Bears Prepare for Second Half
Published on July 12, 2002 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Newark Bears News Release
Address Problems With New Acquisitions
Newark, NJ â Friday, July 12, 2002 â The Newark Bears, 2002 First Half Champions of the South Division, have announced that Frank Verdi has replaced Rick Greene as their new Pitching Coach and have called-up OF Wil Quintana from the Pennsylvania Road Warriors. The Bears have also swapped All Stars with the Long Island Ducks as they have traded INF Edgar Tovar for OF PJ Williams.
"While we had an outstanding first half and have already guaranteed a playoff spot, their were still many issues that we needed to address in order to guarantee that our fans are going to see one of the best teams in the Atlantic League day-in and day-out," said Tony Zefiretto, General Manager.
Verdi joins Newark with more than 50 years of baseball experience under his belt, as he began his minor league career with the New York Yankees farm system in 1946. After a brief call up with the Yankees in 1953 for Casey Stengel's club, Verdi turned his attention to coaching and began a long and successful rise through the coaching ranks with Syracuse in 1961. Through his more than 25 years in the coaches box, he has won three Governor's Cups and managed everywhere from San Jose to the Dominican Republic.
Through the First Half of the season, Greene struggled with a 1-3 record and a 6.08 ERA. While the Bears did finish up the half with the fourth best ERA in the league (4.03), struggles down the stretch saw the Bears give up a 5.5 game lead.
Quintana, a 2002 Atlantic League All Star, has been enjoying a career season while playing for the Pennsylvania Road Warriors. Through 55 games, he is hitting .302 with 11 HR and 42 RBI and will now join an outfield filled with fellow All Stars Joe Mathis and Jimmy Hurst. The 24-year old was originally a 15th round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners in 1998 and played four seasons of affiliated ball before being signed by Newark and placed on the Pennsylvania squad.
Both Tovar and Williams have been enjoying tremendous seasons as both represented their respective clubs at the 2002 All Star Game in Long Island this past Wednesday. Through the first half with Newark, Tovar was hitting .322 with 3 HR and 22 RBI but committed 12 errors in the infield. Williams, like Quintana, is a product of the Seattle Mariners farm system, and had been hitting .273 with 19 RBI and 19 stolen bases through his first 56 games.
Bears Notes . . . OF Bobby Bonds has been released by the Newark Bears after struggling through 22 games with a .169 average. INF/DH Wes Chamberlain has been placed on the Inactive List.
Come Play In Our Yard! NewarkBears.com. ###
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