CAL LEAGUE: A TO Z : TALKIN' (CALIFORNIA LEAGUE) BASEBALL.Byline: Chris Cocoles Daily News Staff Writer The Quakes, the Blaze and the Storm are not a trilogy of Irwin Allen disaster movies. The Ranch is not a salad dressing; The Hangar houses balls, bats and bases, though a plane did greet the facility's 238,173 visitors in 1998. It's baseball, California League The California League is a minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth style. Here is a league tour from A to Z: A is for All-Stars: The cream of this year's Cal League crop will defend the league's honor June 22 at the Diamond in Lake Elsinore when they meet the Carolina League The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that All-Stars in a game for advanced Single-A supremacy. B is for Barbecue: Most Cal League stadiums offer grilled ballpark fare, but the league's best such eatery is San Jose's Turkey Mike's BBQ BBQ barbecue . C is for Casey: Ernest Thayer's poem ``Casey at the Bat'' is said to have been inspired by Stockton's Mudville Nine. Reminders are all around the Ports' Billy Hebert Field Billy Hebert Field is a stadium in Stockton, California. It is primarily used for baseball and was the home field of the Stockton Ports until the moved to Banner Island Ballpark in 2005. The stadium continues to be used as a venue for high school baseball playoffs. . D is for Dreams: Every player that steps onto a Cal League diamond is chasing his fantasy, to be in the starting lineup For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes at Safeco Field • • [ , Dodger Stadium • • [ , the Oakland Coliseum or Bank One Ballpark. E is for El Nino: Two words no league general manager wants to hear. Last spring's wacky weather resulted in a record 21 rain-outs and a cumulative 15 percent drop in attendance. F is for Future: The Cal League's includes a possible two-team expansion. Where? Ventura and Monterey would be good fits. G is for Garner: Darrin Garner, a graduate of legendary Crenshaw cren·shaw also cran·shaw n. A variety of winter melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorus) having a greenish-yellow rind and sweet, usually salmon-pink flesh. [Origin unknown.] High in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , returns home to manage the JetHawks. H is for Home runs: Expect several of the league's hitter-friendly ballparks, most notably Lancaster Municipal Stadium and Maverick Stadium, to distribute their share of souvenirs again. I is for Infielders: Middle infielders to be exact. Among the league's 1999 skippers are former second basemen or shortstops Garner of the JetHawks, Rick Burleson of San Bernardino, Mario Mendoza of Lake Elsinore and Lenn Sakata of San Jose. J is for JetHawks: It's year four of professional baseball in the Antelope Valley. K is for Kargenian: No, Harry Kargenian won't hit any home runs or steal any bases, but the Visalia Oaks employee is perhaps the league's hardest worker. His game-day duties include handling both the Recreation Park public address announcing and official scoring. And Kargenian is also the Oaks' media liaison. L is for League leaders: Modesto's Roberto Alomar led the Cal League with a .346 batting average in 1986; Modesto's Rickey Henderson stole a league-best 95 bases in 1977; Garry Sheffield knocked in 103 runs for Stockton in 1987. M is for Mascots: Only San Jose is without a fuzzy creature to entertain the fans between innings. The diversity ranges from Hamlet, the 11-foot tall sea serpent at Lake Elsinore, to Peanut, the Modesto A's elephant who once performed a strip tease on top of the home dugout. N is for Noodleman: Myron Noodleman, the nerdy, Jerry Lewis wannabe whose antics inspired the normally somber Burleson, won't make a third straight appearance in Lancaster this season. The dance between Myron and Burleson in the third-base coaching box will be missed, as will the signed autographed photo of Noodleman that hung on the wall in Burleson's office. O is for Ovation: Burleson deserves a standing one when he takes the field as San Bernardino's manager at The Hangar's April 14 Home Opener. Burleson, gruff or not the past two years with the JetHawks, skippered two rather untalented Adj. 1. untalented - devoid of talent; not gifted talentless gifted, talented - endowed with talent or talents; "a gifted writer" teams to playoff berths. P is for Progress: The historic Cal League cities of Stockton and Visalia, with new owners aboard, have proposed new stadiums to catch up with the state-of-the-art ballparks of the South. Q is for Quakes: Rancho Cucamonga's franchise has a quintessential California League name. The Quakes play their home games at a place called The Epicenter, and their dinosaur mascots answer to the names Tremor and Aftershock af·ter·shock n. 1. A quake of lesser magnitude, usually one of a series, following a large earthquake in the same area. 2. . R is for Rookies: What do Ted Simmons, Kevin McReynolds, Kirby Puckett and Eric Karros have in common? All were named Cal League Rookie of the Year Rookie of the Year may refer to:
