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Harris to Return to Sox

December 9, 2011 - American Association (AA)
Amarillo ThunderHeads News Release


AMARILLO, TX - Amarillo Sox Vice President and General Manager Mark Lee announced this afternoon that the contract of field manager John Harris has been extended through the 2012 season.

Harris, 57, named the first manager in Amarillo Sox history on January 7 of this year, will enter his second season as skipper after having guided the Sox to a fourth place finish in the American Association's South Division with a 44-56 record, in his first full season occupying the top step of the dugout.

"John is a solid baseball guy who has proven his ability over the years to be an effective manager and strong procurement guy", Sox vice president and general manager Mark Lee said. "We weren't as successful on the field as we had hoped but for me personally it isn't just about wins and losses when evaluating your manager, they are just a couple items that fall about the middle of the checklist", Lee added. "We are extremely pleased to have John return as our manager as move into our second season and we have high expectations going into next year".

Despite finishing twelve games under 500, in their inaugural season of play in the American Association, the Sox gained valuable recognition with the acquisition of three players by major league organizations including RHP Cody Evans and OF Harrison Kain by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and INF Cyle Hankerd by the Philadelphia Phillies. For Sox manager John Harris, moving players back to affiliated baseball has a reality to it, like a double-edge sword.

"I am excited to be back for another year in Amarillo and for the vote of confidence from the organization", Harris said. "I think It's fair to say that our record wasn't a true indication of our performance on the field last year, we were in the hunt coming down the stretch run until we lost some key players to injury and particularly those who moved on to become part of big league organizations," Harris added. "Its' bitter-sweet when you lose players to big league clubs, because you know as an organization it's your obligation to help players get back to affiliated baseball but at the same time, you know when that happens it could potentially have an adverse effect on your club in the long run, it's a double-edge sword".

Join the Sox For "The March To A Million!" Season tickets are currently available for purchase in-person or over the phone by visiting the Amarillo Sox Executive Offices at 801 South Polk Street or by calling (806) 242-GOLD (4653). Game day tickets go on-sale May 1, 2012. VISA, MasterCard, and Discover accepted.

For more information about season and individual game tickets, game times, promotions, marketing opportunities, full game schedule, and everything else Sox Baseball, visit the "Official Website of the Amarillo Sox" by logging onto www.amarillosox.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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