getting bigger? Try sitting in them.) Take a look out to centerfield, where the batter's eye contains a hand-operated scoreboard.

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Original benches are still installed in the back of the grandstand.

New Haven isn't going to be confused with Manhattan, but by Connecticut standards the city has great food. That reputation is due largely in part to the international flavor that Yale provides the city, making it a home for African, Asian, Italian and American cuisines. The Cutters didn't outsource their food service to a vendor, which means you have a local barbecue legend doing his thing down the left-field line, and you have an ice-cream stand with everything you'd expect from a full-service ice-cream stand. There are burgers, hot dogs, fried dough, macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, pretzels, and more kinds of beer than you can safely sample in one night, including the local Elm City brews. The Cutters added a beer garden in the grandstand down the third-base line, which includes televisions so you can still watch the Yankees or Red Sox while taking in the Cutters game. If you're looking for Coke or Pepsi, you won't find it at Yale Field. There's a local cola available, as well as juice, Gatorade, iced tea and fresh lemonade. All of the food and drink is reasonably priced and the fact the Cutters do it all themselves adds a nice touch to the concessions, instead of the institutional food served with institutional service at so many ballparks.

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There's a wide selection of food at the ballpark.

Filled up on all the food and beverages available, take comfort knowing that when the weather isn't cooperating, or when the sun is beating down, Yale Field's roof covers about 70 percent of its seats, and it does so without the claustrophobic feel of more modern ballparks. The ceiling is high and has big old lights that look like they've been there since, well, 1927. The Cutters brought in their own groundskeeper to keep the playing surface in shape during the summer and the grass is nice and green. Sure, there's a big blow-up thing for kids to play in down the left-field line, but look up at the roof or look down at the ivy-covered walls from the upper concourse and there's more reminders that Yale Field holds 80 years of baseball memories.

Call me a traditionalist, but there's one thing I'd like to try at Yale Field. Turn down the music and the PA system for a day, maybe hire an organist, and put Cracker Jack and peanuts on sale for half price. Give the announcer the day off and give a couple of eager interns old-fashioned megaphones to announce the hitters and the lineups. Then sit back, even if you're in a luxury box, and watch some baseball. They still use wooden bats and a white ball with red stitches. It's just like they did it when Ruth and Gehrig stopped by in the 1930s.

Concessions
Any attempt at listing all of the food and beverage available at Yale Field will undoubtedly leave something out. So let's put it this way: if you can't find anything at all that you'll eat at Yale Field, you're probably nearing starvation. Everything from a bag of sunflower seeds to a whole rack of ribs is available, the prices are reasonable, and there's no shortage of beverage options to wash it all down.

Where to Stay
There isn't much in the immediate Yale Field neighborhood, but there's no lack of hotels ranging from the luxurious, like The Omni in downtown New Haven, to reasonably priced chains in nearby towns like Milford and Hamden. Best Western, Super Eight, and Econo Lodge all have hotels right in West Haven. Connecticut's casinos and their hotels are a little more than an hour away.

For the Kids
There's a Fun Zone down the left-field line and plenty of promotions sure to interest the little ones. Harry Potter Night featured a magician to help pass a rain delay during our visit. Family Fun Days are scheduled on Sundays, and fireworks are a Saturday Night staple.

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A supervised play area is popular with the younger set.

Before the Game
When in New Haven, check out Yale. The downtown campus features museums such as the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the Museum of British Art, and there's no shortage of shops and food. Most of the good stuff is located within a few blocks of the New Haven Green, which features its own goings-on during the summer. History buffs will recognize New Haven as a key player in the story of the slave revolt aboard the Amistad, and a replica of the schooner is currently sailing the globe and due back in New Haven next summer for its homecoming. One more thing about food: you'll find New Haven's famous pizzerias, including Pepe's, as well as plenty of other tasty Italian food, on Wooster Street near the center of New Haven.