Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels: Richmond selects Flying Squirrels!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Richmond selects Flying Squirrels!

Today, it was announced the new Richmond, VA, AA Eastern League baseball team would be named the Flying Squirrels.

http://www.richmondprobaseball.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=1255635998

They are in the process of designing a logo and getting ready for next season. I think this is the first time a professional team has taken the name of a BARB team. This is sweet!

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2009 Roster

Catcher
Victor Martinez 4.25
Chris Iannetta 0.40
J.R. Towles 1.20
Bryce Harper 1.20

1B
Albert Pujols 12.80 FP
Carlos Pena 3.00
Lars Anderson 1.20

2B
Mark DeRosa 4.75

SS
Michael Young 4.00
J.J. Hardy 2.65

3B
Edwin Encarnacion 0.40
Evan Longoria 1.20

OF
Carlos Beltran 14.80 K
Magglio Ordonez 12.00 K
Corey Hart 0.44
Jayson Werth 1.70
Nate McLouth 0.43
Colby Rasmus 1.20
Jason Heyward 1.20

RHP
Ben Sheets 3.04
Joe Nathan 9.00 FP
Felix Hernandez 0.54
Russ Springer 1.75
Carlos Marmol 0.43
Joakim Soria 0.43
Dustin McGowan 0.40
Tim Lincecum 1.20
Chris Perez 1.20
Matt Garza 1.20
Jhoulys Chacin 1.20
Armando Galarraga 1.20

LHP
B.J. Ryan 8.00 K
Paul Maholm 0.43
John Grabow 1.15
Cole Hamels 0.50
John Lannan 1.20
Eric O'Flaherty 1.20
Brett Anderson 1.20

Team History

The Squirrels, known in 2003 as the Santa Barbara Storm, are the only team to reach the B.A.R.B. World Series five times and win four championships in the league's six-year history.

In 2003, the original Santa Barbara Storm ownership partnership of L.T. Hunt and Andrew Haynes led the team to a 98-64 record and the Southern Division championship. The Storm squeaked by Eric Caskey's Northern Division runner-up Brooklyn MOABS in the first round of the playoffs, winning the decisive Game 5 on a bottom-of-the-ninth, come-from-behind victory culminating with a two-run home run. Santa Barbara then crushed Scott Hatfield's Northern Division champion Delta V's (who won five games more than the Squirrels in the regular season) in five games in the inaugural B.A.R.B. World Series.

In 2004 Hunt was bought out and Haynes moved the team to the northern Minnesota hamlet of Frostbite Falls and the quirky, newly built stadium Rocky Top. The team fell to second place, eight games back of the MOABS, in the Eastern Division (created in a league re-organization). The Squirrels again won their first-round playoff series in exciting fashion, this time on the road against Chris Melkonian's Yuma Firebirds. In the World Series Frostbite Falls played the MOABS, who swept the Black Delta Ops (same team as the 2003 V's, but under new ownership) in the first round. The Flying Squirrels fought hard, but Brooklyn took home their first championship in a 4-2 series win.

In 2005, the Squirrels were placed in the "Division of Death" with Hatfield's new team, the Darwin Finches, Eric Caskey's MOABS, and the Worcester Eliminators, owned by Eric's brother Matt. Those four teams were arguably the top four in B.A.R.B., with the "worst" team finishing 14 games ABOVE .500. The four teams fought 'til the end, with Frostbite Falls pulling out the Eastern Division title on the second-to-last day of the season. The Squirrels then swept J.C. Rodriguez' Visalia Fuegos in the first round and beat the Yuma Firebirds in the World Series.

The 2006 Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels again won the Eastern Division in the last week of the season, and they won a 3-2 series in the first round against Jeff Moore's surprisingly competitive Pottsylvania Creepers. The Squirrels again faced Chris Melkonian's Firebirds. The 2006 World Series was the closest yet, with Game 7 going to extra innings. Finally, in the bottom of the 11th, star 1B Albert Pujols doubled down the left field line to score CF Dave Roberts and win the second straight championship and third overall for the Squirrels.

2007 provided a first for the Squirrels franchise: sitting at home during October. The front office was cautiously optimistic early in the season, recognizing that Darwin and Worcester had a bit more talent but knowing their own team had tons of pressure and post-season experience. The Eastern Division lead changed hands many times throughout the season, and with 10 days to go Frostbite Falls, Darwin and Worcester were deadlocked in the race for two playoff spots. In those last 10 games, Darwin went 7-3 to win the division by 1 game, Worcester went 6-4 to finish second in the division but win the Wild Card by 1 game, and the Squirrels went 5-5 (including losing 4 of their last 5 games) to finish 1 game out of the Wild Card and miss the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Western Division champion Yuma beat Worcester and Darwin beat Central champ Las Vegas in the first round, and then Yuma went on to beat Darwin in 7 games for their first World Championship.

In 2008, the Flying Squirrels returned to the top of the BARB heap. The Squirrels finished 87-65, good for second in the East (four games behind division champion Darwin). In the first round of the playoffs against the Lexington Rebels (the first team run by Ronald Melkonian to make the playoffs), the Squirrels came from behind each game and swept the West champions to advance to the World Series for the fifth time in the league's six years. In the World Series, the Squirrels went out to a 3-2 series lead, including a dynamic 5-hit shutout by Paul Maholm, who did not even appear in a game in the regular season. In the sixth game, played Down Under, Frostbite Falls' offense was on fire. After being shutout for three innings by Randy Johnson, they scored seven runs in the 4th, including a grand slam by star 1B Albert Pujols. Cole Hamels pitched a five-hitter for a complete game and the Squirrels won 11-1 to take their league-record fourth championship.

Frostbite Falls Flying Squirrels

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Richmond selects Flying Squirrels!

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