Toros Announce 2010 Coaching Staff, Reveal Plane Giveaway
April 27, 2010 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Tucson Toros News Release
Tucson, AZ - The GBL Southern Division Champion Tucson Toros announced the return of Manager Tim Johnson and introduced Jason Jacome as Pitching Coach and Stan Cliburn as the team's Hitting Coach.
 The new faces on the coaching staff were presented at the Executive TToros also revealed one of the most unique giveaways in sports, where one lucky fan will win a Cessna 150 airplane, complete with flying lessons!
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Fans 18 and older will be able to register during Toros home games (no purchase necessary) to pre-qualify for the plane giveaway.
 Every Fireworks Friday a fan's name will be selected to Fly over the stadium and view the Fireworks from the air!
 During the last Toros game of the regular season, each winner will be invited back out to Pitch for the Plane with the most accurate pitch winning the Cessna 150.
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Tim Johnson returns to the helm of the Tucson Toros after leading the squad all the way to the Golden Baseball League Championship Series in 2009.
 In the team's inaugural Johnson guided the newly assembled club to a winning record of 38-35.
 His team caught fire in the second half under his tutelage, with a 21-14 to take the GBL Southern Division Title, an incredible feat in the team's first season.
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Success is no stranger to "T.J." who previously managed the Toronto Blue Jays to 88 wins in 1998, a mark that franchise has yet to match since his departure.
 He has also added championships in the Pioneer League (1988), California League (1989), Arizona Fall League (1992) and the Mexican League (1999) during his 16 year managerial career.
 In addition, Johnson also coached at the Major League level with the Montreal Expos (1993-94) and the Boston Red Sox (1995-96).
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The 2010 season will be Johnson's 43rd in professional baseball dating back to his Single-A debut in 1968 in the Dodgers organization as an 18 year old.
 Tim made his Major League debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1973 at the age of 23.
 The next season he backed up Hall of Famer Robin Yount and played alongside Outfielder Hank Aaron, another Hall inductee.
 In total, he played seven seasons in the Major Leagues with the Brewers (1973-78) and the Blue Jays (1978-79).
Jason Jacome
pitched 68 2/3 innings for the Toros last season and will make the transition to become the Toros first Player-Coach as both a Pitcher and the team's Pitching Coach for 2010.
 Although it will be Jacome's first professional coaching experience, the role seems natural after his veteran leadership served as a pivotal influence for a young pitching staff in 2009.
 The lefthander himself posted a 5-3 record in 13 games (11 starts) with a 4.72 ERA and a 39/18 strikeout to walk ratio.
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Jacome was originally drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1991 amateur draft out of Pima Community College.
 The Rincon High School graduate steadily rose through the Mets ranks to make his Major League debut in 1994, posting a 2.67 ERA and striking out 30 in 54 innings in his first big league season.
 Jacome went on to rack more than 100 games in the Majors for the Mets, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians.
 He gathered international experience while playing for the Yakult Swallows of Japan in 1999 and 2000, as well as representing the United States in international play during the 2005 Baseball World Cup.
 Jacome was a Diamondbacks farmhand in 2001, throwing 120 innings for the Tucson Sidewinders.
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Stan Cliburn brings an impressive baseball resume to the role of the Toros hitting coach, with 22 years of managerial experience.
 He began his managing career in 1988 with the Single-A Watertown Pirates of the New York-Penn League.
 The following season he moved up to the South Atlantic League where he led to Augusta to a league championship title, the first of five titles he's guided his squads to.
 His next two titles came in Independent baseball with the Alexandria Aces in the Texas-Louisiana League in 1997 and 1998.
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After falling in the finals and just missing a 3-peat, Cliburn went back into the affiliated ranks in the Minnesota Twins organization where he quickly moved from Single-A in 2000 to a five year tenure at Double-A New Britain from 2001-2005, adding another title in his first year with the Rock Cats.
 Next came a four year stint with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings in which his team's finished a combined 25 games over .500.
 His success was acknowledged by being chosen to manage in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, a finishing school for some of the games top prospects, where he led the Phoenix Desert Dogs to their 4th straight AFL title in 2008.
 During his time in the Minnesota organization, Stan helped develop several current Major League stars including American League MVP's Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.
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A catcher by trade as a player, Stan was selected by the California Angels in the 5th round of the 1974 Amateur Draft.
 He appeared in the Majors with the Angels in 1980 as a 23-year old.
 Stan has a twin brother Stew who also appeared in the Major Leagues with the Angels from 1984-88.
 When Stew made his big league debut in 1984 the pair because just the 7th pair of twin brother to both appear in the Majors, since joined by the Canseco and Minor brothers.
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The Toros will open the 2010 season in defense of their Southern Division title on Wednesday, May 19th when they take on the Edmonton Capitals at Hi Corbett Field at 7:00 p.m.
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