Yesterday, I finally made the drive out to Wuerfel Park for the 2007 Frontier League home opener of the Traverse City Beach Bums!!! When Northern Michigan decided on bringing a minor league/independent league professional baseball team up here, there was alot of speculation of how successful it may turnout. I have to admit I was skeptical to about this new team coming to town once I heard that a new baseball park was being built awhile back. Anyhow, it did get built and last year was the Traverse City Beach Bums inagural season in the Frontier League!!! For a first year baseball team, the Traverse City Beach Bums have set the record in the Frontier League for Attendance, All-Stars, and wins. Despite having record setters for first year teams, the Beach Bums came only 1 game short of making the playoffs. With all that Traverse City came off of last year, this team also got the 2006 Frontier League Organization of the Year award!!! I have more I will want to talk about shortly but before I do here are the results I hauled in yesterday:
Traverse City Beach Bums vs. Kalamazoo Kings 5/25/2007
Kings
Josh Carter 6 cards, 1 roster sheet (Me: "You thought no one would have these cards of you." Josh: "I knew someone up here would; I just knew it somehow, heck I signed a bunch of these cards already this year." "The only other card your missing of me is the Phillies card.")
Daniel Fyvie 1 card (He came out with a group of 5 guys at once and after he signed the card for me, he showed it to all of his teammates. His teammates were completely blown away that I had a card of him. They even checked the back of it to see what were his stats and all that is on a card. Funny story lol.)
Mike Russell 4 cards
Joe Thomas 2 cards (Joe: "I see you dug up the archives on me here.")
Beach Bums
David Beigh 1 card
Jon Cahill 1 card (Not mine.)
Dan Hawkins 3 cards (2 of them are not mine.)
Brad Vericker 16 cards!!! (Brad: "Wow where did you find all of these cards at???" Me: "I got them somewhere down near Detroit and from Florida." "I know you didn't expect anyone up here to have any cards of you." Brad: "I knew someone would have some cards of me evantually." Me: "What does it feel like to be on a Bowman and Topps card???" Brad: "To tell you the truth when those cards came out of me, no one told me I was on a card at all when it came out. I only found out when people like you started asking me to come over and sign these exact cards. That is how I found out I was on a Topps card and a Bowman card." Me: "Yeah well I guess from these cards I was mostly able to get in Florida, they seem to remember your name well down there." Brad: "Yeah I played in some Georgia league down there that is probably why." Me: "Thanks Brad and good luck this year!!!" Brad: "Thank you.")
2007 Beach Bums Program
John Wuerfel
2007 Beach Bums Newspaper Opening Day Roster page
Tony Casoli
Jack Nelson
Brett Bostleman
Robbie McClellan
Steve T. Young
Eric Lawson
Jeff Brown
Justin Carter
Takeshi Yomamoto
Nick Smith
Jeff Vincent
Zack Kalter
JT Thomas
John Sexton
I am sure some other names did sign but there was quite a crowd here for them post game thanks to the fireworks show and plus I will be back for some more games here this year.
Well that is all I have to share on this 2007 opening night of baseball up here in Traverse City. With this team and organization coming off one unforgettable inagural year last year, this Frontier League team is the most classiest organization around and from driving around town up here, this team is more popular then many would think. It is the talk of this town up North here. I can say more but I think I got it all covered. Thanks alot for looking at my big Beach Bums home opener post here!!!
Next up for me: Traverse City Beach Bums vs. Rockford Riverhawks on 5/27 or 5/28
Traverse City Beach Bums vs. Kalamazoo Kings 5/25/2007
Kings
Josh Carter 6 cards, 1 roster sheet (Me: "You thought no one would have these cards of you." Josh: "I knew someone up here would; I just knew it somehow, heck I signed a bunch of these cards already this year." "The only other card your missing of me is the Phillies card.")
Daniel Fyvie 1 card (He came out with a group of 5 guys at once and after he signed the card for me, he showed it to all of his teammates. His teammates were completely blown away that I had a card of him. They even checked the back of it to see what were his stats and all that is on a card. Funny story lol.)
Mike Russell 4 cards
Joe Thomas 2 cards (Joe: "I see you dug up the archives on me here.")
Beach Bums
David Beigh 1 card
Jon Cahill 1 card (Not mine.)
Dan Hawkins 3 cards (2 of them are not mine.)
Brad Vericker 16 cards!!! (Brad: "Wow where did you find all of these cards at???" Me: "I got them somewhere down near Detroit and from Florida." "I know you didn't expect anyone up here to have any cards of you." Brad: "I knew someone would have some cards of me evantually." Me: "What does it feel like to be on a Bowman and Topps card???" Brad: "To tell you the truth when those cards came out of me, no one told me I was on a card at all when it came out. I only found out when people like you started asking me to come over and sign these exact cards. That is how I found out I was on a Topps card and a Bowman card." Me: "Yeah well I guess from these cards I was mostly able to get in Florida, they seem to remember your name well down there." Brad: "Yeah I played in some Georgia league down there that is probably why." Me: "Thanks Brad and good luck this year!!!" Brad: "Thank you.")
2007 Beach Bums Program
John Wuerfel
2007 Beach Bums Newspaper Opening Day Roster page
Tony Casoli
Jack Nelson
Brett Bostleman
Robbie McClellan
Steve T. Young
Eric Lawson
Jeff Brown
Justin Carter
Takeshi Yomamoto
Nick Smith
Jeff Vincent
Zack Kalter
JT Thomas
John Sexton
I am sure some other names did sign but there was quite a crowd here for them post game thanks to the fireworks show and plus I will be back for some more games here this year.
Well that is all I have to share on this 2007 opening night of baseball up here in Traverse City. With this team and organization coming off one unforgettable inagural year last year, this Frontier League team is the most classiest organization around and from driving around town up here, this team is more popular then many would think. It is the talk of this town up North here. I can say more but I think I got it all covered. Thanks alot for looking at my big Beach Bums home opener post here!!!
Next up for me: Traverse City Beach Bums vs. Rockford Riverhawks on 5/27 or 5/28
