Mike Roer

The Bluefish

Mary-Jane Foster, Mickey Herbert, and Jack McGregor founded the Bridgeport Bluefish in 1998.   All are long-time residents of the Bridgeport area.  They have also demonstrated by years of volunteer service a commitment to the advancement of Bridgeport and its people.  They share a vision of a bright future for Park City.

 

[From left to right in photo]

 

Mary-Jane Foster is an attorney and former New York actress who also served as President of the Board of Directors for the former YWCA of Greater Bridgeport (now the Center for Women and Families).  

 

Mickey Herbert was the founder of Physicians Health Services (PHS).  A former Raybestos Cardinal softball star, he remains active in civic organizations throughout the Bridgeport area, is a past Barnum Festival Ringmaster, and former Chairman of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council (BRBC).

 

Founding sports franchises is nothing new to Jack McGregor.  He founded and was President of the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL hockey team.  McGregor is of counsel to Cohen and Wolf, P. C., was formerly the president of Aquarion, and serves on numerous civic and corporate boards.  Jack is also a former chairman of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council. 

Annual Baseball Highlights


1992. 

The city retained Bowie Kuhn in 1992 to advise how and where to obtain a minor league baseball team.  According to Bridgeport Director of Economic Development Mike Freimuth, "Bowie spent several months evaluating the city, the market, and our sincerity."  He could not, however, suggest a way to get around the rules of organized baseball which prevent a team from setting up within sixty miles of another club, and Yankee Stadium falls within a sixty mile radius of Bridgeport.

 

"For this reason," Freimuth said, "we made a weak attempt at the Albany Yankees through Bowie Kuhn, thinking the guys in the Bronx wouldn't object to their own affiliate moving an hour away.  The Albany team ended up in Norwich while New Haven secured an expansion team, thereby further restricting organized baseball in Fairfield County.

 

"Unbeknownst to us, a former Albany Yankees owner, Frank Bolton was preparing to start up an independent league for the New York area, the present incarnation being the Atlantic League. 

 

"The Bluefish story started in Florida when City Councilman Mike Marella was talking with a long-time Police Athletic League acquaintance, Buddy Harrelson, at a PAL convention.  Harrelson is a partner with Frank Bolton in the Atlantic League.  From this meeting, Mike Marella called from Florida and we talked with the Atlantic League about Bridgeport joining.

 

"Harrelson and Bolton came up several times in the winter of 1996.  Joe Riccio, myself and Paul Timpanelli put together the application to the league while several local business people were mentioned to the League as possible investors in a Bridgeport Club."

 

1993-1995. 

 Nation-wide, minor league attendance rebounded, climbing 47%.  Cities began to realize the economic development potential of a minor league franchise.  The stage was set.

 

1996. 

Jack McGregor, Mary Jane Foster, and their investor group announced they would bring professional baseball back to Bridgeport if the City and state would build a first-class ball park.     Mayor, City Council, Governor, and State Legislature to McGregor and Foster: "You're on."

 

1997. 

At 2:00 pm on December 2,  home plate was laid at Bridgeport's seventh professional ball park, Harbor Yard.

 

1998 - to date:  See www.BridgeportBluefish.com.