S is for South (and North): The Freeway and Valley Divisional format is out. Despite having four of five Northern teams either Oakland A's or San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era affiliates, the league is correctly geographically divided in two. T is for Turnstiles: San Bernardino and Lake Elsinore seem to be in a bidding war for the Cal League's all-time attendance mark. The Stampede crammed in 13,762 customers, many of whom were holding freebies, last Aug. 8. U is for Urso: Lake Elsinore just doesn't seem the same without icon Joe Urso in the Storm's dugout. V is for Velocity: If they're assigned to the JetHawks, the fastballs of pitchers Ryan Anderson and Gil Meche are rather extraordinary. W is for Weiss: Have a question about the Cal League? Bill Weiss is the man to ask. The league historian can tell you that Stockton's Elijah ``Pumpsie'' Green was the 1955 Cal League MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. . X is for X-Files: Neither Modesto nor Visalia will get their chance to suit up top Oakland A's pitching prospect Mulder. That Mulder (Mark) is headed for Triple-A Vancouver. Y is for YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. : Is there a minor-league baseball clause that mandates the Village People's signature song be played every night? Z is for Zany: Where else but minor-league baseball can you pay a couple of bucks for a ticket to experience Cheap Beer and Rock 'n' Roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. Night (at Visalia), ``Seinfeld'' Night (at Stockton) when videotapes were handed out to tape the show's final episode, or Launch-A-Ball (at Lancaster), a postgame contest in which hundreds of tennis balls are flung from the stands into prize rings? CALIFORNIA LEAGUE CAPSULES 1999 CALIFORNIA LEAGUE CAPSULES BAKERSFIELD BLAZE Division: North. Affiliate: San Francisco Giants. Manager: Keith Comstock. Coaches: Bert Bradley and Mike Felder. 1998 record: 49-91. Stadium: Sam Lynn Ballpark Sam Lynn Ball Park is located in Bakersfield, California (4009 Chester Ave. Bakersfield, CA 93301 / 661-716-HITS) and is the oldest ballpark of the 10 team, Class-A Advanced, California League. . Outlook: The Blaze was treated rather unfairly by the Giants in 1998, with much of the top talent sent to San Jose, the organization's other Cal League club. Stay tuned. HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS The High Desert Mavericks are a minor league baseball team in Adelanto, California, USA. Their Major League parent club is the Seattle Mariners. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and had been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2005 before the switch. Division: South. Affiliate: Arizona Diamondbacks. Manager: Derek Bryant. Coaches: Mike Parrott and Rick Schu. 1998 record: 82-58. Lost to San Jose in Valley Division finals. Stadium: Maverick Stadium. Outlook: With a full minor-league system in place, the Diamondbacks won't be able to send as many top prospects to the Victor Valley. Still, standout second baseman Jackie Rexrode is slated to return and young outfielders Jack Cust, Abraham Nunez and Jhensy Sandoval will like Maverick Stadium's cozy confines. LAKE ELSINORE STORM The Lake Elsinore Storm are a minor league baseball team in Lake Elsinore, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and are a farm team of the San Diego Padres. Division: South. Affiliate: Angels. Manager: Mario Mendoza. Coaches: Kernan Ronan and John Orton. 1998 record: 66-74. Lost to Rancho Cucamonga in Freeway Division finals. Stadium: Lake Elsinore Diamond Lake Elsinore Diamond is a stadium in Lake Elsinore, California. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Lake Elsinore Storm minor league baseball team. It was built in 1994 and holds 7,866 people. . Outlook: The Storm was deprived of getting top pitching prospects like Seth Etherton and Ramon Ortiz last year but still reached the second round of the playoffs. The return of slugging catcher Steve Hagins would be a lift for Lake Elsinore. LANCASTER JETHAWKS Division: South. Affiliate: Seattle Mariners. Manager: Darrin Garner. Coaches: Greg Harris and Dana Williams. 