1.
Salem, Virginia
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Salem is an independent city in the U. S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,802 and it is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Salem with Roanoke County for statistical purposes, Salem is bordered by the city of Roanoke and is included in the same Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located approximately 120 miles from Charlottesville,104 miles from Greensboro, North Carolina, Roanoke College is located in the city. The NCAA Division III National Football Championship, also known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, Salem is also the home to a minor league baseball team, the Salem Red Sox, formerly the Salem Avalanche. The earliest history of Salem exists as archaeological evidence of Native American tribes from as far back as 8000 B. C. until the middle of the 18th century, europeans first explored the area of Salem in 1671, when the Siouan-speaking Totero people had a village nearby. Explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam gave the area its first recorded name, Totero Town, after this tribe, fort Lewis, named for General Andrew Lewis, of what is now Roanoke County, was built west of the town in 1752. Salems Andrew Lewis Middle School was named after General Lewis, Salem became a small settlement serving travelers on the Great Road and was officially founded in 1802, receiving its charter in 1806. It is not known why the town was named Salem, the most widely accepted explanation is that it was named to honor William Bryan, a prominent citizen, one of the citys four elementary schools is named after African American scientist G. W. Carver. Before integration, this was the school for African Americans in Salem. Salem annexed South Salem in 1953 and also an eastern tract in 1960, Salem officially became a city on December 31,1967, to avoid the possibility of annexation into the city of Roanoke. Salem has been the home of two colleges, in 1847, the Virginia Institute, a boys preparatory school, moved to Salem from Staunton. It received a charter in 1853 and was renamed Roanoke College for the Roanoke Valley. The college is located in central Salem, one north of Main Street. Roanoke Womens College, later named Elizabeth College, operated between 1912 and 1922, the college burned in late 1921 and did not reopen. Like Roanoke College, it was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Elizabeth College campus is now the site of residence halls and athletic fields that belong to Roanoke College. Salem has a large interest in athletics and it is home to the Salem Red Sox, a High Class-A affiliate to the Boston Red Sox. The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III Football Championship game is held at Salem Football Stadium, in August 2007, the Salem Football Stadium also hosted the Southwestern Virginia Educational Classic
2.
Carolina League
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The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball affiliation which operates along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. It is classified as a Class A-Advanced league, the organization that later became the Carolina League formed in 1945, just as World War II was ending, and consisted of only two teams based in southern Virginia. Historically, however, as many as 12 teams in a year have competed in the Carolina League. Today, the league consists of 10 teams in a region stretching from Delaware to South Carolina, and is divided into a Northern Division, the league originated in the vicinity of Raleigh, North Carolina, and has since branched out. Before he began making films, Shelton had a minor league career in the Baltimore Orioles organization. The Down East Wood Ducks play in Kinston, North Carolina, the Buies Creek Astros play in Buies Creek, North Carolina, in 2017 and 2018, until a new stadium in nearby Fayetteville is built for the 2019 season. ^ Myrtle Beach and Wilmington were declared co-champions when the series was tied 2–2, for league awards, go to the league website, click on History and then click on Carolina League Award Winners. All teams that have competed in the Carolina League from its founding in 1945, teams in bold are currently active. Carolina League Official site Carolina League Champions Carolina League at DMOZ
3.
Appalachian League
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The Appalachian League of Professional Baseball is a Rookie-class Minor League Baseball league that began play in 1911. It operated as a Class D league, and before becoming a Rookie league in 1963, teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee. The leagues season starts in June, after major league teams have signed players they selected in the amateur draft. Along with the Pioneer League, it forms the second-lowest rung on the league ladder. Although classified as a Rookie league, the level of play is higher than that of the two complex Rookie leagues, the Gulf Coast League and Arizona League. Unlike these two leagues, Appalachian League games charge admission and sell concessions, the original Appalachian League only existed for four seasons from 1911-1914 and all teams were independent with no MLB affiliation. The original league consisted of the Asheville Moonshiners, the Bristol Boosters, the Cleveland Counts, the Johnson City Soldiers, the Knoxville Appalachians, and the Morristown Jobbers. The third iteration of the Appalachian league, which started in 1937, was shifted to D-level minor league and it consisted of four teams, the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox, the third iteration of the Johnson City Soldiers, the Newport Canners, and the Pennington Gap Lee Bears
4.
Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League East division. The Red Sox have won eight World Series championships and have played in 13, founded in 1901 as one of the American Leagues eight charter franchises, the Red Sox home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The Red Sox name was chosen by the owner, John I. Taylor, around 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had known as the Boston Red Stockings. Boston was a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by 1918. Following their victory in the 2013 World Series, they became the first team to win three World Series trophies in the 21st century, including championships in 2004 and 2007. Red Sox history has also marked by the teams intense rivalry with the Yankees. The Boston Red Sox are owned by Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Liverpool F. C. of the Premier League in England. The Red Sox are consistently one of the top MLB teams in road attendance. From May 15,2003 to April 10,2013, the Red Sox sold out every home game—a total of 820 games for a professional sports record. Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline has become an anthem for the Red Sox, the name Red Sox, chosen by owner John I. Taylor after the 1907 season, refers to the red hose in the team uniform beginning 1908. Sox had been adopted for the Chicago White Sox by newspapers needing a headline-friendly form of Stockings. The team name Red Sox had previously used as early as 1888 by a colored team from Norfolk. The Spanish language media sometimes refers to the team as Medias Rojas, the official Spanish site uses the variant Los Red Sox. The Red Stockings nickname was first used by a team by the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Managed by Harry Wright, Cincinnati adopted a uniform with white knickers and red stockings and earned the famous nickname, the Boston Red Stockings won four championships in the five seasons of the new National Association, the first professional league. Other names were used before Boston officially adopted the nickname Braves in 1912
5.
Houston Astros
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The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros are members of the American League West division in Major League Baseball, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000. The Astros were established as the Houston Colt. 45s and entered the National League in 1962 with the expansion New York Mets. The current name—reflecting Houstons role as the center of the U. S. space program—was adopted three years later, when they moved into the Astrodome, the worlds first domed sports stadium. The Astros played in the NL from 1962 to 2012 and they played in the West division from 1969 to 1993, and the Central division from 1994 to 2012. The Astros have played in one World Series in 2005 against the Chicago White Sox, from 1888 until 1961, Houstons professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes. Although expansion from the National League eventually brought an MLB team to Texas in 1962, Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior. There were four men responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston, George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan. They formed the Houston Sports Association as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston and they called the new league the Continental League. Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten, however, plans eventually fell through for the Houston franchise after the Houston Buffaloes owner, Marty Marion, could not come to an agreement with the HSA to sell the team. To make matters worse, the Continental League as a whole folded in August 1960, however, on October 17,1960, the National League granted an expansion franchise to the Houston Sports Association in which their team could begin play in the 1962 season. Eventually, the Houston Sports Association succeeded in purchasing the Houston Buffaloes, at this point majority-owned by William Hopkins, the Buffs played one last minor league season as the top farm team of the Chicago Cubs in 1961 before being succeeded by the citys NL club. The new Houston team was named the Colt. 45s after a Name The Team contest was won by William Irving Neder, the Colt.45 was well known as the gun that won the west. The colors selected were blue and orange. The first team was formed mostly through a draft after the 1961 season. The Colt. 45s and their cousins, the New York Mets. Many of those associated with the Houston Buffaloes organization were allowed by the ownership to continue in the major league, Manager Harry Craft, who had joined Houston in 1961, remained in the same position for the team until the end of the 1964 season. General manager Spec Richardson also continued with the organization as business manager, similarly, the radio broadcasting team remained with the new Houston major league franchise
6.
Colorado Rockies
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The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League West division. The teams home venue is Coors Field, located in the Lower Downtown area of Denver, the Rockies have won one National League championship, in 2007, after having won 21 of their final 22 games in order to secure a Wild Card position. In the World Series they were swept by the American League champion Boston Red Sox in four games and they are one of two MLB franchises to have never won a division title. Denver had long been a hotbed of Denver Bears/Zephyrs Minor League Baseball, following the Pittsburgh drug trials, an unsuccessful attempt was made to purchase the Pittsburgh Pirates and relocate them. However, in 1991, as part of Major League Baseballs two-team expansion, Monus were granted a franchise, they took the name Rockies due to Denvers proximity to the Rocky Mountains, which is reflected in their logo. Monus and Antonucci were forced to out in 1992 after Monus reputation was ruined by an accounting scandal. Trucking magnate Jerry McMorris stepped in at the 11th hour to save the franchise, the Rockies shared Mile High Stadium with the National Football League s Denver Broncos for their first two seasons while Coors Field was constructed. It was completed for the 1995 Major League Baseball season, in 1993, they started play in the Western division of the National League. Since that date, the Rockies have reached the Major League Baseball postseason three times, each time as the National League wild card team, twice they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In 2007, the Rockies advanced to the World Series, only to be swept by the Boston Red Sox, the Rockies have played their home games at Coors Field since 1995. Their newest Spring training home, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the start of the 2012 season, the Rockies introduced Purple Mondays in which the team wears its purple uniform every Monday game day. No inducted members of the Baseball Hall of Fame have played for or managed the Rockies. 1997 – Larry Walker 2007 – Matt Holliday In 1998, Todd Helton finished second in Rookie of the Year voting 2002 – Jason Jennings In 2007, jackie Robinsons number,42, was retired throughout all of baseball in 1997. Keli McGregor had worked with the Rockies since their inception in 1993, rising from senior director of operations to team president in 2002 and he is honored at Coors Field alongside Helton and Robinson with his initials. As of 2010, Rockies flagship radio station is KOA 850AM, Jerry Schemmel and Jack Corrigan are the radio announcers which both serve as backup TV announcers whenever Drew Goodman is not on the broadcast. The Rockies Radio Network is composed of 38 affiliate stations in eight states, as of 2013, Spanish broadcasts of the Rockies are heard on KNRV1150 AM. As of 2013, all games will be produced and televised by Root Sports Rocky Mountain, all 150 games produced by Root Sports Rocky Mountain will be broadcast in HD
7.
