Golden Baseball League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Golden Baseball League logo |
|
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| No. of teams | 10 (9 active) |
| Country(ies) | |
| Most recent champion(s) | Orange County Flyers |
| Official website | www.goldenbaseball.com |
The Golden Baseball League, based in San Ramon, California, is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the western United States, Canada and Mexico.
The GBL is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the organized Minor League Baseball system, but has featured players with MLB experience (Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, Alex Arias, Bud Smith, Desi Wilson, Jose Lima, Hideki Irabu) as well as many young players that hope to one day reach the majors. It was formed in 2004 and began play on May 26, 2005. The GBL has a drug-testing policy that has the same standards as the Olympics, becoming the first baseball league to do so in North America.[1]
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. Officials in the baseball industry have stated the GBL level of play to be at the Double A level. [2] Over 70 players have been sold to MLB organizations since it began play. Depending on experience and/or talent players' salaries generally range from $1,000 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[3].
Contents |
[edit] History
The league was founded in 2004 by Stanford University graduates David Kaval and Amit Patel. Kaval is the president and chief executive officer (Patel resigned after the 2008 season). Curt Jacey is the league's vice-president. Kevin Outcalt serves as the league's commissioner and chief marketing officer. Jim Peters is the chief operating officer, Stephen Bedford is the director of business operations, and Bill Weiss is the league's secretary and historian.[4]
Many former MLB coaches and players have coached or managed in the GBL, including Les Lancaster, Mike Marshall, Ozzie Virgil, Jr. Darrell Evans, Garry Templeton, Cory Snyder, Jeffrey Leonard, Gary Carter, Mike Busch, Steve Yeager, Terry Kennedy and Warren Cromartie.[5]
[edit] The beginning
In its inaugural season, the league was composed of eight charter teams: the Chico Outlaws, Fullerton Flyers, Long Beach Armada and San Diego Surf Dawgs in California; Mesa Miners, Surprise Fightin' Falcons and Yuma Scorpions in Arizona and the Japan Samurai Bears. All teams played their home games in city- and university-owned stadiums, with the exception of the Samurai Bears, a traveling team of Japanese players that played all of its games on the road. Three of the GBL's teams, the Outlaws, Armada, and Scorpions, operated in cities that once hosted Western Baseball League teams. The WBL folded in 2002 and those teams ceased operations shortly afterward leading to the formation of the GBL. They, along with the Flyers, are the remaining charter teams still in operation with Yuma being the lone Arizona charter franchise.
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 Surf Dawgs, the first GBL Champions.
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 Mesa in the second game to wrap up their championship season.
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 Armada after only one game. He said that the move was to be closer to his daughter.[6]
[edit] Three teams fold as league expands to Nevada
Before the 2006 season, the Miners and Fightin' Falcons suspended operations and a new team, the Reno Silver Sox, was created, becoming the first GBL club in Nevada. Reno was another former Western League city (Reno Chukars/Blackjacks) to be granted a GBL team, which this franchise relocated from Mesa. The league chose to move to a 6-team format and did not have the travelling Samurai Bears return.
[edit] League expands to Utah, Arizona and Canada
The GBL added the St. George RoadRunners for the 2007 season. The Utah city hosted yet another Western League team with the 2000 Champion Zion Pioneerzz and became the fourth former WBL city to join the GBL. Two Northern League teams the Calgary Vipers and Edmonton Cracker-Cats left that league and joined the GBL, becoming the first two Canadian teams to join the league.
The league further expanded with the addition of the expansion Tucson Toros and Victoria Seals for 2009 and is looking to add additional teams in California, Arizona, Oregon and Canada. The Silver Sox brand was shelved in the GBL for a new future expansion team to adopt it and its history as the former Reno franchise was sold to the Tucson ownership. In 2008, the Cracker-Cats were sold to Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz and renamed the Edmonton Capitals for the 2009 season.
[edit] Tijuana joins league in 2009 and will play in 2010
On December 15, 2008, the league signed a letter of intent to place an another expansion franchise in Tijuana, Mexico. After the addition of the expansion Tijuana Potros on January 13th, the Armada were moved to the North Division. The Potros themselves would postpone the season due to the swine flu outbreak in Mexico. [7] This made all their scheduled games days off for the other nine teams and left their GBL future in serious doubt.
They were announced to have joined United League Baseball of Texas on June 19, 2009. [8] [9] However, GBL president and C.E.O. David Kaval quickly denied these rumors and said the story posted at the ULB site was false.
"They have to make sure they get their stadium back and all the ducks are in a row," Kaval said. "Everything is tracking the right way, but they hit a setback last year. (Joining ULB) was just a rumor. They played some exhibition games, but they didn't join the league - to my knowledge at least." [10]
The ULB website has since taken their story down as has the Potros website. Tijuana is still officially a member of the GBL.
