1.
Baseball
–
Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each, who take turns batting and fielding. A run is scored when a player advances around the bases, Players on the batting team take turns hitting against the pitcher of the fielding team, which tries to prevent runs by getting hitters out in any of several ways. A player on the team who reaches a base safely can later attempt to advance to subsequent bases during teammates turns batting. The teams switch between batting and fielding whenever the team records three outs. One turn batting for both teams, beginning with the team, constitutes an inning. A game is composed of nine innings, and the team with the number of runs at the end of the game wins. Baseball has no clock, although almost all games end in the ninth inning. Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century and this game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the sport of the United States. Baseball is now popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, in the United States and Canada, professional Major League Baseball teams are divided into the National League and American League, each with three divisions, East, West, and Central. The major league champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series, the top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between the West League and East League. The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games is difficult to trace with precision, a French manuscript from 1344 contains an illustration of clerics playing a game, possibly la soule, with similarities to baseball. Other old French games such as thèque, la balle au bâton, consensus once held that todays baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders, popular in Great Britain and Ireland. Baseball Before We Knew It, A Search for the Roots of the Game, by David Block, suggests that the game originated in England, recently uncovered historical evidence supports this position. Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of other. It has long believed that cricket also descended from such games. The earliest known reference to baseball is in a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, David Block discovered that the first recorded game of Bass-Ball took place in 1749 in Surrey, and featured the Prince of Wales as a player. William Bray, an English lawyer, recorded a game of baseball on Easter Monday 1755 in Guildford and this early form of the game was apparently brought to Canada by English immigrants
2.
Midland RockHounds
–
The Midland RockHounds are a minor league baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club, the RockHounds play in Security Bank Ballpark, which opened in 2002 and seats 6,669 fans. The RockHounds have won six Texas League championships, in 1975,2005,2009,2014,2015, the RockHounds were previously known as both the Midland Cubs and Midland Angels. While Midland has been the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland As since 1999, they were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs from 1972 to 1984, the RockHounds have received numerous awards throughout their history. The Midland franchise under the Angels won the Texas League Organization of the Year in 1990 and 1994, in 1995, Midland won Double-A Baseballs highest award, the Bob Frietas Award. General Manager Monty Hoppel has been named Executive of the Year with the three times. In 1995, Midland reached its first-ever playoff appearance as an affiliate of the Angels and it also became the first season that Midland accumulated more than 200,000 fans in a season, a feat repeated in 1996. The feat surprised many in Minor League Baseball as the Midland-Odessa area only has just over 200,000 residents total, the RockHounds moved into Security Bank Ballpark, part of the Scharbauer Sports Complex on the west side of Midland, in 2002. Since then, the RockHounds have averaged over 250,000 fans every season, prior to that, their home had been what is now known as Christensen Stadium, in northeast Midland. The Rockhounds won their first ever Texas League Championship in 2005 and they shared the title with the Lafayette Drillers in 1975 as the Cubs. In 2006, they won the championship of the South Division. In 2009, the RockHounds won their second Texas League pennant, in 2010, the RockHounds returned to the Texas League title game, but this time fell to the Naturals. The Midland Rockhounds have always had a play-by-play broadcast that has been available, KCRS had been the network to carry roughly 95% of the Rockhounds games since they debuted in 1972. Some afternoon games in 2008 didnt air on the due to contracts with Rush Limbaugh. For the 2009 season Gap Broadcasting announced the Rockhounds would have a new home, KFZX. For the 2010 season, the Rockhounds once again moved radio homes to KMRK96.1 FM, in both cases Bob Hards remained the voice of the Rockhounds, a position he has currently heldfor 19 consecutive years. In 2013 the Rockhounds moved their games back to KCRS, though weekday day games would be preempted for talk shows that were already scheduled
3.
Houston Buffaloes
–
The club was founded in 1888, and played in the Texas League at various levels throughout the majority of its existence. From 1959 through 1961, the played in the American Association at the Triple-A level as an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Buffaloes derived their nickname from Buffalo Bayou, the waterway through Houston. The teams last home was Buffalo Stadium, built in 1928, before that, they played at West End Park from 1905–1928, and at Herald Park prior to that. The Houston Buffaloes were purchased by the Houston Sports Association in 1961 to obtain Houston-area territorial rights for the Major League Houston Colt. 45s, several of those associated with the Buffaloes continued with the major league team including manager Harry Craft. The Buffaloes organization then ended their relationship with the Cubs, for the 1962 season they were reorganized and moved to become the Oklahoma City 89ers, which are known today as the Oklahoma City Dodgers. On April 11,1861, a team in Houston was organized at a meeting held in the Palmer Building above J. H. Evans dry goods store. The team was known as the Houston Base Ball Club. However, it is if the Houston Base Ball Club played any games. The American Civil War began shortly thereafter, and there was a lack of organized sports during this time. Following the war, an article in The Daily Telegraph was published that detailed the first baseball game by a Houston team. The Houston Stonewalls defeated the Galveston Robert E. Lees at the site of the San Jacinto Battleground in what was dubbed as the Texas State Championship on April 21,1868. The Stonewalls uniform was described as consisting of a red cap, white flannel shirt, in 1884, a league of primarily amateur teams was organized by Samuel L. Haine known as the Texas League. The Houston Nationals represented the city along with Galveston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, although 2–3 players per team were paid, most of the league players were strictly amateur. Houstons first professional club was officially organized by a large group of local leaders on December 31,1887. Judge E. P. Hill served as president, the Houston Buffaloes began their first season in 1888 under the name Houston Babies. The unusual name stemmed from the fact that they were the last to join the new Texas League, uniform colors were described as maroon and light blue in a news article. The Houston Babies played their first game ever against the Cincinnati Red Stockings at Houston Base Ball Park on March 6,1888 in exhibition play, where they lost by a score of 8–2
4.
Double-A (baseball)
–
Double-A is the second highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States after Triple-A. There are thirty Double-A teams in three leagues at this classification, Eastern League, Southern League, and the Texas League, the Double-A classification usually hosts developing players that have been part of professional baseball for only a couple of years. These players can get to the Double-A level by earning a promotion from any of the Single-A or Rookie leagues, players often advance directly to the majors from this level, as the level of competition is higher. A small handful of players might be placed in Double-A to start, the step up to the Double-A level can be one of the hardest promotions for such players because it is the level at which pitchers need to have a good off-speed pitch in their repertoire. In addition, it is the level where fastball-only hitters need to learn how to hit off-speed pitches, Major League teams sometimes send players to play at the Double-A level to rehabilitate from injuries. Because players are not moving back and forth from the Major Leagues at this level, fans of Double-A teams have a longer amount of time to get acquainted with the players, which helps create a better relationship between the team and its fans. Unlike the major league and the Triple-A level, two of the three Double-A leagues have their season divided into two parts, the Eastern League being the exception, one team may clinch a spot in the playoffs by winning the division in first half of the season. The teams records are then cleared and another team will also clinch a playoff slot during the second half, wild cards are used to fill out the remaining teams. Usually, four teams qualify for the league playoffs and this system is used at the Class A level as well. On January 15,2015, Major League Baseball announced it will use a 20-second pitch clock during the 2015 Double-A season, Eastern League official website Southern League official website Texas League official website
5.
Minor League Baseball
–
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
6.
South Central United States
–
The South Central United States or South Central states is a region of the United States located in the south central part of the country. It evolved out of the Old Southwest, which originally was literally the western U. S. South, the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas are almost always considered the core of the region. As part of the East South Central States sub-group of the Census Bureau classification, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, at the highest extent, Kansas, and Missouri, may be included by some sources. All or parts these states are in the Central Time Zone, at different and changing points in time, all of the above states were/are considered part of the West in American history. The climate varies from the semi-tropical in the Mississippi Delta, South Louisiana, the southeastern portions include the Appalachian mountains in Alabama and Tennessee and the Piney Woods of East Texas, Louisiana, and southern Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta. A large portion of the quarter of the region is mountainous, with the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. The northwest quarter of the region is dominated by the Great Plains which become progressively drier west of 1, 000° W, forming the North American Llano Estacado. The southwestern portions border the Rio Grande, and are drier than other areas of the South Central United States. Texas is the largest South Central state by area and population. Texas is still home to half the regions population. The largest city in the region—Houston, is located in Texas, New Orleans was tied with Oklahoma City but, after Hurricane Katrina, the population of the New Orleans metro area has declined to approximately 900,000. The history of the South Central states is dominated by the conflict, in the 17th and 18th centuries Spain and France maneuvered for control of Texas, with the Spanish based in Mexico and New Mexico and the French in Louisiana. The official West and East South Central states of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky was often considered a non-official Confederate state. Oklahoma, although Indian Territory at the time, was home to 5 Native-American tribes, thus, all these states are usually considered to make up a large part of the American South both historically and culturally, as well as classified by the U. S. Census Bureau
7.
Texas
–
Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
8.
Oklahoma
–
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central United States. Oklahoma is the 20th-most extensive and the 28th-most populous of the 50 United States, the states name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning red people. The name was settled upon statehood, Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were merged, on November 16,1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state to enter the union. Its residents are known as Oklahomans, or informally Okies, and its capital, a major producer of natural gas, oil, and agricultural products, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. In 2007, it had one of the economies in the United States, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahomas primary economic anchors, with nearly two-thirds of Oklahomans living within their metropolitan statistical areas. With small mountain ranges, prairie, mesas, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains, Cross Timbers, interior Highlands—a region especially prone to severe weather. The name Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw phrase okla humma, literally meaning red people, equivalent to the English word Indian, okla humma was a phrase in the Choctaw language used to describe Native American people as a whole. Oklahoma later became the de facto name for Oklahoma Territory, and it was approved in 1890. Oklahoma is the 20th-largest state in the United States, covering an area of 69,898 square miles and it is one of six states on the Frontier Strip and lies partly in the Great Plains near the geographical center of the 48 contiguous states. It is bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas, on the northwest by Colorado, on the far west by New Mexico, much of its border with Texas lies along the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen, a failed continental rift. The geologic figure defines the placement of the Red River, the Oklahoma panhandles Western edge is out of alignment with its Texas border. The Oklahoma/New Mexico border is actually 2.1 to 2.2 miles east of the Texas line, the border between Texas and New Mexico was set first as a result of a survey by Spain in 1819. It was then set along the 103rd Meridian, in the 1890s, when Oklahoma was formally surveyed using more accurate surveying equipment and techniques, it was discovered the Texas line was not set along the 103rd Meridian. Surveying techniques were not as accurate in 1819, and the actual 103rd Meridian was approximately 2.2 miles to the east and it was much easier to leave the mistake than for Texas to cede land to New Mexico to correct the surveying error. The placement of the Oklahoma/New Mexico border represents the true 103rd Meridian, cimarron County in Oklahomas panhandle is the only county in the United States that touches four other states, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Its highest and lowest points follow this trend, with its highest peak, Black Mesa, at 4,973 feet above sea level, situated near its far northwest corner in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The states lowest point is on the Little River near its far southeastern boundary near the town of Idabel, Oklahoma, which dips to 289 feet above sea level
9.