Pittsburgh Pirates
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The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League Central division. Founded on October 15,1881 as Allegheny, the franchise has won five World Series championships, the Pirates are also often referred to as the Bucs or the Buccos. They also won the 1971 World Series, led by the talent of Roberto Clemente, overall, the Pirates have won five World Series and lost two. They would then advance to the NL Division Series round, where they lost in 5 games to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates would continue their success and make the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015, losing in the Wild Card Game both times. Professional baseball has been played in the Pittsburgh area since 1876, the teams of the era were independents, barnstorming throughout the region and not affiliated with any organized league, though they did have salaries and were run as business organizations. On October 15,1881, the strongest team in the joined the American Association as a founding member to begin play in 1882. Their various home fields in the 19th century were in a city called Allegheny City. After five mediocre seasons in the A. A, Pittsburgh became the first A. A. team to switch to the older National League in 1887. At this time, the team renamed itself the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, at that time, owner-manager Horace Phillips sold the team to Dennis McKnight, Phillips stayed on as manager. Before the 1890 season, nearly all of the Alleghenys best players bolted to the Players Leagues Pittsburgh Burghers, the Players League collapsed after the season, and the players were allowed to go back to their old clubs. However, the Alleghenys also scooped up highly regarded second baseman Lou Bierbauer, although the Athletics had failed to include Bierbauer on their reserve list, they loudly protested the Alleghenys move. In an official complaint, an AA official claimed the Alleghenys signing of Bierbauer was piratical and this incident quickly accelerated into a schism between the leagues that contributed to the demise of the A. A. Although the Alleghenys were never found guilty of wrongdoing, they made sport of being denounced for being piratical by renaming themselves the Pirates for the 1891 season, the nickname was first acknowledged on the teams uniforms in 1912. The Pirates were a team in the early 1900s, winning National League pennants from 1901–1903. They again won the NL in 1925 and 1927 and the World Series in 1925, after a slow period, they returned to dominance and won the 1960 World Series,1971 World Series and 1979 World Series. They won Eastern Division titles from 1990–1992 but did not return to the post-season after that until 2013, on Opening Day 2015 the Pirates loss to the Cincinnati Reds represented its 10, 000th franchise loss since moving to the NL. This made the Pirates the fourth MLB team to achieve distinction, following the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves
8.
Texas Rangers (baseball)
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The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in Arlington, Texas, located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers franchise is currently a member of the West division of the American League in Major League Baseball, since 1994, the Rangers have played in Globe Life Park in Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The teams name is borrowed from the law enforcement agency of the same name. After the 1971 season, the new Senators moved to Arlington, Texas, in 2010, the Rangers advanced past the Division Series for the first time, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays. Texas then brought home their first American League pennant after beating the New York Yankees in six games, in the 2010 World Series, the franchises first, the Rangers fell to the San Francisco Giants in five games. They repeated as American League champions the year, then lost the 2011 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. At the winter meetings that year, it awarded a new team to Los Angeles as well as a new team in the nations capital and this new team adopted the old Senators name, but was considered an expansion team since the Twins retained the old Senators records and history. The Senators and Angels began to fill their rosters with American League players in an expansion draft, the team played the 1961 season at old Griffith Stadium before moving to District of Columbia Stadium. For most of their existence, the new Senators were the definition of futility, the teams struggles led to a twist on a joke about the old Senators--Washington, first in war, first in peace and still last in the American League. Frank Howard, known for his home runs, was the teams most accomplished player. Ownership changed hands several times during the stay in Washington and was often plagued by poor decision-making and planning. Owner Elwood Richard Quesada once wondered why he should have to pay his players because he believed they didnt belong in the majors and he later agreed to a 10-year lease at D. C. Stadium — a move that would back to haunt the Senators. In 1963, Quesada sold his stake in the club and resigned, Washington stockbrokers James Johnston and James Lemon owned the team briefly, suffering massive financial losses. Johnson died in 1967 and Lemon sold the team a year later to hotel and trucking executive Bob Short, Short named himself general manager and hired Hall of Famer Ted Williams as manager. Although Williams had never coached or managed at any level of baseball, Williams kept them in contention for most of the season, their 86–76 record would be their only winning season in Washington. The success though was brief, as Short borrowed most of the $9.4 million he had used to pay for the team, as the Senators general manager, Short was forced to make many questionable trades to lower the debt and acquire amounts of the much-needed revenue. As a result, the team fell back into the American Leagues cellar position
9.
San Diego Padres
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The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball franchise based in San Diego, California. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League West division, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the NL pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, as of 2015, they have had 14 winning seasons in franchise history. The Padres are the major professional sports franchise to be located in San Diego. The Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League team that arrived in San Diego in 1936 and that minor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by 18-year-old Ted Williams, the future Hall-of-Famer who was a native of San Diego. The teams name, Spanish for fathers, refers to the Spanish Franciscan friars who founded San Diego in 1769. In 1969, the Padres joined the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new teams, along with the Montreal Expos, the Kansas City Royals. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres whose interests included banking, tuna fishing, hotels, real estate and an airline. The teams fortunes improved as they won five National League West titles and reached the World Series twice, in 1984 and in 1998. The Padres main draw during the 1980s and 1990s was Tony Gwynn and they moved into their current stadium, Petco Park, in 2004. As of 2016, the Padres are the team in the MLB yet to throw a no-hitter since their addition to the league in 1969. The team has played its spring training games at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria and they share the stadium with the Seattle Mariners. From 1969 to 1993, the Padres held spring training in Yuma, due to the short driving distance and direct highway route, Yuma was very popular with Padres fans, and many fans would travel by car from San Diego for spring training games. Throughout the teams history, the San Diego Padres have used six different logos, the original team colors were blue and red before changing to gold and brown in the 70s. Their first logo depicts a friar swinging a bat with Padres written at the top standing in a sun-like figure with San Diego Padres on the exterior of it. The Swinging Friar has popped up on the uniform on and off ever since although the head of the friar has been tweaked from the original in recent years, in 1985, the Padres switched to using a script-like logo in which Padres was written sloped up. That would later become a script logo for the Padres, the teams colors were changed to brown and orange and remained this way through the 1990 season. In 1989, the Padres took the scripted Padres logo that was used from 1985 to 1988, in 1991, the logo was changed to a silver ring with the Padres script changed from brown to blue
10.
San Francisco Giants
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The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball franchise based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1883 as the New York Gothams, and renamed three years later to the New York Giants, the team moved to San Francisco in 1958. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League West division. As one of the longest-established and most successful baseball teams. The team was the first major team based in New York City. They have won 23 NL pennants and have played in 20 World Series competitions – both NL records, the Giants eight World Series championships rank second in the National League and are tied for fourth overall. The Giants have played in the World Series 20 times –14 times in New York, six in San Francisco –, the Giants franchise has the most Hall of Fame players in all of professional baseball. The Giants rivalry with the Dodgers is one of the longest-standing, the teams began their rivalry as the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, respectively, before both franchises moved west for the 1958 season. The Giants have won six pennants and three World Series championships since arriving in San Francisco and those three championships have come in 2010,2012, and most recently in 2014, having defeated the Kansas City Royals four games to three during the 2014 World Series. The Giants began as the baseball club founded by millionaire tobacconist John B. Day and veteran amateur baseball player Jim Mutrie, the Gothams, as the Giants were originally known, entered the National League in 1883, while their other club, the Metropolitans played in the American Association. Nearly half of the original Gotham players were members of the disbanded Troy Trojans, Louis Browns in a pre-modern-era World Series. They repeated as champions the year with a pennant and Championship victory over the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. It is said that one particularly satisfying victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Mutrie. From then on, the club was known as the Giants, the Giants original home stadium, the Polo Grounds, dates from this early era. It was originally located north of Central Park adjacent to 5th and 6th Avenues and 110th and 112th Streets, the Giants were a powerhouse in the late 1880s, winning their first two National League Pennants and World Championships in 1888 and 1889. But nearly all of the Giants stars jumped to the upstart Players League, whose New York franchise was named the Giants. The new team built a stadium next door to the Polo Grounds
11.
