Schaumburg Flyers
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Schaumburg Flyers | |
Founded | 1999 |
League | Northern League 1999-present |
Team History | Schaumburg Flyers 1999-present |
Ballpark | Alexian Field |
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Based in | Schaumburg, Illinois |
Team Colors | navy blue, orange, khaki |
Manager | Steve Maddock |
Championships | |
Division Titles | 3 1999, 2004, 2006 |
Dancers | The Schaumburg Flyers Dance Team |
Mascot | Bearon |
The Schaumburg Flyers are a Northern League baseball team based in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Flyers are not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team. They play their home games at Alexian Field, formerly known as Schaumburg Baseball Stadium, off The Elgin O'Hare Expressway. The team was created in 1999 when the Thunder Bay (Ontario) Whiskey Jacks folded and moved to Schaumburg.
Despite playing in the Chicagoland metropolitan area, the Flyers are exempt from a rule that prohibits an affiliated team from moving within 75 miles of the area, to which the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox have territorial rights.
- Founded: 1999
- Playoff appearances: 1999, 2003, 04, 06
- Divisional titles won: 1999, 2004, 06
- League Championships won: None
In 2004, the Flyers made it to the Northern League Championship Series against the St. Paul Saints. Despite leading the five-game series 2-1, Schaumburg eventually lost the series. In Game 5, Flyers relief pitcher Lyle Prempas allowed a game winning grand slam by St. Paul infielder Marc Mirizzi in the ninth inning.
The Flyers have appeared in the Northern League Playoffs four times (1999, 2003, 2004, 2006) but have never won the championship.
Contents |
[edit] Year-by-year record
First Half | Second Half | Overall | ||||||||||||
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Season | Division | W-L | Finish | W-L | Finish | W-L | Win% | Playoffs | ||||||
1999 | East | 19-24 | 1st | 25-18 | 1st | 44-42 | .512 | Lost Central semi-final | ||||||
2000 | East | 18-25 | 4th | 20-23 | 4th | 38-48 | .442 | Did not qualify | ||||||
2001 | North | 18-27 | 3rd | 19-26 | 3rd | 37-53 | .411 | Did not qualify | ||||||
2002 | South | 19-24 | 4th | 16-29 | 5th | 35-53 | .398 | Did not qualify | ||||||
2003 | East | 25-19 | 3rd | 22-22 | 2nd | 47-41 | .534 | Lost semi-final | ||||||
2004 | South | 31-17 | 1st | 27-21 | 2nd | 58-38 | .604 | Lost championship series | ||||||
2005 | South | 16-32 | 6th | 22-26 | 4th | 38-58 | .396 | Did not qualify | ||||||
2006 | East | 31-17 | 1st | 15-33 | 4th | 46-50 | .479 | Lost East final |
[edit] "Leon" is a Flyer
The actor who plays "Leon" in a Budweiser advertising campaign, Nigel Thatch, became a Flyer in 2005. This brought national attention to the Flyers, with mentions on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption and SportsCenter. Nigel brought many fans to Alexian Field, but on May 1st, 2006 Nigel was traded to Fullerton of the Golden League for 60 cases of Budweiser beer.
[edit] 2006 Season
For the second half of the 2006 season, the Flyers and MSN have partnered to let fans choose the Flyers lineups online. This program is called "Fan Club: Reality Baseball"[1]. Players and the team manager are upset by this development, and changes mandated by the online voting have seemingly caused several on-field errors.[2]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- nlfan.com - yearly league standings & awards
- Goldeyes official website
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 |