Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1409819
COCO MONTES, AN INFIELDER with the Hartford Yard Goats minor league team, waits for a pitch. "The whole state is a hotbed of basketball," said Larry McHugh, president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. UConn b-ball is to Hartford — and Connecticut as a whole — as the Yankees are to New York and the Red Sox are to Boston, he said. "It's huge." For business people and the general public, UConn hoops are a "go-to" event, he said. The women's team, with 11 national championships, has enjoyed unprecedented success under Geno Auriemma, while the men have four NCAA titles of their own, three under former long- time coach Jim Calhoun. Both hoops squads draw huge crowds to the 16,000-plus-seat XL Center, he said. The economic impact is incredible when they play, McHugh said. "Restaurants are full." On the diamond Tim Restall, president of the Yard Goats, a Colorado Rockies' farm club in the Double-A Northeast, said the city has a long history of minor league baseball. The current franchise previously was in New Britain and relocated to Hartford in 2016. Aer the 2020 season was canceled because of COVID-19, Restall said, fans "have been itching to get back out and have fun." Dunkin' Donuts Park includes everything from luxury suites to $6 seats, he said. So far this year, the Yard Goats have been aver- aging about 5,000 fans per game and selling out the 6,000-seat ballpark on weekends, he said. "It's a great regional destination," Restall said. THE MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM at UConn has four national championships under its belt. HARTFORD LIVE WORK PLAY UConn b-ball is to Hartford as the Yankees are to New York and the Red Sox are to Boston. UCONN ATHLETICS SUBMITTED 35 HBJ HARTFORD LIVE WORK PLAY