Sports stats



Rushford Makes the Bigs

September 2, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Portland Forest Dragons News Release


DURHAM, N.C. – Ex-Schaumburg and Duluth-Superior outfielder Jim Rushford was promoted to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, becoming the 29th player to use the Northern League to get to the major leagues.

Rushford, 28, was hitting .313 with 33 doubles, three triples, seven homers, 67 RBIs, 45 walks and 41 strikeouts in 396 at bats at Triple-A Indianapolis (Ind.). He was promoted there from Double-A Huntsville (Ala.) after going 4-for-19 in April with the Stars.

Rushford will be the sixth Northern Leaguer this season to make his major league debut. He joins RHP Matt Duff (St. Louis), RHP Terry Pearson (Detroit), LHP Jason Pearson (San Diego), 2B-OF Julius Matos (San Diego) and RHP Nate Field (Kansas City) as newcomers to the major leagues this year. Duff was just recalled on Sept. 1 after having been sent down.

Rushford's career in professional baseball almost never was. An arm injury convinced Jim Rushford to end his professional pitching career after one season. He was two years out of baseball, delivering pizzas, planning to get his teaching certificate and moving on with life.

The Northern League's Schaumburg Flyers were embarking on their inaugural 1999 season and needed players. Rushford was flipping through channels on the TV and heard manager Ron Kittle's public invitation for players to come to an open tryout at a Chicago high school.

The gears began to crank in Rushford's head. Schaumburg was 20 minutes from his boyhood home. His best friend still lived there along with much of his family. Baseball was still dear to him. He should give it another chance. He quickly booked a flight from California to Chicago at his own expense.

"He came to the camp and was a pitcher, threw well and stood out," said Pete Caliendo, a 20-year baseball man who was director of player procurement for the Flyers.

Rushford hit .289 in 47 games for the '99 Flyers with two homers, 23 walks and just 27 strikeouts. Those were startling numbers for a rookie in a league Rushford equates to "double-A quality." He also had not faced live pitching in two years and characterizes himself as an "average hitter" in college.

Before the 2000 season Schaumburg traded Rushford to the Duluth-Superior Dukes where he hit ..329 with power (12 homers) and still a good eye for the plate (25 walks and 32 strikeouts).

These numbers caught the eye of Rushford's former manager in Dubois County, R.C. Lichtenstein, now a single-A pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. Lichtenstein convinced the Brewers to purchase Rushford's contract from the Northern League.

Considered the pre-eminent independent league in the United States and Canada, the 18-team Northern League has moved more than 400 players to major league organizations since its inception in 1993.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from September 2, 2002


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.

Other Recent Portland Forest Dragons Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central