Golden Baseball League Expands to Victoria, Canada
Published on October 1, 2008 under Golden Baseball League (GBL) News Release
(Victoria, British Columbia. October 1, 2008) The Golden Baseball League (GBL) announced today that an agreement has been reached with the Darren and Russ Parker, former owner of the Triple-A Calgary Cannons to bring professional baseball back to Victoria, Britsh Columbia as the Victoria Seals will be a member of the GBL and play at Royal Athletic Park for the 2009 season.
"We're very excited to add Victora as a member of the GBL," said David Kaval, CEO of the Golden Baseball League." This is a great baseball town with a fine tradition going back to the New York Yankees farm teams of the 1940s and 1950s. We are thrilled to have the Parkers as part of the league and look forward to a successful franchise in Victoria."
Royal Athletic Park, built in 1925, is the premier outdoor sports venue in Victoria. With approximately 4500 fixed seats and configuations to accommodate over 9,000 fans it serves as the home of top level football and soccer teams as well as major events such as the annual Great Canadian Beer Festival. It was the home of all of the former professional baseball teams in Victoria, including the Victoria Capitals of the Canadian Baseball League a few years ago, the Blues & Mussels of the Northwest League in the 1970s and 1980 and then storied Yankee farm teams who played as the Athletics and Tyees.
Russ Parker and his son, Darren, are some of the most experienced operators of professional baseball in Canada. Owners of the Calgary Cannons for 16 years, the Triple-A team was at the highest level of minor league baseball and considered a model operation as one of the best run franchises in the entire Pacific Coast League.
The Seals will be part of an at least 8 - 12 team Golden League in 2009 that will include an 88 - 96 game schedule running from late May to early September. Victoria will host at least 44 home games at Royal Athletic Park and the home schedule will include teams from Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Long Beach and Orange County in southern California, Chico in northern California, St. George in Utah, and Tucson and Yuma in Arizona. Additional teams will be announced over the coming months as the GBL will undertaking more expansion prior to the start of the 2009 season. The 2009 GBL will be comprised of a North and South Division with at least four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
Along with high-caliber players, many of whom are very recognizable as over 50 ex-major league players have played in the GBL in the past three seasons (including Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco), Victoria fans will also enjoy the presence of the GBL managers and coaching staffs of which many had impressive major league careers. Long Beach Armada Manager Steve Yeager is a long-time Dodger and MVP of the 1981 World Series, Orange County Flyers Manager Gary Carter is an 11-time major league All-Star and member of the professional baseball Hall of Fame, Yuma Scorpions Manager Mike Marshall is a National League All-Star and 1988 World Series Champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Reno Silver Sox Manager Jeffrey Leonard is a two-time major league All-Star and National League Championship Series MVP, Orange County Flyers coach Darrell Evans is a two-time All-Star and 1985 American League home run champion, and St. George Roadrunners Manager Cory Snyder was a star of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and slugging sensation in the American League.
Golden Baseball League Stories from October 1, 2008
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