The Predator Hall Of Fame was established as a means of sharing the rich and storied history of the Predator franchise - from it's humble beginnings as a grocery store pick-up team to the fine veteran althletic squad you read about today. Periodically - the Predator Hall Of Fame will present new artifacts, photos, stories and legends that have been collected and stored away for safekeeping. As an extension of the Predator Library - the Predator Hall Of Fame will soon become a center of learning for those who are interested in following the ongoing story of the Milford Predators.
We hope you enjoy your visit to the Predator Hall Of Fame!
THE ORIGINAL TEAM BASES (Circa 1983)
Original ShopRite Bases (courtesy of the Predator Preservation Society)
Shown here are two of the original bases used by the the ShopRite Team in the early 1980's for both practices and "pick-up" games. The bases are less than one-half an inch thick - and to this day are laced with infield dust collected from many venues throughout the early 1980's. These bases were used in practices held at Matthewson School, Orange Avenue School and Milford High School. These bases were also used in pick-up games at Jonathan Law Field, Red Bush Field, Kennedy School Field, West Shore Field and the Orange Community Center Field.
In the early 1980's, ShopRite's pickup games occured on Sunday evenings - just after the store closed for the weekend at 5:00pm. Games would be played for a case of beer - or simply for bragging rights. Sometimes the team would relax at the field (to drink their prize) after the game was done. More often - the team chose to head to off to other venues - most typically finding a Pizza place such as Johnny's. This practice would evolve and become both a staple and centerpiece of the team's prevailing culture.
