Norfolk Tides
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| New York Mets |
| National League |
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| Norfolk Tides |
| AA |
| Binghamton Mets |
| A |
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The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team, the AAA farm team for the New York Mets. They belong to the International League and are based in Norfolk, Virginia, where they play their home games at Harbor Park.
Franchise History
The franchise began its history in the South Atlantic League in 1961 as the Tidewater Tides , playing at Lawrence Stadium in Portsmouth. The main newspaper of South Hampton Roads, The Virginian-Pilot, ran a contest to determine the team name. Although the chosen name was "Mariners," the Pilot's editor overruled the contest, deciding he liked the alliteration of "Tidewater Tides."The Tides spent their first year as an "independent" team with no direct major-league affiliation, but became a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate the following season. However, the SAL decided to pull out of Virginia in 1963, threatening the future of minor-league baseball in the Hampton Roads area. A local group was able to convince the Carolina League to expand by two teams, one of them being the Tides.
In 1969, the Tides became a Triple-A team when the New York Mets moved their International League franchise from Jacksonville, Florida to Portsmouth. The previous owners of the Tides continued to run the team under the Mets' ownership. Their first year in Triple-A ended with a pennant. At the same time, the Mets and the city of Norfolk cooperated to build the team's next home, Met Park.
The Tides won the Governors' Cup, the IL championship, in 1972, 1975, 1982, 1983, and 1985. They also had the league's best regular-season record in 1987, but lost in the playoffs. In 1992, ground was broken on the club's current home of Harbor Park, and the Tides moved into the new facility in 1993. This period was a time of change in several other ways. First, in 1992, the Mets sold the franchise to a group led by a Tampa businessman. At the time the Tides moved into Harbor Park, the team also replaced the "Tidewater" in its name with that of Norfolk, partly for marketing reasons and partly for political considerations, as the city of Norfolk had facilitated the financing and building of Harbor Park. Also in 1993, The Tides introduced their mascot Rip Tide.
Titles
The Tides have won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the IL, 5 times, and played in the championship series 9 times.- 1971 - Lost to Rochester
- 1972 - Defeated Louisville
- 1975 - Defeated Syracuse
- 1982 - Defeated Rochester
- 1983 - Defeated Richmond
- 1985 - Defeated Columbus
- 1987 - Lost to Columbus
- 1988 - Lost to Rochester
- 1995 - Lost to Ottawa
Alumni
- 4 Lenny Dykstra
- 16 Dwight Gooden
- 44 Jason Isringhausen
- 34 Mike Scott
- 18 Darryl Strawberry
- 1 Mookie Wilson
- 5 David Wright
Current Roster
Active Roster
Updated on July 7, 2006
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Coaching Staff
- Ken Oberkfell - Manager
- Tony Tijerina - Interim Manager
- Howard Johnson - Hitting Coach
- Randy Niemann - Pitching Coach
- Donovan Mitchell - Coach
- Brian Chicklo - Trainer
- Kenny Coward - Strength Coordinator
External link
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| North Division | South Division | West Division | ||
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| Buffalo Bisons | Ottawa Lynx | Pawtucket Red Sox | Rochester Red Wings | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons | Syracuse SkyChiefs | Charlotte Knights | Durham Bulls | Norfolk Tides | Richmond Braves | Columbus Clippers | Indianapolis Indians | Louisville Bats | Toledo Mud Hens | ||
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