Arkansas
–
Arkansas is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Its name is of Siouan derivation from the language of the Osage denoting their related kin, the states diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U. S. Interior Highlands, to the forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River. Arkansas is the 29th largest by area and the 33rd most populous of the 50 United States, the capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state, a hub for transportation, business, culture, and government. The northwestern corner of the state, such as the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area and Fort Smith metropolitan area, is a population, education, the largest city in the eastern part of the state is Jonesboro. The largest city in the part of the state is Pine Bluff. The Territory of Arkansas was admitted to the Union as the 25th state on June 15,1836, in 1861 Arkansas withdrew from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Upon returning to the Union in 1868, the state would continue to suffer due to its reliance on slavery. White rural interests continued to dominate the politics until the Civil Rights Movement. Arkansas began to diversify its economy following World War II and relies on its service industry, aircraft, poultry, steel, tourism, cotton, and rice. The culture of Arkansas is observable in museums, theaters, novels, television shows, restaurants, wright, and physicist William L. McMillan, who was a pioneer in superconductor research, have all lived in Arkansas. The name Arkansas derives from the root as the name for the state of Kansas. The Kansa tribe of Native Americans are closely associated with the Sioux tribes of the Great Plains, the word Arkansas itself is a French pronunciation of a Quapaw word, akakaze, meaning land of downriver people or the Sioux word akakaze meaning people of the south wind. In 2007, the legislature passed a non-binding resolution declaring the possessive form of the states name to be Arkansass which has been followed increasingly by the state government. Arkansas borders Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, Oklahoma to the west, Missouri to the north, as well as Tennessee, the United States Census Bureau classifies Arkansas as a southern state, sub-categorized among the West South Central States. The state line along the Mississippi River is indeterminate along much of the border with Mississippi due to these changes. Arkansas can generally be split into two halves, the highlands in the northwest half and the lowlands of the southeastern half, the highlands are part of the Southern Interior Highlands, including The Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains. The southern lowlands include the Gulf Coastal Plain and the Arkansas Delta and this dual split can yield to general regions named northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast, or central Arkansas
10.
Missouri
–
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, achieving statehood in 1821. With over six million residents, it is the eighteenth most populous state, the largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia. The capitol is in Jefferson City on the Missouri River, the state is the twenty-first most extensive by area and is geographically diverse. The Northern Plains were once covered by glaciers, then tallgrass prairie, in the South are the Ozarks, a forested highland, providing timber, minerals, and recreation. The Mississippi River forms the border of the state, eventually flowing into the swampy Missouri Bootheel. Humans have inhabited the land now known as Missouri for at least 12,000 years, the Mississippian culture built cities and mounds, before declining in the 1300s. When European explorers arrived in the 1600s they encountered the Osage, the French established Louisiana, a part of New France, and founded Ste. Genevieve in 1735 and St. Louis in 1764, after a brief period of Spanish rule, the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Americans from the Upland South, including enslaved African Americans, rushed into the new Missouri Territory, many from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee settled in the Boonslick area of Mid-Missouri. Soon after, heavy German immigration formed the Missouri Rhineland, Missouri played a central role in the westward expansion of the United States, as memorialized by the Gateway Arch. The Pony Express, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, as a border state, Missouris role in the American Civil War was complex and there were many conflicts within. After the war, both Greater St. Louis and the Kansas City metropolitan area became centers of industrialization and business, today, the state is divided into 114 counties and the independent city of St. Louis. Missouris culture blends elements from the Midwestern and Southern United States, the musical styles of ragtime, Kansas City jazz, and St. Louis Blues, developed in Missouri. The well-known Kansas City-style barbecue, and lesser known St. Louis-style barbecue can be found across the state, St. Louis is also a major center of beer brewing, Anheuser-Busch is the largest producer in the world. Missouri wine is produced in the nearby Missouri Rhineland and Ozarks, Missouris alcohol laws are among the most permissive in the United States. Outside of the large cities popular tourist destinations include the Lake of the Ozarks, U. S. President Harry S. Truman is from Missouri. Other well known Missourians include Mark Twain, Walt Disney, Chuck Berry, some of the largest companies based in the state include Express Scripts, Monsanto, Emerson Electric, Edward Jones, and OReilly Auto Parts. Missouri has been called the Mother of the West and the Cave State, however, Missouris most famous nickname is the Show Me State, the state is named for the Missouri River, which was named after the indigenous Missouri Indians, a Siouan-language tribe
11.
San Antonio
–
San Antonio, officially the City of San Antonio, is the seventh-most populated city in the United States and the second-most populous city in the state of Texas, with a population of 1,409,019. It was the fastest growing of the top 10 largest cities in the United States from 2000 to 2010, the city straddles South Texas and Central Texas and is on the southwestern corner of an urban megaregion known as the Texas Triangle. San Antonio serves as the seat of Bexar County, recent annexations have extended the citys boundaries into Medina County and, though for only a very tiny area near the city of Garden Ridge, into Comal County. Due to its placement, the city has characteristics of other urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas. San Antonio is the center of the San Antonio–New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area, growth along the Interstate 35 and Interstate 10 corridors to the north, west and east make it likely that the metropolitan area will continue to expand. San Antonio was named for Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day is on June 13, the city contains five 18th-century Spanish frontier missions, including The Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015. Other notable attractions include the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, the Alamo Bowl, the city is home to the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and hosts the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest such events in the country. The U. S. Kelly Air Force Base operated out of San Antonio until 2001, the remaining portions of the base were developed as Port San Antonio, an industrial/business park and aerospace complex. San Antonio is home to six Fortune 500 companies and the South Texas Medical Center, at the time of European encounter, Payaya Indians lived near the San Antonio River Valley in the San Pedro Springs area, calling the vicinity Yanaguana, meaning refreshing waters. In 1691, a group of Spanish Catholic explorers and missionaries came upon the river and Payaya settlement on June 13 and they named the place and river San Antonio in his honor. It was years before any Spanish settlement took place, father Antonio de Olivares visited the site in 1709, and he was determined to found a mission and civilian settlement there. He directed Martin de Alarcón, the governor of Coahuila and Texas, differences between Alarcón and Olivares resulted in delays, and construction did not start until 1718. The families who clustered around the presidio and mission formed the beginnings of Villa de Béjar, on May 1, the governor transferred ownership of the Mission San Antonio de Valero to Fray Antonio de Olivares. On May 5,1718 he commissioned the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar on the west side of the San Antonio River, one-fourth league from the mission. On February 14,1719, the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo proposed to the king of Spain that 400 families be transported from the Canary Islands, Galicia, or Havana to populate the province of Texas. By June 1730,25 families had reached Cuba, and 10 families had sent to Veracruz before orders from Spain came to stop the re-settlement. Under the leadership of Juan Leal Goraz, the group marched overland from Veracruz to the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, due to marriages along the way, the party now included 15 families, a total of 56 persons. They joined the community established in 1718
12.
Mexican League
–
The Mexican Baseball League is a professional baseball league based in Mexico. It is a Class Triple-A league in organized Minor League Baseball, unlike the other two Triple-A circuits, the International League and the Pacific Coast League, Mexican League teams are not affiliated with Major League teams. The Mexican League has two leagues of its own, the Liga Norte de Mexico, and the Mexican Academy League. An additional baseball circuit, the Mexican Pacific League, is a Winter league, the Mexican League was founded in 1925 by sportswriter Alejandro Aguilar Reyes and former baseball player Ernesto Carmona. 74 Regimiento of Puebla won the league championship. Since then, the league has expanded to 16 teams, divided equally into a north and a south zone, the season begins in mid-March with the playoffs running through mid-August. Judges, under the doctrine of stare decisis, use the case Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore v. Therefore, the ruling went untested until the Mexican League was formed. Players who went to play in the Mexican League were blacklisted from Major League Baseball, one such player, Danny Gardella, was blacklisted because he had violated his contract and gone to play professional baseball in Mexico. During 1948, Gardella brought a claim against Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler, MLB then settled with Gardella and offered all Mexican League jumpers amnesty, protecting the ambiguity of the antitrust protection. In 1949, Gardella won an appeal against baseballs reserve clause in the federal courts. This successful appeal is recognized as the first major step towards baseball free agency, during 1979, the Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. The newly expanded league featured a 20-team circuit with four divisions, however, after a series of team bankruptcies, the Mexican League was reduced to 14 teams in two divisions. The following are the locations of the Mexican League teams, red markers indicate teams in the South Division, while green markers indicate teams in the North Division. Mexican Pacific League Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México Mexican League baseball awards Official site
13.
