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| Calgary Joins GBL |
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10/22/2007
Golden Baseball League Expands to Calgary
Former Northern League Club, the Calgary Vipers, Join Golden Baseball League
(Calgary, Alberta. October 22, 2007) The Golden Baseball League (GBL) announced today that an agreement has been reached with the Calgary Vipers to admit that team as an expansion member of the Golden Baseball League effective immediately. Currently the Calgary club is not affiliated with any professional league after being forced to depart the Northern League earlier this month. Calgary's addition to the GBL brings the number of teams to seven currently set to play in the western-based professional independent baseball league for the 2008 season.
"We're very excited to add Calgary as a member of the GBL," said David Kaval, CEO of the Golden Baseball League.” This is a great baseball town with a fine tradition from the 18 years of the Calgary Cannons and their five appearances in the PCL championship series to the current Calgary Vipers and their spectacular season that just concluded.
The Vipers are one of the premier franchisees in all independent baseball. For the past three seasons, they have competed at the top of the standings in the Northern League losing this last season in the final game of the Championship series to the Gary Rail Cats. The team features Baseball America’s Player of the Year in Darryl Brinkley who led all professional baseball in 2008 in posting a .400 batting average. The team plays at 6500 capacity Foothill Stadium and regularly fills the stadium with a passionate fan base.
Kaval added, “We are also very impressed with the Vipers' management team, the quality of the players, and the growing community and business support that the team has generated each year."
The Vipers will be part of an at least 8-team Golden League in 2008 that will include an 88 game schedule running from late May to early September. Calgary will host 44 home games at Foothills Stadium and the home schedule will include teams from Reno, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; Orange County, California; Chico, California; Yuma, Arizona; and St. George, Utah. At least one additional Canadian team will be added in the near future to round out the slate. The 2008 GBL will be comprised of a North and South Division with four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to become part of a strong and growing association focused on western North America. The GBL has quickly become one of the finest leagues in developing players which has been recognized by major league baseball organizations and leading industry publications such as Baseball America”, said Peter Young, President of the Calgary Vipers. “In addition, the ability for our team to play in the talent-rich California markets will help us recruit even better players and showcase our best players to the many major league scouts located in those cities as well. Together with our wonderful city, facility, and fans this will create a stampede of top professional baseball talent to Calgary.”
Along with high-caliber players, many of whom are very recognizable as over 40 ex-major league players have played in the GBL in the past three seasons (including Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco), Calgary fans will also enjoy the presence of the GBL managers and coaching staffs of which many had impressive major league careers. Los Angeles Armada Manager Darrell Evans is a two-time National League All-Star and 1984 World Series Champion and 1985 American League Home Run Champion, Orange County Flyers Manager Garry Templeton is a three-time National League All-Star and former Edmonton Trappers Triple-A Manager, Yuma Scorpions Manager Mike Marshall is a National League All-Star and 1988 World Series Champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Reno Silver Sox Manager Les Lancaster had a nine-year major league career mostly with the Chicago Cubs and was a 1989 post-season All-Star selection as a relief pitcher, and St. George Roadrunners Manager Cory Snyder was a star of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and slugging sensation in the American League.
About the Golden Baseball League
The Golden Baseball League, presented by Safeway, is the premier professional independent baseball league in western North America. With teams in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and western Canada the league focuses on bringing high quality professional baseball to communities and opportunities for career development for professional ballplayers. Over 50 players from the GBL have had their contracts purchased by major league organizations over the last three years. In addition, in 2007 the GBL had three of Baseball America’s Top Ten Indy Prospects (#1, #3, & #6) and two of the nine All-Independent First Team position players. The league plans to expand throughout the western states and provinces over the next few years in addition to increasing partnership developments with Pacific Rim and Latin American leagues.
About Safeway
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The company operates more than 1,800 stores in the United States and Canada and had annual sales of $35.6 billion in 2003. The company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.
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