Lake County Fielders

Last updated

Lake County Fielders
LakeCountyFielders.PNG LakeCountyFieldersCap.PNG
Team logoCap insignia
Information
Location Zion, Illinois
Ballpark Fielders Stadium (2010–2011)
Year founded 2009
Year disbanded 2012
Former name(s)Lake County Fielders (2010–2011)
Former ballparks
  • Carthage Baseball Field (2010)
Colorsnavy, burgundy, white, copper
    
OwnershipGrand Slam Sports & Entertainment, LLC (Richard Ehrenreich, managing partner)
Website www.fieldersbaseball.com

The Lake County Fielders were an American professional minor league baseball team based in Zion, Illinois, located in Lake County in the northern reaches of the Chicago area. The Fielders were owned by Grand Slam Sports & Entertainment, LLC, based in Deerfield. The primary owner was Richard Ehrenreich. Actor Kevin Costner, whose filmography includes baseball films Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and For Love of the Game (1999), also had ownership interest in the team. A permanent stadium was never constructed.

Contents

The Fielders were a member of the Northern League in 2010 and joined the North American League in 2011 as part of the Northern Division. The team announced on April 10, 2012, that they would not be fielding a team for the 2012 baseball season. [1]

Ballpark (temporary)

The Fielders began play in 2010 at Carthage College because of funding problems with Zion Ballpark. The Fielders played their first game in Zion on July 2, 2010, at a young Fielders Stadium that didn't include much more than a field and bleachers. Lights were added to the field, and the Fielders played their first night game on Monday, July, 26.

After the conclusion of the 2010 season, the temporary ballpark was completely dismantled and construction on a new, permanent stadium was supposed to begin. The park was not ready in time for the beginning of the 2011 season, and, as a result, the Fielders started the season with a 32-game road trip. Temporary stadium construction was again completed in time for the Fielders' home opener on July 3, 2011.

Founding

The team held a name-the-team contest to decide the nickname. The five finalists were Cowpokes, Luckies, Fielders, Comets, and Skippers. The Fielders name, logo, and colors were unveiled on May 27, 2009, at the Key Lime Cove indoor waterpark in nearby Gurnee, also home to Gurnee Mills and Six Flags Great America.

Media

Fielder games were broadcast live on WKRS-AM (1220) and wkrs.com with Qumar Zaman (who quit on air over financial disputes) [2] and Les Grobstein (some games) on the play-by-play. The team got so transient that the new announcers could not refer to the players by name on many occasions.

Awards

Northern League (2010)

North American League (2011)

All-Stars

Northern League (2010)

North American League (2011)

2011 (No All-Star Game)

Former Major Leaguers

Contracts purchased by MLB

Managers

Season finishes

Northern League (2010)

North American League (North Division) (2011)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zion, Illinois</span> City in Illinois, United States

Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,655.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010)</span>

The Northern League was an independent minor professional baseball league. It was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the organized minor leagues. The league was founded in 1993 and folded after its 2010 season when financial stability became a problem. The three teams remaining in the league when it folded joined with the remaining teams in United League Baseball and the Golden Baseball League to form a new independent organization called the North American League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul Saints</span> Minor league baseball team

The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previously played at Midway Stadium from 1993 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake County Captains</span> American Minor League baseball team

The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delmarva Shorebirds</span> Minor league baseball team

The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shorebirds were members of the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL) from 1996 to 2020 and the Low-A East in 2021, though this was renamed the Carolina League and reclassified as Single-A in 2022. They won two SAL championships, in 1997 and 2000. Also in 1997, the Shorebirds received Baseball America's Bob Freitas Award for Class A baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schaumburg Flyers</span>

The Schaumburg Flyers were a professional baseball team based in Schaumburg, Illinois, in the United States. The team played in the Northern League from 1999 to 2010, with their home games at Alexian Field, near the Elgin O'Hare Expressway. They formerly played in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where they were known as the Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Baseball League</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Saltdogs</span> Professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska

The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Since the 2001 season, the Saltdogs have played their home games at Haymarket Park, which they share with the Nebraska Cornhuskers college baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haymarket Park</span> Baseball complex in Lincoln, Nebraska USA

