Calgary Vipers
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| Calgary Vipers | |
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| Founded | 2004 |
| League | Northern League 2004-present |
| Team History | Calgary Vipers 2004-present |
| Ballpark | Foothills Stadium |
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| Based in | Calgary, Alberta |
| Team Colors | black, maroon, silver |
| Owner | ? |
| Manager | Mike Busch |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division Titles | 0 |
| Mascot | Slider |
The Calgary Vipers are an independent minor league baseball team in the Northern League. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, they play in Foothills Stadium.
- Founded: 2005
- Playoff appearances: None
- Divisional titles won: None
- League Championships won: None
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[edit] Troubled beginnings
On April 03, 2004, the Northern League announced that it had awarded a franchise to Calgary Professional Baseball, Ltd., led by Japanese businessman Naoto Higuchi. Niguchi and his partners came on-board claiming to be interested in the concept of independent baseball and were looking at the Northern League franchise as a test case for a similar league in Japan. The Northern League even held its 2005 winter meetings in Japan.
Despite promising to spend as much as $10 million on upgrades to the aging Foothills Stadium, almost nothing was done with the franchise. As of December, the franchise still had no name, no field manager, and only a minimal staff. The team had hired a general manager in Bill Craig, formerly of the Calgary Cannons, and had participated in the league's expansion draft. Finally, on December 10, the Northern League revoked the franchise, stripping Calgary Professional Baseball, Ltd. of its ownership.
The franchise remained dormant until February 11, 2005 when it announced the sale of the team to Winnipeg businessman Jeffrey Gidney. Gidney inherited the team with less than three months to name the team, hire staff, sign players, sign a coaching staff, negotiate a lease and sell tickets before the first exhibition games were to be played.
Despite the short timeframe, the Vipers managed to build a quality team on the field, as the team finished second in the Northern division in both halves. Off the field, the Vipers finished last in attendance, averaging just over 1100 fans. However, crowds slowly improved as the season went on and the Vipers grew from a bare bones operation, and as the weather improved following a month of June that featured record amounts of rainfall.
[edit] Battle of Alberta
On June 13, 2006, a string of bean balls in the first two innings touched off two major brawls between the Vipers and their provincial rivals, the Edmonton Cracker-Cats. After Edmonton's Greg Morrison was hit by a Calgary pitch for the fourth time in five games, the Cracker-Cats responded by throwing at two Calgary players. The resulting melee was so violent that the umpires sent both teams off the field, and suspended the game for over an hour to consult with league officials. When the Cracker-Cats refused to return to the field afterward, the game was declared a forfeit and the Vipers were awarded a 9-0 victory. [1]
The league came down hard on both teams, as both managers and seven players were suspended a total of 79 games. [2] Morrison blamed Calgary manager Mike Busch for the incident, believing that Busch continues to hold a grudge after both Morrison, and another former Viper, J.P. Fauske defected to the Cracker-Cats after leaving the Vipers after a falling out with the Calgary manager late in the 2005 season. [3]
[edit] Notable dates
- May 20, 2005 - First game of inaugural season. Calgary Vipers @ Sioux City Explorers
- May 27, 2005 - Home opener of inaugural season. Joliet Jackhammers @ Calgary Vipers
- July 19, 2005 - 2005 Northern League All-Star Game in Gary, Indiana. Vipers' manager Mike Busch managed the North Division All-Star team. Greg Morrison, Pedro Santana, and Carlos Duncan (all of the Vipers) were starters. In addition, Adam Shorsher, Evan Gruesel, and Doug Johnson were reserves.
- July 2006 - Pitcher Evan Gruesel becomes first Viper to be named Player of the Month after compiling a 5-0 record with a 2.31ERA and 31 strikeouts.
[edit] Year-by-year Record
| First Half | Second Half | Overall | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Division | W-L | Finish | W-L | Finish | W-L | Win% | Playoffs | ||||||
| 2005 | North | 25-22 | 2nd | 26-22 | 2nd | 51-44 | .537 | Did not qualify | ||||||
| 2006 | West | 19-29 | 4th | 23-25 | T-3 | 42-54 | .438 | Did not qualify | ||||||
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- nlfan.com - yearly league standings & awards
| Northern League | ||
| North Division: Calgary Vipers | Edmonton Cracker-Cats | Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks | Winnipeg Goldeyes South Division: Gary SouthShore RailCats | Joliet JackHammers | Kansas City T-Bones | Schaumburg Flyers |
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