Salem Memorial Ballpark
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Opened on August 7,1995, it is home to the Single-A Advanced Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League and can seat 6,300 people. It was built in 1995 at a cost of $10.1 million to replace Municipal Stadium, in 1993, ownership of the then Salem Buccaneers were looking to sell the franchise. As the existing Municipal Stadium was not adequate to meet the needs of the franchise, in January 1994, Salem leaders approached both the City of Roanoke and Roanoke County in an effort to develop a regional partnership to construct a stadium. In March 1994, the Salem City Council decided a nonbinding referendum would be later that summer to let the city residents decide if a new facility should be constructed. On July 19, Salem voters voted in favor of constructing a new ballpark with 2,236 people voting for and 398 voting against the proposal. With its citizens strongly supporting its construction, the Salem City Council voted unanimously on July 25 to approve construction of a new stadium. In August, final designs were unveiled by Kinsey Shane & Associates and its construction was to occur on property already under the ownership of the city adjacent to both the Salem Civic Center and Salem Football Stadium. The playing field was to be set first followed by the construction of the stadium with precast concrete. The facility was scheduled for completion for the start of the 1995 season. As a result of its construction, in September, ownership signed an agreement with the Colorado Rockies to serve as their Single A team beginning in 1995, the choice was made in large part based on the construction of the new stadium. Although budgeted to be completed for $5 million, in November Salem approved an additional $1 million to be spent on stadium construction, the following April, costs again rose to $10.1 million for its completion primarily as a result of low construction estimates. Slated to open for the start of the 1995 season, its opening was pushed back to May 22 then to June 20, on August 7, the stadium opened before a standing-room only crowd of 6,421 with the Avalanche defeating the Frederick Keys 3–2 in 15 innings. The venue hosted the 2003 and 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournaments, won by Georgia Tech and Florida State, due to increased attendance, two of the four tarps were removed towards the end of the 2010 season to expand the stadiums capacity to 5,503. On March 3,2005, Salem Avalanche officials announced that Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium was selected to play host to the 2006 Carolina-California League All-Star Game. Before a crowd of 5,133, and live television and radio audiences, chad Reineke was the winning pitcher, Rodrigo Escobar earned a save, and José Arredondo was the losing pitcher. Both teams awarded a Top Star, with each earning a place in the XM Satellite Radio All-Star Futures Game at the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the selection from the Carolina League was Nolan Reimold, and Reid Brignac was selected from the California League. Justin Hedrick was named Pitcher of the Game, Salem is also slated to host the 2017 All-Star Game, which will also feature a skills competition at Salems old ballpark as part of a celebration of Salems 50th anniversary in the Carolina League. Salem Memorial Ballpark has been the setting for three games since its opening in 1995
12.
Minor League Baseball
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All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses. Most are members of the organization known as Minor League Baseball. Several leagues, known as independent baseball leagues, do not have any links to Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams may enter into a PDC for a two- or four-year term. At the expiration of a PDC term, teams may renew their affiliation, or sign new PDCs with different clubs, though many relationships are renewed and endure for extended time periods. Minor League teams that are owned directly by the major league club do not have PDCs with each other and are not part of the reaffiliation shuffles that occur every other year, several more independent leagues operate in the United States and Canada. The earliest professional baseball association, the National Association of 1871 to 1875 and this system proved unworkable, however, as there was no way to ensure competitive balance, and financially unsound clubs often failed in midseason. This problem was solved in 1876 with the formation of the National League, with a membership which excluded less competitive. Professional clubs outside the National League responded by forming regional associations of their own, there was a series of ad hoc groupings, such as the New England Association of 1877 and the Eastern Championship Association of 1881. These were loose groups of independent clubs which agreed to play a series of games for a championship pennant, the first minor league is traditionally considered to be the Northwestern League of 1883 to 1884. Unlike the earlier minor associations, it was conceived as a permanent organization and it also, along with the National League and the American Association, was a party to the National Agreement of 1883. Included in this was the agreement to respect the reserve lists of clubs in each league, teams in the National League and the American Association could only reserve players who had been paid at least $1000. Northwest League teams could reserve players paid merely $750, implicitly establishing the division into major and minor leagues, over the next two decades, more minor leagues signed various versions of the National Agreement. Eventually, the minor leagues joined together to negotiate jointly, in the late 1890s, the Western League run by the fiery Ban Johnson decided to challenge the National Leagues position. Representatives of the different minor leagues met at the Leland Hotel in Chicago on September 5,1901, in response to the National–American battle, they agreed to form the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, called the NAPBL, or NA for short. The purpose of the NA at the time was to maintain the independence of the leagues involved, several did not sign the agreement and continued to work independently. Powers was made the first president of the NAPBL, whose offices were established in Auburn, in 1903, the conflict between the American and National Leagues ended in the National Agreement of 1903. The NAPBL became involved in the stages of the negotiations to develop rules for the acquisition of players from their leagues by the National
13.
Roanoke, Virginia
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Roanoke is an independent city in the southern U. S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 97,032 and it is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. Roanoke is the largest municipality in Southwest Virginia, and is the municipality of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is composed of the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem, and Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, bisected by the Roanoke River, Roanoke is the commercial and cultural hub of much of Southwest Virginia and portions of Southern West Virginia. The town first called Big Lick was established in 1852 and chartered in 1874 and it was named for a large outcropping of salt which drew the wildlife to the site near the Roanoke River. In 1882 it became the town of Roanoke, and in 1884 it was chartered as the independent city of Roanoke, the name Roanoke is said to have originated from an Algonquian word for shell money. The name for the river was used by the Algonquian speakers who lived 300 miles away where the river emptied into the sea near Roanoke Island. The native people who lived near where the city was founded did not speak Algonquian and they spoke Siouan languages, Tutelo and Catawban. There were also Cherokee speakers in general area who fought with the Catawba people. The city grew frequently through annexation through the middle of the twentieth century, the last annexation was in 1976. The state legislature has since prohibited cities from annexing land from adjacent counties, during colonial times the site of Roanoke was an important hub of trails and roads. The Roanoke Gap proved a useful route for immigrants to settle the Carolina Piedmont region, at Roanoke Gap, another branch of the Great Wagon Road, the Wilderness Road, continued southwest to Tennessee. In the 1850s, Big Lick became a stop on the Virginia, however, the Financial Panic of 1873 wrecked the AM&Os finances. After several years of operating under receiverships, Mahones role as a railroad builder ended in 1881 when northern financial interests took control, the AM&O was renamed Norfolk and Western Railway. Frederick J. Kimball, an engineer and partner in the Clark firm, headed the new line. For the junction for the Shenandoah Valley and the Norfolk and Western roads, Kimball and his board of directors selected the small Virginia village called Big Lick, on the Roanoke River. Although the grateful citizens offered to rename their town Kimball, at his suggestion, as the N&W brought people and jobs, the Town of Roanoke quickly became an independent city in 1884. In fact, Roanoke became a city so quickly that it earned the nickname Magic City, kimballs interest in geology was instrumental in the development of the Pocahontas coalfields in western Virginia and West Virginia
14.
Scout (sport)
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Advance scouts watch the teams that their teams are going to play in order to help determine strategy. Many scouts are former coaches or retired players, while others have made a career just of being scouts, Major League scouts and professional scouts typically track active players under contract to other teams for potential acquisition. They also may support advance scouts or evaluate competing minor league organizations, per their designation, the former follow players in MLB, while pro scouts work minor league and independent league baseball. Amateur scouts evaluate high school and college players and prepare their MLB teams for the June amateur draft. To ensure that players are seen by multiple evaluators, amateur scouts are usually divided into area scouts, regional cross-checkers, international scouts cover players not from the United States, Puerto Rico and other U. S. territories, or Canada. Modern day scouts are becoming more and more reliant on computer programs to aid, many professional sport clubs now use computers to organize their collected information and data. Most sports still depend on human management to decide which players their organization will draft or sign, steve Belichick — late assistant coach and scout for the United States Naval Academy, author of Football Scouting Methods, and father of the NFL coach. Dick Haley — architect of 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty Bill Nunn — legendary scout for Pittsburgh Steelers Will Robinson- also scouted for the NFLs Detroit Lions. Kevin Mackey, Indiana Pacers Piet de Visser Geoff Twentyman Les Kershaw Jack Hixon Marco Zunino Liam Brady Pierluigi Casiraghi Jorge Alvial Håkan Andersson Garnet Bailey Jordan, occasional Glory, The History of the Philadelphia Phillies. ISBN 0-7864-1260-7 Robbins, Mike, Ninety Feet from Fame, Close Calls With Baseball Immortality, crowning the Kansas City Royals, Remembering the 1985 World Series Champs. Prophet of the Sandlots, Journeys with a Major League Scout
15.
Atlanta
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Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the U. S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2015 population of 463,878. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,710,795 people, Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County. In 1837, Atlanta was founded at the intersection of two lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the American Civil War to become a national center of commerce. Atlantas economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors that include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, Atlanta has topographic features that include rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlantas neighborhoods, initially spurred by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, has intensified in the 21st century, altering the demographics, politics. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in north Georgia, Creek Indians inhabited the area, standing Peachtree, a Creek village located where Peachtree Creek flows into the Chattahoochee River, was the closest Indian settlement to what is now Atlanta. As part of the removal of Native Americans from northern Georgia from 1802 to 1825, the Creek ceded the area in 1821. In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western, the initial route was to run southward from Chattanooga to a terminus east of the Chattahoochee River, which would then be linked to Savannah. After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the zero milepost was driven into the ground in what is now Five Points. A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as Terminus, and later as Thrasherville after a merchant who built homes. By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed Marthasville to honor the Governors daughter, later, J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested the town be renamed Atlantica-Pacifica, which was shortened to Atlanta. The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29,1847, by 1860, Atlantas population had grown to 9,554. During the American Civil War, the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a hub for the distribution of military supplies, in 1864, the Union Army moved southward following the capture of Chattanooga and began its invasion of north Georgia. On the next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, on November 11,1864, Sherman prepared for the Union Armys March to the Sea by ordering Atlanta to be burned to the ground, sparing only the citys churches and hospitals. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt, due to the citys superior rail transportation network, the state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868. In the 1880 Census, Atlanta surpassed Savannah as Georgias largest city, by 1885, the founding of the Georgia School of Technology and the citys black colleges had established Atlanta as a center for higher education. In 1895, Atlanta hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, during the first decades of the 20th century, Atlanta experienced a period of unprecedented growth. In three decades time, Atlantas population tripled as the city expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs
16.
