Solano Steelheads
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The Solano Steelheads were a minor league baseball team operating out of Vacaville, California. They played in the independent Western Baseball League, and were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team.
The Steelheads were founded in 1999 as the Sacramento Steelheads by businessman Bruce Portner. They played their inaugural season at Sacramento City College. Portner sought to attract attention to the new franchise by hiring notorious MLB star Pete Rose as "the hitting instructor" of the team.
The Steelheads were relatively successful in the WBL standings in 1999. Sacramento's sports fans largely chose to ignore the alcohol-free home venue that the team had to endure due to it playing on a City College grounds which by law prevent the team to sell beer, and many were content to wait for the relocation of the Pacific Coast League Vancouver Canadians to Raley Field.
Rather than contend directly with AAA-level baseball, Portner moved his team west to Vacaville, where he built Travis Credit Union Park using his own money on the grounds of the historic Nut Tree. Marketing efforts portrayed the team as a Rockwellian slice of Americana, and Solano County fans responded positively to a professional team of their own. The '00 and '01 seasons were successful, in terms of both attendance and profit. 2001 saw a renovation of Travis Credit Union Park that included replacing benches with bucket seating. The ballpark was further improved by the start of the 2002 season with a new permanent concession facility and picnic area.
Due to loan issues created by the City of Vacaville when it failed to honor its financial arrangements with the team, Portner's corporation governing the team was forced to declare bankruptcy. Coupled with the decline of the Sonoma County Crushers, Chico Heat and other teams, the Western League was dealt a critical blow, and folded shortly after the '02 season.
The Solano Thunderbirds succeeded the Steelheads as Travis Credit Union Park's main tenant. However the Thunderbirds draw sparse crowds and don't have nearly the same following as did the Steelheads.