1998 record: 78-62. Lost to High Desert in Valley Division wild-card playoffs. Stadium: Lancaster Municipal Stadium (The Hangar). Outlook: The JetHawks have been a second-half team the past couple years. This could be a first-half powerhouse if top pitching prospects Ryan Anderson and Gil Meche are around. MODESTO A'S Division: North. Affiliate: Oakland A's. Manager: Bob Geren. Coaches: Rick Rodriguez and Brian McArn. 1998 record: 77-63. Stadium: John Thurman Field John Thurman Field is a stadium in Modesto, California. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Modesto Nuts minor league baseball team. It was built in 1955. It holds 4,000 people. . Outlook: The A's came tantalizingly tan·ta·lize tr.v. tan·ta·lized, tan·ta·liz·ing, tan·ta·liz·es To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach. close to the playoffs each of the past two years but were beaten out by the JetHawks both times. Modesto is always in the thick of the chase. RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a minor league baseball team in Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and have been a farm team of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim since 2001. Division: South. Affiliate: San Diego Padres. Manager: Tom LeVasseur. Coaches: Darrel Akerfelds and Steve Hendricks. 1998 record: 77-63. Lost to San Jose 3 games to 1 in Cal League championship series. Stadium: The Epicenter. Outlook: The Quakes' marquee player could be Sean Burroughs, the former Long Beach Little League World Series hero who turned down USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. to sign with the Padres. Burroughs signed late and is yet to play professionally but could get a shot at Rancho Cucamonga sometime this season. SAN BERNARDINO STAMPEDE Division: South. Affiliate: Dodgers. Manager: Rick Burleson. Coaches: Mark Brewer and Steve Yeager. 1998 record: 55-85. Stadium: San Bernardino Stadium (The Ranch). Outlook: Funny how the scheduling makers mapped this out. The JetHawks welcome back Burleson in their home opener April 14. Burleson did a masterful job managing two JetHawks squads lacking top prospects to the playoffs. The Dodgers' suddenly questionable farm system will test Burleson's skills again. SAN JOSE GIANTS The San Jose Giants are a minor league baseball team in San Jose, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the Northern Division of the California League, and have been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988. Division: North. Affiliate: San Francisco Giants. Manager: Lenn Sakata. Coach: Shawn Barton. 1998 record: 83-57, Defeated Rancho Cucamonga 3 games to 1 to win Cal League championship. Stadium: Municipal Stadium. Outlook: The Giants' top prospects knew the way to San Jose during last year's championship season. With 1998 first-round pick Tony Torcato and Sammy Serrano in the infield, San Jose will be a title contender again in an improving San Francisco minor-league system. STOCKTON PORTS Division: North. Affiliate: Milwaukee Brewers. Manager: Bernie Moncallo. Coaches: Randy Kramer and Carlos Ponce. 1998 record: 66-74. Stadium: Billy Hebert Field. Outlook: There is joy in Mudville after all. The Ports' sale to a group that includes former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley includes a proposed new stadium and a resurgent re·sur·gent adj. 1. Experiencing or tending to bring about renewal or revival. 2. Sweeping or surging back again. Adj. 1. passion for minor-league baseball in a city that inspired Ernest Thayer's ``Casey at the Bat "Casey at the Bat", subtitled "A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888", is a baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. First published in the San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, it was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances. .'' VISALIA OAKS Division: North. Affiliate: Oakland A's. Manager: Juan Navarrete. Coaches: Curt Young and Dave Joppie. 1998 record: 67-73. Lost to Lake Elsinore in Freeway Division wild-card playoffs. Stadium: Recreation Park. Outlook: Like Stockton, a new owner - San Diego small-business owner Jim Wadley - means a fresh start in one of the Cal League's oldest venues. Recreation Park, referred to as one of professional baseball's worst facilities, could be replaced by a new park. If not, Wadley will bolt town. - Chris Cocoles CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO An F-18 greets fans lined up at the opening of the 1998 baseball season at The Hangar in Lancaster. Tom Mendoza/Daily News BOX: CALIFORNIA LEAGUE CAPSULES (See text) |
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