Fort Wayne TinCaps
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The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Class A Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who are affiliated with the San Diego Padres, and play in the Midwest League. They won their first Midwest League Championship in 2009 and they are the oldest franchise in the Midwest League. The Midwest League came to Fort Wayne in 1993, the franchise is the oldest in the Midwest League and dates back to the leagues beginning as the Illinois State League, starting in 1947 in Mattoon, Illinois as the Mattoon Indians. In 1958 the team moved to Keokuk, Iowa, where it spent five seasons as the Keokuk Cardinals, it was based in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin and Kenosha. The team was a Minnesota Twins farm team before they affiliated with the Padres in 1999, when the team moved to Fort Wayne in 1993, it adopted a new name, the Wizards. The name TinCaps was chosen following the 2008 season, alluding to John Chapman, the Tin Cap refers to a fictionalized depiction of John Chapman wearing a cooking pot as a hat in the 1948 Walt Disney movie Johnny Appleseed, though this depiction has been disputed by historians. Chapman spent his years in Fort Wayne and is buried in the city. The teams home park was Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1993, as part of the Harrison Square revitalization project, Parkview Field became the official home of the TinCaps at the start of the 2009 season. To coincide with the new ballpark, the team held a contest to determine a new name for the Wizards once that new ballpark opened, the mascot of the TinCaps is Johnny. Previously, for the Wizards, it was Dinger the Dragon and prior to that, the team won the Midwest League 2009 championship by sweeping the Burlington Bees, 3–0. The first two games were played at Parkview Field and the final, decisive game was played in Burlington, the team and its staff were honored at Parkview Field in a special victory rally on September 18,2009. In addition to winning a franchise record-setting 94 games in their new home, fans shattered the previous record for the season. The TinCaps also clinched spots in each of the following two seasons. 2009 – Midwest League championship 2009 – MiLBY Awards Overall Team of the Year On August 24,2008, The Journal Gazette and the franchise selected the all-time Wizards team members
17.
Liverpool F.C.
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Liverpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, the club has won 5 European Cups,3 UEFA Cups,3 UEFA Super Cups,18 League titles,7 FA Cups, a record 8 League Cups, and 15 FA Community Shields. The club was founded in 1892 and joined the Football League the following year, the club has played at Anfield since its formation. The club holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably the North West Derby against Manchester United, the clubs supporters have been involved in two major tragedies. The second was the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, where 96 Liverpool supporters died in a crush against perimeter fencing, the team changed from red shirts and white shorts to an all-red home strip in 1964 which has been used ever since. The clubs anthem is Youll Never Walk Alone, Liverpool F. C. was founded following a dispute between the Everton committee and John Houlding, club president and owner of the land at Anfield. After eight years at the stadium, Everton relocated to Goodison Park in 1892, the team won the Lancashire League in its début season, and joined the Football League Second Division at the start of the 1893–94 season. After finishing in first place the club was promoted to the First Division, Liverpool reached its first FA Cup Final in 1914, losing 1–0 to Burnley. Liverpool suffered its second Cup Final defeat in 1950, playing against Arsenal, the club was relegated to the Second Division in the 1953–54 season. Soon after Liverpool lost 2–1 to non-league Worcester City in the 1958–59 FA Cup, the club was promoted back into the First Division in 1962 and won it in 1964, for the first time in 17 years. In 1965, the club won its first FA Cup, in 1966, the club won the First Division but lost to Borussia Dortmund in the European Cup Winners Cup final. Liverpool won both the League and the UEFA Cup during the 1972–73 season, and the FA Cup again a year later, Shankly retired soon afterwards and was replaced by his assistant, Bob Paisley. In 1976, Paisleys second season as manager, the club won another League, the following season, the club retained the League title and won the European Cup for the first time, but it lost in the 1977 FA Cup Final. Liverpool retained the European Cup in 1978 and regained the First Division title in 1979, Paisley retired in 1983 and was replaced by his assistant, Joe Fagan. Liverpool won the League, League Cup and European Cup in Fagans first season, Liverpool reached the European Cup final again in 1985, against Juventus at the Heysel Stadium. Before kick-off, Liverpool fans breached a fence separated the two groups of supporters, and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a wall to collapse, killing 39 fans. The incident became known as the Heysel Stadium disaster, the match was played in spite of protests by both managers, and Liverpool lost 1–0 to Juventus
18.
Roanoke Valley
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The Roanoke Valley in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west. The valley includes much of Roanoke County, and two independent cities, Roanoke City and Salem, the Roanoke Valley is part of the valley and ridge province of Virginia, which also includes the Shenandoah Valley to the northeast and the New River Valley to the southwest. However, this area generally features isolated peaks and wide gaps, with the exception of the aforementioned gorge. Adjacent communities such as western Bedford County and eastern Montgomery County are also considered parts of the Roanoke Valley. In a political context, the Roanoke Valley usually refers collectively to Roanoke City, Salem, for example, there is a regional sewer authority and Roanoke Regional Airport is governed by a regional commission. Salem is generally reluctant to participate in these efforts than Roanoke City. Botetourt County also participates in some such as the regional library system. Whether more functions should be provided on a basis, or if the governments should be consolidated, is an often discussed issue. Consolidation referendums in 1969 and 1990 failed because of the opposition of voters in Roanoke County, the issue has remained dormant since the 1990 referendum. The Roanoke Valley contains the lowest point above sea level in the mountains of southwest Virginia, the Norfolk and Western was headquartered in Roanoke for nearly a century before merging with the Southern Railway, the newly merged Norfolk Southerns corporate headquarters moved to Norfolk. The railroad has remained a major employer in the valley, though major layoffs were recently announced, Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau
19.
Roanoke Star
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The Roanoke Star, also known as the Mill Mountain Star, is the worlds largest freestanding illuminated man-made star, constructed in 1949 at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. After construction of the star, Roanoke was nicknamed Star City of the South and it is visible for 60 miles from the air and it sits 1,045 feet above the city of Roanoke. In 1949, the Roanoke Merchants Association decided to kick off that years Christmas shopping season by having a neon star built on top of Mill Mountain. Although the structure was intended to be a permanent addition. When the star immediately became popular, the Chamber of Commerce. The Merchants Association is credited with the construction of the star, initially, the star was illuminated in all-white. Later, the color would change from white to red to indicate a traffic fatality on that day. As part of the celebration in 1976, the design was changed to an outer single star of red encompassing inner double-stars of white. Generally all the colors have been lit at once, but occasionally the colors have been lit in a repeating sequence, to commemorate a tragic event, the red outer star has been used alone, in a manner akin to a lowered flag. Such commemorations have been made for national and local events, after the September 11,2001 attacks, the star was kept in a red, white, and blue configuration for nearly six years, until April 2007. On August 12,2006, the star was turned off for eight days for the city to perform significant electrical upgrades, outdated junction boxes, transformers, wiring, and conduits were replaced. Many of these devices are from the stars original 1949 construction, the work is expected to save the city more money in the long run due to a reduced need for maintenance. On April 17,2007, the star had to be turned off one of the power lines had been heavily damaged by a tree. When the star was relit on April 22,2007, officials changed the configuration to all-white as a symbol of hope after the Virginia Tech massacre. Red, white and blue colors were restored May 24,2007, the Mill Mountain Star is 88.5 feet feet tall with 2,000 feet of neon tubing. It requires 17,500 watts of power to illuminate the neon tubes, Kinsey of Kinsey Sign Company built the neon tubes with his three sons Roy Jr. Bob, and Warren. It was assembled near an airplane hangar to study how it looked. Then it was driven to the top of the mountain and placed onto a steel structure, little was the Structural Engineer for Roanoke Iron & Bridge Works at the time and helped on the project as well
20.
Blue Ridge Mountains
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The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southernmost portion in Georgia, then ending northward in Pennsylvania. To the west of the Blue Ridge, between it and the bulk of the Appalachians, lies the Great Appalachian Valley, bordered on the west by the Ridge, the Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for having a bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the blue in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the haze on the mountains. Within the Blue Ridge province are two national parks, the Shenandoah National Park, in the northern section, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Blue Ridge also contains the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile long scenic highway that connects the two parks and is located along the ridge crestlines with the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge extends as far north into Pennsylvania as South Mountain. The Blue Ridge contains the highest mountains in eastern North America south of Baffin Island, about 125 peaks exceed 5,000 feet in elevation. The highest peak in the Blue Ridge is Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina at 6,684 feet. There are 39 peaks in North Carolina and Tennessee higher than 6,000 feet, by comparison, Southern Sixers is a term used by peak baggers for this group of mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles along crests of the Southern Appalachians, in many places along the parkway, there are metamorphic rocks with folded bands of light-and dark-colored minerals, which sometimes look like the folds and swirls in a marble cake. Most of the rocks that form the Blue Ridge Mountains are ancient granitic charnockites, metamorphosed volcanic formations, modern studies have found that the basement geology of the Blue Ridge is made of compositionally unique gneisses and granitoids, including orthopyroxene-bearing charnockites. Analysis of zircon minerals in the completed by John Aleinikoff at the U. S. Geological Survey has provided more detailed emplacement ages. Many of the found in the Blue Ridge and documented by Tollo. The lack of an affinity and zircon ages less than 1,200 Ma suggest that the Blue Ridge is distinct from the Adirondacks, Green Mountains. The petrologic and geochronologic data suggest that the Blue Ridge basement is a composite orogenic crust that was emplaced during several episodes from a magma source. Field relationships further illustrate that rocks emplaced prior to 1, 078-1,064 Ma preserve deformational features and those emplaced post-1,064 Ma generally have a massive texture and missed the main episode of Mesoproterozoic compression. The Blue Ridge Mountains began forming during the Silurian Period over 400 million years ago, approximately 320 Mya, North America and Europe collided, pushing up the Blue Ridge
21.
