New Jersey Cardinals
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The New Jersey Cardinals were a class A short-season American minor league baseball team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals. They were a member of the New York - Penn League and played at Skylands Park in Augusta, New Jersey through the 2005 season.
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[edit] History
After operating for six seasons as the Glens Falls Redbirds, a new owner purchased the club and moved them to the Garden State for the 1994 season. Despite construction delays resulting from a rough winter, the new park opened on schedule. The New Jersey Cardinals put together a 43-32 regular-season mark, and then defeated the Jamestown Jammers, 2 games to 1, and the Auburn Astros, 2 games to 0, to win the league title. In honor of the achievement, the club changed its official address to "94 Championship Place". The Cardinals had one of their best player drafts the following year, and several future stars, including Matt Morris, passed through Augusta in 1995.
Over the next nine seasons, however, the Cardinals experienced only one more winning season, going 39-37 in 2002, before their relocation. In 2004, the Cards made a late-season run and finished with a 41-34 record, but still failed to qualify for the league playoffs.
In addition, with the arrival of competition in the form of additional teams in the New York metropolitan area, attendance began to slip. The Cardinals drew a league-leading 156,447 fans in their inaugural season, but just 115,342 in 2004.
[edit] Relocation
Following the 2005 season, the owners of the Cardinals agreed to sell the team. The group that purchased the team is headed by the principal partners of the class double-A Eastern League Altoona Curve who have transferred Cardinals operations to State College, Pennsylvania, where the team will play beginning in the 2006 season in the brand new, 6,000-seat Medlar Field. Coinciding with the relocation, the Cardinals have been renamed the State College Spikes.
Beginning with the 2006 baseball season, the vacancy left by the Cardinals in Augusta, New Jersey, will be replaced by the Sussex Skyhawks of the Can-Am League.
[edit] Season Records
| Season | Affiliation | Manager | Record |
| 1994 | Cardinals | Roy Silver | 43-32, 1st place McNamara |
| 1995 | Cardinals | Luis Melendez | 35-41, 3rd place McNamara |
| 1996 | Cardinals | Scott Melvin | 28-47, 5th place McNamara |
| 1997 | Cardinals | Jeff Shireman | 35-39, 3rd place McNamara |
| 1998 | Cardinals | Jose Oquendo | 34-41, 4th place McNamara |
| 1999 | Cardinals | Jeff Shireman | 30-46, 8th place Stedler |
| 2000 | Cardinals | Jeff Shireman | 31-45, 6th place Pinckney |
| 2001 | Cardinals | Brian Rupp | 35-41, 5th place McNamara |
| 2002 | Cardinals | Tommy Shields | 39-37, 3rd place McNamara |
| 2003 | Cardinals | Tommy Shields | 31-42, 5th place McNamara |
| 2004 | Cardinals | Tommy Shields | 41-34, 2nd place McNamara |
| 2005 | Cardinals | Mark DeJohn | 37-39, 5th place McNamara |
[edit] Postseason Records
- 1994: defeated Jamestown Jammers, 2 games to 1; defeated Auburn Astros, 2 games to 0, for league championship
[edit] External links
| New York - Penn League | ||||
| Pinckney Division | McNamara Division | Stedler Division | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Doubledays | Batavia Muckdogs | Jamestown Jammers | Mahoning Valley Scrappers | State College Spikes | Williamsport Crosscutters | Aberdeen IronBirds | Brooklyn Cyclones | Hudson Valley Renegades | Staten Island Yankees | Lowell Spinners | Oneonta Tigers | Tri-City ValleyCats | Vermont Lake Monsters | ||
