[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 18, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S10871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS WIN CAROLINA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, last Wednesday evening, with a 6-4, 
11th-inning victory over the Kinston Indians, the Wilmington Blue Rocks 
captured the Carolina League championship for the second time in their 
4-year history. I would like to take this opportunity to join all 
Delawareans in congratulating Manager John Mizerock, his players and 
coaches, and the entire Blue Rocks' organization for their oustanding 
season, and--again on behalf of all Delawareans--I'd like to thank them 
for providing us with yet another summer of enjoyable family 
entertainment.
  For 40 years, up until the spring of 1993, Wilmington was without 
professional baseball until our late Mayor Dan Frawley, former State 
Representative Steve Taylor, and dozens of other public officials, 
businesspersons, and community leaders made a commitment to build a 
stadium and lure a minor league franchise to the city. Now, ``The Boys 
of Summer'' have returned each spring, averaging more than 300,000 fans 
annually as the Blue Rocks have captured the Northern Division title in 
each of their 4 years, winning the League Championship in 1994 and 
again this year.
  But for all of their success on the field, the Blue Rocks' real 
contribution has been the sense of community pride which they have 
brought to the Wilmington area. The people of Wilmington have welcomed 
these young men from around the country and from as far away as Latin 
America into their homes and their hearts, and in droves have brought 
their families out to Frawley Stadium on spring and summer afternoons 
and evenings to share a few hours of family fun watching their boys in 
action. In return, the Blue Rocks players and management have involved 
themselves in the community, visiting schools and conducting baseball 
clinics, providing our youngsters with fine role models. What's more, 
the construction of Frawley Stadium and the activity at the stadium has 
led to the revitalization of an old neighborhood, with the South 
Madison Street corridor becoming a prime location for restaurants and 
community events.
  Matt Minker and his partners, including my good friends Frank and 
Fran Long, have given the club ownership with a local flavor, ensuring 
that the franchise is more than just a business, but an integral part 
of community life in Wilmington. Ken Shepard, the vice president of 
baseball operations, and his fine staff have run a first-rate operation 
where excellent baseball is played in a stadium that is fan-friendly--
and especially kid-friendly--and always immaculately clean. A friend of 
mine remembers hearing Ken Shepard tell his staff just minutes after 
the Blue Rocks concluded their championship season of 1994, that even 
though there wouldn't be another game for more than 6 months, he wanted 
the stadium cleaned up ``as if there was going to be a game here 
tomorrow night''--and it was. That commitment to excellence has led to 
national recognition of the Wilmington Blue Rocks' as one of the 
premier minor-league organizations in the Nation.

  Blue Rocks' fans will remember another season of first-rate baseball 
on the diamond at Frawley Stadium; the dramatic win last Wednesday 
night on Matt Smith's 11th-inning home run; Sean McNally's ninth-inning 
scamper around the bases to score all the way from first-base on 
Michael Evans' hit to right-center field clinching the Northern 
Division title on Labor Day night; Jimmy Byington playing all nine 
positions in a single game in June; and countless other late-inning 
rallies, dramatic home runs, and superb pitching performances.
  But they've taken home a lot of other memories this summer as well. 
Memories of clear blue-sky afternoons when the yard work took a back 
seat to a couple of hours with the kids in the sun at Frawley Stadium; 
and of summer evenings with the sun setting beyond the stands down the 
left-field line as a crowd of 5 or 6,000 stood and cheered as the Blue 
Rocks' pitcher fired a strike to open the game. There'll be memories of 
legions of kids trailing along behind Rocky Bluewinkle, the blue moose 
who is the team's mascot; and memories of the mad scrambles to catch 
the souvenir frisbees that Rocky threw into the stands; of the 
hilarious Dizzy Bat Races which every evening left several volunteers 
from the audience sprawled on the green grass, disoriented, and having 
the time of their lives; and of The Macarena dance at the end of the 
fifth inning and thousands of fans moving in unison to ``YMCA'' during 
the seventh-inning stretch each evening.
  Nor will fans forget some of the characters who highlighted their 
afternoons and evenings at our ``Field of Dreams''; Blue Rocks employee 
Chris ``The Dancing Machine'' Parise standing on the third-base dugout 
and leading the fans in ``The Chicken Dance''; stadium organist Mike 
Mixon playing ``McNamara's Band'' whenever third-baseman Sean McNally 
came to bat; Jimmy, the soft-pretzel vendor in the stands whose energy 
and charisma probably doubled the sale of soft pretzels at the stadium; 
the ``Balloon Man'' enchanting the younger children with hats and 
animals made out of balloons; and countless other players, employees, 
and fans who made each trip to the ballpark a memorable one.
  For most fans, however, the Blue Rocks memories of summer 1996 will 
revolve around the family and friends who shared those good times with 
them. It is the sharing of good times like that that binds families and 
friends together, and as we congratulate the Blue Rocks on their 
Carolina League championship, we thank them for allowing us to share 
their success with one another. 

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