Salem Football Stadium
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Salem Stadium is a stadium in Salem, Virginia, USA. It is primarily used for football and hosts the football games of the Salem Football High School Spartans. It was built in 1985 and seats 7,157 people, the stadium is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex, which also includes the Salem Civic Center and the Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium. Salem Stadium has hosted the NCAA Division III national football championship game, in 2015, the natural playing surface was replaced by FieldTurf in part to ensure that the Stagg Bowl continues to be played in Salem. The field was named the Willis White Field in honor of the head football coach at Salem High School
22.
NCAA Division III Football Championship
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The NCAA Division III Football Championship began in 1973. Before 1973, most of the now in Division III competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Division III playoffs begin with 32 teams selected to participate in the playoffs, the Division III championship game, known as the Stagg Bowl, has been played annually in Salem, Virginia, at Salem Football Stadium, since 1993. In 1969, the NCAA started two regional championship games for college teams, the East Regionals Knute Rockne Bowl and the Wests Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. When the NCAA developed a national Division III championship game in 1973, the Stagg Bowl name, as voted by the media at the game since 20002000 Chuck Moore Mt. Union Senior RB2001 Chuck Moore Mt, union 5th year Senior RB2002 Dan Pugh Mt. Union Senior RB2003 Blake Elliot St. Johns Senior WR2004 Riley Jenkins Linfield Senior RB2005 Nate Kmic Mt, union Freshman RB2006 Greg Micheli Mt. Union Sophomore QB2007 Justin Beaver Wisc-Whitewater Senior RB2008 Greg Micheli Mt, union Senior QB2009 Levell Coppage Wisc-Whitewater Sophomore RB2010 Levell Coppage Wisc-Whitewater Junior RB2011 Loussaint Minett Wisc-Whitewater Sophomore DE2012 Kevin Burke Mt. Union Sophomore QB2013 Matt Behrendt Wisc-Whitewater Junior QB2014 Matt Behrendt Wisc-Whitewater Senior QB2015 Taurice Scott Mt. com D3 playoffs
23.
NCAA Division III
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Sports Division III is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. The division consists of colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletically related financial aid to their student-athletes, as explained in more detail in the article about NCAA Division II, the NCAAs first split was into two divisions. The former College Division formed because many NCAA member schools wanted an alternative to the nature of what is now Division I. Division III formed in 1973, in a split of the College Division, the former College Division members that chose to offer athletic scholarships or to remain in a division with those who did became Division II, while members that did not became Division III. Division III is the NCAA’s largest division with 438 active member institutions, of the member institutions, 81% are private, while only 19% are public. Division III schools range in size from an undergraduate enrollment of 348 to a maximum of 21,247. Division III institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, there are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport. Division III athletic programs are non-revenue-generating, extracurricular programs that are staffed and funded like any other university department, hence, they feature student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability. Student athletes also cannot redshirt as freshmen, and schools may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit athletic programs, Division III schools shall not award financial aid to any student on the basis of athletics leadership, ability, participation or performance. The ban on scholarships is strictly enforced. S, an all-sports conference is defined here as one that sponsors both mens and womens basketball. A conference name followed by * denotes a conference also sponsors football. Six of them are grandfathered schools that have competed at the highest level of a particular mens sport prior to the institution of the Division classifications in 1971. Presumably due to Title IX considerations, grandfathered schools are allowed to field one womens sport in Division I. These schools are allowed to offer scholarships in their Division I mens and womens sports to remain competitive with their opponents. The State University of New York at Oneonta, which had been grandfathered in mens soccer, rutgers University–Newark, which had been grandfathered in mens volleyball, did the same in 2014. Academic-based and need-based financial aid is available, as is the case for Division III. Franklin and Marshall College Hobart College Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT also fields mens rowing, lawrence continues to field a fencing team, but that team is now considered Division III. Football and basketball may not be grandfathered Division I programs because their potential would give them an unfair advantage over other Division III schools
24.
Tennessee Volunteers baseball
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The Tennessee Volunteers baseball team represents the University of Tennessee in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Tennessee athletic teams, the team participates in the Eastern division of the Southeastern Conference. The Volunteers play all home games at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Volunteers currently play home games at Robert M. Lindsay Field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the facility is undergoing extensive renovations at this time. Lindsey Nelson Stadium was constructed between 1992 and 1993 seasons at the site of the old facility called Lower Hudson Field, the program had played in past in various locations including Lower Hudson Field and Shields-Watkins Field. Lindsey Nelson was a Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Tennessee native and university alumnus best known for his work with the University of Tennessee, the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, National Football League and the annual Cotton Bowl Classic. The playing field was named for Maryville, Tennessee native Robert M. Lindsay in 2007 after a $2 million athletic department contribution by Mr. Lindsay, Mr. Lindsays father Rus Lindsay played baseball at the University of Tennessee from 1913 to 1916. The record attendance at Lindsey Nelson stadium is 5,086 for a NCAA Regional championship game against Oklahoma State University on May 28,1995, in 2011, after four poor seasons as Head Coach, Todd Raleigh was dismissed. On June 16,2011 Dave Serrano was officially introduced as the Vols 24th head baseball coach, Serrano returns to the program where he started his first Division I job as an assistant coach between 1995 and 1996. Serranos first coaching trip to Omaha came with the Vols in 1995 featuring Todd Helton and he is one of only 11 coaches to take two different baseball programs to the College World Series and has a career record of 289-139-1 in seven seasons as a Division I coach
25.
Lynchburg Hillcats
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The Rogers State University Hillcats are the athletic teams that represent Rogers State University. Their mascot, an animal based on a bobcat and named for the hill that the school sits upon, was chosen in 2005 by a group of students. The school participates in the National Collegiate Athletics Association Division II and is a member of the Heartland Conference, after two years of offering baseball as a club team, President Dr. Joe Wiley announced the University was accepted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in September 2005. In September 2006 the University announced it was accepted as a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference, the university announced in April 2010 that a task force assembled to review the Universitys national athletic affiliation recommended the school to apply for membership in the NCAA Division II. On July 13,2012 Dr. Larry Rice announced that then Director of Athletic Ryan Bradley was notified that the University had been approved for the Division II membership process, the University was accepted into year two candidacy in July 2014 and in July 2015 entered provisional membership status. Rogers State was notified on July 14,2016 that the NCAA Division II Membership Committee had recommended the University for full, active membership. The schools womens team became the first RSU athletic team to be nationally ranked on March 28,2007. The mens basketball became the schools first number one on January 26,2009. Wren Baker, current Vice President and Director of Athletics for North Texas Mean Green, after his departure to Northwest Missouri State for a similar position Baker was replaced by Ryan Bradley, previously the Associate Athletic Director for External Relations. Bradley departed for the University of Memphis to work for Baker then Deputy Athletic Director for the Tigers, in 2013, Ryan Erwin joined Rogers State as the Director of Athletics from Dallas Baptist University. On August 1,2016 Erwin announced his resignation to accept the Vice President, derek Larkin is the only coach in mens soccer program history and was the first coach of the womens soccer program before Heather Cato was named Head Coach in January 2014. On April 18,2016 Cato resigned to accept the assistant coach position at Central Michigan, scott Parkinson was named the third head coach in program history on May 8,2016. Chris McCormick is the head coach in program history for both the mens and womens cross country and track & field programs. Justin Barkley is the head coach in program history. Wren Baker served as Athletic Director and Mens Head Basketball Coach for one season before resigning as head basketball coach, lloyd Williams became the second head coach in program history on August 19,2008. Williams resigned on March 30,2010 after two seasons at the finishing with a 52-13 record. Barkley was named the coach in April 2010. Bobby Cope is the head coach of the womens basketball program having served on the coaching staff of both Amy Williams and Roxanne Long
26.
