The Lake Monsters are here to stay

Full video of the conference can be seen

at the bottom of this entry.

BURLINGTON, VT – Wednesday afternoon, a lease agreement was signed between the University of Vermont and the Vermont Lake Monsters.  The team will be hanging their hats at historic Centennial Field for the next 20 years.  Lake Monsters owner, Ray Pecor, and UVM Interim President, John Bramley, signed the agreement at the start of Wednesday's press conference.  The agreement states that team will pay $1 a year for the use of the ballpark.  Prior to this new arrangement, the team was paying $40,000 per season.

With the virtual removal of this annual cost, the franchise is now able to focus on making repairs and upgrades to Centennial Field.  This also puts an end to the recent concerns about the future of the Lake Monsters in Burlington.  John Bramley commented “It allows an activity, Minor League Baseball, for the enjoyment of families and the continuation of a tradition, and for the benefit of the community and the state.”

After hearing from Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball, as well as complaints from visiting teams about the visitors locker room and other issues, it became a very real possibility that the franchise would be leaving Burlington.  The new lease will help to keep professional baseball in Vermont for at least the next two decades.

When asked about the next steps, Lake Monsters Vice President, Kyle Bostwick, said the following, “..at minimum, the rental payments that have gone into the facility will be reinvested back into the facility.  There’s a lot of things that we’d like to do, and a lot of things that we have to do.”

"The Vermont Lake Monsters are very appreciative of the university's commitment to a long-term lease,” said team owner Ray Pecor.  “We are excited about being able to continue to bring Lake Monsters baseball to our fanbase and explore all of the opportunities that exist in renovating our beautiful ballpark.”

Since Pecor brought baseball back to historic Centennial Field, baseball has been a great tradition for families.  It has become a favorite way for people living in the Burlington area to spend their summer.  “It’s been a partnership between the University of Vermont and Ray Pecor that’s created the opportunity for thousands to experience the joy of Minor League Baseball here for nearly 20 years.” Bramley said in reference to the team’s history here.

An independent study was conducted in 2010 and found that fixing the immediate needs of the ballpark will cost $3.3 million.  It will take a total of $9.2 million for Centennial Field to meet the standards set by Minor League Baseball.

Originally opened in 1906, Centennial Field continues to be the oldest operating ballpark in professional baseball.  This has been viewed as both a positive and a negative.  On one hand, the age of the ballpark has presented many of the problems that are being addressed now.  On the other hand, Centennial has a kind of character that can’t be duplicated in the new stadiums being built around the country.  As Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss observed, “We are surrounded by 100 years of baseball history, and 28 years of Minor League Baseball history.”

If all leagues and schedules remain as they are, Centennial Field will host 760 Lake Monsters games over the 20 year span.  The first of this year's 38 home games will take place on June 18th as the Lake Monsters host the Tri-City ValleyCats.

Thank you to Jeremy Boquet for videoing the press conference
PART 1 - The Press Conference

PART 2 - Question & Answer session

See you at the ballpark!

Vermont Lake Monsters to Sponsor 2012 Vermont Scripps Spelling Bee

- Lake Monsters Press Release -

BURLINGTON, VT --- The Vermont Lake Monsters baseball team is sponsoring the Vermont Scripps Spelling Bee, being put on by the Burlington Free Press. The Spelling Bee will be held on Wednesday March 12th at 3:30pm on the Saint Michael’s College campus in Colchester. The Scripps Spelling Bee is an annual, national event.

The goal of the spelling bee is to improve students’ spelling skill and increase their vocabulary. “This is a national competition that every state participates in,” said VPA Associate Executive Director Bob Johnson. “These students need to have the ability to speak in front of a large crowd, memorize words, and have the ability to perform under pressure. When it gets down to the last four or five spellers, it becomes a very high pressure situation!”

These students are performing under similar pressures to those facing a Lake Monsters’ batter in the bottom of the ninth inning. It is only fitting that Champ, the Lake Monsters mascot who cheers on the team at the field, will be cheering on the spellers next Wednesday. “This is a great event for our community,” said Lake Monsters’ Assistant General Manager Joe Doud. “We are excited to be a part of the competition. We are a lot more than just baseball. We have several programs to promote literacy and education in the community. Hopefully, a young Lake Monster fan will be winning this competition in the future.”

The champion of the competition will be traveling to Washington DC to compete for the national title. The winner will also receive the Samuel Louis Sugarman award certificate valued at $50, a one year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica, and a Webster’s Third New International dictionary. In addition, all travel expenses will be paid via event sponsorship to Washington DC for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Please keep checking back here to the 405 Blog for Vermont Lake Monsters news.  To find out more about the team, please check out the official Vermont Lake Monsters website, www.vermontlakemonsters.com

See you at the ballpark!