Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
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| Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Founded in 1937 Moosic, Pennsylvania |
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| League titles | 1977 | ||
| Division titles | 1992, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007 | ||
| Owner(s)/Operated by: Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties / Mandalay Sports Entertainment | |||
| Manager: Dave Miley | |||
| General Manager: Jeremy Ruby | |||
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are the Class-AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Yankees play at PNC Field (formerly Lackawanna County Stadium), located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, which is part of the metropolitan area of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
While Lackawanna County and Luzerne County retain ownership, the club is managed by Mandalay Sports Entertainment, which also runs several other Minor League teams, including the Yankees' short season Class-A team, the Staten Island Yankees. In the management deal, Mandalay has the option of purchasing the team for between $13 million and $16.4 million, depending on the timing of the purchase. There is also some concern that the team could be moved out of Northeastern Pennsylvania unless a new stadium is built.[1]
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[edit] Franchise history
The franchise began life in 1937 as the Jersey City Giants, the top farm club of the New York Giants[2]. They remained in Jersey City, New Jersey through 1950, moving to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada prior to the 1951 season[3]. After four seasons in Ottawa as the Ottawa Giants, the struggling franchise claimed the Columbus, Ohio territory (which had become available because of the relocation of the Columbus Red Birds to Omaha, Nebraska), joining the International League as the Columbus Jets in 1955[4].
Stadium problems following the 1970 season caused the Jets to relocate to Charleston, West Virginia as the Charleston Charlies[5]. In 1977, the Charlies won the franchise's only IL title, defeating the Pawtucket Red Sox, who had defeated the Charlies for the title in 1973. The team moved from West Virginia to Old Orchard Beach, Maine prior to the 1984 season, and became the Maine Guides[6]. In their first season as the Guides, the team again lost the IL title to the PawSox. In 1989, the franchise moved to their current home in Pennsylvania[7].
From 1989 until 2006, the team was known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, and was affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies as their top minor league farm team. After the 2006 season, the Ottawa Lynx signed a Player Development Contract with the Phillies in anticipation of their move to Allentown's new Coca-Cola Park for the 2008 season.
In April 2006, the team unveiled a renovated clubhouse, which is considered to be similar in quality to major league clubhouses.[8]
On September 21, 2006, the Red Barons announced a two-year affiliation agreement with the New York Yankees, ending the Yankees' 28-year relationship with the Columbus Clippers.[9] The Red Barons sold 47,000 tickets on the day of the announcement.[10]
On December 12, 2006, the team officially changed its nickname to the Yankees, and unveiled new team logos and uniforms.[11] The SWB Yankees' logo is almost identical to Staten Island's, with the exception of the different city names.
[edit] Titles as other names
The Red Barons never won the Governors' Cup, the championship of the IL, but have played in the championship series 3 times.
- 1992 - Lost to Columbus
- 2000 - Lost to Indianapolis
- 2001 - Lost to Louisville in a shortened series (one game) due to the September 11th Terrorist Attacks. IL Commissioner Randy Mobley did not declare a co-championship as was done in most other minor leagues.
As the Maine Guides, they played in the championship series once.
As the Charleston Charlies, they won the Governor's Cup once, and played in the championship series 2 times.
[edit] Current roster
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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees roster
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| Players | Coaching staff | ||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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[edit] Notable alumni
[edit] Red Barons
[edit] Yankees
- Phil Hughes
- Shelley Duncan
- Joba Chamberlain
- Ian Kennedy
- Edwar Ramírez
- Alberto Gonzalez
- Kei Igawa
- Ross Ohlendorf
- Jeff Karstens
- Jose Veras
- Darrell Rasner
[edit] Uniform design
The team's two home uniforms are white with navy blue pinstripes, mirroring those of the parent club. The primary home jersey features the cap logo on the left chest[12], while the alternate home jersey features the Yankees wordmark across the chest.[13] The home cap is navy blue.[14] There is also an alternate cap, which is navy blue and features the scripted "Y" from the home cap, but without the bat and Uncle Sam hat.[15]
The team's road uniforms are grey with navy blue and white trim, with the Yankees wordmark across the chest.[16] The team sometimes wears a navy blue batting practice jersey in place of the standard grey jersey. [17] The road cap is gray, with a navy blue bill.[18]
[edit] Radio
The team's radio play-by-play announcer, Kent Westling, had been with the franchise since it moved to Pennsylvania in 1989. While he cut back his schedule in later years, Westling, a former local television sportscaster who once worked on telecasts of St. Louis Blues hockey team, had been behind the microphone for more than 2,000 games until announcing his resignation after the 2007 season[19]. Bill Savage, a sports writer for The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, covered the team for its first six seasons, and during that stretch, from 1989 to 1994, missed only about 10 of the team's games.
[edit] Trivia
- On the NBC sitcom The Office, which takes place in Scranton (although filmed in California), the character Ryan Howard, played by actor B.J. Novak, is rumored to be named after Phillies first baseman and 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard, who was playing for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when production for the series started in 2004.
- Also, on the NBC sitcom The Office, in the season 4 episode Local Ad, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees logo can be seen on the vending machine when Dwight and Andy are talking to each other.
- Also, a bobblehead of former Red Barons catcher Mike Lieberthal sits on the desk of Dwight Schrute, played by actor Rainn Wilson.
[edit] References
- ^ The Times-Tribune - Sale talk for team still dogs Cordaro
- ^ Jersey City Giants - BR Bullpen
- ^ Ottawa Giants - BR Bullpen
- ^ Columbus Jets - BR Bullpen
- ^ Charleston Charlies - BR Bullpen
- ^ Maine Guides - BR Bullpen
- ^ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons - BR Bullpen
- ^ Nothing’s Too Good for Their Yankees - New York Times
- ^ Yankees Farm Team To Play Here
- ^ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees: News: Article
- ^ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees: News: Article
- ^ http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Brad_Will/Wiki/SWBYanksHome.jpg
- ^ http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Brad_Will/Wiki/SWBYanksHomeAlt.jpg
- ^ http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2590080&cp=2166084.2166084
- ^ http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2590079&cp=2166084.2166084
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Raul_Chavez.jpg
- ^ http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j114/Brad_Will/Pics/6-20-07/ChrisBritton.jpg
- ^ http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2590081&cp=2166084.2166084
- ^ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees: News: Article
[edit] External links
- Official Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees website.
- "Red Barons Guaranteed Major League Affiliate".
- Photographs of Lackawanna County Stadium, current home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons - Rochester Area Ballparks
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