U.S. Route 460 in Virginia
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U. S. Route 460 in Virginia runs east–west through the southern part of the Commonwealth. The road has two pieces in Virginia, joined by a relatively short section in West Virginia. Most of US460 is a divided highway and is a major artery in the southern third of the state. US460 from Interstate 81 at Christiansburg west to Pikeville, Kentucky, from West Virginia east to I-81, US460 also is part of the proposed Interstate 73. US460 enters Buchanan County from Pike County, Kentucky, within the Cumberland Plateau, the U. S. Highway heads southeast as a two-lane road parallel to Norfolk Southern Railways Buchanan Branch in the narrow valley of the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. US460 passes by the communities of Conaway, Big Rock, and Artia before entering the town of Grundy, US460 meets SR83 at the confluence of Slate Creek and Levisa Fork. The two highways run south as a mix of two- and four-lane road through Tookland to Vansant. US460 continues east as a divided highway through Deel, Janey, and Oakwood, the site of the Appalachian College of Pharmacy. The U. S. Highway continues through Keen Mountain and Grimsleyville, US460 ascends to Shortt Gap, where the highway crosses Sandy Ridge. There, US460 leaves the Ohio River watershed for the Tennessee River watershed, leaves the Cumberland Plateau for the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, US460 descends Sandy Ridge south along Coal Creek and passes through the community of Red Ash. The four-lane divided highway, named for George C, peery, curves east and begins to parallel Norfolk Southerns Clinch Valley District rail line and the Clinch River at Raven, where the highway is paralleled by and is joined by SR67. US460 and SR67 enter the town of Richlands, west of the downtown area, US460 passes to the north of downtown and has a partial cloverleaf interchange with SR67. The U. S. Highway continues into the town of Cedar Bluff and has a pair of interchanges with its business route. US460 leaves the railroad and river, collects the eastern end of its business route, and heads out of Cedar Bluff to Claypool Hill. US460 and US19 head east along four-lane divided George C, peery Highway, which is also named The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, through a long east–west valley between Paint Lick Mountain and Deskin Mountain to the south and Smith Ridge to the north. Highways rejoin the Clinch River and the Clinch Valley District rail line at Pounding Mill, US19 and US460 head through Cliffield and Maxwell to Pisgah, where US19 Bus. and US460 Bus. split south along Crab Orchard Road toward Frog Level. The mainline highways have a cloverleaf interchange with SR16 Alt. at the western town limit of Tazewell. US460 and US19 continue through an interchange with SR16 and a partial cloverleaf interchange with SR61 at a crossing of the Clinch River
27.
Orlando Cepeda
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Orlando Manuel Peruchin Cepeda Pennes is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball first baseman and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 1958 National League Rookie of the Year, Cepeda was voted the National League Most Valuable Player in 1967, the year his team, overall, he appeared in three World Series and was the first winner of the American Leagues Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in 1973. He batted.300 or better 9 times in the 14 seasons he appeared in over 100 games, Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Perucho Cepeda, was also a player in Puerto Rico. His first contact with baseball was as a bat boy for the Santurce Crabbers of Puerto Rico. Pedro Zorilla, the owner, persuaded Cepedas family to let him attend a New York Giants tryout. He played for several Minor League Baseball teams before attracting the interest of the Giants, during a career that lasted sixteen years, he played with the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals. Cepeda was selected to play in seven Major League Baseball All-Star Games during his career, in 1978, Cepeda was sentenced to five years in prison on drug possession charges, of which he served ten months in prison and the rest on probation. In 1987, Cepeda was contracted by the San Francisco Giants to work as a scout, in 1999, Cepeda was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Orlando Cepeda was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Pedro Aníbal Cepeda, the family was poor, and lived in wood houses without a telephone or refrigerator. His father was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, where he was known as Perucho and The Bull. Orlando was thus known as The Baby Bull, Cepeda saw his father play baseball for the first time in 1946, and was instantly interested in the game. Because he was black and the bulk of his career was played before Jackie Robinson broke baseballs color bar, several players from the Negro leagues visited their house, which influenced his view of the sport. He became a fan of Minnie Miñoso, following his career in the Cuban League, Negro leagues, Major League Baseball, when he was ten years old, Cepeda began to sell newspapers in order to participate in a baseball tournament organized for the paper boys. His first tryout came three years later and he practiced with the team for three months but did not make the roster. Cepeda then began playing basketball, but he tore a knee cartilage, the injury kept him inactive for nearly a year, and the doctor recommended that he avoid practicing basketball. He began practicing again, noticing that his strength had significantly improved in two years. One day, a baseball player saw him play and recruited him to play with his team
28.
Ryan Lavarnway
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Ryan Cole Lavarnway is an American professional baseball catcher in the Oakland Athletics organization. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Lavarnway attended Yale University, where in 2007 he won the NCAA batting title by hitting.467, and led the NCAA with an.873 slugging percentage. That year, Lavarnway also set the Ivy League record with a 25-game hitting streak, in addition, he set the Ivy League all-time career home run record, with 33. Lavarnway was drafted by the Red Sox in 2008 and he was called up to the major leagues by the Red Sox in August 2011, and divided his playing time between Pawtucket and the majors after that. In 2014 with Pawtucket, Lavarnway led the team to the International League title and he was outrighted and re-signed by the Braves to a minor league deal, and in May 2016 he was granted his release. He played for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in March 2017, Lavarnway was born in Burbank, California and grew up in Woodland Hills, California. As of 2016, his cousin Emma was in the Israel Defense Forces, Lavarnway played catcher in Little League. He attended El Camino Real High School, where he played outfield for the Conquistadors baseball team, Lavarnway attended Yale University, where he was a philosophy major and played baseball for the Yale Bulldogs in the Ivy League. In 2006, he played right field, and earned Ivy Player. In 2007 he moved from field to catcher. Lavarnway led the NCAA in batting average and slugging percentage, while setting Yale single-season records in those categories as well as in home runs, hits, doubles, RBIs and he also had an Ivy-League-record 25-game hitting streak. Walker, Jr. Award as Most Valuable Player, in addition, he was named Second-Team All-American by PingBaseball. In his junior year in 2008, Lavarnway led the Ivy League in home runs, RBIs, walks, slugging percentage and he missed the last 11 games of the year after breaking the scaphoid bone in his left wrist in April, diving into home plate. He became the Ivy Leagues all-time leader in home runs. Lavarnway won the Ivy League Player of the Week award three times in the first seasons first four weeks. He was a semi-finalist for the Johnny Bench Award and the Golden Spikes Award, was named Third-Team All-American by PingBaseball. com and he finished his three-year-career with a.384 batting average,33 home runs, and 122 RBIs in 120 games. In 2012, Craig Breslow and Lavarnway became the first Yale players to be Major League teammates since 1949, Lavarnway wants to return to Yale to finish his philosophy degree. Lavarnway was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 6th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft and he signed for a $325,000 signing bonus, though he vows to study the extra year he needs to complete his degree
29.
Hunter Pence
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Hunter Andrew Pence is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played for the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies, Pence stands 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. He was a member of the 2012 World Series and 2014 World Series championship teams with the San Francisco Giants, Pence attended Arlington High School in Arlington, Texas. After playing outfield his first three years, he moved to shortstop his senior year and he attended Texarkana College for a year and was a designated hitter on the baseball team. He transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington where he returned to the outfield and he hit.347 as a sophomore in 2003 and was named a first-team all-conference outfielder.395 batting average. Pence still holds the record for doubles in a single series. Pence was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 40th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft, in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft he was drafted in the second round by the Houston Astros out of the University of Texas at Arlington. He played the 2004 season with the single A Tri-City ValleyCats in Troy, during that year, Pence, along with current major leaguer Ben Zobrist helped lead the Cats to a 50 win season in the New York–Penn League, the second-most in ValleyCats history. That year, the Cats defeated the Brooklyn Cyclones in the first round, in 2006 with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks, Pence batted.283 and hit 28 home runs, with 95 RBIs. He had 17 stolen bases, while being caught stealing only 4 times, in 2006, he was one of three outfielders named to the Baseball America Minor League All-Star Team. Pence began the 2007 season as the AAA Round Rock Express center fielder, Pence made his major league debut as the Houston Astros center fielder on April 28,2007, versus the Milwaukee Brewers and got his first major league hit and scored his first run. Pences first home run in the majors was a grand slam, Pence hit a dramatic walk-off home run against José Mesa of the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the 13th inning at Minute Maid Park on July 3 in a 5–4 win. It was Mesas only pitch of the game, Pence was named National League co-Player of the Week for May 14–20, after recording a 1.091 slugging percentage and.625 on-base percentage with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. On July 23, general manager Tim Purpura announced that Pence would be out with a chipped bone fracture in his right wrist. On August 21, Pence was activated from the disabled list, at that point, despite having missed a month he was 4th among NL rookies in at bats. Pence led NL rookies in triples, and was 2nd to Ryan Braun in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, Pence was a unanimous selection to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. The selection was the result of the 49th annual Topps balloting of Major League managers, Pence came in third, and lost out to Braun in the vote for the 2007 NL Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award by 488 major league players and 30 managers. After Michael Bourn was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Astros before the 2008 season, in his sophomore season, Pence set new personal single-season records in home runs, runs batted in, doubles, hits, and at bats
30.
