HEEEE'S BAAAACK!
Borst on Board For Team's 2006 Move to A Division

West Hartford, CT (AP)--Like the proverbial prodigal son, Andy Borst has come home. It was announced Thursday that the "Father of Cannons Baseball" has signed a lucrative two-year offer with the ball club from West Hartford, making it possible for this original Cannon--THE Original Cannon--to continue his illustrious career with the team. "Borst is a legend," Assistant Manager Mike Weber said as he spoke with reporters outside of the Cannons' practice facility late yesterday afternoon. "He is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer for his efforts both on and off the field and we're just happy to have the deal done. On the heels of the announcements from some significant Cannon veterans this off-season (Tom Bogiatzis announced his retirement and John Mancini took a 2006 leave of absence) we really wanted Andy to return and are pleased to have him back in the fold." Borst appeared humble as he spoke with members of the media: "I'm glad there is a spot for me on the team. My Sundays just wouldn't be the same without the Cannons. We've come a long way, this is a great group of guys and I'm excited to be there for the move to the A Division. It's exactly what we--Celio, Weber, Mancini and the other veterans--had in mind when we decided to play back in 2001."

It was in the spring of 2001 that Borst had an inspiration: bring big time baseball to the New Britain/West Hartford area (the team moved from New Britain's Balf-Savin Field to West Hartford's Cannon Yards full-time at the beginning of the 2004 season after playing a number of games at the Yards during the 2002 and 2003 campaigns). The dream was born, burgeoned and eventually blossomed into the 2005 CNMSBL Championship team as management's much-ballyhooed five-year plan to bring a title to town had become a reality. There were lean years early on (e.g., the three-win season in 2001 followed by the 7-1 "victory" over the New Haven Cardinals that was subsequently forfeited because catcher Steve Markie was ruled ineligible by the Cards' stunned managerial staff) but the team continued to improve each off-season with bold moves, bountiful drafts and big time free agent acquisitions. "Last season, the Cannons finished building what Borst began to lay the foundation for in the early part of the Twenty-First Century," said Peter Gammons. "Some people are simply meant to play long and illustrious careers in a single uniform, names that transcend the game and become inextricably linked with a particular franchise: Cal in Baltimore; Williams and Yaz in Boston; Mr. Cub in Chicago; Gehrig and the Mick in New York; Clemente in Pittsburgh; and now Borst in West Hartford."

"Manager Emeritus" Borst is the Cannons all-time leader in regular-season triples, walks and runs (he unofficially leads the club in stolen bases, a statistic that is not kept with accuracy) as well as post-season walks and runs. It was once said, "If you can do it with your legs on a baseball field, Borst does it." Quite frankly, he is an athlete. He is third in career games played and at-bats (behind Celio and Weber) and fourth in hits (Celio, Weber, Luby), posting a lifetime batting average of .321. Borst is also only one of five Cannons to have a home run in the regular- and post-seasons (Bogiatzis, Celio, Luby and Poland). He was also the first-ever recipient of the Jason T. Jackson Cannons Lifetime Achievement Award after the 2004 season. Borst will see his first action of the season on May 7 when West Hartford hosts Newington at Cannon Yards in the home opener (first pitch at 10:00 a.m.).