Southern League (baseball)
–
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the Southern United States. Classified a Double-A league, it is headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, the league acquired its name in 1964, after the South Atlantic League, which had started in 1936, renamed itself to Southern League. The original Southern League existed from 1885 to 1899, a new league, the Southern Association, was formed in 1901, consisting of twelve teams. The association shut down after the 1961 season, in 1964, the original South Atlantic League changed its name to the Southern League. The original South Atlantic League was a mid- to higher-classification circuit that played from 1904 to 1917,1919 to 1930,1936 to 1942, the old South Atlantic League grew from Class C status to Class B and then Class A. In its final season, it was elevated to Double-A, the Southern League is divided into two divisions, North and South. Before 2005, the divisions were East and West, however, in 2012, the Carolina Mudcats relocated to Pensacola, Florida to become the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. In 2015, the Huntsville Stars relocated to Biloxi, Mississippi to become the Biloxi Shuckers, League members Other Current League Other Defunct League In 1971, the Southern League and Texas League were both down to 7 teams so they formed the Dixie Association for one season. They played interlocking schedules but held their own separate playoffs
14.
American Civil War
–
The American Civil War was an internal conflict fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The Union faced secessionists in eleven Southern states grouped together as the Confederate States of America, the Union won the war, which remains the bloodiest in U. S. history. Among the 34 U. S. states in February 1861, War broke out in April 1861 when Confederates attacked the U. S. fortress of Fort Sumter. The Confederacy grew to eleven states, it claimed two more states, the Indian Territory, and the southern portions of the western territories of Arizona. The Confederacy was never recognized by the United States government nor by any foreign country. The states that remained loyal, including border states where slavery was legal, were known as the Union or the North, the war ended with the surrender of all the Confederate armies and the dissolution of the Confederate government in the spring of 1865. The war had its origin in the issue of slavery. The Confederacy collapsed and 4 million slaves were freed, but before his inauguration, seven slave states with cotton-based economies formed the Confederacy. The first six to declare secession had the highest proportions of slaves in their populations, the first seven with state legislatures to resolve for secession included split majorities for unionists Douglas and Bell in Georgia with 51% and Louisiana with 55%. Alabama had voted 46% for those unionists, Mississippi with 40%, Florida with 38%, Texas with 25%, of these, only Texas held a referendum on secession. Eight remaining slave states continued to reject calls for secession, outgoing Democratic President James Buchanan and the incoming Republicans rejected secession as illegal. Lincolns March 4,1861 inaugural address declared that his administration would not initiate a civil war, speaking directly to the Southern States, he reaffirmed, I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the United States where it exists. I believe I have no right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. After Confederate forces seized numerous federal forts within territory claimed by the Confederacy, efforts at compromise failed, the Confederates assumed that European countries were so dependent on King Cotton that they would intervene, but none did, and none recognized the new Confederate States of America. Hostilities began on April 12,1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, while in the Western Theater the Union made significant permanent gains, in the Eastern Theater, the battle was inconclusive in 1861–62. The autumn 1862 Confederate campaigns into Maryland and Kentucky failed, dissuading British intervention, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which made ending slavery a war goal. To the west, by summer 1862 the Union destroyed the Confederate river navy, then much of their western armies, the 1863 Union siege of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in two at the Mississippi River. In 1863, Robert E. Lees Confederate incursion north ended at the Battle of Gettysburg, Western successes led to Ulysses S. Grants command of all Union armies in 1864
15.
Sabine Pass, Port Arthur, Texas
–
Sabine Pass community is a neighborhood in Jefferson County within the Beaumont−Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area of the U. S. state of Texas. It lies at Sabine Pass, on the west bank of the Sabine River, although the city was formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978, Sabine Pass has continued to maintain semi-autonomy with a separate school district, post office, water district, and port authority. Police and fire protection is provided by Port Arthur, in 1832, Thomas Corts and John McGaffey were among the first settlers of the Sabine Pass area. Stephen Hendrickson Everitt wrote a letter to Republic of Texas President Mirabeau B, lamar on March 11,1839, seeking to establish a post office in the area. There was already a Republic of Texas customs house, established in 1837, as well as a United States customs house at Garrison Ridge, there is some confusion as to if this was Sabine Pass that he had previously written about or an intended city to the south. Niles was appointed collector of revenue for the port of Sabine 1842, philip Sublett and Houston were friends and associates. Houston stayed with Sublett while recuperating from wound received at San Jacinto, in 1836, Sublett nominated Houston for president of the Republic of Texas. The US claimed jurisdiction down the Sabine River to the Gulf of Mexico, by 1838 the U. S. assigned the revenue cutter USRC Woodbury to patrol the Sabine Lake as part of the Gulf of Mexico patrol. By 1844, the Republic of Texas had the Santa Anna patrolling the area, there was one instance that could have led to war between the United States and the Republic of Texas. The Santa Anna had instructed two schooners loading cotton to stop at the house to pay a tonnage fee. The customs house had two cannons and when the schooners attempted to run the port the agent fired a warning shot across the bow of each ship. Both schooners weighed anchor and settled the matter, the name of the community evolved over time from City of Sabine, to Sabine City, and then to Sabine Pass. Although requested in 1839, and there was a lumber mill in the community in 1846. By not capitalizing city it appears that the city was named Sabine, no records indicate that the settlement was ever called just Sabine so this might have been referring to the name of the place as City of Sabine. There is reference that General J. B, magruder, ordered construction of a major fortification of five redoubts seven miles west of Sabine City. In 1863, but Sabine Pass was incorporated on June 15,1861, the expectations of the earlier settlers, as well as the founders of Sabine Pass, never materialized. Arthur Stilwell had original plans for the terminus of the Kansas City, Pittsburg. But the Kountze brothers, who owned the land Stilwell needed for the railroad, refused to make a deal so Port Arthur was born
16.
Union (American Civil War)
–
The Union was opposed by 11 southern slave states that formed the Confederate States, or the Confederacy. All of the Unions states provided soldiers for the U. S. Army, the Border states played a major role as a supply base for the Union invasion of the Confederacy. The Northeast provided the resources for a mechanized war producing large quantities of munitions and supplies. The Midwest provided soldiers, food, horses, financial support, Army hospitals were set up across the Union. Most states had Republican governors who energetically supported the war effort, the Democratic Party strongly supported the war in 1861 but in 1862 was split between the War Democrats and the anti-war element led by the Copperheads. The Democrats made major gains in 1862 in state elections. They lost ground in 1863, especially in Ohio, in 1864 the Republicans campaigned under the National Union Party banner, which attracted many War Democrats and soldiers and scored a landslide victory for Lincoln and his entire ticket. The war years were quite prosperous except where serious fighting and guerrilla warfare took place along the southern border, prosperity was stimulated by heavy government spending and the creation of an entirely new national banking system. The Union states invested a great deal of money and effort in organizing psychological and social support for soldiers wives, widows, orphans, and for the soldiers themselves. Most soldiers were volunteers, although after 1862 many volunteered to escape the draft, Draft resistance was notable in some larger cities, especially New York City with its massive anti-draft riots of 1863 and in some remote districts such as the coal mining areas of Pennsylvania. In the context of the American Civil War, the Union is sometimes referred to as the North, both then and now, as opposed to the Confederacy, which was the South. The Union never recognized the legitimacy of the Confederacys secession and maintained at all times that it remained entirely a part of the United States of America, in foreign affairs the Union was the only side recognized by all other nations, none of which officially recognized the Confederate government. The term Union occurs in the first governing document of the United States, the subsequent Constitution of 1787 was issued and ratified in the name not of the states, but of We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union. Union, for the United States of America, is repeated in such clauses as the Admission to the Union clause in Article IV. Even before the war started, the preserve the Union was commonplace. Using the term Union to apply to the non-secessionist side carried a connotation of legitimacy as the continuation of the political entity. In comparison to the Confederacy, the Union had a large industrialized and urbanized area, additionally, the Union states had a manpower advantage of 5 to 2 at the start of the war. Year by year, the Confederacy shrank and lost control of increasing quantities of resources, meanwhile, the Union turned its growing potential advantage into a much stronger military force
17.
El Paso Diablos
–
El Paso Diablos refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, from 1990–2013, the Diablos, in both incarnations, played their home games at Cohen Stadium. The teams name means devils in the Spanish language, the team has its roots going back to 1892, when the team was originally called the El Paso Browns. The name eventually changed to the Mavericks, in 1913, the El Paso Mavericks played in the Copper League, which consisted of teams from Silver City, Hurley, and Santa Rita, New Mexico. Despite coming in place that season, the Mavericks went on to win the post season tournament. In 1915, the Mavericks joined the Rio Grande Association, a Class D minor league, though the league folded after a year, the Mavericks continued to play in some form or another. In 1924, the home for the team, Dudley Field named for El Paso Mayor R. M. Dick Dudley, was constructed in South El Paso, another unique feature of the park was that the structure under the main grandstand was constructed out of adobe. A final feature, one that would be used by the Brewers to test their pitchers in the future was that it was notoriously hitter friendly, due to its cozy dimensions, pitchers had to work hard to make sure their ERAs would at least be below five. In 1922, Syd and Andy Cohen played for the Mavericks, Andy Cohen was a second baseman for the New York Giants, and Syd was a pitcher for several different teams in the American League, though he would be the last pitcher to strike out Babe Ruth. Syd also pitched in the Mexican leagues and later managed the Juarez team, in 1930, the team, now known as the El Paso Texans, was admitted to the Arizona State League in 1930 to replace the defunct Mesa Jewels. The Arizona State League included teams from Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso was the only Texas team in the league and missed winning the pennant by only half a game, losing to the Bisbee Bees. The Texans remained in league for decades. In 1931, the Arizona State League became the Arizona–Texas League, in 1940, the League was made into a Class C league. The league halted play from 1942 to 1946 because of World War II, though the Texans did play in the Mexican National League for one year, in 1946. The Arizona–Texas League play resumed in 1947, until 1950, when the merged with the Sunset League to form the Southwest International League. This league only lasted for a year before reverting into the Arizona–Texas League, in 1950, owner Jack Corbett sold the team in August to Dick Saunders and Tom Love, two young El Paso building contractors. Saunders and Love hired John Phelan to be the general manager, the Texans finished in second only to their rivals, the Juarez Indios, at the end of the season
18.