Anthony Rizzo
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Anthony Vincent Rizzo is an Italian American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. Rizzo was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the round of the 2007 MLB draft. He was traded to the San Diego Padres after the 2010 season along with three prospects in exchange for All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. After being traded to the Cubs in 2012, he developed into an All-Star player, Rizzo was a sixth-round draft choice out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Red Sox. He was heading for Florida Atlantic University before he was drafted and signed with a $325,000 signing bonus and he played in the Red Sox organization with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, Greenville Drive, Salem Red Sox and the Portland Sea Dogs. Rizzo hit 12 home runs in 2009, in 2010, he hit a combined.260 with an on-base percentage of.334 and a slugging percentage of.480 along with 42 doubles,25 home runs and 100 RBIs between stops at High-A Salem and Double-A Portland. He credited the easing of his swing and making use of his legs for his power surge. On December 6,2010, Rizzo was traded along with Casey Kelly, Reymond Fuentes, Rizzo was considered the third best prospect and the best power-hitting prospect in the Red Sox organization. Kevin Boles, Rizzos manager at Salem, also previously managed Gonzalez in the minors, Boles said, Rizzo reminds me a lot of Adrian Gonzalez. Rizzo is a kid and has a little more power, Adrian is a little more of a contact hitter. We thought very highly of Anthony Rizzo, hes going to be a heck of a player. Padres General Manager Jed Hoyer expected either Rizzo or Kyle Blanks to eventually be the Padres major league starting first baseman, the Padres invited Rizzo as a non-roster player to their major league camp for 2011 Spring training. He started the 2011 season in Triple-A with the Tucson Padres, in his first 15 games, Rizzo hit.452 with six home runs and 24 RBIs. The team cited Rizzos lack of experience above Double-A and his exposure to left-handed pitching as benefits of his continuing to play in Tucson. He was called up to the majors after hitting.365 with an OPS of 1.159 along with 16 homers and 63 RBI in 200 at-bats over 52 games in Tucson. The San Diego Union-Tribune called Rizzo the most celebrated Padres call-up since Roberto Alomar debuted with the team in 1988, Rizzos promotion was prompted by the Padres inadequate offensive production and fielding play of veterans at first base. In his debut on June 9,2011, against the Washington Nationals, Rizzo struck out in his first at-bat and he hit his first home run on June 11 against John Lannan. After three games he was 3-for-7 with a double, triple and a run, while he demonstrated patience in drawing four walks for a.667 on-base percentage
31.
Doug Bair
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Charles Douglas Bair is a right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of fifteen seasons in the majors, from 1976 until 1990, for seven different teams. On March 15,1977, Bair, Tony Armas, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford, Doc Medich and Mitchell Page were traded to the Oakland Athletics for Chris Batton, Phil Garner, Bair earned his first career victory on April 14,1977, against the California Angels. On August 13,1977, Bair recorded his first career save in a 9–6 win over the Baltimore Orioles, overall, Bair finished the season with a 4–6 record and a 3.46 ERA in 83 1⁄3 innings pitched, while earning eight saves. On February 25,1978, the Athletics traded Bair to the Cincinnati Reds for Dave Revering, Bair struggled in 1979, as his ERA spiked to 4.26, and he lost his job as closer midway through the season. Bair finished with a record of 11–7, and 16 saves in 65 games, Bair appeared in 61 games with Cincinnati in 1980, going 3–6 with a 4.24 ERA, while earning six saves in 85 innings pitched. He began the 1981 season with the Reds, and in 24 games went 2–2 with a 5.77 ERA in 39 innings pitched, on September 10,1981, the Reds traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joe Edelen and Neil Fiala. Bair finished the 1981 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, going 2–0 with a 3.45 ERA in 11 games, while earning a save. In 1982 he appeared in 63 games, going 5–3 with a 2.55 ERA in 91 2⁄3 innings pitched, in the 1982 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, Bair appeared in one game, pitching a scoreless inning. In the 1982 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Bair played in three games, going 0–1 with a 9.00 ERA in two innings pitched, as the Cardinals won the World Series. Bair started the 1983 season with the Cardinals, appearing in 26 games, going 1–1 with a 3.03 ERA, on June 22,1983, St. Louis traded Bair to the Detroit Tigers for future considerations. Bair finished 1983 in Detroit, playing in 27 games, going 7–3 with a 3.88 ERA, after making 388 relief appearances, Bair made his first major league start on August 23,1983, pitching six shutout innings in a 2–0 victory over the Texas Rangers. Bair returned to Detroit in 1984, going 5–3 with a 3.75 ERA and four saves in 47 games pitched and he struggled in 1985, as he played in 21 games, going 2–0 with a 6.24 ERA in 49 innings pitched. On August 22,1985, he was released, on September 2,1985, Bair signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, rejoining the team he played for from 1981–1983. Bair would appear in two games with St. Louis, as he went 0–0 with a 0.00 ERA in two innings pitched. On November 12,1985, Bair was granted free agency, on May 19,1986, Bair signed with the Oakland Athletics, his second stint with the club. He went 2–3 with a 3.00 ERA in 31 games pitched, on November 10,1986, Bair became a free agent. Bair signed as an agent with the Philadelphia Phillies on June 23
32.
Andrew Benintendi
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Andrew S. Benintendi is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas, the Red Sox selected Benintendi in the first round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. Benintendi attended Madeira High School in Madeira, Ohio and he finished his career with an Ohio record 199 career runs scored. Benintendi was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 31st round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, Benintendi enrolled at the University of Arkansas to play college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team. As a true freshman at Arkansas, Benintendi played in 61 games and he hit. 276/. 368/.333 with one home run and 27 RBIs. In 2015, Benintendi led the Southeastern Conference in batting average, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging and he was named the SEC Player of the Year. He also won the Baseball America College Player of the Year Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, Benintendi was considered one of the top prospects for the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. Benintendi was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the seventh selection in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Red Sox, receiving a $3.6 million signing bonus, Benintendi made his professional debut with the Lowell Spinners of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League. He began the 2016 season with the Salem Red Sox of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League, the Red Sox promoted Benintendi to the major leagues on August 2,2016 straight from Double-A, only 421 days after being selected in the draft. He made his league debut on August 2 against the Seattle Mariners as a pinch hitter. Benintendi recorded both his first major league triple and his first major league run against the Detroit Tigers on August 21. On October 6, in one of the 2016 American League Division Series against the Cleveland Indians. The Indians won the game 5-4 and the series 3-0 and he ended the season with a.295 batting average. Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference Arkansas Razorbacks bio Andrew Benintendi on Twitter
33.
Xander Bogaerts
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Xander Jan Bogaerts, OON nicknamed The X-Man, is an Aruban professional baseball shortstop for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball and the Netherlands national baseball team. He became the Red Sox starting shortstop in 2014, and in 2015 was awarded the American League Silver Slugger award at the position, mike Lord, a scout for the Boston Red Sox, discovered Bogaerts at the age of 16, in 2009. After not playing baseball for two weeks due to the chicken pox, Bogaerts played for Lord, who recommended him to Craig Shipley, Shipley flew to Aruba to watch Bogaerts play. The Red Sox signed him to a contract with a $410,000 signing bonus, Bogaerts made his professional debut in 2010 with the Dominican Summer League Red Sox, where he batted.314 with a.396 on-base percentage and.423 slugging percentage. He led the DSL Red Sox in batting average, hits, home runs, runs batted in, total bases, slugging and he was fifth in the DSL in RBI and tenth in total bases. He then joined the Dutch national team for the 2011 Baseball World Cup, during the 2012 season, Bogaerts started out in Class A and ended up playing with the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League. He was named to appear in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game and he played for the Netherlands national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Entering 2013, Bogaerts ranked 6th in the MLB. com Top 100 Prospects list and he started the season with Portland and was promoted to the Pawtucket Red Sox of the Triple-A International League in mid-June. The Red Sox promoted Bogaerts to the major leagues on August 19, Bogaerts made his MLB debut on August 20 against the San Francisco Giants. He got his first major league hit five days later against the Los Angeles Dodgers, on September 7, Bogaerts hit his first MLB home run against New York Yankees pitcher Jim Miller. At the end of the 2013 Minor League season, Bogaerts gained USA Today Minor League Player of the Year honors and was named to the 2013 Baseball America Minor League All-Star Team. During his brief stint in the Majors of 2013, Bogaerts appeared in 18 games batting.250 with a run,5 RBI. Despite debuting late in the season, Bogaerts was part of the 25-man active roster during the postseason run. Bogaerts had a performance in the postseason as he batted.296 with 2 RBI in 12 postseason games. Bogaerts also became the youngest player to hit a triple in World Series history, Bogaerts started the year as the starting shortstop for the Boston Red Sox on 3/31/14 against the Baltimore Orioles. On May 29, Bogaerts had his first walk-off plate appearance on an error by Atlanta Braves third baseman Chris Johnson. On June 2, Bogaerts was moved back to base after the Red Sox resigned Stephen Drew. He was moved back to once again when the Red Sox traded Drew to the rival New York Yankees at the trading deadline on July 31,2014
34.
Mookie Betts
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Markus Lynn Mookie Betts is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Betts is listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 180 pounds, Betts was drafted by the Red Sox in 2011, and made his MLB debut in the 2014 season, sharing time between second base and the outfield. He became the Red Sox starting center fielder in 2015, before moving to right field in 2016. As a relatively short natural second baseman with a contact rate. Betts attended John Overton High School in Nashville, Tennessee, playing second base, shortstop, in 2011, his senior year, he batted.509 with 30 steals and was an honorable mention inclusion for the Louisville Slugger High School All-American list. In 2010, his year at Overton, Betts batted.549 with 24 steals. His junior year, Betts was named MVP of the District 12-AAA tournament, Betts also excelled in bowling, named the Tennessee boys Bowler of the Year in 2010 with a high score of 290. He grew up bowling at the Donelson Strike and Spare in Donelson, the Boston Red Sox selected Betts in the 5th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft with the 172nd overall pick. In 2012, he batted.267 and stole 20 bases in 71 games for the short season Lowell Spinners of the New York–Penn League. He played shortstop regularly, but looked more comfortable at second base Betts started the 2013 season with the Greenville Drive of the Low A South Atlantic League. In 76 games, Betts batted.296 with a 19-game hitting streak and was selected to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game, Betts subsequently played 16 games for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, batting.271. Betts opened the 2014 season with the Portland Sea Dogs of the Double-A Eastern League, on June 3, Betts was promoted to the Pawtucket Red Sox of the Triple-A International League, batting.322 and reaching base in all 23 games with the PawSox. In 2013 and 2014, Betts reached base in 66 straight regular-season games plus five playoff games for a streak of 71 games. Since mid-May 2014, Betts has played outfield in addition to second base, Betts was promoted to the Red Sox on June 28,2014. He had previously selected for the All-Star Futures Game, but was replaced following his promotion to the Major Leagues. Betts made his debut on June 29, recording his first major league hit against Yankees starter Chase Whitley in the fourth inning. He hit his first home run on July 2 off the Cubs Carlos Villanueva and he then was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on July 19 when Shane Victorino was activated from the disabled list, and was recalled to Boston on August 1. Betts was optioned back to Pawtucket in August, and recalled again on August 18, on August 29, Betts hit his first career grand slam against Rays pitcher Chris Archer in a Red Sox victory at Tropicana Field
35.