[edit] Drug Testing
The league is the only independent baseball association to have drug testing. The league CEO Dave Kaval explains:
"I feel that there is no place for illegal drugs in our business. We run a family friendly operation off the field and illegal drug usage by our players would undermine the trust we have established with our fans. That is exactly what has happened at the MLB level. As a steward of the great game of baseball, I am proud to say that we have the most stringent drug policy in all of professional baseball." [11]
[edit] Current franchises
| Golden Baseball League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Team | Founded | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| North | Calgary Vipers | 2004 | Calgary, Alberta | Foothills Stadium | 6,000 |
| Chico Outlaws | 2005 | Chico, California | Nettleton Stadium | 4,200 | |
| Edmonton Capitals | 2004 | Edmonton, Alberta | Telus Field | 10,000 | |
| Victoria Seals | 2009 | Victoria, British Columbia | Royal Athletic Park | 4,247 | |
| Division | Team | Founded | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| South | Long Beach Armada | 2005 | Long Beach, California | Blair Field | 3,238 |
| Orange County Flyers | 2005 | Fullerton, California | Goodwin Field | 3,500 | |
| St. George RoadRunners | 2007 | St. George, Utah | Bruce Hurst Field | 2,500 | |
| Tucson Toros | 2009 | Tucson, Arizona | Hi Corbett Field | 9,500 | |
| Yuma Scorpions | 2005 | Yuma, Arizona | Desert Sun Stadium | 10,500 | |
[edit] Teams set to play in 2010
- Tijuana Potros from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico (see above)
[edit] Defunct/Inactive Teams
- Japan Samurai Bears, a traveling team made up of 24 Japanese players (Folded in 2005)
- Mesa Miners from Mesa, Arizona (Folded in 2005, became Reno Silver Sox in 2006)
- San Diego Surf Dawgs from San Diego, California (Suspended in 2007, currently in Arizona Winter League, possible return in 2010)
- Surprise Fightin' Falcons from Surprise, Arizona (Folded in 2005)
- Reno Silver Sox from Reno, Nevada (Folded in 2009 and became Tucson Toros after the formation of the Reno Aces; team name now used by AWL's Saskatchewan team) [12]
[edit] Teams that never played
- Tijuana Toros from Tijuana, Mexico -- Could not reach a stadium deal in Tijuana and would have played in Chula Vista, California, near San Diego. (Folded before inaugural season in 2005)
[edit] Possible Future Expansions
- Adelanto, California [13]
- Bakersfield, California [14]
- Carson City, Nevada [15] [16] [17] [18]
- Kamloops, British Columbia [19]
- Kelowna, British Columbia [20]
- Marysville, California [21]
- Newark, California [22]
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan [23]
[edit] Season-by-season results
[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[2] |
Gold Glove winners:[3] 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-First-half champion and best overall record, x-second-half champion (Champions of each half face in 5-game series for championship. If one team wins both halves, the 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:[4] 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 Season
- Overall Standings: [24]
| PL | North Division Standings | W | L | Winning % | GB | PL | South Division Standings | W | L | Winning % | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton-y | 51 | 37 | .580 | -- | 1 | Orange County-x | 51 | 35 | .593 | -- | |
| 2 | Calgary-x | 45 | 42 | .517 | 5 1/2 | 2 | Yuma | 48 | 40 | .545 | 4 | |
| 3 | Chico | 34 | 52 | .395 | 16 | 3 | Long Beach-y | 47 | 40 | .540 | 4 1/2 | |
| 4 | Reno | 30 | 58 | .341 | 21 | 4 | St. George | 43 | 45 | .489 | 9 |
x-1st half division champion, y-2nd half division champion
- 2008 All-Star Game:
- 2008 - United League Baseball All-Stars 8, Golden Baseball League All-Stars 5 (July 15, 2008, San Angelo, Texas)
- Northern Division Playoff (best of 5 game series):
| Game 1 | CALGARY 8, Edmonton 4 |
| Game 2 | CALGARY 8, Edmonton 2 |
| Game 3 | Edmonton 1, CALGARY 8 (Calgary wins series 3-0) |
- Southern Division Playoff (best of 5 game series):
| Game 1 | ORANGE COUNTY 4, Long Beach 2 |
| Game 2 | Orange County 4, LONG BEACH 5 |
| Game 3 | LONG BEACH 13, Orange County 4 |
| Game 4 | Long Beach 3, ORANGE COUNTY 4 |
| Game 5 | Long Beach 2, ORANGE COUNTY 12 (Orange County wins series 3-2) |
- Championship (best of 5 game series):
| Game 1 | Orange County 5, CALGARY 6 |
| Game 2 | ORANGE COUNTY 13, Calgary 1 |
| Game 3 | Calgary 9, ORANGE COUNTY 14 |
| Game 4 | CALGARY 9, Orange County 1 |
| Game 5 | Calgary 9, ORANGE COUNTY 10 (Flyers win Championship) |
| Series MVP | Josh Arhart, Orange County |
- Awards:
| Year | Safeway Most Valuable Player | Pitcher of the Year | Rookie of the Year | Rookie Pitcher of the Year | Manager of the Year | Executive of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Patrick Breen (Orange County) | Trevor Caughey (Chico) | Colin Moro (Calgary) | Ben Shockey (Chico) | Gary Carter (Orange County) | TBA |
All-League Team: Catcher: TBA First base: TBA Second base: TBA Third base: TBA Shortstop: TBA Utility: TBA Outfielders: TBA Designated hitter: TBA Starting Pitchers: TBA Relief Pitchers: TBA
[edit] All-Star Games
[edit] 2006 GBL All-Star Game
The GBL played their very first All-Star Game on July 18, 2006 at Chico's Nettleton Stadium pitting the North All-Stars against the South All-Stars.
