Surprise Fightin' Falcons | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
Information | |||||
League | Golden Baseball League (2005) (Arizona Division) | ||||
Location | Surprise, Arizona | ||||
Ballpark | Surprise Recreation Campus | ||||
Year founded | 2005 | ||||
Year disbanded | 2005 | ||||
League championships | 0 | ||||
Division championships | 0 | ||||
Former name(s) | Surprise Fightin' Falcons (2005) | ||||
Colors | Red, White, Blue and Grey | ||||
Ownership | Golden Baseball League | ||||
Manager | Ozzie Virgil, Jr. | ||||
Media | none | ||||
Website | www |
The Surprise Fightin' Falcons are an inactive professional baseball team based in Surprise, Arizona. They played in the Arizona Division of the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. They played their home games at the Surprise Recreation Campus athletic facility, which includes a spring training ballpark called Surprise Stadium.
The Fightin' Falcons started as one of eight charter teams in the GBL along with the Chico Outlaws, Fullerton Flyers, Long Beach Armada and San Diego Surf Dawgs in California, the Mesa Miners and Yuma Scorpions in Arizona and a traveling team, the Japan Samurai Bears that began play in May 2005. The league owns the naming rights to the team as well as the other seven original teams. In their only season, they finished 3rd in the Arizona Division with a 46-44 record. The team included the league's first ever MVP, Desi Wilson, who during the year had a league record 30-game hitting streak. Outfielder Billy Brown hit a team high 14 home runs and won a gold glove. The team was managed by Ozzie Virgil, Jr. and their mascot was Luke the Falcon.
The team, which played for one season, was based in the Arizona Division. Following the league suspending operations and relocation of the Miners in November 2005, the Fightin' Falcons were also dropped from the league partially to achieve a balance of six clubs instead of seven also because of no other teams being based in central Arizona, and the fact that game attendance averaged about 60 spectators per game, and extreme lack of team support.
The GBL has stated publicly that they would reconsider the Arizona market (Surprise and Mesa) if the league, the city of Mesa and the concessionaire at HoHoKam Park in Mesa could reach agreement on a revenue sharing agreement for concessions sales at Miners games. The Miners were the only team in the league not to receive any funds from concessions sales at their games.
Should the Fightin' Falcons return to the league (which owns the rights to the team), they could be brought back as either an expansion or relocated team and there could be a push to have the team play at Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers and home of the Arizona Fall League's Surprise Rafters. That stadium is on the grounds of the Recreation Campus. But nothing is definitive. If not, the team name could be placed with an expansion team elsewhere.
The team cap logo and colors were being used by the Sonora Pilots of the Arizona Winter League, the GBL's instructional league. That team has since been replaced by Team Canada. [1] [2] The GBL owns the rights to the name, logos, uniforms and history of the Falcons.
Season | W | L | Win % | Place | Playoff |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | 46 | 44 | .511 | 3rd, Arizona Division | No Playoff Berth |
The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the western United States, western Canada and northwest Mexico.
The San Diego Surf Dawgs are an independent professional baseball team representing San Diego, California, that played for two seasons in the Golden Baseball League, based out of San Ramon, California, and then later in the short-season instructional Arizona Winter League and Arizona Summer League, based out of Yuma, Arizona, which was not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. They were owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment, previous owners of the GBL and primary investors in the North American League. In November 2022, it was announced the Surf Dawgs franchise will be revived as part of a west coast expansion of the Federal Baseball League.
The Chico Outlaws were a professional baseball team based in Chico, California, in the United States. The Outlaws were a member of the Northern Division of the independent North American League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. From the 2005 season to the 2011 season, the Outlaws played their home games at Nettleton Stadium, on the campus of Chico State University. The team officially folded on February 29, 2012, and some of its remnants have gone to the NAL's newest team, the San Rafael Pacifics.
The Yuma Desert Rats were a professional baseball team based in Yuma, Arizona, in the United States. From the 2005 season to the 2011 season, they were known as the Yuma Scorpions and played their home games at Desert Sun Stadium at the Ray Kroc Complex, former spring training home of the San Diego Padres.
The Mesa Miners were an independent professional baseball team based in Mesa, Arizona. They began as a member of the Arizona Division of the now-defunct Golden Baseball League in 2005. The original team became known as the Reno Silver Sox in 2006, and then the Tucson Toros in 2009, but the league could bring the Miners back as an expansion team should they decide to do so.