Carson Blair
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Carson Reynolds Blair is an American professional baseball catcher in the Chicago White Sox organization. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Blair was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 35th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft out of Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. He played in the Red Sox organization until 2014, prior to the 2015 season he signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics. Blair was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1,2015 and he made his major league debut on September 6 in a 3-2 loss against the Seattle Mariners. He hit his first home run off of Andrew Faulkner of the Texas Rangers on September 13 in a cause for Oakland. He played the first half of the 2016 season in the As minor league system, on January 17,2017, Blair signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference
36.
Oakland Athletics
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The Oakland Athletics are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League West division. The club plays its games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The club has won nine World Series championships, the third most of all current Major League Baseball teams, the Athletics 2017 season will be the teams 50th season in Oakland. One of the American Leagues eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Philadelphia and they won three World Series championships from 1910 to 1913 and two in a row in 1929 and 1930. The teams owner and manager for its first 50 years was Connie Mack and Hall of Fame players included Chief Bender, Frank Home Run Baker, Jimmie Foxx, the team left Philadelphia for Kansas City in 1955 and became the Kansas City Athletics before moving to Oakland in 1968. They won three World Championships in a row from 1972 to 1974, led by players including Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, ace reliever Rollie Fingers, after being sold by Finley to Walter A. Haas, Jr. The film Moneyball, and the book on which it is based, the As made their Bay Area debut on Wednesday, April 17,1968, with a 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at the Coliseum, in front of an opening-night crowd of 50,164. The Athletics name originated in the term Athletic Club for local gentlemens clubs—dates to 1860 when an amateur team, the team later turned professional through 1875, becoming a charter member of the National League in 1876, but were expelled from the N. L. after one season. A later version of the Athletics played in the American Association from 1882–1891, McGraw and Mack had known each other for years, and McGraw accepted it graciously. By 1909, the As were wearing an elephant logo on their sweaters, over the years the elephant has appeared in several different colors. In 1963, when the As were located in Kansas City and this is rumored to have been done by Finley in order to appeal to fans from the region who were predominantly Democrats at the time. Since 1988, the Athletics 21st season in Oakland, an illustration of an elephant has adorned the sleeve of the As home. Beginning in the mid 1980s, the on-field costumed incarnation of the As elephant mascot went by the name Harry Elephante, in 1997, he took his current form, Stomper. Through the seasons, the Athletics uniforms have usually paid homage to their forebears to some extent. Until 1954, when the uniforms had Athletics spelled out in script across the front, furthermore, neither Philadelphia nor the letter P ever appeared on the uniform or cap. The typical Philadelphia uniform had only a script A on the left front, in the early days of the American League, the standings listed the club as Athletic rather than Philadelphia, in keeping with the old tradition. Eventually, the city came to be used for the team
37.
Jackie Bradley Jr.
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Jackie Bradley Jr. is an American professional baseball center fielder who currently plays for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Bradley began his career in 2009 after attending Prince George High School in Prince George. With the University of South Carolina in 2009, Bradley hit.349, posting a slugging percentage of.537, he hit 11 home runs while walking 34 times and striking out 31 times. He spent the summer in the Cape Cod League with the Hyannis Mets, in 2010 he batted.368 and 13 home runs, driving in 60 runs while scoring 56 times in 67 games. Then, he went 10-for-29 at the plate in the 2010 College World Series, Bradley was selected 40th overall by the Boston Red Sox in the supplemental first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. Bradley made his debut on August 23,2011 with the Class-A Short Season Lowell Spinners. Bradley was named Minor League Defensive Player of the Year by the Red Sox organization for the 2012 season and he hit.315 with 55 extra-base hits,87 walks, and 63 RBIs in 128 games. Entering 2013, Bradley ranked 32nd overall on the MLB. com Top 100 Prospects list, after an outstanding spring training, on March 31, manager John Farrell announced that Bradley would be the Opening Day left fielder on April 1 at Yankee Stadium. Bradley was recalled on May 29 and he hit his first career home run on June 4 against the Texas Rangers. Bradley was optioned back to Pawtucket on June 8 when Shane Victorino was activated from the disabled list and he was recalled again on July 9, and optioned back to Pawtucket on July 14. He was recalled on September 7, in 37 Major League games of 2013, Bradley batted.189 with 3 home runs,10 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. With the Red Sox finishing 97–65, the made the postseason. Bradley still received his first career championship ring, although he did not play in the postseason, on June 25,2015, Bradley was called back up to play right field for the Red Sox while Hanley Ramírez recuperated with a sore wrist. In a June 30 game against the Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada and his play led to a starting job and widespread speculation that he would be part of the full-time Red Sox outfield in 2016 and beyond. Between April 24th and May 25th, Bradley hit safely in 29 straight games and his streak came to an end in a loss to the Colorado Rockies on May 26. He ended the 2016 season with a.267 batting average, in the 2016 offseason, Bradley Jr. switched his uniform number to #19, worn by Koji Uehara since 2013, but he later signed with the Chicago Cubs, making 19 available. Bradley posted his signature with #19 on Hotel Commonwealths elevator, Bradley Jr. is the son of Jackie Bradley Sr. a bus driver in Richmond, Virginia. Bradley Jr. is married to Erin Helring, their daughter Emerson Claire Bradley was born on June 2,2016, both Bradley Jr. and Bradley Sr. were named for singer Jackie Wilson
38.
Drake Britton
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John Drake Britton is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox selected Britton in the 23rd round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Britton signed a $700,000 signing bonus with the Red Sox and he began his professional career in 2008 with the Class A short-season Lowell Spinners, appearing in eight games, making seven starts, with an ERA of 4.28 in 33.2 innings. In 2009, Britton split time between the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and Lowell, he combined to appear in 11.2 innings over seven games and he missed most of the season due to Tommy John surgery. 2010 saw Britton promoted to Class A full-season Greenville Drive, where he started 21 games, Britton was promoted once again in 2011 to the Salem Red Sox. In Salem, Britton finished the season with 13 losses, a league high and his 6.91 ERA was worst of all Carolina League starters. In November 2011, Britton, Che-Hsuan Lin and Will Middlebrooks were added to the Red Sox 40-man roster to avoid being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Britton was called up to the major leagues on July 14,2013 to replace the recently demoted Jackie Bradley and he was outrighted off the roster in April. During the 2015 season, Britton played for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, pitching in 28 games, including 11 as a starter, and compiling a 7–8 record with one save, a 5.08 ERA and 45 strikeouts. On December 11,2015, Britton signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers. On August 2,2016, Britton was suspended 50 games for violating the terms of the Major League Baseball drug policy, on March 14th,2017, Britton signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for the 2017 season. On March 5,2013, he was pulled over driving 113 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone at 4 and he allegedly handed police his debit card when asked for ID. This was hours before a spring training start with the big league club. Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference
39.
Chicago Cubs
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The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League Central division. The team plays its games at Wrigley Field, located on the citys North Side. The Cubs are one of two league teams in Chicago, the other, the Chicago White Sox, is a member of the American League Central division. The Cubs, first known as the White Stockings, was a member of the NL in 1876. The Cubs have appeared in a total of eleven World Series, the 1906 Cubs won 116 games, finishing 116–36 and posting a modern-era record winning percentage of.763, before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, the 108-year drought was also the longest such occurrence in all major North American sports. Since the start of play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason eight times through the 2016 season. The Cubs are known as the North Siders, a reference to the location of Wrigley Field within the city of Chicago, there is a divisional rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals and also a newer rivalry with the Milwaukee Brewers. There is also a rivalry with the White Sox. The Cubs began play in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings, joining the National League as a charter member. Owner William Hulbert signed multiple star players, such as pitcher Albert Spalding and infielders Ross Barnes, Deacon White, the White Stockings played their home games at West Side Grounds and quickly established themselves as one of the new leagues top teams. Spalding won forty-seven games and Barnes led the league in hitting at.429 as Chicago won the first ever National League pennant, which at the time was the games top prize. After back-to-back pennants in 1880 and 1881, Hulbert died, and Spalding, the White Stockings, with Anson acting as player-manager, captured their third consecutive pennant in 1882, and Anson established himself as the games first true superstar. In 1885 and 86, after winning N. L. pennants, both seasons resulted in match ups with the St. Louis Brown Stockings, with the clubs tying in 1885 and with St. Louis winning in 1886. This was the genesis of what would become one of the greatest rivalries in sports. In all, the Anson-led Chicago Base Ball Club won six National League pennants between 1876 and 1886. As a result, Chicagos club nickname transitioned, and by 1890 they had known as the Chicago Colts, or sometimes Ansons Colts
