Lincoln Saltdogs
| Lincoln Saltdogs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Location | Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Ballpark | Haymarket Park |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Colors | Navy Blue, Red, Gold, White |
| Ownership | Jim Abel |
| Manager | Marty Scott |
| Media | Lincoln Journal Star, 1240 AM KFOR |
| Website | http://www.saltdogs.com www.saltdogs.com |
The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2001 season, the Saltdogs have played their home games at Haymarket Park.
The Saltdogs were formed when the Madison Black Wolf were sold and moved to Lincoln after the 2000 season. The team was a member of the Northern League from 2001 to 2005. After the 2005 season, the Saltdogs (along with the St. Paul Saints, Sioux City Explorers and the Sioux Falls Canaries) left the NL to found the American Association.
The Saltdogs made the playoffs in each of their first two years in the American Association. In both 2006 and 2007, they finished with the league's best overall regular-season record, winning three of the four North Division titles (both the 1st-half and 2nd-half titles in 2006, and the 1st-half title in 2007). Their 14-game winning streak in 2007 is the longest in team history. In 2008, Lincoln finished with a 50-45 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. They did finish the second half with a 29-19 mark, and were not eliminated from playoff contention until the next-to-last day of the season. The Saltdogs have the best overall record (172-112) of any team in the three-year history of the American Association.
Kash Beauchamp was the first manager in Saltdogs history, although his tenure lasted just 42 games into the 2001 season, during which the team went 21-21 (.500). Pitcher Les Lancaster replaced Beauchamp, guiding Lincoln to playoff berths in both 2001 and 2002. Lancaster served as a player-manager for the first ten days of his managing tenure before moving exclusively to the bench. He posted a regular-season record of 86-53 (.619), and a postseason record of 6-7. After the 2002 season, Lancaster departed and was replaced by former Toronto Blue Jays manager Tim Johnson. Johnson spent six season with the Saltdogs, compiling a 314-252 (.555) regular-season record and a 2-9 postseason record. Lincoln made the playoffs three times under Johnson (2005, 2006, 2007) and won three division championships (American Association 2006 first-half and second-half North Division titles, 2007 first-half North Division title). Johnson resigned as manager at the end of the 2008 season. In November of 2008, Lincoln hired Marty Scott as its fourth manager in franchise history. Scott had managed the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs during the season, and won two championships between 1995 and 2000 as the manager of the St. Paul Saints.
-
Saltdogs' secondary logo.
Current roster
As of November 18, 2008
|
|
External links
- Lincoln Saltdogs
- nlfan.com Lincoln Saltdogs' Guide (Northern League '01-'05)
- aabfan.com Lincoln Saltdogs' Guide (American Association '06-)
- nlfan.com Madison Black Wolf Guide
- History of Pro ball in Lincoln - NET Television
References
- aabfan.com - yearly league standings & awards (American Association)
- nlfan.com - yearly league standings & awards (Northern League)