[edit] 2008 United League vs. Golden League All-Star Game
The GBL reached a two-year agreement with the United League to face off in All-Star Games. The 2008 game was hosted by the ULB's San Angelo Colts, while the 2009 game will see the Orange County Flyers play host.[5]
[edit] 2009 GBL All-Star Game
For the first time in three years, the GBL will be holding its own All-Star Game, North vs. South. This year's game will be held at Bruce Hurst Field in St. George, Utah, home of the RoadRunners on Tuesday, July 14 and will be carried at the Roadrunners' website via Network1Sports.com with the team's radio voice John Potter on the call.
[edit] GBL Instructional/Developmental Leagues
[edit] Arizona Winter League
On November 15, 2006, the Golden Baseball League announced the Arizona Winter League, which would be a short-season instructional league for its summer league. The league began play on January 19, 2007. The Arizona Winter League has just completed its third season. In the first two years, over 80 Arizona Winter League players have been signed to professional contracts. Two of those players, Scott Richmond and Sergio Romo, are now pitching in the major leagues. The 2009 Arizona Winter League began play on January 31, 2009 and has expanded to 8 teams and almost 200 players.
[edit] Arizona Summer League
On April 3, 2009, the Golden Baseball League announced its second instructional league known as the Arizona Summer League, which is patterned after the AWL. This league consists of three teams, the Canada Miners, El Centro Imperials and San Luis Atleticos and began play in late June 2009.
[edit] Television
The Yuma Scorpions became the first franchise in the league to broadcast select games on Adelphia Cable, which were produced by Arizona Western College Television Services.[6] The Edmonton Cracker-Cats televised selected games by reaching an agreement with Shaw TV.[7] The Golden Baseball League announced they had reached a deal with iBN Sports to broadcast 40 games on the internet showing various teams. [8]
The Chico Outlaws agreed to a deal with Comcast SportsNet to carry selected game in 2009.
[edit] Notes & References
- ^ The Golden Baseball League, Independent baseball back in California
- ^ Tucson Toros join Independent Professional Baseball League (Tucson Toros website, AUgust 29, 2008)
- ^ Golden Baseball League Ownership Group
- ^ GBL 2008 Media Guide
- ^ [1]
- ^ Canseco seeks trade from Surf Dawgs
- ^ Tijuana on Hold for '09, GBL website, May 8, 2009
- ^ Potros de Tijuana en la United League Baseball Tijuana Potros website (Spanish), June 20, 2009
- ^ United League Baseball welcomes Tijuana Potros, ULB website, July 2, 2009
- ^ United League's loss is GBL's All-Star gain, Yuma Sun Yuma Scorpions section, July 10, 2009
- ^ SABR Nine: Golden Baseball League CEO and Founder Dave Kaval
- ^ GBL Press Release, Tijuana Potros Officially A Member in the Golden Baseball League for 2009
- ^ Shimura, Tomoya. Mavericks future uncertain after 2009 season Daily Press, March 21, 2009
- ^ Priest, Ross. Blaze to stay in Bakersfield one more year The Bakersfield Californian, August 28, 2008
- ^ Moody, Darrell. "Bring Silver Sox to Carson City" The Nevada-Appeal. June 21, 2008.
- ^ Moody, Darrell. Silver Sox deal getting a little bit closer? The Nevada-Appeal. September 13, 2008
- ^ Gabel, Chris. Silver Sox could be headed down the highway Reno Gazette-Journal, September 16, 2008
- ^ Moody, Darrell. GBL wants to keep Silver Sox in area; local investors sought for team The Nevada Appeal, September 16, 2008
- ^ Golden Baseball League coming to Kamloops
- ^ Edmonton Cracker-Cats join Golden Baseball League
- ^ Moody, Darrell. GBL wants to keep Silver Sox in area; local investors sought for team The Nevada Appeal, September 16, 2008
- ^ Golden Baseball League teams go up against Chinese Olympic baseball team
- ^ Mitchell, Kevin. Sunshine boys eye Saskatoon Saskatoon Star Phoenix, October 27, 2007
- ^ San Jose Mercury News: 2008 Golden Baseball League standings
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Golden Baseball League |
- Golden Baseball League
- Edmonton and Calgary Leave Northern League
- San Diego CityBeat profile by Charles Dahan
| Golden Baseball League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Division | South Division | ||||
| Calgary Vipers | Orange County Flyers | ||||
| Chico Outlaws | St. George RoadRunners | ||||
| Edmonton Capitals | Tijuana Potros | ||||
| Long Beach Armada | Tucson Toros | ||||
| Victoria Seals | Yuma Scorpions | ||||
| Annual events: All-Star Games | |||||

