Camden Riversharks
Encyclopedia
The Camden Riversharks is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

  professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...

, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

. From the 2001 season to the present, the Riversharks have played their home games at Campbell's Field
Campbell's Field
Campbell's Field is a 6,425-seat baseball park in Camden, New Jersey that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 11, 2001. The ballpark is home to the Camden Riversharks and the college baseball team of Rutgers University-Camden...

, which is situated at the base of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge
Benjamin Franklin Bridge
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge , originally named the Delaware River Bridge, is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey...

. Due to its location on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

, the ballpark offers a clear view of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 skyline.

Since beginning play in 2001 as an expansion team, the Riversharks have consistently averaged over 4,000 fans per game, with crowds approaching and sometimes exceeding 7,000 on fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...

 nights. The Riversharks are a cheaper alternative to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 for area baseball fans. The "Riversharks" name refers to the location of Camden on the Delaware River, as the primary logo incorporates the Benjamin Franklin Bridge that links Camden to Philadelphia.

In June 2008, the Riversharks unveiled a partnership with Wawa Food Markets
Wawa Food Markets
Wawa Inc. is a chain of convenience store/gas stations located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It operates in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. The company's corporate headquarters is located in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, near the community...

, based in nearby Wawa, Pennsylvania
Wawa, Pennsylvania
Wawa is an unincorporated community located in Middletown Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Named for the Ojibwe word for "goose" ,Wawa was originally known as Grubb's Bridge...

. The partnership includes a series of giveaway promotions and the addition of Wawa's mascot, Wally Goose, to the entourage of Riversharks mascots.

History of Camden baseball

The Riversharks are not the first baseball team to call Camden, New Jersey home. The Camden Merritt, named for former state senator Albert Merritt, of the Interstate Association played there in 1883, but disbanded the same year. Another team from the Tri-State League played in Camden in 1904, but they too disbanded, during the season. The inception of the Riversharks in 2001 was the first professional baseball team in Camden, New Jersey since the 1904 season.

Logos and uniforms

The team colors of the Camden Riversharks are navy blue, Columbia blue, white, and gray. The Riversharks logo, introduced in 2005 with a new ownership group, consists of a shark biting a baseball bat superimposed over a stylized depiction of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge
Benjamin Franklin Bridge
The Benjamin Franklin Bridge , originally named the Delaware River Bridge, is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey...

. The Riversharks former logo, used from 2001 to 2005, consisted of a navy blue ring with a shark centered above the wordmark superimposed over it.

The Riversharks wear caps produced by The Game Headwear
The Game Headwear
The Game Headwear originated as Neil's Sporting Goods in the 1960s. Initially started to equip little league and school athletic teams, the company's business greatly increased in the 1970s and 1980s...

 and uniforms by Rawlings
Rawlings (company)
Rawlings is a sports equipment manufacturing company in the United States. It was founded in 1887. The parent company is Jarden, Inc. Rawlings specializes in baseball equipment, but also manufactures softball, basketball, training equipment and American footballs...

. The away cap is navy blue with the "C-bite" logo; the home cap is red with the same logo. The home jerseys, prior to 2010, were white with navy blue sleeves and shoulders, outlined with columbia blue piping. The "Sharks" wordmark was prominently displayed on the front of the jersey in white with navy blue and Columbia blue outline. In 2010, the Riversharks ditched blue in favor of red caps and a red pinstriped home uniform. Despite this color change, blue remains their primary color and there is almost no red elsewhere other than on their mascot Blooper. Their other mascot Finley still wears their original blue uniforms. The current away jersey is gray with the "Camden" wordmark centered across the jersey in navy blue, outlined in Columbia blue. The socks, belts, and undershirts are navy blue.

Season-by-season records

Camden Riversharks - 2005 to 2009
Season W - L Record Winning Percentage Finish Playoffs
2001 49-77 .389 3rd in South Division
2005 80-60 .571 2nd in South Division
2006 61-65 .484 3rd in South Division
2007 67-59 .532 3rd in South Division 1-2 (lost division final)
2008 67-73 .479 1st in Liberty Division 3-3 (lost league championship)
2009 62-78 .443 3rd in Liberty Division
Totals (2005–2009) 611-563 .520
7-12


Retired numbers

Brad Strauss Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...

1B
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 / 3B
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...

 / OF
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

 / DH
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

 
Retired by the
Camden Riversharks
on August 12, 2007
2B
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...

 
Retired throughout
professional baseball
on April 15, 1997

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