New pitch for baseball in New Haven

New Haven (WTNH) - Baseball has come and gone in Greater New Haven but four friends are pushing to bring baseball back in a very different way.

The Ravens spent a decade at Yale Field before leaving for New Hampshire in 2004. Then, the Cutters moved in for a few years before folding.

Now, ' Our Baseball Haven' is a program being set up to not only implement the game back into the city but to also give the spectator a voice through crowd-sourcing.

Fans buy a $100 membership and get 'one vote' on every off-field decision.

"We want to take a traditional game, like baseball, show how a new business model can be applied to a very simple game like baseball and say 'hey, have some fun with this for a very, very low price,'" said Brett Orzechowski of Our Baseball Haven.

Members will vote on the team name, the uniform and the between inning promotions.

"What we're giving them, and what we're trying to do is develop a deeper relationship with them, interactivity, having real time conversations with them," said David Klineberg of Our Baseball Haven.

The concepts sound a lot like the concepts behind 'social media.' In fact, that's the idea. Our Baseball Haven has been using online outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to recruit members. And, they will rely on those tools, too, once a team is in place.

"Technology has allowed this concept of crowd-sourcing to work," said Merrick Rosner of Our Baseball Haven. "And, to work very quickly."

And that unique approach is why the four friends believe baseball can, and will, be successful in the great Elm City.

"Why not? Why not try this?" said Orzechowski.

The goal is to have a team next summer, probably in a collegiate summer league. They figure 7,000 members will be enough to put the dream on the field.

Our Baseball Haven also plans to work closely with local non-profits by giving away tickets and hosting fundraisers. They're officially kicking off their membership drive with a launch party, Thursday evening, at the Black Bear Saloon in New Haven.