Wichita Wranglers
–
The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseballs San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994, the Wranglers played in Wichitas Lawrence–Dumont Stadium. Built in 1934 and renovated for the time in 2001. Following the completion of the 2007 season, the team was relocated to Springdale, Arkansas, where it became the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the Wranglers won the Texas League Championship in 1987,1992, and 1999. In 1995, Wichitas Johnny Damon won the Texas League Player of the Year Award, alex Gordon won the award in 2006. Andy Benes was selected as the leagues Pitcher of the Year in 1989, Wichita Wranglers on FunWhileItLasted. net Wichita, Kansas Minor League History at Baseball-Reference. com
19.
San Antonio Missions
–
The San Antonio Missions are a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres major-league club, the Missions play in Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, located in San Antonio. Opened in 1994, the seats over 6,200 fans. The San Antonio Missions logo features famous local attraction the Alamo, the teams official mascot is Ballapeño, a baseballing jalapeño. San Antonio was home for one of the members of the Texas League back in 1888. Since that inaugural season the town has hosted a number of Texas League franchises, Baseball was absent only a few of the early years and again when World War II occupied most would-be ballplayers between 1943 and 1945. Initially the team went by the names Missionaries, Gentlemen and Bronchos—a Spanish twist on the name Broncos, during these years, nearly 250 players reached the Major Leagues. The current Missions moniker was coined with the teams first Major League affiliation and they remained a Browns affiliate through the Texas Leagues temporary demise after the 1942 season due to World War II and until 1959, when they struck up a partnership with the Chicago Cubs. While with the Browns/Orioles, the team saw well over 100 players reach the Majors, including Hall-of-Famers Willard Brown, the Missions name was used for the teams affiliated with the Cubs, through 1962. In just four years in the Cubs’ system, more than 50 alumni reached the Major Leagues—including Ron Santo, the Missions changed their name to the Bullets in 1963, when the team joined the new Houston Colt. 45s organization. The idea behind the name was that the prospects would be the bullets to the gun of the. 45s team. The Bullets boasted 30 prospects that would go on to see time in the Bigs, including Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan, in 1965 the San Antonio franchise moved to Amarillo. Baseball returned to San Antonio for the 1968 season, again taking on the Missions name, again playing as a Cubs affiliate, another 42 future Big Leaguers took the field over a four-year stretch. After the 1971 season the team packed up again and moved to Midland, Texas, with the affiliation change to the Brewers, the franchise took the parent clubs nickname—which it kept despite changes in affiliation to the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers. The Brewers nickname fit the city almost as well as it fit their single-season affiliate in Milwaukee, the future Big Leaguers continued to pour onto the field through the affiliation changes, and more than 30 San Antonio Brewers made it to the top. Among them was Hall-of-Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, an Indians farmhand who tore through the Texas League in 1974, the team became the San Antonio Dodgers with a change in affiliation to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977. While the franchise kept the Dodger moniker for eleven seasons, locals referred to them occasionally as the Missions. The Dodgers responded by changing their nickname back to Missions for the 1988 season
20.
Amarillo, Texas
–
Amarillo is the 14th-most populous city in the state of Texas, in the United States. It is also the largest city in the Texas Panhandle, a portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census, the Amarillo metropolitan area has an estimated population of 236,113 in four counties. Amarillo, originally named Oneida, is situated in the Llano Estacado region, the availability of the railroad and freight service provided by the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad contributed to the citys growth as a cattle-marketing center in the late 19th century. The city was once the self-proclaimed Helium Capital of the World for having one of the countrys most productive helium fields, the city is also known as The Yellow Rose of Texas, and most recently Rotor City, USA for its V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft assembly plant. Amarillo operates one of the largest meat-packing areas in the United States, Pantex, the only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the country, is also a major employer. The location of this facility also gave rise to the nickname Bomb City, the attractions Cadillac Ranch and Big Texan Steak Ranch are located adjacent to Interstate 40. U. S. Highway 66 also passed through the city, large ranches exist in the Amarillo area, among others, the defunct XIT Ranch and the still functioning JA Ranch founded in 1877 by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair. Goodnight continued the partnership for a time after Adairs death with Adairs widow, Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie Adair, who was then the sole owner from 1887 until her death in 1921. Berry established a site for a town after he chose a section along the way of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad. Berry and Colorado City, Texas, merchants wanted to make their new site the regions main trading center. On August 30,1887, Berrys town site won the county seat election and was established in Potter County, availability of the railroad and freight service after the county seat election made the town a fast-growing cattle-marketing center. Early residents originally pronounced the name more similar to the Spanish pronunciation /ˌɑːməˈriːjoʊ/ ah-mə-REE-yoh. On June 19,1888, Henry B, sanborn also offered to trade lots in the new location to businesses in the original citys site and help with the expense of moving to new buildings. His incentives gradually won over people, who moved their businesses to Polk Street in the new commercial district, heavy rains almost flooded Berrys part of the town in 1889, prompting more people to move to Sanborns location. This eventually led to another county seat election making Sanborns town the new county seat in 1893, by the late 1890s, Amarillo had emerged as one of the worlds busiest cattle-shipping points, and its population grew significantly. The city became an elevator, milling, and feed-manufacturing center after an increase in production of wheat. Discovery of natural gas in 1918 and oil three years later brought oil and gas companies to the Amarillo area, the United States government bought the Cliffside Gas Field with high helium content in 1927 and the Federal Bureau of Mines began operating the Amarillo Helium plant two years later
21.
Colorado Springs Sky Sox
–
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox are a minor league baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The teams colors are red and blue, the team plays in the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers. The Sky Sox won the PCL title in 1992 and again in 1995, originally, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in the Western League from 1950–1958, when the league folded. The Sky Soxs nickname originated with their affiliation with the White Sox, the Pikes Peak region was without professional baseball for 30 years until 1988, when the Hawaii Islanders of the PCL relocated to Colorado Springs and became the second incarnation of the Sky Sox. From 1988–1992 the Sky Sox were the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, when Denver was awarded a major league franchise for the 1993 season, the new Colorado Rockies arranged for the Sky Sox to become their top farm team. During their first season, the Sky Sox moved from Spurgeon Stadium to the brand new Sky Sox Stadium, the ballpark, on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, originally cost $3.7 million to build and seats 8,500 spectators. In recent years, the Sky Sox have invested over $8 million on renovations which included a new video scoreboard, redesigned entrance plaza, new picnic facility. It is the highest professional ballpark in the United States, its natural grass field sits at 6,531 feet above sea level, on October 22,2008 the Sky Sox unveiled a new logo, uniforms, and color scheme. Team owner David G. Elmore is negotiating with the city of San Antonio, Texas, the move depends on construction of a new downtown ballpark, endorsed by Mayor Ivy Taylor and partly funded by taxpapers
22.
Pacific Coast League
–
The Pacific Coast League is a Minor League Baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern, and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball and it is officially named the Pacific Coast League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. The PCL maintains its headquarters in Round Rock, Texas, during the first half of the 20th century, the Pacific Coast League developed into one of the premier regional baseball leagues. With no major league baseball team existing west of St. Louis, although it was never recognized as a true major league, its quality of play was considered very high. During 1945 the league voted to become a major league, some players made a career out of the minor leagues. One of the better known was Frank Shellenback, whose Major League pitching career was brief, many former major-league players came to the PCL to finish their careers after their time in the majors had ended. The mild climate of the West Coast, especially California, allowed the league to play longer seasons, sometimes starting in late February and this allowed players to hone their skills, earn an extra month or two of pay, and reduce the need to find off-season work. The longer playing season also allowed for games on the schedule. Teams sometimes played more than 200 games in a single season, during the 1905 season the San Francisco Seals set the all-time PCL record by playing 230 games. Even just prior to the 1958 reshuffling, the league was playing 170–180 games per season, one consequence of such lengthy seasons was that a number of the all-time minor-league records for season statistical totals are held by players from the PCL. In 1952, the PCL became the minor league in history to be given the Open classification. This limited the rights of major clubs to draft players from the PCL. The shift to the Open classification came just as minor league teams from coast to coast suffered a drop in attendance. The hammer blow to the PCLs major league dreams came in 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, as a result, three of the PCLs flagship teams were immediately forced to relocate to smaller markets. Additionally, the PCL lost customers to the league teams which now occupied the same territory. The league never recovered from these blows, the Pacific Coast League reverted to Triple-A classification in 1958, and soon diminished in the public eye to nothing more than another minor league. The Oakland Oaks had moved to Canada two years before the arrival of the Giants, the San Diego Padres and Seattle Rainiers were displaced by Major League teams in 1969, but by this time the PCLs decline was already far advanced. The league now stretches from Western Washington to Middle Tennessee, despite its name, the league now has as many teams east of the Mississippi as it does near the Pacific coast
23.
Arkansas Travelers
–
The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, the team succeeded the Little Rock Travelers, which appellation became defunct in 1961. The Travelers were the first professional team to claim an entire state in 1957 when they became the Arkansas Travelers. Both versions of the name derive from the old folk song, from 1932 to 2006, the Travelers played at Ray Winder Field. Bill Valentine, a former American League umpire and chosen as manager for the Travelers from 1976 to 2007. Dickey-Stephens Park, the new stadium in North Little Rock, Arkansas and it is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team. It holds at least 7,000 people and it was built through a partnership between the Travs, Little Rock financier Warren Stephens and the city of North Little Rock. After donating an 11-acre plot of land east of the Broadway Bridge, founders Jack and Witt Stephens, and Hall of Fame Catcher Bill Dickey and his brother Skeeter, also a former Major League ballplayer. Both Dickey brothers worked for Stephens Inc. following their baseball careers, Bill, who caught for the 1925 Little Rock Travelers, also managed the club for one season following a 17-year Hall-of-Fame career with the New York Yankees that included seven World Series titles. In 2004 the team introduced new road jerseys and alternate caps that paid homage to the Travs’ home city, the jerseys had “Little Rock” written across the chest. Travelers’ jerseys have either featured “Arkansas” or “Travelers” ever since the 1950s, nostalgia is in these days and the retro look has become stylish, We were the Little Rock Travelers for years and after all this time we thought we lost the identification with Little Rock. Some people actually didn’t know we’re from Little Rock. The LR logo has had success on our replica caps and we thought that the time to make this change was right now. ”In Ray Winder, was the manager for Little Rock Travelers when it became defunct in 1961. Winder had worked as a ticket taker in 1915 before rising to general manager, more than once, he almost single-handedly kept baseball in Little Rock. During his 50-plus years with the team, he saw the Travelers sink to the bottom of the only to rise three times to the league championship. In 1976, Bill Valentine, a former American League umpire, was chosen as manager for the Travelers. Valentine would remain general manager until in 2007 after 31 years, Valentine worked as an announcer for the Arkansas Travelers for eight years. The Travelers attendance continued to increase over the years, and also saw on-field success, winning five league titles while Valentine was GM
24.
