Great Lakes Loons
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| Great Lakes Loons Founded in 1982 Midland, Michigan |
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| League titles | 2000 | ||
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| Owner(s)/Operated by: Michigan Baseball Foundation | |||
| Manager: Juan Bustabad | |||
| General Manager: Paul Barbeau | |||
The Great Lakes Loons, based in Midland, Michigan, is a Low Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team plays in the Midwest League and their home park is Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.
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[edit] History
The Midwest League came to Battle Creek, in 1995 after the franchise formerly known as the Madison Hatters moved. The team was first known as the Battle Creek Golden Kazoos. Due to a trademark dispute and general fan dissatisfaction with the name (which is a nickname for the nearby city of Kalamazoo), the name was changed to the Michigan Battle Cats on March 9, 1995.
The team was affiliated with the Boston Red Sox (1995-98) and Houston Astros (1999-2002). The team changed its name to the Battle Creek Yankees after becoming an affiliate of the New York Yankees in 2003. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays took over affiliation of the team in September 2004, changing the team name to Southwest Michigan Devil Rays. In September 2006, the team announced its affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In January of 2006, it was confirmed that the Devil Rays would be sold to the non-profit Michigan Baseball Foundation and relocated to Midland, Michigan. The team has been renamed the Great Lakes Loons. The main reason the team is relocating is because of the lack of interest in the Battle Creek community. Even reduced tickets and a night when the fans actually were paid a dollar to come to that night's game failed to pique the interest of local residents.
Naming rights for the Loons' stadium were purchased by Dow Chemical, which is headquartered in Midland. The company named the stadium "Dow Diamond." The name is a play on the company's logo, a red diamond.
In November 2006, The Loons named former Detroit Tiger Lance Parrish as the team's first manager since the move to Michigan's Tri-City Area. The first home game was played on April 13th which resulted in a loss to the Lansing Lugnuts.
[edit] Alumni
Notable alumni of the Midwest League, Battle Creek franchise include Rafael Betancourt, Justin Duchscherer, Shea Hillenbrand, Matt Kinney, Jason Lane, Aaron Miles, Melky Cabrera, Roy Oswalt, Carl Pavano, Tim Redding, Chris Reitsma, Donnie Sadler, Johan Santana and Wilton Veras. Former Loon Clayton Kershaw is now (2008) vying for the fifth spot in the Dodger's starting rotation.
[edit] Current roster
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Great Lakes Loons roster
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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[edit] Year-by-Year Record
- Michigan Battle Cats (1995-2002)
- Battle Creek Yankees (2003-2004)
- Southwest Michigan Devil Rays (2005-2006)
- Great Lakes Loons(2007-Present)
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
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| 1995 | 75-62 | 4th | DeMarlo Hale | Lost League Finals |
| 1996 | 60-78 | 11th | Tom Barrett | |
| 1997 | 70-67 | 4th | Billy Gardner Jr. | Lost in 1st round |
| 1998 | 79-61 | 2nd (t) | Billy Gardner Jr. | Lost in 1st round |
| 1999 | 76-62 | 3rd | Al Pedrique | Lost in 1st round |
| 2000 | 82-56 | 2nd | Al Pedrique | League Champs |
| 2001 | 82-55 | 3rd | John Massarelli | Lost in 1st round |
| 2002 | 79-61 | 4th | John Massarelli | Lost in 1st round |
| 2003 | 73-64 | 3rd | Mitch Seoane | Lost in 2nd round |
| 2004 | 71-68 | 9th | Mitch Seoane (13-18) / Bill Mosiello (58-50) | |
| 2005 | 72-67 | 4th (t) | Joe Szekely | Lost in 1st round |
| 2006 | 62-77 | 12th | Skeeter Barnes | |
| 2007 | 57-82 | 12th | Lance Parrish |
[edit] Sources
- Dinda, J. (2003), "Battle Creek, Michigan, in the Midwest League" [1]
[edit] See also
- WLUN (sports radio station owned by the Loons)
[edit] External link
- Great Lakes Loons
- mwlmidland.com Fan Site
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| AAA | AA | A | Rookie |
| Las Vegas 51s | Jacksonville Suns |
Inland Empire 66ers Great Lakes Loons |
Ogden Raptors Gulf Coast Dodgers Santo Domingo Dodgers |
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