Bret Boone resigns to handle personal matters.Seals Field Manager Steps Down
For Immediate Release
Thursday May 27, 2010Victoria, BC - The Victoria Seals announced today that Field Manager Bret Boone has resigned from his position with the team effective immediately. The San Diego, California resident is returning home to be with his family and deal with a personal situation.
"This was a very difficult decision for me," said Boone. "I am disappointed that I won't be able to be with the team throughout the rest of the season, but after a lot of consideration, I have decided that this is the best move for both me and my family."
The 41-year-old former Seattle Mariners all-star signed on as Field Manager of the Seals on March 8th, and claimed his first win as bench boss of the club on opening night against Maui. The third generation Major League Baseball player steps aside from managing with a 3-2 record at the helm.
"It's an unfortunate set of circumstances for both our team and organization as a whole," said Seals President Darren Parker. "For our players and fans it is business as usual as we progress in this season. We wish Bret all the best in dealing with his family situation, and good luck in his future baseball endeavours."
At this time the Victoria Seals will reserve any further comment, and ask that both members of the media and the public respect the Boone family's privacy during this time.
The Seals ownership group has already begun processing potential candidates for Boone's replacement, with Pitching Coach Kip Gross set to fill in as Field Manager on an interim basis, alongside Bench Coach Josh Arhart and Player/Coach Brian Rios.
Victoria begins its second series of the 2010 campaign tonight when the Orange County Flyers arrive for the first game of a four-game set at 7:05 p.m. local time. The contest will also be broadcast live online at www.victoriaseals.ca, and in the ballpark on 88.1 FM. Both single game and season tickets for the 2010 campaign are now on sale, available through the Victoria Seals office. Call (250) 220-7777 for more information, or to book your seat today!
Honel Throws No-No!
By Dan Hawkins
5/23/2010
For any player making a debut with a new team, the thought process is usually the same—they want to impress. Right hander Kris Honel, making his first start of the season and debut with the Chico Outlaws, is like everybody else in that regard.
The difference is, Honel went really far out of his way to do just that—impress. Pitching in game one of a double-header against the Tijuana Cimarrones, he threw a seven inning no-hitter to get the win in his Outlaws debut.
But wait, there's more. The final score of the game was 20-0 as the Outlaws gave Honel plenty of run support, while Honel did the rest by silencing the Cimarrones bats.
No further offensive statistics are available at this time.
Honel, a former first round draft choice (16th overall) of the Chicago White Sox in 2001, has had some bad breaks in his career. After going to major league spring training in 2004 with the White Sox, he hurt his arm and was pretty much shelved for the season after appearing in just four games.
In September 2005, Honel underwent Tommy John surgery after doctors discovered a partial tear. With surgery and recovery, it cost him the entire 2006 season.
But none of that mattered on a glorious Sunday afternoon south of the border in Tijuana. One after another, the Cimaronnes batters came up to the plate and then trudged back to the dugout, with no chance to catch up to Honel's fastball and then having to face his nasty knuckle-curve ball.
Honel’s no-no is the second in Golden Baseball League history. The other was also thrown by an Outlaw. Seth Johnson threw a no-hitter against the Samarai Bears, a traveling team from Japan, on June 19th, 2005 at Nettleton Stadium in a game the Outlaws won 5-0 in the second game of a double-header.
Maybe the real irony of the day was the fact Honel threw a no-hitter on the same day that former major league and GBL pitcher Jose Lima passed away from an apparent heart attack in Los Angeles. Honel was traded by the Edmonton Capitals last year for Lima, who was with the Long Beach Armada at the time of the trade.
The intersection comes even further into focus because Lima learned he had been traded to Edmonton right before a game against Chico at Nettleton Stadium. Honel is now an Outlaw.
The win put Chico at 2-0 to start the season and dropped Tijuana to 0-2.
Outlaws Opener Postponed
5/21/2010
Due to a lighting issue in Tijuana, Friday's Opening Night game between the Outlaws and Cimmarrones was postponed.
The two teams will play Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm, with the postponement being made up as part of a twin bill on Sunday starting at 1:00 pm. Both games of the double-header will be seven-inning contests.