Seattle Mariners
–
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League West division. The team joined the AL as a team in 1977. Since July 1999, the Mariners home ballpark has been Safeco Field, the Mariners name originates from the prominence of marine culture in the city of Seattle. They are nicknamed the Ms, a featured in their primary logo from 1987 to 1992. The current team colors of Navy blue, Northwest green, and silver were adopted prior to the 1993 season after having been royal blue and their mascot is the Mariner Moose. The organization did not field a team until 1991, and any real success eluded them until 1995 when they won their first division championship. The Mariners won 116 games in 2001, which set the American League record for most wins in a single season, through the 2016 season, the franchise has finished with a losing record in 27 of 40 seasons. The Mariners are one of eight Major League Baseball teams who have never won a World Series championship, the Mariners were created as a result of a lawsuit. Confident that Major League Baseball would return to Seattle within a few years, King County built the multi-purpose Kingdome, the name Mariners was chosen by club officials in August 1976 from over 600 names submitted by 15,000 entrants in a name-the-team contest. The Mariners played their first game on April 6,1977, to a crowd of 57,762 at the Kingdome. The first home run in history was hit on April 10,1977. That year, star pitcher Diego Seguí, in his last major league season, the Mariners finished with a 64–98 record, echoing the record the 1969 Pilots once held. In 1979, Seattle hosted the 50th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, after the 1981 season, the Mariners were sold to California businessman and future U. S. Ambassador to Spain George Argyros. During the 1992–93 offseason, the Mariners hired manager Lou Piniella, Mariner fans embraced Piniella, and he would helm the team from 1993 through 2002, winning two American League Manager of the Year Awards along the way. In doing so, the broke the 1998 Yankees American League single-season record of 114 wins. On October 22,2008 the Mariners announced the hiring of Jack Zduriencik, formerly scouting director of the Milwaukee Brewers, weeks later, on November 18, the team named Oakland Athletics bench coach Don Wakamatsu as its new field manager. Wakamatsu and Zduriencik hired a new coaching staff for 2009
25.
North Little Rock, Arkansas
–
North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States, across the Arkansas River from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 62,304 at the 2010 census, the city includes Dickey-Stephens Park, the new home of the Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team. Burns Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, is located in western North Little Rock, the NLRPD has approval to operate UAVs. The department has been working with a small pilotless helicopter since 2008, North Little Rock has a long history, dating back to the Burial Mound People. It was once known as Argenta, a name currently applied specifically to downtown North Little Rock, in 1890, Little Rock annexed the unincorporated Argenta community as its Eighth Ward, preempting a competing petition to incorporate Argenta. A neighboring area was incorporated as the Town of North Little Rock in 1901 as part of a plan to reclaim the Eighth Ward from Little Rock. By 1904, the Arkansas Supreme Court allowed the town to annex the Eighth Ward, the combined city adopted the Argenta name by 1906, but reverted to North Little Rock in October 1917. A remnant of the citys earliest years can be found in North Little Rock City Hall, which still contains plaques referring to Argenta, North Little Rock is located at 34°46′51″N 92°15′25″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 47.0 square miles. As of the census of 2010, there were 62,304 people,25,542 households, the population density was 1,348.6 people per square mile. There were 27,567 housing units at a density of 615.2 per square mile. The city was 54. 0% White,39. 7% Black or African American,0. 41% Native American,0. 59% Asian,0. 03% Pacific Islander,1. 18% from other races, and 1. 26% from two or more races. 5. 7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,32. 0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12. 2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the family size was 2.97. In the city, the population was out with 25. 5% under the age of 18,9. 0% from 18 to 24,28. 4% from 25 to 44,22. 5% from 45 to 64. The median age was 36 years, for every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males, the median income for a household in the city was $35,578, and the median income for a family was $43,595. Males had an income of $31,420 versus $24,987 for females
26.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
–
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate to the Kansas City Royals and they relocated to Springdale from Wichita, Kansas, in 2008. They were previously known as the Wichita Wranglers, the team also had previous incarnations as the Amarillo Gold Sox and Beaumont Golden Gators. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, the facility is located at the intersection of 56th Street and Watkins, and was completed in early 2008. The Wichita Wranglers had struggled with low numbers and an aging Lawrence–Dumont Stadium throughout Bob Rich. In 2006, he sought a move to Springdale, Arkansas, the pro-baseball movement in Springdale had counted on the support of the Rev. Ronnie Floyd, influential pastor of local megachurch First Baptist Church of Springdale. The July vote on a measure to extend a one-cent sales tax to raise $50 million for the stadium passed by only 15 votes, the teams nickname plays off the states nickname as the Natural State, as well as the Robert Redford film, The Natural. The Rich Family owes much of its success to the Redford film. In 1983, Bob Rich, Jr. bought the Class AA Buffalo Bisons and that year, Hollywood producers approached Rich about filming scenes of The Natural at Buffalos War Memorial Stadium. Following the release of the film, local interest in the team rose, Rich was then able to finance the Bisons move to the Class AAA American Association. In something of a coincidence, the AAA Bisons were formerly the Wichita Aeros, every season the team embraces the Thunder Chickens brand for a single game with uniforms and merchandise. The Naturals had early success, advancing to the playoffs in 2009 and 2010, in 2009, the Naturals would win the North Division title, only to lose in the Texas League Championship Series to the Midland RockHounds. On June 8,2008, pitcher Jeff Fulchino became the first former Natural to play in Major League Baseball, Royals owner and former Wal-Mart CEO David Glass lives in nearby Bella Vista, Arkansas. Arvest Ballpark was designed by HOK Sport of Kansas City, Missouri and it cost $33 million to build, while the rest of the $50 million approved by Springdale voters will go toward road and infrastructure improvements. The stadium seats 6,500, but additional berm areas allow a capacity of about 7,800. Official website of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Map to Arvest Ballpark History at Baseball-Reference. com
27.
Kansas City Royals
–
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball as a team of the American League Central division. The team was founded as a franchise in 1969, and has participated in four World Series, winning in 1985 and 2015. The name Royals originates from the American Royal, a show, horse show, rodeo. Entering the American League in 1969 along with the Seattle Pilots, since April 10,1973, the Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium, formerly known as Royals Stadium. The team remained competitive throughout the early 1990s, but then had one winning season from 1995 to 2012. For 28 consecutive seasons, the Royals did not qualify to play in the Major League Baseball postseason, the team broke this streak in 2014 by securing the franchises first wild card berth and advancing to the World Series. The Royals followed this up by winning the teams first Central Division title in 2015, the Royals began play in 1969 in Kansas City, Missouri. In their inaugural game, on April 8,1969, the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 4–3 in 12 innings, in 1971, the Royals had their first winning season, with manager Bob Lemon leading them to a second-place finish. In 1973, under manager Jack McKeon, the Royals adopted their iconic powder blue road uniforms, the 1973 All-Star Game was hosted at Royals Stadium, with Otis and Mayberry in the AL starting lineup. The event was held at Municipal Stadium in 1960, when the Athletics were based in Kansas City. However, the Royals lost to the New York Yankees in three straight American League Championship Series encounters, after the Royals finished in second place in 1979, Herzog was fired and replaced by Jim Frey. Under Frey, the Royals rebounded in 1980 and advanced to the ALCS, the Royals vanquished the Yankees in a three-game sweep punctuated by a George Brett home run off of Yankees star relief pitcher Goose Gossage. After reaching their first World Series, the Royals fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, Game 6 was also significant because it remains the most-watched game in World Series history with a television audience of 54.9 million viewers. In July 1983, while the Royals were headed for a second-place finish behind the Chicago White Sox another chapter in the rivalry with the New York Yankees occurred. After Yankee Manager Billy Martin came out of the dugout to talk to home plate umpire Tim McClelland, McClelland, McClelland then pointed to Brett in the dugout and gave the out sign, disallowing the home run. Brett stormed out of the dugout, angry and hysterical, the homer was later reinstated by AL President Lee MacPhail, and the Royals won the game after it was resumed several weeks later. The 1983 season was notable for some transitional changes in the Royals organization
28.
