Northwoods Green Bay Rockers

Handelsman Happy to be on Pursuit of 600 in Northwoods League

Published on June 29, 2014 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Green Bay Rockers News Release


Green Bay, Wis. - This past offseason, the Green Bay Bullfrogs fell under new ownership, and with it, came the hiring of a new field manager to guide the Bullfrogs for the 2014 season. Darrell "Skip" Handelsman was hired in January of 2014, and one of the most successful field managers in the Northwoods League and summer collegiate baseball as a whole was officially coming to Green Bay.

Handelsman started his coaching career right after college in California at Los Angeles Valley Community College. A few years later, Skip was offered the job of pitching coach in the Northwoods League with the Kenosha Kroakers and his renowned career in the NWL began.

It did not take long for Handelsman to become a head coach in the Northwoods League. In 1996 Handelsman took his first head coaching position in the NWL with the Kroakers for the 1997 season, which was the last season in the NWL for the Kenosha Kroakers.

Skip would then go on to take over the reins of the Waterloo Bucks for four years, and then coach the Madison Mallards for two more seasons. In 2002 with Waterloo and 2004 with Madison, Handelsman guided his teams to the Northwoods League Championship. Over his first nine years in the NWL, Handelsman would amass 300 career wins, which was, and still is, good for second all-time in Northwoods League history.

After his 2004 season with Madison, Handelsman moved down to North Carolina to coach and be the general manager of the Fayetteville SwampDogs of the Coastal Plains League for the next nine seasons. His coaching success continued in North Carolina as Handelsman earned 283 wins, including thirteen in the playoffs over nine seasons.

But even as Handelsman found success in a different league, he always wanted to return to the Northwoods League, and in 2013 he got that opportunity with the Bullfrogs under new ownership.

"I always wanted to come back to the Northwoods League," Handelsman said. "I think there's nothing better for college players and coaches, from the quality of the stadiums we play at, to how the players are treated, to the schedule. It really imitates a minor league schedule. I just think there's nothing better. I'm so excited to be back in the Northwoods League."

Through the Bullfrogs game against Duluth on Saturday, Handelsman has won fourteen games in 2014 with Green Bay in his return to the Northwoods League. The fourteen wins this season, added to his previous 300 wins in the NWL, and the 283 he won in the CPL, gives Handelsman 597 career wins; just three victories away from 600.

However, as Handelsman approaches the 600 career win mark in Green Bay this summer, he accredits a lot of his success to the players, and the assistant coaches that have found players who are willing to put in the hard work that it takes to succeed.

"The credit has to go to the players and assistant coaches," Handelsman said. "We just really try to get good kids every summer, with good character that want to play hard and are appreciative of the opportunity to play in a good summer league. The success is just because the kids play hard and want to win. We, as coaches, just try to put them in a position to succeed."

Green Bay Bullfrogs General Manager, Liz Kern, was excited to sign Handelsman as the field manager, and is more than happy with how he has done so far this season.

"We were really excited to bring Skip on to our staff this offseason," Kern said. "We're very happy with what he's been doing so far and we're excited to have him reach this milestone with our organization when he gets there. We could not be more proud of the way he handles himself and how he coaches his players."

Handelsman will have an opportunity to push closer to 600 with a victory over the Duluth Huskies at Joannes Stadium on Sunday, which would give him 598 for his career. As Handelsman gets closer and closer to 600 with each win, he knows that once that day arrives, the celebration won't last too long. After Handelsman hits 600 wins, it will be time to move onto the next day, and that notion is likely a big factor into his success over the past twenty years.

"Then we'll start working on 700," Handelsman said. "500 was a big milestone, 600 will be a big milestone, and when you get there, there aren't too many people that I know of that have gotten to that mark. But since [600 wins] will happen in the middle of the season, we'll probably celebrate that night, but then chalk it up and move on to the next day."

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Northwoods League Stories from June 29, 2014


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