Catskill Cougars
| Catskill Cougars | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mountaindale, New York |
| Ballpark | Baxter Stadium |
| Year founded | 1995 |
| Year disbanded | 2000 |
| League championships | 1996 |
| Former league(s) |
|
| Colors | Red, White |
The Catskill Cougars were a minor-league baseball team based in Mountaindale, New York in the state's Catskill Mountains region. The Cougars played in the North Atlantic League in 1996 and the Northeast League (later known as the Can-Am League), from 1997-1998 and 2000. The North Atlantic and Northeast leagues were independent leagues that were not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. The Cougars played their home games at Baxter Stadium, and were part-owned by comedian Bill Murray.
The team played as one of the six teams in the inaugural 1995 season of the Northeast League. The following year, a new ownership group moved the renamed Cougars to the year-old North Atlantic League. In their first season, aided by several victories by default over the bankrupt Nashua Hawks, Catskill finished 35-35, good enough for second place and a spot in the league championship series against the Massachusetts Mad Dogs, who finished 14 1/2 games ahead of the rest of the NAL. The Cougars then stunned the Mad Dogs by sweeping the best-of-three title series, two games to none, becoming the first pro baseball team based in the Hudson Valley to win a championship.
The team also did well in attendance, averaging 1,075 fans per game, which ranked third in the six-team league. The Cougars used former major-leaguers Wally Backman and Gates Brown as managers. However, the North Atlantic League filed for bankruptcy and folded after the 1996 season.
By 1997, the Northeast League had grown to 8 teams. The Cougars entered the league, but did not enjoy the same success; they finished the season in the cellar (21-62) and were last in the league in almost all offensive, pitching and defensive categories. They still averaged 925 fans per game. The team featured former major-leaguers Vance Lovelace, Kerwin Moore, and Matt Murray.
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