Springdale, Arkansas
–
Springdale is the fourth-largest city in Arkansas, and is located in both Washington and Benton counties in Northwest Arkansas. Located on the Springfield Plateau deep in the Ozark Mountains, Springdale has long been an important industrial city for the region, in addition to several trucking companies, the city is home to the world headquarters of Tyson Foods, the worlds largest meat producing company. Originally named Shiloh, the city changed its name to Springdale when applying for a post office in 1872, the four-county Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area is ranked 109th in terms of population in the United States with 463,204 in 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau. The city had a population of 69,797 at the 2010 Census, Springdale has been experiencing a population boom in recent years, as indicated by a 133% growth in population between the 1990 and 2010 censuses. Tyson remains the top employer, and is visible throughout the city. Many public features bear the Tyson name, including the Randal Tyson Recreational Complex, Don Tyson Parkway, Helen Tyson Middle School, Don Tyson Elementary, governor Mike Beebe signed an act into law recognizing Springdale as the The Poultry Capital Of The World in 2013. Springdale was founded in 1838 and was known as Shiloh. In 1840, a Baptist church was founded in the town, the building was burned down during the Civil War but rebuilt in 1868. In 1878, the town was incorporated with the name of Springdale. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 108.9 square miles, of which,108.3 square miles of it is land and 0.7 square miles of it. The city limits north into southern Benton County. Springdale is bordered by the cities of Cave Springs, Lowell, and Bethel Heights to the north, by Elm Springs and Tontitown to the west, the city is located in both Benton and Washington counties along Interstate 49/US Highway 62/US Highway 71. This is the only fully controlled access route through the area, an interstate connection with Fort Smith to the south and Kansas City, Missouri to the north has greatly helped to grow Springdale. Within Washington County, Springdale is bordered along the south by Fayetteville, in some locations, this transition is seamless. The city extends west and east along Highway 412 toward Tontitown and Beaver Lake, Springdale is located on the Springfield Plateau, a subset of The Ozarks which run through northwest Arkansas, southern Missouri, and Northeastern Oklahoma. In the Springdale area, sandstones and shales were deposited on top of the Springfield Plateau during the Pennsylvanian Period and these were eroded after the Ouachita orogeny and uplift, exposing Mississippian limestone formations of the Springfield Plateau visible today. The Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area consists of three Arkansas counties, Benton, Madison, and Washington, and McDonald County, Missouri, the area had a population of 347,045 at the 2000 census which had increased to 463,204 by the 2010 Census. Springdale lies in the subtropical climate zone with influence from the humid continental climate type
29.
Arvest Ballpark
–
Arvest Ballpark is a stadium in Springdale, Arkansas. It is primarily used for baseball, as the home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Texas League, the ballpark has a capacity of 7,305 people and opened in 2008. Arvest Ballpark was designed by the Kansas City architecture firm Populous, not only would they have to find a team willing to move, they would also need to provide them with a better facility than what they would be leaving behind. A referendum was held on July 11,2006, where voters approved by a narrow margin the continuation of a 1% sales tax to fund the ballpark. Ground for the ballpark was broken on February 27,2007, Construction was performed by Crossland Construction and completed in April 2008. The first game played at Arvest Ballpark was the 2008 opening day game between the Naturals and the San Antonio Missions on April 10,2008, the Naturals lost 7-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 7,820
30.
Springfield Cardinals
–
The Springfield Cardinals are a minor league baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals major-league club, the club plays at Hammons Field. The Springfield Cardinals began play in the 2005 season, prior to the 2005 season, the St. Louis Cardinals Class AA affiliate was the Tennessee Smokies located near Sevierville, Tennessee. Attendance at Hammons Field for Springfield Cardinals games has been impressive, in 2008, Springfield was third in attendance, trailing Frisco and the Corpus Christi Hooks. Through the 2015 season, a total of 72 former Springfield Cardinals have gone on to make their league debuts with the St. Louis Cardinals. Springfield, Missouri originally had professional baseball back to 1905. For nearly 30 years the team was called the Highlanders, the Jobbers, the Midgets. There were several years where no team existed at all, in 1931, the St. Louis Cardinals purchased a minor league team, renamed it the Cardinals, and relocated it in Springfield. That year, the won the first of several Western Association titles. Following the 1946 season, St. Louis moved the team to St. Joseph, Missouri, the city of Springfield saw a brief re-emergence of minor league baseball when the rival Chicago Cubs moved its affiliate to Springfield for one season taking the name Springfield Cubs. Though there was a gap of 63 years, most in the Springfield, many pieces of fan apparel actually say Springfield Cardinals circa 1932. The deck on top of the Cardinals dugout also has the championship banners from the 1930s and 1940s, Springfield played host to several players that would go on to the Major League and Senior Circuit scene. The greatest of these was Stan Musial, also known as Stan The Man, Stan played 87 games for Springfield during the 1941 season, batting.379 and quickly becoming a fan favorite. In April 2005, Musial played his harmonica to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ball Game to a crowd of near 12,000 during the inaugural St. Louis vs. Springfield Cardinals game. After throwing out the ceremonial first pitch that same day, Musial stumbled. However, Springfield General Manager Matt Gifford was quick on the scene to catch Stan, among other stars who played in Springfield are Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul, Pepper Martin, Joe Medwick. Babe Ruth also spent some time playing baseball in Springfield, the current Cardinals are a relatively new team, dating back to just 2005. Previous to this, they were known as the El Paso Diablos and that teams owners sold the franchise due to poor attendance and the potential to make more money in a fast-growing metropolitan area
31.
St. Louis Cardinals
–
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League Central division. Busch Stadium has been their home ballpark since 2006, with origins as one of the early professional baseball clubs in St. Upon the discontinuation of the AA, St. Louis joined the NL in 1892, at time, they were called the Browns. One of the most successful franchises in history, the Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships. Their 19 National League pennants rank third in NL history, in addition, St. Louis has won 13 division titles in the East and Central divisions. While still in the AA, St. Louis won four league championships, the Cardinals have won 105 or more games in four different seasons and won 100 or more a total of nine times. Cardinals players have won 20 league MVPs, four batting Triple Crowns, and three Cy Young Awards. Baseball Hall of Fame inductees include Lou Brock, Dizzy Dean, Bob Gibson, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, Branch Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Ozzie Smith, and Bruce Sutter. In 2016, Forbes valued the Cardinals at $1.6 billion, making them the 7th-most valuable franchise in MLB, their revenue the year was $300 million. Since their purchase in 1995, owner William DeWitt, Jr. s investment group has seen enormous growth from the $147 million purchase price, John Mozeliak is the general manager and Mike Matheny is the manager. Professional baseball began in St. Louis with the inception of the Brown Stockings in the National Association in 1875, the NA folded following that season, and the next season, St. Louis joined the National League as a charter member, finishing in third place at 45-19. George Bradley hurled the first no-hitter in Major League history, the NL expelled St. Louis from the league after 1877 due to a game-fixing scandal and the team went bankrupt. Without a league, they continued play as a barnstorming team through 1881. For the 1882 season, Chris von der Ahe purchased the team, reorganized it, and made it a member of the American Association. 1882 is generally considered to be the first year existence of the St. Louis Cardinals, the next season, St. Louis shortened their name to the Browns. Soon thereafter they became the dominant team in the AA, as manager Charlie Comiskey guided St. Louis to four pennants in a row from 1885 to 1888. Pitcher and outfielder Bob Caruthers led the league in ERA and wins in 1885 and he also led the AA in OBP and OPS in 1886 and finished fourth in batting average in 1886 and fifth in 1887
32.
Springfield, Missouri
–
Springfield is the third largest city in the state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, as of 2015, the population is 166,810. Springfields nickname is the Queen City of the Ozarks and is known as the Birthplace of Route 66 and it is also home of several universities including Missouri State University, Drury University, and Evangel University. The territory known as Missouri was included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, soon after, the Delaware Native Americans received treaty land where Springfields Sequiota Park and the antique stores of its Galloway Village stand today. To the west,500 Kickapoo Native Americans built wickiups on the prairie that still bears their name, Missouri became a state on August 10,1821, and in 1833 the legislature designated most of the southern portion as Greene County. Officially, Springfield was founded in 1830, and was incorporated in 1838, the origin of the name, Springfield is unclear, but the most common view is that the city was named for Springfield, Massachusetts. One account holds that James Wilson, who lived in the unnamed city, offered free whiskey to anyone who would vote for the name Springfield, after his home town of Springfield. In 1883, the historian R. I, but such is not a correct version. That same year, Cherokee Native Americans were forcibly removed by the U. S. government from their homelands in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia to the Indian Territory. Their route became known as the Trail of Tears due to the thousands of Cherokee deaths on the journey, the Trail of Tears passed through the Springfield area via what is known today as the Old Wire Road. The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail auto tour route is along Interstate 44 westward to US160, the Old Wire Road, then known as the Military Road, served until the mid-1840s as a connection between Springfield and the garrison at Fort Smith, Arkansas. By 1858, the Butterfield Overland Stage began utilizing the road offering passage to California, two years later, the regions first telegraph line was strung along the road, and it was dubbed the Telegraph or Wire Road. The road proved vital during the Civil War, and its most historic connection is to the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas, while portions of the road exist today, the most easily accessible is within Wilsons Creek National Battlefield. The 1849 charter of the Pacific Railroad, established to construct a line from St. Louis westward across central Missouri, was expanded in 1852 to include a Southwest Branch. However, after defaulting on its obligations, the state seized this branch and sold it, thus creating a new company, commercial and industrial diversification came with the railroads, and strengthened the City of Springfield and North Springfield when the two towns merged 17 years later in 1887. Today visitors can enjoy the view from the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge, with the American Civil War imminent and Missouri a border state, Springfield was divided in its sentiments. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon was killed, the first Union general to die in combat, Union troops fell back to Lebanon, then Rolla, and regrouped. When they returned to Springfield, the Confederates had withdrawn, the First Battle of Springfield, or Zagonyis Charge, occurred on October 25,1861
33.
Hammons Field
–
Hammons Field is a minor league ballpark in downtown Springfield, Missouri, with a capacity of 7,986 plus approximately 2,500 general admission seating. The facility, funded entirely by local businessman, hotel mogul, Hammons, is the centerpiece of the midtown development project, Jordan Valley Park, on the corner of Sherman Avenue and Trafficway Boulevard. Completed in April 2004, it is home to the Springfield Cardinals and he was ultimately able to persuade the Cardinals to purchase the El Paso Diablos franchise of the Texas League from the Brett Bros. and relocate it to Springfield. They became the Springfield Cardinals soon thereafter when the parent club ended its brief affiliation with the Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League. The stadium is due to its baseball specific outbuildings. The stadium currently has two large buildings just outside the right-field walls, the larger of the two serves as a fully furnished indoor practice facility complete with astroturf, batting cages, and a small diamond for drills. The smaller building serves as administration, including General Manager offices, the stadium is also furnished with 28 luxury box suites. 25 suites are on the luxury box suite level also houses a VIP Lounge. These suites feature a bar area with a mini-fridge as well as an area with up to 12 stadium seats with personal speakers. The remaining three suites are on the Press Box level and these suites are all penthouse style suites and are considerably larger than their lower counterparts. Instead of featuring balconies, these units style two large sliding glass windows that allow for spectacular and unparalleled views of the stadium and playing field, only two of the Press Box level suites are available for use. The largest of the three is a suite for Mr. John Q. Hammons Field also boasts one of the largest electronic scoreboards and JumboTrons in the country and this screen is used for on-field replays, between innings entertainment, as well as recaps from Major League games. Atop of this screen are the flags of all of the Texas League teams, during the Major League All-Star Game, Hammons Field holds All-Star celebrations in which patrons can watch the game on the largest plasma screen television in Springfield. Designed by the architectural firm, Pellham Phillips Architects & Engineers. In response, the Springfield Cardinals have enjoyed some of the leagues highest fan attendance rates since the team relocated to Springfield in 2005. In 2004,2007 and 2012, the hosted the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament
34.