The Japan Samurai Bears are a defunct professional baseball traveling team that played in the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. They were based in the Arizona Division. The team, which existed for one season, played all of its games on the road in order to keep an even number of teams in the league.
The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States.
The Reno Silver Sox were a professional baseball team based in Reno, Nevada, in the United States. They were a member of the North Division of the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. From 2006 to 2008, they played their home games at William Peccole Park, on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.
The Arizona Winter League was an independent instructional winter baseball league. Arizona Winter League games were all played at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona. The league was founded in 2007. It disbanded in 2013 due to parent league, the Golden Baseball League/North American League, folding, but was restarted in 2016, only to fold again following the 2018 season.
The Blythe Heat were a professional baseball team based in Blythe, California. They played in the Arizona Winter League, a short-season instructional winter league affiliated with the North American League. They began play in 2007 and played their home games at Alexander Field in Blythe. They are the only team in the instructional league that play their home games somewhere other than the league's home base of Yuma, Arizona's Desert Sun Stadium. They were owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment. The team's uniform logo was that of the former Western Baseball League team, the Chico Heat, predecessors to the GBL's Chico Outlaws.
The Sonora Pilots are a professional independent baseball team based in Yuma, Arizona and represent Sonora, Mexico. They play in the International Division of the developmental Arizona Winter League, a short-season instructional winter league sanctioned by the North American League and they play their home games at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, along with the Canada Miners, San Diego Surf Dawgs and Yuma Scorpions. They are not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball.
The Saskatchewan Silver Sox are an independent professional baseball team based in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They play in the developmental Arizona Winter League, a short-season instructional winter league affiliated with the North American League and compete in the International Division, as well as the Calexico Outlaws, San Diego Surf Dawgs, San Luis Atleticos and Team Canada. They began playing their home games in 2009 at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma. They are owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment.
The Western Canada Miners are a professional independent baseball team based in Yuma, Arizona, and representing western Canada. They play in the developmental Arizona Winter League, a short-season instructional winter league affiliated with the North American League and they play their home games at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, as well as the San Diego Surf Dawgs, Saskatchewan Silver Sox, Team Canada and Yuma Scorpions. The team uses the logo and uniforms of the now-defunct Mesa Miners team and are owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment.
The Arizona Summer League (ASL) was a professional short-season instructional baseball league affiliated with the independent North American League (NAL). The league was announced on April 3, 2009, and founded in Yuma, Arizona by the now-defunct Golden Baseball League. Now headquartered in San Ramon, California, it is an independent baseball league that includes of four teams based out of different cities. All games are played at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona. The 2011 season ran from July 13 to August 8.
The Arizona RoadRunners are a professional baseball team based out of Yuma, Arizona and are currently a member of the American Division of the Arizona Winter League, a short-season developmental program run by the North American League. They are owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment and will play their games, home and away, at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona, starting in 2011.
The Henderson RoadRunners were an independent professional baseball team based out of Henderson, Nevada. They were members of the Western Division in the North American League and were scheduled to begin play in 2011 at Lied Field at Morse Stadium on the campus of the College of Southern Nevada in Henderson. But they would forgo their inaugural season as Lied Field will not be ready in time for the start of the season. The franchise folded in 2012 after failing to attract attention and secure new ownership. They would've been the second professional franchise to play in the Las Vegas area. The first is the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
Team Canada is a professional independent baseball team representing Canada. They play in the developmental Arizona Winter League and Arizona Summer League, short-season instructional leagues affiliated with the North American League. The team is owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment and have played their home and away games since 2009 at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma. They replaced the Sonora Pilots, who did not play in 2009 or 2010, yet the Pilots returned in 2011.
The Somerton Stingers are a professional independent baseball team based in Somerton, Arizona, representing that city.
The Yuma Scorpions were a professional developmental baseball team based in Yuma, Arizona. They were members of the Arizona Winter League, a short-season instructional league run by the North American League. They are owned by Diamond Sports & Entertainment LLC and are 3-time AWL Champions.
The Fullerton Flyers were a professional baseball team based in Fullerton, California, in the United States. They were an independent franchise, not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball. The team played from 2005 to 2010 and their home stadium was at "The Station" at Goodwin Field, which is also the home field for the Cal State Fullerton Titans.