Photos of the Long Island Ducks playing in Bridgeport

The Long Island Ducks are a baseball team in the independent Atlantic League.  One of the interesting things about this league is that not only can good players be go to any of the major league teams, players from the major leagues who still have a lot of baseball left in them can continue their carreers in the league.  There are a lot of famous ducks.  Here are some of the ones I managed to capture at the ballpark.

Biography
Pete returns for his third season in a Ducks uniform after playing 117 games for Long Island in last year. This year will be Pete's 20th in professional baseball. Last season he was second in the league when he collected a career-high and Ducks record 155 hits, and fourth in the league in batting average (.342) and RBI (95). In addition, Pete placed fifth in the league in on-base percentage (.408). He recorded 14 home runs, 24 doubles and 71 runs scored.

In his inaugural campaign with the Ducks three years ago, Pete hit .262 while clubbing 14 home runs and 27 doubles, picking up 55 RBI. He has played previously in the Orioles, Indians, White Sox, Pirates, Reds and Phillies organizations. On September 1, 1997, Pete made his major league debut for the Cincinnati Reds, seeing action in 11 big league games. In 1,779 minor league games, he has collected 1,711 hits in 6,365 at-bats, with 142 home runs and 930 RBI. Pete established career-highs in home runs (25), doubles (31) and RBI (98) in 1997 while playing for Chattanooga (AA, Reds) of the Southern League. He had his best season in 2002 with Independent Winnipeg of the Frontier League, hitting .344 with eight home runs and 53 RBI in 56 games.

The Cincinnati native was originally selected in the 12th round of the 1988 draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Biography
Dennis' debut with the Ducks marks just his second season in professional baseball. The native Long Islander played in 46 games for the Royals of the Arizona League in 2007, clubbing 10 doubles and driving in 18 runs.

The infielder played his collegiate ball at the University of Connecticut, where he batted .311 with 14 home runs and 118 RBI. Serving as team captain during his senior season in 2007, Dennis led the Huskies with a .333 batting average, 86 hits, 9 homers and 46 RBI. Following the season, he signed with the Kansas City organization. The Center Moriches standout was named to Newsday's All-Long Island team as a high school senior in 2003, an honor he shared with current Ducks outfielder Estee Harris.

Biography
Damian enters his 13th season of professional baseball, his third in the Atlantic League and second with the Ducks. Last year with Long Island he batted .247 with two home runs and 30 RBI in 64 games.

The 30-year-old enjoyed five tours with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, earning his first call-up in 2000 at the age of 22. His finest Major League season came in 2003, when he hit 7 home runs and clubbed 46 RBI for the Devil Rays. The utility player spent parts of six seasons in Triple-A with the Devil Rays, White Sox and Yankees organizations. He played his early career in the Dodgers system, recording minor league-best numbers in 1999 with Vero Beach (A, Dodgers), where he posted a .297 AVG with 9 homers, 54 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 127 games.

Damian was selected by the Dodgers in the first round (23rd overall) of the 1996 draft.

Biography
The longtime New York Mets fan favorite returns after spending the first months of the 2008 season with Quintana Roo (AAA) of the Mexican League, where he hit .280 with 12 doubles and 17 RBI in 55 games. In 2007 with the Ducks, Alfonzo hit .266 with five home runs and 56 RBI in 105 games.

The 34-year-old Alfonzo spent 12 seasons in the big leagues, playing eight of those years with the Mets. Known for his stellar defense and timely hitting, Fonzie became a favorite of the Shea Stadium faithful. His grand slam in the ninth inning of Game One of the 1999 National League Division Series, his second homer of the game, helped propel the Mets to victory, and eventually to their first postseason series win since 1986. In 2000, an All-Star campaign highlighted by a .324 batting average, 24 homers, 40 doubles and 95 RBI, helped lead the Mets to their fourth National League pennant.

In 1,506 Major League contests, Alfonzo hit .284 with 282 doubles, 146 home runs and 744 RBI. He collected 1,532 hits, and struck out only 617 times in nearly 5,400 at-bats. He is a career .295 minor league hitter, with more than 300 RBI in 551 games.

Biographies couretsy of the Long Island Ducks.

(Note to self:  Next time I am at the ballpark I need to get action shots of all the DUCKS.)