Tulsa Drillers
–
The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club, the Drillers play at ONEOK Field, in downtown Tulsas Greenwood district. The team previously played at Drillers Stadium on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th, the Drillers held their first home opener at ONEOK Field on April 8,2010, losing 7–0 to the Corpus Christi Hooks in front of an over-capacity crowd of 8,665. In their first season in the new ballpark, the Drillers drew total attendance of 408,183, the Drillers came into being in 1977, when the two-year-old Lafayette Drillers were moved to Tulsa. Before that time, the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers had been the minor league club. Ray Smith moved that team to New Orleans due to concerns over the condition of Oiler Park. The new team opted to keep the Drillers name carried over from Lafayette—appropriate given the importance of oil to the Tulsa economy, apart from World War II, professional baseball has been played in Tulsa continuously since 1932. The Drillers set up shop at Oiler Park, which was renamed Driller Park, however, it was obvious that the old stadium was at the end of its useful life, and plans were already underway for a replacement. Tulsa County completed 8,000 seat Robert B. Sutton Stadium in 1981, naming it for its chief benefactor, a local oil executive. Sutton, however, was convicted in 1982 of fraud, and as a result the County renamed the park Tulsa County Stadium, from 1977 to 2002, the Drillers were the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. In 2002, Rangers owner Tom Hicks purchased the Shreveport, Louisiana Texas League franchise with the intention of moving the team to Frisco, Texas, the Drillers then signed a two-year agreement with the Colorado Rockies. After the 2014 season they signed an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Batting coach Mike Coolbaugh was killed in an accident on July 22,2007. While standing in the first base coach box, he was hit in the head by a line drive, although CPR was administered at the scene, he died less than an hour later. The Drillers and Travelers suspended their game, which the Travelers had been leading, 7–3, the Drillers also postponed their game the following night. The coroner concluded that Coolbaugh was actually hit in the neck with the drive instead of the head. The Drillers have been Texas League champions three times, in 1982,1988, and 1998, as well as Eastern Division Champions in 1999, and 2002. The Drillers also appeared in the Texas League playoffs during the 2004,2005,2006, Tulsa businessman Bill Rollings acquired the Lafayette franchise and moved it to Tulsa in 1977
35.
Los Angeles Dodgers
–
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League West division. Established in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. They played for four seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to their current home of Dodger Stadium in 1962, the Dodgers as a franchise have won six World Series titles and 21 National League pennants. 11 NL MVP award winners have played for the Dodgers, winning a total of 13 MVP Awards, Eight Cy Young Award winners have pitched for the Dodgers, winning a total of twelve Cy Young Awards. The team has also produced 17 Rookie of the Year Award winners, including four consecutive from 1979 to 1982 and five consecutive from 1992 to 1996. In the 20th century, the team, then known as the Robins, won pennants in 1916 and 1920. In the 1930s, the changed its name to the Dodgers. In 1941, the Dodgers captured their third National League pennant and this marked the onset of the Dodgers–Yankees rivalry, as the Dodgers would face them in their next six World Series appearances. Following the 1957 season the team left Brooklyn, in just their second season in Los Angeles, the Dodgers won their second World Series title, beating the Chicago White Sox in six games in 1959. The 1963 sweep was their victory against the Yankees. The Dodgers won four pennants in 1966,1974,1977 and 1978. They went on to win the World Series again in 1981, the early 1980s were affectionately dubbed Fernandomania. The Dodgers share a rivalry with the San Francisco Giants. Both teams moved west for the 1958 season, the Giants have won two more World Series, the Dodgers have won 21 National League pennants, while the Giants hold the record with 23. When the two teams were based in New York, the Giants won five World Series championships, after the move to California, the Dodgers have won five in Los Angeles, the Giants have won three in San Francisco. The Dodgers were founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Atlantics, taking the name of a team that had played in Brooklyn before them. The team joined the American Association in 1884 and won the AA championship in 1889 before joining the National League in 1890 and they promptly won the NL Championship their first year in the League
36.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
–
Tulsa /ˈtʌlsə/ is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. As of July 2015, the population was 403,505 and it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 981,005 residents in the MSA and 1,151,172 in the CSA. The city serves as the county seat of Tulsa County, the most densely populated county in Oklahoma, with urban development extending into Osage, Rogers, Tulsa was settled between 1828 and 1836 by the Lochapoka Band of Creek Native American tribe. For most of the 20th century, the city held the nickname Oil Capital of the World, once heavily dependent on the oil industry, Tulsa experienced economic downturn. Subsequent diversification efforts created a base in the energy, finance, aviation, telecommunications. The Tulsa Port of Catoosa, at the head of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, is the most inland port in the U. S. with access to international waterways. Two institutions of education within the city have sports teams at the NCAA Division I level, Oral Roberts University. It is situated on the Arkansas River at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in northeast Oklahoma, the city has been called one of Americas most livable large cities by Partners for Livable Communities, Forbes, and Relocate America. FDi Magazine in 2009 ranked the city no.8 in the U. S. for cities of the future, in 2012, Tulsa was ranked among the top 50 best cities in the United States by BusinessWeek. People from Tulsa are called Tulsans, the area where Tulsa now exists was considered Indian Territory when it was first formally settled by the Lochapoka and Creek tribes in 1836. They established a settlement under the Creek Council Oak Tree at the present day intersection of Cheyenne Avenue. This area and this tree reminded Chief Tukabahchi and his group of trail of tear survivors of the bend in the river and their previous Creek Council Oak Tree back in the Talisi. They named their new settlement Tallasi, meaning old town in the Creek language, the area around Tulsa was also settled by members of the other so-called Five Civilized Tribes who had relocated to Oklahoma from the Southern United States. Most of modern Tulsa is located in the Creek Nation, with parts located in the Cherokee Nation, although Oklahoma was not yet a state during the Civil War, the Tulsa area did see its share of fighting. The Battle of Chusto-Talasah took place on the side of Tulsa. After the War, the tribes signed Reconstruction treaties with the government that in some cases required substantial land concessions. On January 18,1898, Tulsa was officially incorporated and elected its first mayor, Tulsa was a small town near the banks of the Arkansas River in 1901 when its first oil well, named Sue Bland No. Much of the oil was discovered on land whose mineral rights were owned by members of the Osage Nation under a system of headrights
37.
ONEOK Field
–
ONEOK Field is a baseball park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Located in the historic Greenwood district adjacent to downtown Tulsa, it is the home of the Tulsa Drillers of the AA Texas League, the stadium is named for ONEOK, a natural gas utility. ONEOK Field has also been the home of the Tulsa Roughnecks FC of the United Soccer League since 2015, the Drillers announced the move on June 26,2008. The future of the stadium was for a threatened by the financial collapse of its largest donor. However, groundbreaking for the new ballpark went forward on December 19,2008, on January 12,2009, ONEOK, Inc. and the Oneok Foundation announced that they would pay $5 million USD to obtain the 20-year naming rights for the new baseball park. The Drillers played their first game in the new ballpark on Thursday, April 8,2010, the first pitch at the stadium was thrown by country music star, Tim McGraw. ONEOK Field was designed by architect firm HOK Sport of Kansas City, Missouri, the stadium has an official capacity of 7,833, but is capable of holding up to 9,000 for special events. It has 23 suites and a playing field recessed about 13 feet below street level, with a construction cost of $39.2 million, the project also included the purchase of adjacent land for complementary development, for a total project budget of $60 million. ONEOK Field Tulsa Drillers ONEOK Field Webcam
38.
Corpus Christi Hooks
–
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the association with fishing. The teams ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, the Hooks play their home games at Whataburger Field, which opened in 2005 and is located on Corpus Christis waterfront. The history of the Hooks franchise dates back to 1968, when it got its start in the Texas League as the Memphis Blues and that club won the league crown twice, in 1969 and 1973. In 1974, the moved to Victoria, Texas and played in Toro Stadium. The following year, the moved to Jackson, Mississippi where it would remain for the next 25 seasons, first as the Mets. The franchise qualified for the playoffs 13 times and won the TL championship on five occasions, during the years 1980–1987, Jackson dominated the league, making it to eight consecutive post-seasons. Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and his group acquired the following the 1998 season. The Round Rock Express, led by Morgan Ensberg and Roy Oswalt, the Express, which shattered league attendance records throughout their five-year run, also qualified for post-season play in four of those five seasons. That paved the way for the Double-A franchise to relocate to the Gulf Coast of Texas, in 2004 the organization held a Name the Team contest that sought suggestions from the community for a new name for the team. The contest was won by Corpus Christi resident, Michael Braly, the teams new name, Corpus Christi Hooks was born. The teams colors are blue and light blue, representing the ocean. The team mascots are Sammy the Seagull and Rusty Hook, the Hooks have played every home game since the move to Corpus Christi at Whataburger Field. One of the most exciting moments in the history was an appearance by Roger Clemens on June 11,2006. Clemens start attracted nationwide attention and a crowd of 9,022. Clemens struck out 11 batters in 6 innings on his way to the victory, tickets were being sold on Ebay for up to $230. This marked the first time a Corpus Christi franchise has won the TL Championship since the 1958 Corpus Christi Giants, Manager Dave Clark was named 2006 Texas League Manager of The Year and pitcher Matt Albers was named 2006 Texas League Pitcher of the Year. On June 25,2007, Whataburger Field played host to the 2007 installment of the Texas League All-Star Game, seven hooks players were invited to play on the squad
39.
