Golden Baseball League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Golden Baseball League | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 2004 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country(ies) |  United States Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Chico Outlaws |
| Official website | www.goldenbaseball.com |
The Golden Baseball League, based in Dublin, California, is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the western United States and Canada.
The GBL is not affiliated with either Major or Minor League Baseball but has featured players with MLB experience (Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, Alex Arias, Bud Smith, Desi Wilson) as well as top young prospects. It was formed in 2004 and began play on May 26, 2005. The GBL uses the designated hitter rule.
As an independent baseball league, the GBL exists to give professional baseball players who are not currently under contract with a Major or Minor League organization another chance at playing at the professional level. The GBL level of play is considered to be at the single A level[1]. Over 60 players have been sold to MLB organizations since it began play. Depending on experience and/or talent players' salaries generally range from $1000 to $3,000 and higher per month, the standard in minor league baseball.
The GBL's presenting partner is Safeway Inc.. Other investors in the GBL include Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak, former National Football League players Mike Sherrard and Christian Okoye, and executives from Cisco Systems, Taleo and Draper Fisher Jurvetson[2].
Contents |
[edit] History
In its inaugural season, the league was composed of eight teams that played their home games in city- and university-owned stadiums, with the exception of the Japan Samurai Bears, a traveling team of Japanese players that played all of its games on the road. Three of the GBL's teams, the Chico Outlaws, Long Beach Armada, and Yuma Scorpions, operated in former Western Baseball League cities.
On May 9, 2005, Major League Baseball's all-time stolen base leader, Rickey Henderson, signed a contract to play the 2005 season with the GBL's San Diego Surf Dawgs, the first GBL Champions. José Canseco, another retired star, signed with the Surf Dawgs in 2006 as part of his attempt to return to baseball and promote his book Juiced, along with its upcoming movie adaptation. Canseco was traded to the Long Beach Armada after only one game. He said that the move was to be closer to his daughter.[3]
The 2005 season ended with a four team championship tournament on Labor Day Weekend. The tournament ended with San Diego winning two games on the final day, knocking off the Mesa Miners in the second game to wrap up their championship season.
Before the 2006 season, the Mesa Miners and Surprise Fightin' Falcons suspended operations and a new team, the Reno Silver Sox, was created, becoming the first GBL club in Nevada. The league chose to move to a 6-team format and did not have the travelling Samurai Bears return.
The GBL added the St. George Roadrunners for the 2007 season, and the Calgary Vipers and Edmonton Cracker-Cats joined the league for 2008. The league is looking to add additional teams in California, Arizona, Oregon and Canada.
Many former MLB coaches and players have coached or managed in the GBL, including Les Lancaster, Darrell Evans, Garry Templeton, Cory Snyder, Jeffrey Leonard, Gary Carter, Mike Busch, Steve Yeager and Warren Cromartie.
[edit] 2008 Golden Baseball League Teams
| North | |||
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Vipers | Calgary, Alberta | Foothills Stadium | 6,000 |
| Chico Outlaws | Chico, California | Nettleton Stadium | 4,200 |
| Edmonton Cracker-Cats | Edmonton, Alberta | Telus Field | 10,000 |
| Reno Silver Sox | Reno, Nevada | William Peccole Park | 3,000 |
| South | |||
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| Long Beach Armada | Long Beach, California | Blair Field | 3,238 |
| Orange County Flyers | Fullerton, California | Goodwin Field | 3,500 |
| St. George Roadrunners | St. George, Utah | Bruce Hurst Field | 2,500 |
| Yuma Scorpions | Yuma, Arizona | Desert Sun Stadium | 10,500 |
[edit] Defunct Teams
- Japan Samurai Bears, a traveling team made up of 24 Japanese players.
- Mesa Miners from Mesa, Arizona.
- Surprise Fightin' Falcons from Surprise, Arizona.
[edit] Suspended Teams
- San Diego Surf Dawgs from San Diego, California-- the Surf Dawgs are searching for a more suitable stadium.
[edit] Teams that never played
- Tijuana Toros from Tijuana, Mexico, attempted to play in Chula Vista near San Diego, but could not reach a stadium deal.
