The familiar cry of "Play Ball," will sound throughout the stands at Falcon Park tomorrow night when the Auburn Doubledays kickoff their 45th season of play in the New York-Pennsylvania Class A League. Their opponent will be the Mahoning Valley Scrappers from Niles, Ohio.
Realizing there are just 16 minor leagues in the United States that include 151 cities, Auburn is fortunate to be one of the few small communities with a minor-league franchise. In fact, Auburn is the only community in pro baseball that has a team owned by the city.
The last couple of years were very successful for the Doubledays. The 2003 campaign was a banner season, considered by many veteran fans one of the best in 30-plus years.
The Doubledays had five players on the all-star team, headed by Triple Crown winner and league MVP Vito Chiaravalloti, a power-hitting first baseman. Others were shortstop Aaron Hill, centerfielder A.J. Porfirio. catcher Paul Richmond and lefthanded pitching ace Kurt Isenberg.
The D-days captured the Pinckney Division crown by 18 games and posted the best won-loss percentage in all of professional baseball with a torrid .757 mark after winning 56 games, losing just 18.
The three major reasons for such a great season can be contributed to a talented manager in Dennis Holmberg, an outstanding front-office staff headed by general manager Jason Smorol and a fine working agreement with their major league affiliate the Toronto Blue Jays.
Holmberg is returning for his third season as D-days skipper. He was named Manager of the Year in 2003 and in two years won 103 games while losing only 36. The team's .757 win percentage was one victory short of the best mark in NY-P League history.
Smorol and his staff contributed greatly to the Doubledays' stellar performance on the field and at the gate. Special promotions such as Dollar Night and post-game fireworks were just a few of the many events enjoyed by the fans throughout the season. The lineup of fun nights for the current season could easily surpass last year's entertainment program.
There have always been at least two gigantic fireworks display in the last several seasons but this year, GM Smorol has six fireworks nights scheduled for the fans.
Smorol's promotions continue to set attendance records. After breaking the mark in 2003, the count at the turnstiles reached a record-high 65,046 fans this past season. The team played 36 home games, an average of 1,807 per game. Two games were lost, one by rain and another by power failure.
Fans will be introduced to a new crop of young players, many making their pro baseball debuts. There are players from many major baseball colleges on the roster of 32 players.
Stanford, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Citadel, Southern California, Oregon State, Nevada, North Carolina State are some of the schools represented on the Doubledays.
Seven players who played for the Doubledays last season are on the roster including catcher Erik Kratz, a .312 hitter; pitchers Jeremy Harper (5-1) and Chad Mulholland (1-0).
See you at the ballpark!
The last couple of years were very successful for the Doubledays. The 2003 campaign was a banner season, considered by many veteran fans one of the best in 30-plus years.
The Doubledays had five players on the all-star team, headed by Triple Crown winner and league MVP Vito Chiaravalloti, a power-hitting first baseman. Others were shortstop Aaron Hill, centerfielder A.J. Porfirio. catcher Paul Richmond and lefthanded pitching ace Kurt Isenberg.
The D-days captured the Pinckney Division crown by 18 games and posted the best won-loss percentage in all of professional baseball with a torrid .757 mark after winning 56 games, losing just 18.
The three major reasons for such a great season can be contributed to a talented manager in Dennis Holmberg, an outstanding front-office staff headed by general manager Jason Smorol and a fine working agreement with their major league affiliate the Toronto Blue Jays.
Holmberg is returning for his third season as D-days skipper. He was named Manager of the Year in 2003 and in two years won 103 games while losing only 36. The team's .757 win percentage was one victory short of the best mark in NY-P League history.
Smorol and his staff contributed greatly to the Doubledays' stellar performance on the field and at the gate. Special promotions such as Dollar Night and post-game fireworks were just a few of the many events enjoyed by the fans throughout the season. The lineup of fun nights for the current season could easily surpass last year's entertainment program.
There have always been at least two gigantic fireworks display in the last several seasons but this year, GM Smorol has six fireworks nights scheduled for the fans.
Smorol's promotions continue to set attendance records. After breaking the mark in 2003, the count at the turnstiles reached a record-high 65,046 fans this past season. The team played 36 home games, an average of 1,807 per game. Two games were lost, one by rain and another by power failure.
Fans will be introduced to a new crop of young players, many making their pro baseball debuts. There are players from many major baseball colleges on the roster of 32 players.
Stanford, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Citadel, Southern California, Oregon State, Nevada, North Carolina State are some of the schools represented on the Doubledays.
Seven players who played for the Doubledays last season are on the roster including catcher Erik Kratz, a .312 hitter; pitchers Jeremy Harper (5-1) and Chad Mulholland (1-0).
See you at the ballpark!
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