Monday night's game in Tijuana is set for 7:00 pm first pitch and the series finale is scheduled for Tuesday night at 6:00 pm.
After Tuesday's game, both teams will head to Chico for the Outlaws home opener on Wednesday May 26th, starting at 6:35 pm at Nettleton Stadium.
Pitching staff tosses six 1-2-3 innings in win over Newport Beach Storm
With the regular season beginning in less than a week, the Flyers continued to prepare for the opener with a 7-5 victory over the Newport Beach Storm in a pre-season exhibition game Sunday morning at Fullerton College. Second-year Flyer Kevin Altman earned the win, facing a minimum nine batters during his three innings of relief on the mound.
The pitching staff of starter Byung-Hyun Kim, Altman, Blake Parry and Brandon Pullen combined to strike out 12 batters. Kim, a former National League All-Star with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002, tallied six strikeouts during his three innings on the mound. The submarine-style Major League veteran continued to prepare for his first season of baseball after two years away from the game.
Outfielder Ben Johnson, a former major leaguer in his second year with Orange County, put the Flyers on the board with a two-run double in the third inning. Shortstop Tyler Keeble tied the game, 5-5, with an RBI-single in the sixth inning, following by a Danny Morrow two-run double to put the Flyers on top for good. Keeble, one of two Flyers to play the entire game, finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
The Flyers continue training camp through May 19 at Fullerton College before heading to St. George for the May 21 season opener. Orange County opens at home on Tuesday, June 15 against the Calgary Vipers. Single game tickets are available through the team website at www.OrangeCountyFlyers.com.
The Orange County Flyers have agreed to terms with nine-year MLB veteran pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim. The South Korean, who won a World Series with Arizona, was selected to the 2002 National League All-Star team, and he played for South Korea in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. The announcement coincides with the Flyers releasing individual game tickets now on sale through the team website. Kim will provide first-year manager Paul Abbott a major league caliber arm for his pitching rotation in 2010.
Kim, 31, made his Major League debut May 29, 1999, and spent five seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks primarily as the team's closer, leading the team in saves in 2001 and 2002. The submarine-style pitcher is best remembered for surrendering game-tying homeruns in the late innings of Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series to the New York Yankees. The Diamondbacks claimed the title in Game 7 at Bank One Ballpark, earning Kim his first championship.
The reliever followed his uneven World Series performance by showcasing the best season for a closer in Diamondbacks history. Kim recorded a team-record 36 saves on his way to a career-best 2.04 ERA and 8-3 record in 2002, earning a spot on the National League All-Star team.
The Diamondbacks experimented with Kim as a starter in 2003, and despite his 3.56 ERA, he went just 1-5 in seven starts and was traded to the Boston Red Sox in May for Shea Hillenbrand. The Red Sox returned Kim to the bullpen, where he finished 35 games for the club and recorded 16 saves. In 2004, Kim pitched in seven games for the Red Sox due to a past ankle injury that limited his effectiveness. Boston went on to win the World Series that season. In 2005-06, Kim worked his way into the starting rotation for the Colorado Rockies, making 49 starts over two seasons, and going 13-24 in that time. He spent 2007 between Colorado, a return-stint to Arizona, and with the Florida Marlins where he finished his season with 19 starts, going 9-5 with a 5.42 ERA.
This spring, Kim had a brief stint with the San Francisco Giants but was released after one Cactus League appearance in spring training. Harris Tulchin, executive VP of player personnel, inked Kim in an attempt to launch the pitcher's comeback to the Major Leagues.
Kim joins fellow former big-leaguers, infielder Keith Ginter and outfielder Ben Johnson, to give the Flyers plenty of big-league experience as Orange County attempts to become the first two-time GBL Champions.
Flyers individual game tickets are now on sale and available online through the team website at www.OrangeCountyFlyers.com. The Flyers' home opener is on Tuesday, June 15 against the 2009 GBL Champion Calgary Vipers in a match up of the past two GBL Champions.
Flyers individual game tickets are now on sale through the team website!
