United League Baseball Winter League announced
Published on October 26, 2006 under Winter League (WL) News Release
Winter League baseball is coming to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Byron Pierce, chief operating officer of the United League Baseball, has announced that the league will have winter baseball - from mid-January to mid-February.
Known as the United League Baseball Winter League, Pierce said plans are to have four ball clubs, Harlingen, Brownsville, Edinburg and Laredo. But, all games will be played in Harlingen at Harlingen Field, two games a day.
The first game will begin at 11 a.m. and the second game at 3:30 p.m. Each ball club will play 24 games, with four days off. Players will be those who are trying to break into professional baseball, according to Pierce, chief operating officer of the ULB. The ULB hopes to sign players for the league's 2007 season, from the winter league, Pierce said.
Field managers will be from the ULB -- Eduardo "Eddie" Dennis, Rio Grande Valley; Buddy Biancalana, Amarillo; Howard "Doc" Edwards, San Angelo; and Ricky VanAsselberg, from Alexandria, the 2006 ULB championship club.
Pierce will be in charge of the winter league, assisted by Craig Brasfield, the league's executive general manager. "This will be a great thing for the Valley, with quality entertainment, and especially for Winter Texans," Pierce said.
Players must be 18 years or older at the start of the league and players cannot be under contract with other teams. Each club will have a 25-man roster. There will be a four-day "spring trainingbeginning on Jan. 15, with actual play to begin Jan. 19.
Fans can watch the games at Harlingen Stadium, with ticket prices at $3 and $5.
This will mark the third league in Texas started by Pierce, a Dallas area businessman, and Dallas attorney and former U.S. Congressman John Bryant, the ULB's chief executive officer. They began the Texas-Louisiana Baseball League in 1993, with play starting in 1994, a league that later became the now-defunct Central Baseball League, after they sold their interests. Then in 2005 they began the ULB, which had its opening season earlier this year.
For more information contact Byron Pierce at bpierce@unitedleague.org.
Winter League Stories from October 26, 2006
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