Hawks Field at Haymarket Park is a baseball stadium in the Haymarket District of Lincoln, Nebraska. It is less than a mile west of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (NU) and is the home venue of the school's baseball team and the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. The thirty-two acre Haymarket Park complex, jointly financed by the city of Lincoln and NU, was completed in 2001 at a cost of $29.53 million. Hawks Field is adjacent to the smaller Bowlin Stadium, which hosts Nebraska's softball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Johnson (baseball)</span> American baseball player and manager

Timothy Evald Johnson is a former professional baseball player and manager. A shortstop and utility infielder in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1979, he became better known as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Association of Professional Baseball</span> Baseball league

The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor league affiliates. Joshua Schaub is the league commissioner. League offices are located in Moorhead, Minnesota. Though a separate entity, the league shared a commissioner and director of umpires with the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball during that league's existence. The American Association of Professional Baseball has 501(c)(6) tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service. In 2020, as part of MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues, the American Association, together with the Atlantic League and the Frontier League, became an official MLB Partner League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete LaCock</span> American baseball player

Ralph Pierre "Pete" LaCock Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder. He batted and threw left-handed. In 1975, LaCock hit the only grand slam of his career in the final appearance of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Suburban Conference (Illinois)</span>

The North Suburban Conference (NSC) is an extra-curricular conference of eight high schools located in Lake County, Illinois, in the northern suburbs of Chicago. All of the schools are members of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nino Bongiovanni</span> American baseball player

Anthony Thomas "Nino" Bongiovanni was a professional baseball player and manager. He played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. Bongiovanni was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed 175 pounds.

The 1996 New York Yankees season was the 94th season for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. The 1996 New York Yankees were managed by Joe Torre, and played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Lindsay Tyson Gulin is a former professional baseball pitcher. He has pitched in Nippon Professional Baseball and the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

The 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers season saw the team defend their National League West title while earning the best record in the National League, and marked the 50th anniversary of their 1959 World Series Championship. The Dodgers reached the National League Championship Series for the second straight season only to once more fall short in five games against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Fielders Stadium is an unfinished baseball park in Zion, Illinois. It was nicknamed "A Diamond on the Border" and "Lake County's Field of Dreams." It was the designated home of the Lake County Fielders (2009-2012) of the North American League. The ballpark was to be located on the corner of 9th Street and Green Bay Road in the Trumpet Park business park in Zion. After the Fielders baseball team folded in August 2011, they did not have a 2012 season and the stadium was never completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKRS</span> Radio station in Waukegan, Illinois

WKRS is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Sports format. Licensed to Waukegan, Illinois, United States, the station is currently owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC, and features programming from TUDN Radio. Its transmitter is located in Waukegan, while its studios are based in the north end of the Gurnee Mills mall in Gurnee.

Curt Smith is a Dutch former professional baseball player. He is also a member of the Dutch national team. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 39th round of the 2008 MLB Draft.

References

  1. Calcaterra, Craig (April 10, 2012). "The Lake County Fielders cancel the 2012 season". NBC Sports .
  2. Yoder, Matt (July 18, 2011). "Minor League Baseball Play By Play Man Quits On Air". AwfulAnnouncing.com.
  3. "Josh Short named Northern League Rookie Player of the Year" (Press release). Lake County Fielders. September 16, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2022 via Chicago Tribune.
  4. 1 2 "Short named to 2010 Northern League Post-Season All-Star Team" (Press release). Lake County Fielders. October 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2022 via Chicago Tribune.
  5. "NAL Announces All-League All-Star Team". North American Baseball League. October 13, 2011. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  6. "NAL Leads Top Prospects List With 3 Players". North American Baseball League. October 12, 2011. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  7. Cooper, J.J. (October 11, 2011). "Minors: Independent Audit: 2011 Independent League Top 10 Prospects". Baseball America . Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Northern League Announces All-Star Roster". OurSports Central (Press release). Northern League. July 5, 2010.
  9. "2010 Lake County Fielders Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com .
  10. "Ward purchased by Reds". Lake County Fielders. August 14, 2010. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
  11. "Bongiovanni Signed by Toronto Blue Jays". SaltDogs.com. August 15, 2011. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012.
  12. "Fran Riordan Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. "Tim Johnson Winter & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  14. Espinoza, Alex (July 9, 2011). "Scorpions beat Fielders with lineup of pitchers". Yuma Sun . Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  15. "2010 Northern League Standings & Awards". nlfan.com: The Northern League Baseball Fan's Guide.
  16. "NABL 2011 - Standings". North American Baseball League. Archived from the original on November 27, 2011.