[edit] Possible Future Expansions
- Victoria, British Columbia[4]
- Kamloops, British Columbia[5]
- Kelowna, BC[6]
- Newark, California[1]
- Saskatoon, SK[7]
- Santa Clara, California[2]
- Tucson, Arizona[8]
[edit] 2005 Season
- Standings
| PL | California Division | W | L | GB | PL | Arizona Division | W | L | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego-x | 52 | 38 | -- | 1 | Mesa-x | 51 | 39 | -- | |
| 2 | Chico-y | 49 | 41 | 3 | 2 | Yuma | 47 | 43 | 4 | |
| 3 | Long Beach-y | 49 | 41 | 3 | 3 | Surprise | 45 | 45 | 6 | |
| 4 | Fullerton | 34 | 56 | 18 | 4 | Samurai Bears | 33 | 57 | 18 |
x-Division Champion y-Wild Card (Division champions and top two wild card teams go to Championship.)
- Playoffs and Championship(4 team double-elimination, final 2 teams face in one game playoff):
| Game 1 | SAN DIEGO 9 Chico 0 |
| Game 2 | MESA 8 Long Beach 0 |
| Game 3 | CHICO 7 Long Beach 5 (Long Beach eliminated) |
| Game 4 | MESA 2 San Diego 0 |
| Game 5 | SAN DIEGO 2 Chico 1 (Chico eliminated) |
| Championship Game | SAN DIEGO 9 Mesa 6 (San Diego wins championship) |
| MVP | Cody Clark, San Diego |
- Awards:
| Year | Most Valuable Player | Pitcher of the Year | Rookie of the Year | Rookie Pitcher of the Year | Manager of the Year | Executive of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Desi Wilson, 1B/OF, Surprise | Grant Gregg, LHP, Chico | Nick Guerra, C/3B, San Diego | Manny Ayala, RHP, Mesa | Terry Kennedy, San Diego | Bob Linscheid, Chico[9] |
Gold Glove winners:[10] Pitcher: Adam Pettyjohn, Long Beach Catcher: Cody Clark, San Diego First base: Yuji Nerei, Samurai Bears Second base: Kenichi Miura, Samurai Bears Third base: Sean Walsh, Fullerton Shortstop: Jeremy Hernandez, Long Beach Outfielders Marcus Knight, Mesa; Billy Brown, Surprise; Travis McAndrews, Long Beach
[edit] 2006 Season
- Standings:
| PL | 1st Half Standings | W | L | GB | PL | 2nd Half Standings | W | L | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reno-z | 25 | 15 | -- | 1 | Fullerton-x | 26 | 14 | -- | |
| 2 | Chico | 22 | 18 | 3 | 2 | Chico | 24 | 16 | 2 | |
| 3 | Long Beach | 22 | 18 | 3 | 3 | Reno | 22 | 18 | 4 | |
| 4 | Yuma | 18 | 22 | 7 | 4 | San Diego | 19 | 21 | 7 | |
| 5 | Fullerton | 17 | 23 | 8 | 5 | Long Beach | 15 | 25 | 11 | |
| 6 | San Diego | 16 | 24 | 9 | 6 | Yuma | 14 | 26 | 12 |
z-1st half champion and best overall record, x-2nd half champion (Champions of each half face in 5 game series for championship. If one team wins both halfs, team with next best overall record receives championship bid.)
- Championship(best of 5 game series):
| Game 1 | RENO 11 Fullerton 4 |
| Game 2 | RENO 5 Fullerton 4 |
| Game 3 | FULLERTON 9 Reno 5 |
| Game 4 | RENO 5 Fullerton 3 (Reno wins championship) |
| MVP | Doug Gredvig, Reno |
- Awards:
| Year | Most Valuable Player | Pitcher of the Year | Rookie of the Year | Rookie Pitcher of the Year | Manager of the Year | Executive of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Peanut Williams, 1B/DH, Fullerton | Chris Jakubauskas, RHP, Fullerton | Matt Maloney, OF, San Diego | Phil Springman, RHP, Chico | Les Lancaster, Reno | Becca Hoffer, Chico |
All-League Team: Catcher: Marcus Jensen, Reno First base: Desi Wilson, Chico Second base: Adam Mandel, San Diego Third base: Henry Calderon, Yuma Shortstop: Bret LeVier, Fullerton Utility: Craig Kuzmic, Chico Outfielders: Seth Pietsch, San Diego; Jason Van Meetren, Chico; Jeff LaRue, Long Beach; Scott Goodman, San Diego Designated hitter: Peanut Williams, Fullerton Starting Pitchers: Chris Jakubaskaus, Fullerton; Andre Simpson, Long Beach; Ben Thurmond, Reno; Phil Springman, Chico; Brian Kroll, Chico; Nate Sevier, Reno Relief Pitchers: Josh Rummonds, San Diego; Scott Schneider, Reno; E.J. Shanks, San Diego; Mike Peck, Long Beach; Wes Faust, Fullerton
