New Orleans Zephyrs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New Orleans Zephyrs (relocated 1993) Founded in 1900 Metairie, Louisiana |
|||
|
|||
| Class-Level | |||
|
|||
| Minor League affiliations | |||
|
|||
| Major League affiliations | |||
|
|||
| Name | |||
|
|||
| Ballpark | |||
|
|||
| Minor League titles | |||
| Class titles | 1998 | ||
| League titles | 1923, 1929, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1998, 2001 | ||
| Conference titles | 1998, 2001, 2007 | ||
| Division titles | 1998, 2001, 2007 | ||
| Owner(s)/Operated by: Donald Beaver | |||
| Manager: Ken Oberkfell | |||
| General Manager: Mike Schline | |||
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana — a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are Triple-A affiliates of the New York Mets. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field.
The Zephyrs joined the PCL after the 1997 season, when the American Association was disbanded. The Zephyrs were one of five clubs from the AA to join the PCL, with three joining the International League. Triple-A baseball was also expanded at that time, concurrent with the expansion of Major League Baseball.
The Zephyrs won the 1998 Pacific Coast League championship and went on to win the Triple-A World Series against Buffalo Bisons, 3-1 . The were also slated to participate in the 2001 championship series with the Tacoma Rainiers, but the season was cancelled in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and both teams were named co-champions.
The Zephyrs finished the 2005 season three days before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and though Zephyr Field sustained moderate damage [1], the team was able to open the 2006 season at home, making them the first professional team in New Orleans to do so after the hurricane[2].
Contents |
[edit] History
The New Orleans Zephyrs started in Kansas City in 1900[3] before moving to Denver, Colorado in 1955 and then to New Orleans in 1993. After moving to Denver, the Triple-A Bears played in the American Association (1955-1962; 1969-1984) and the Pacific Coast League (1963-1968) until the team name was changed to the Denver Zephyrs in 1985. The Triple-A Bears were affiliated with the New York Yankees at the outset, with Ralph Houk managing many players who would reach the majors and play in the World Series.
The team played at what became known later as Mile High Stadium, but was originally known as Bears Stadium after the team. This stadium was one of the largest venues in history to host minor league baseball on a routine basis. For many years, the biggest crowds were on July 4th fireworks night, and every year the American Association scheduled the Bears for a home game; crowds of 45,000 and more watched the fireworks game, easily the biggest crowds most of the minor leaguers had ever played before. The Bears name has been used for other sports teams in Denver in the past several years as well.
In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, the Bears' repeat opponents were the Wichita Aeros, the Iowa Cubs, the Oklahoma 89ers, the Omaha Royals, and the Tulsa Oilers. Except for the Aeros, who moved to Buffalo, New York in 1984, those teams continued to be regular opponents until the American Association dissociated in 1997. This included the Oilers, who had become the Louisville Redbirds. The Nashville Sounds and Indianapolis Indians were also among the last teams in the American Association.
In the mid-1960s, the Bears included notables such as Cesar Tovar (who later had the distinction of playing all nine positions in one game for the Minnesota Twins) and Ted Uhlaender. The Denver Bears had some good teams from the 1970s to the mid-1980s, producing such players as Tim Wallach, Warren Cromartie, Tim Raines, Graig Nettles, Terry Francona, Patt Rooney, and Bill Gullickson. Billy Martin and Felipe Alou both began their managing careers with the Denver Bears. In 1980, the Bears finished with the 37th best record of all-time (92-44) and won the American Association pennant.
In 1985, the team name was changed to the Denver Zephyrs, after the famous passenger train.
The Zephyrs arrived in New Orleans in 1993, having been forced out of their previous home, in Denver by the expansion Colorado Rockies of the National League. This was the second time the team had been pushed out by a major league team. When the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1955, the Yankees' Triple-A club, the Kansas City Blues, became the Denver Bears. The Bears later changed their nickname to the Zephyrs. The New Orleans lawyer/business promoter Robert E. Couhig, Jr. led the effort to relocate the team to New Orleans.
[edit] Major League Affiliations and Minor League Membership
| 1949-1951 | Boston Braves | Western League |
| 1952-1954 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Western League |
| 1955-1958 | New York Yankees | American Association |
| 1959 | None | American Association |
| 1960-1962 | Detroit Tigers | American Association |
| 1963-1964 | Milwaukee Braves | Pacific Coast League |
| 1965-1968 | Minnesota Twins | Pacific Coast League |
| 1969 | Minnesota Twins | American Association |
| 1970-1971 | Washington Senators | American Association |
| 1972 | Texas Rangers | American Association |
| 1973-1974 | Houston Astros | American Association |
| 1975 | Chicago White Sox | American Association |
| 1976-1981 | Montreal Expos | American Association |
| 1982 | Texas Rangers | American Association |
| 1983-1984 | Chicago White Sox | American Association |
| 1985-1986 | Cincinnati Reds | American Association (Named change to Denver Zephyrs, often referred to as the "Z-Bears") |
| 1986-1996 | Milwaukee Brewers | American Association |
| 1997-2005 | Houston Astros | American Association (1997), then Pacific Coast League |
| 2005-2006 | Washington Nationals | Pacific Coast League |
| 2007-present | New York Mets | Pacific Coast League |
[edit] Current roster
|
New Orleans Zephyrs roster
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
Manager Coaches
|
||
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | AA | A | Rookie |
| New Orleans Zephyrs | Binghamton Mets |
St. Lucie Mets Savannah Sand Gnats Brooklyn Cyclones |
Kingsport Mets Gulf Coast Mets DSL Mets VSL Mets |
|
||||||||||||||