Houston Astros
–
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
40.
Corpus Christi, Texas
–
Corpus Christi, colloquially Corpus, is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U. S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it extends into Aransas, Kleberg. It is 130 miles southeast of San Antonio and its political boundaries encompass Nueces Bay and Corpus Christi Bay. Its zoned boundaries include small land parcels or water inlets of three neighboring counties, the citys population was estimated to be 320,434 in 2014, making it the eighth-most populous city in Texas. The Corpus Christi metropolitan area had an population of 442,600. It is also the hub of the six-county Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice Combined Statistical Area, the Port of Corpus Christi is the fifth-largest in the United States. The region is served by the Corpus Christi International Airport, the citys name means Body of Christ in Latin. The name was given to the settlement and surrounding bay by Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda in 1519, the citys nickname is Sparkling City by the Sea, particularly featured in tourist literature. Corpus Christi was founded in 1839 by Colonel Henry Lawrence Kinney and William P. Aubrey as Kinneys Trading Post and it was a small trading post that sold supplies to a Mexican revolutionary army camped about 25 mi west. In July 1845, U. S. troops commanded by General Zachary Taylor set up there in preparation for war with Mexico. About a year later, the settlement was named Corpus Christi and was incorporated on 9 September 1852, the Battle of Corpus Christi was fought between August 12 and August 18,1862, during the American Civil War. United States Navy forces blockading Texas fought a land and sea engagement with Confederate forces in and around Corpus Christi Bay. Union forces defeated Confederate States Navy ships operating in the area, the Port of Corpus Christi was opened in 1926, and the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station was commissioned in 1941. The 1919 Storm devastated the city, killing hundreds on September 14, only three structures survived the storm on North Beach. To protect the city, the seawall was built, the city also suffered damage from Hurricane Celia in 1970 and Hurricane Allen in 1980, but little damage from Hurricane Ike in 2008. In November 1873, seven Mexican shepherds were lynched by a mob near the city, in February 1929, the League of United Latin American Citizens was founded in Corpus Christi. This organization was created to battle racial discrimination against Hispanic people in the United States, since its founding, LULAC has grown and now has a national headquarters in Washington, D. C. In March 1949, the American GI Forum was founded in Corpus Christi, currently, AGIF focuses on veterans issues, education, and civil rights issues
41.
Whataburger Field
–
Whataburger Field is the minor league baseball stadium located in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. It is currently home to the Corpus Christi Hooks, the affiliate of the Houston Astros. Along with on-campus Chapman Field, the stadium serves as one of the homes to the Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Islanders college baseball team. The park, which opened in 2005, is located on what used to be old cotton warehouses upon the citys waterfront, naming rights were paid for by Whataburger, Inc. which was headquartered in Corpus Christi before relocating to San Antonio in 2009. Fans are able to see the USS Lexington and the Texas State Aquarium from inside the park, Whataburger Field features 5,050 fixed seats,19 luxury suites and two outfield berm areas that are able to accommodate nearly 2,000 fans. On June 30,2005 the stadium unveiled For the Love of the Game, the statue is believed to be the largest bronze statue of a baseball player. On June 26,2007 Whataburger Field played host to the 2007 Texas League All-Star game, one June 10,2010, the Houston Dynamo played the first-ever soccer match at Whataburger Field before a capacity crowd of 6,111, beating the Laredo Heat 2-1. The Dynamo played in-state rival FC Dallas in a friendly on February 12,2011 — becoming the second soccer match ever played at Whataburger Field. The construction manager was Hunt Construction Group, Inc. of Dallas, Texas
42.
Frisco RoughRiders
–
The Frisco RoughRiders are currently the Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball club. The team plays in the Texas League, assigned to the South Division, prior to 2003, the franchise was based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and were known as the Shreveport Captains. In 2003, they were purchased by Mandalay Entertainment in connection with Tom Hicks, former owner of the Texas Rangers, Mandalay Baseball moved them to the North Texas city of Frisco and changed their name to the RoughRiders. They currently play at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, opened on April 3,2003, the stadium seats 10,600 fans. The stadium is unique and innovative, both bullpens are surrounded by seats and there is a pool area available for rental just beyond the right center field wall. In 2016, Forbes listed the RoughRiders as the tenth-most valuable Minor League Baseball team with a value of $37 million. Chuck Greenberg will be Chairman, CEO, as well as the Managing Partner of the newly formed Frisco RoughRiders LP, Mr. Sonju is a Co-Managing Partner and he will continue to serve as RoughRiders president to oversee the day-to-day operations of the team under Mr. Greenbergs leadership. The Rough Riders was the name bestowed by the American press on the 1st U. S, volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish–American War, headed by to-be American President Theodore Roosevelt. The team was named after a division in order to comply with the tradition of the major league affiliate, the Texas Rangers. July 4, Frisco RoughRiders unveil team name and logo At a July 4 Centennial Celebration, september 26, RoughRiders announce affiliation with Texas Rangers Frisco RoughRiders Professional Baseball announced its Major League affiliation with the Texas Rangers. We are thrilled to be the Double-A affiliate of the Rangers, a player may be a RoughRider in April and a Ranger by August. April 3, RoughRiders sell out inaugural Season Opener In the first ever game at Dr Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark. September 2, First playoff game is played at Dr Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark The first playoff game for both the RoughRiders and Dr Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark was played as the Riders defeated Wichita. August 30, ‘Riders earn playoff berth for second straight season The Riders finished off a second half run. June 21, Frisco hosts Texas League All-Star Game Andre Ethier leads the East All-Stars over the West, 5–0, July 28, RoughRiders combine for Perfect Game A. J. Murray, Steve Karsay, and Scott Feldman combined to pitch a game in Corpus Christi. The final score was 3–0 as it was the first no-hit game in the history of the Frisco RoughRiders. September 1, Frisco finishes 2006 season with 72–68 record RoughRiders finish in place in the South Division
43.
Texas Rangers (baseball)
–
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
44.
Frisco, Texas
–
Frisco is a city located in Collin and Denton counties in Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and is located approximately 25 miles from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the city population was 116,989 at the 2010 census. As of February 1,2017, the city had an population of 161,170. Frisco was the city in the United States in 2009. In the late 1990s, the northern Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex suburban development tide hit the border of Plano and spilled into Frisco. Like many of the located in the booming northern suburbs of Dallas. Since 2003, Frisco has received the designation Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation, when the Dallas area was being settled by American pioneers, many of the settlers traveled by wagon trains along the old Shawnee Trail. This trail was used for cattle drives north from Austin. This trail later became the Preston Trail, and later, Preston Road, Preston Road is one of the oldest north-south roads in all of Texas. With all of this activity, the community of Lebanon was founded along this trail, in 1902, a line of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway was being built through the area, and periodic watering stops were needed along the route for the steam locomotives. The current settlement of Lebanon was on the Preston Ridge and was too high in elevation. A community grew around this train stop, residents of Lebanon actually moved their houses to the new community on logs. The new town was originally named Emerson, but that name was rejected by the U. S. Postal Service as being too similar to town in Texas. In 1904, the residents chose Frisco City in honor of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway on which the town was founded, Frisco is located in western Collin County and eastern Denton County at 33°08′29″N 96°48′47″W. Frisco is part of the subtropical region. It gets 39 inches of rain per year, on average, there are 230 sunny days per year in the city. The July high is around 96 degrees, the January low is 33 degrees. The comfort index, which is based on humidity during the hot months, is a 25 out of 100, where higher is more comfortable
45.
Dr Pepper Ballpark
–
Dr Pepper Ballpark is the home ballpark of the Frisco RoughRiders Class AA minor league baseball club. Located in Frisco, Texas in the United States, the stadium has a capacity of 10,316. The ballpark is host to functions in addition to minor league baseball games, including corporate and charity events, wedding receptions, city of Frisco events. Local soft drink manufacturer Dr Pepper Snapple Group holds naming rights, since its opening in 2003, the Dr Pepper Ballpark has won awards and garnered praise for its unique design, feel, and numerous facilities. In his design, park architect David M. Schwarz desired the creation of a park within a park. Dr Pepper Ballpark received the 2003 Texas Construction award for Best Architectural Design and was named the best new ballpark in the country by BaseballParks. com. As part of the deal, Southwest Sports Group assumed part-ownership of both the team and the ballpark to be following the 2002 season. The project, designed by David M. Schwarz Architectural Services and HKS Sports & Entertainment Group, the ballpark serves as the anchor for a 74-acre $300 million development project near the intersection of State Highway 121 and the Dallas North Tollway. The project was funded by the city of Frisco and Southwest Sports Group. Frisco put forth $67 million to build the complex, which was raised through special financing, the ballpark opened for its first game on April 3,2003, a RoughRiders loss to the Tulsa Drillers. The RoughRiders earned their first victory in the ballpark the next day, Dr Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark was renamed Dr Pepper Ballpark on March 31,2006. On that date, the RoughRiders Major League affiliate, the Texas Rangers, the sold-out game was the ballparks first major-league game of any kind. Overall attendance ranked in the top 10 in all classes of minor league baseball during the RoughRiders first nine seasons, the stadium ranked first in all of Class AA for attendance from 2006-2011. Average attendance at RoughRiders games is 8,000, on average, there are 30 sell-out games per season. As baseball is not an event, Dr Pepper Ballpark is used for other functions throughout the year. The ballpark hosts corporate events, such as softball games and movie nights, in addition to local charity events, such as 5K runs. Since 2004, the park has hosted the Tournament of Champions high school baseball tournament, the Dr Pepper Ballpark was selected to host the 2005 and 2009 Texas League All-Star Game. Beginning in January 2006, Dr Pepper Ballpark has begun hosting the ceremonies of the annual TXU Energy Winter Games of Texas