Gold Glove Winners:[11] Pitcher: James Johnson, Reno Catcher: Marcus Jensen, Reno First base: Desi Wilson, Chico Second base: Rob Gandolfo, Chico Third base: Henry Calderon, Yuma Shortstop: Hector Tena, Yuma Outfielders Chris Klemm, Long Beach; Lino Garcia, Chico; Ryan Webb, Long Beach
[edit] 2007 Season
- Standings:
| PL | 1st Half Standings | W | L | GB | PL | 2nd Half Standings | W | L | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chico-x | 25 | 13 | -- | 1 | Long Beach-z | 25 | 13 | -- | |
| 2 | Long Beach | 23 | 15 | 2 | 2 | Yuma | 21 | 17 | 4 | |
| 3 | Yuma | 21 | 17 | 4 | 3 | Chico | 19 | 19 | 6 | |
| 4 | Orange County | 19 | 19 | 6 | 4 | Orange County | 18 | 20 | 7 | |
| 5 | Reno | 18 | 20 | 7 | 5 | St. George | 16 | 22 | 9 | |
| 6 | St. George | 7 | 31 | 18 | 6 | Reno | 15 | 23 | 10 |
x-1st half champion, z-2nd half champion and best overall record
- Championship(best of 5 game series):
| Game 1 | CHICO 10 Long Beach 4 |
| Game 2 | CHICO 12 Long Beach 8 |
| Game 3 | LONG BEACH 7 Chico 5 |
| Game 4 | CHICO 6 Long Beach 1 (Chico wins championship) |
| MVP | Scott Dragicevich, Chico |
- Awards:
| Year | Most Valuable Player | Pitcher of the Year | Rookie of the Year | Rookie Pitcher of the Year | Executive of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Daniel Nava, OF, Chico | Todd Gelatka, RHP, Chico | Kane Simmons, OF, Reno | Dustin Gober, RHP, Long Beach | Curt Jacey, Reno |
All-League Team: Catcher: Buddy Morales, Orange County First base: Jaime Martinez, Long Beach Second base: David Bacani, Orange County Third base: Henry Calderon, Yuma Shortstop: Jesse Kovacs, Chico Utility: Ryan Stevenson, St. George Outfielders:Daniel Nava, Chico; Kane Simmons, Reno; Johnny Kaplan, Long Beach Yosvanny Almario, Yuma Designated hitter: Peanut Williams, Orange County Starting Pitchers: Ben Fox, Orange County; Derek Loop, Chico; Ryan Claypool, Long Beach; Roger Luque, Yuma; Dusty Bergman, Reno Relief Pitchers: Todd Gelatka, Chico; Dane De La Rosa, Long Beach; Anthony Pluta, St. George; Neil Hayes, Yuma
[edit] 2008 All-Star Game
The GBL has reached a two-year agreement with the United League to face off in All-Star Games. The 2008 game will be hosted by the ULB's San Angelo Colts, while the 2009 game will see the Orange County Flyers play host.[12]
[edit] Arizona Winter League
On November 15, 2006, the Golden Baseball League announced the Arizona Winter League, which would be an instructional league for its summer league. The league began play on January 19, 2007.
[edit] Television
The Yuma Scorpians became the first franchise in the league to broadcast select games on Adelphia Cable.[13] The Edmonton Cracker-Cats televised selcted games by reaching an agreement with Shaw TV.[14] The Golden Baseball League announced they had reached a deal with iBN Sports to broadcast 40 games on the internet showing various teams. [15]
[edit] International Matches
The league's Long Beach Armada and Yuma Scorpians will battle with the Chinese National Olympic baseball team.[16]
[edit] Trivia
- Out of the 8 teams in the GBL, only 4 are charter members: the Chico Outlaws, the Orange County Flyers (formerly Fullerton Flyers), the Long Beach Armada, and the Yuma Scorpions.
- The Yuma Scorpions are the only remaining charter member out of the state of California, with Yuma being in Arizona.
- The difference of mileage between Chico (the GBL's northernmost United States team) and Calgary (the GBL's southernmost Canada team) is exactly 1,337 miles (2,344 kilometers).
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
|
||||||||
