hit .300." Murnane Field was considered one of the worst baseball layouts in the NY-P league with right field sloping downhill drastically by the time it hit the fence. Second Blue Sox team The name Blue Sox was resurrected in the Short-Season A classification New York–Penn League. A new NY-P franchise began in 1977 as the Utica Blue Jays, playing at Murnane Field, being the first affiliate in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, from 1977–1980. That team included Toronto's first ever draft pick, Tom Goffena. The line up also included future major leaguers Jesse Barfield, David Wells and Paul Hodgson. Toronto withdrew their affiliation after the 1980 season and the club played as an independent, under the name Blue Sox, from 1981 through 1983. The ownership of that team included Miles Wolff (Durham Bulls), actor/writer Brian Doyle Murray and his brother, comedian Bill Murray. Bill Murray sang the national anthem for the Blue Sox 1981 home opener. The independent Utica Blue Sox won the NY-P championship in 1983. The team became an affiliate with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1986–1987, the Chicago White Sox from 1988–92 and the Boston Red Sox from 1993–1995. In 1996 the team became affiliated with the Florida Marlins and were renamed the Utica Marlins; however, the team was renamed the Blue Sox the very next season. Among the notable players who were once Utica Blue Sox players; Larry Walker, Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzales, Andy Ashby, Jason Grimsley and Esteban Beltre. By the end of the 2001 season, the city needed a standard level ball park and Donovan Stadium at Murnane Field was in need of renovations and repairs in order to keep the Blue Sox team in the league. On February 7, 2002, Cal Ripken Jr. and the Ripken Professional Baseball Association purchased the Blue Sox and moved the club to Aberdeen, Maryland, where it became the Aberdeen IronBirds. For a time in the late 1980s, Morganna the Kissing Bandit owned a share of the Blue Sox. In media Acclaimed author and journalist Roger Kahn (The Boys of Summer) wrote about his year as a part owner of the team for the 1983 championship season. The book, Good Enough to Dream, was published in 1985. Notable alumni Baseball Hall of Fame alumni Richie Ashburn (1945) Inducted, 1995 Larry Walker (1985) 5 x MLB All-Star; 3 x NL Batting Title (1998-1999, 2001); 1997 NL Most Valuable Player;