Early January is the time of the year that can’t go by fast enough. It’s cold outside, the days are short, and worst of all pitchers and catchers don’t report until Valentine’s Day.
So in the beginning of winter, I purchased a slice of spring in the form of tickets to the first professional baseball game that I could find in the Hartford area: the Portland Sea Dogs at the New Britain Rock Cats on Thursday, April 3, 2008 which is opening night for the Rock Cats.
The Rock Cats organization must share in the joy that is the annual return of baseball to New England because they have choosen to mark this glorious rite of spring with a fireworks show. Aside from the 4th of July I can’t think of a more appropriate occassion to have a fireworks display but then again I don’t live within earshot of New Britain Stadium.
The fireworks displays by the Rock Cats have an interesting legal history. In Esposito v. New Britain Baseball Club, Inc., 49 Conn.Supp. 509 (2005) (Berger, J.), neighboring homeowners brought an injunction against the Rock Cats to prevent the Rock Cats from commencing and continuing almost biweekly fireworks shows.
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In a very thoughtful opinion, Judge Berger, ruled that the fireworks constituted a nuisance and substantially interfered with the neighboring homeowners’ use and enjoyment of their property and ordered the Rock Cats to reduce the number of fireworks shows during the season to one time each month.
As for me, I won’t stick around for the fireworks display but I hope to arrive early to watch Red Sox prospects take batting practice and hopefully watch them generate some fireworks at the plate.
