Traverse City Beach Bums
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| Traverse City Beach Bums Founded in 1995 Traverse City, Michigan |
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| Owner(s)/Operated By: Wuerfel | |||
| General Manager: Jeff Isom | |||
| Manager: Jon Cahill | |||
| Media: Traverse City Record-Eagle | |||
| Website: www.traversecitybeachbums.com | |||
The Traverse City Beach Bums is a minor league baseball team located in Traverse City, Michigan. Playing in the independent Frontier League, the Beach Bums are Traverse City's first professional baseball team since 1915. Predecessors include the semi-pro team, the Traverse City Hustlers of the 1890s and the Traverse City Resorters, from 1910 to 1915[1].
The Beach Bums, coached by Jeff Isom, were previously known as the Richmond Roosters headquartered in Richmond, Indiana until ownership was acquired by the Wuerfels during the summer of 2005[2].
The team features a pair of Michigan black bear mascots wearing beach sandals, named Suntan and Sunburn[3]. The team colors are navy blue and yellow, a homage to the colors of the University of Michigan.
Their stadium, Wuerfel Park, is located in Grand Traverse County's Blair Township. Their franchise opening game was May 24th, 2006 against the Kalamazoo Kings, with a sell-out crowd of 5,825.
[edit] Team History
As the Richmond Roosters, they won the Frontier League championship in 2001 and 2002.
The team played at Don McBride Stadium, which opened in 1936.
The Roosters produced a star in Morgan Burkhart. He was the Most Valuable Player for four consecutive years, from 1995-1998. Burkhart also made the Frontier League All-Star Game for the same four consecutive years. Peter Gammons (ESPN and the Boston Globe) called Burkhart the "Babe Ruth of the Frontier League." Eventually, he would move on to play for the Boston Red Sox in the American League.
Attendance fell in dramatic fashion in 2004. September 2, 2005 was the final game for the Roosters.
In July 2005, it was announced that the team was sold to owners in Traverse City, Michigan, where the team would play beginning in the 2006 season.
[edit] Seasons
| Richmond Roosters (Frontier League) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | Postseason |
| 1995 | 38-32 | .543 | 4th in FL | |
| 1996 | 39-35 | .527 | 1st in FL West | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Springfield Capitals 2-1. |
| 1997 | 43-37 | .538 | 2nd in FL West | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Evansville Otters 2-1. |
| 1998 | 49-31 | .612 | 2nd in FL West | |
| 1999 | 40-43 | .482 | 4th in FL East | |
| 2000 | 40-43 | .482 | 4th in FL East | |
| 2001 | 49-35 | .583 | 2nd in FL East | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Dubois County Dragons 2-1. Won Frontier League Championship vs. Chillicothe Paints 3-0. |
| 2002 | 53-31 | .631 | 2nd in FL East | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Dubois County Dragons 2-1. Won Frontier League Championship vs. Washington Wild Things 3-1. |
| 2003 | 50-39 | .562 | 4th in FL East | |
| 2004 | 43-53 | .448 | 5th in FL East | |
| 2005 | 39-56 | .415 | 6th in FL East | |
| Traverse City Beach Bums (Frontier League) | ||||
| 2006 | 57-39 | .594 | 3rd in FL East | |
| 2007 | 46-50 | .479 | 4th in FL Central | |
| Richmond | 483-435 | .526 | ||
| Playoffs | 12-7 | .632 | 1 Division Title. 4 Playoff Appearances. 2 Championships. | |
| Trav. City | 103-89 | .536 | ||
[edit] External links
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