Kansas City T-Bones

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Kansas City T-Bones
Founded in 2003
Kansas City, Kansas

Team Logo
Cap Insignia
League affiliations
Name
  • Kansas City T-Bones (2003-present)
  • Duluth-Superior Dukes (1993-2002)
Team Colors
  • black, maroon
Ballpark
Championships
  • League titles: 0
  • Division titles: 0 
Owner(s)/Operated By: John Ehlert
General Manager: Rick Muntean
Manager: Andy McCauley
Media: Kansas City Kansan, The Kansas City Star
Website: www.tbonesbaseball.com

The Kansas City T-Bones, an independent league baseball team is based out of Kansas City, Kansas and play in CommunityAmerica Ballpark near the Kansas Speedway. They have played in the Northern League since 2003. They play in the same metropolitan area as the American League's Kansas City Royals, who are based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Founded: 2003
Playoff appearances: 2004
Divisional titles won: none
League Championships won: none

The team was previously known as the Duluth-Superior Dukes (representing Duluth, MN and Superior, WI), which had won the Northern League championship 1997, though league records do not reflect such continuity.

The T-Bones broke ground on CommunityAmerica Ballpark September 4th, 2002, and just over nine months later played their first home game on June 6th, 2003.

The team's mascot is named "Sizzle". On Oct. 16, 2006, the T-Bones announced the firing of manager, "Dirty" Al Gallagher, who had been the team's first and only manager. Andy McCauley replaced him. Gallagher has been in professional baseball since 1965 when he was the fourteenth player overall selected, taken in the first round by the San Francisco Giants, and took another managing job with the St. Joseph Blacksnakes.

Contents

[edit] Yearly Summary

[edit] 2003

Eddie Pearson led the league in batting average (.362), RBIs (78), and hits (124).

[edit] 2004

The T-Bones finished the regular season with a 48-48 record. They went to the first round of the playoffs and exited the first round after losing 3 of 5 games to the Schaumburg Flyers. For the year, T-Bones player Eddie Pearson received the Most Valuable Player award, Rick Muntean received co-executive of the year, and the entire team received Organization of the Year. Several League Records were set by T-Bones players: Jonathan Krysa set records for innings pitched (165.1), total batters faced, and games started (24); Rick Prieto set new records for walks (78), and runs (97), while tying the league record for triples (10); and Eddie Pearson set the intentional walks record with 17.

[edit] 2005

The T-Bones finished 45-49 overall. They finished second in the first half with a record of 27-19, just missing the playoff berth, but never contended in the second half due to the loss of several key players.

[edit] 2006

Jonathan Krysa was named Northern League Pitcher of the Year with a record of 13-5 and a 3.74 ERA. However, the T-Bones finished third in both halves of the season. They led the second-half race until the final week, when a disastrous season-ending road trip ended their hopes. Their overall record of 45-51 for the season was their franchise-worst record and gave them a 181-194 (.482) record in their four years in Kansas City.

[edit] 2007

The team released manager Al Gallagher and hired former Schaumburg manager Andy McCauley to replace him. The team began 2007 with only two players carried over from the previous season, and released them by mid-season for a 100% turnover of its 22-man roster. The T-Bones finished deep in last place in the Southern Division in the first half, but moved into the lead during the second-half and held that lead until a late-season collapse left them in a disappointing second-place finish. The team's overall 44-52 record was one game worse than the previous season's franchise record.

[edit] Year-by-year record

        First Half   Second Half   Overall      
Season Division W-L Finish W-L Finish W-L Win% Playoffs
2003 West 20-25 4th 23-21 2nd 43-46 .483 Did not qualify
2004 South 20-28 4th 28-20 1st 48-48 .500 Lost semi-final
2005 South 27-19 2nd 18-30 5th 45-49 .479 Did not qualify
2006 South 22-26 3rd 23-25 3rd 45-51 .469 Did not qualify
2007 South 18-30 4th 26-22 2nd 44-52 .458 Did not qualify

[edit] Michael Vick controversy

In April of 2008, the T-Bones announced a promotion on May 28, which they were billing as "welcome to the neighborhood" for NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who was imprisoned at the federal prison in Leavenworth, some eightteen miles from the ballpark. Vick is in prison, having been convicted of animal cruelty.

The team plans a parade of dogs up for adoption at nearby animal shelters. The team will wear black and white striped uniforms reminiscent of prison uniforms, and the visiting Gary SouthShore RailCats will wear bright orange uniforms reminiscent of prison jumpsuits.

Kristy Winfrey, an animal rights advocate, and Richard McIntire, national spokesman for the NAACP, have objected to the promotion. [1]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • nlfan.com - yearly league standings & awards
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Northern League