The Golden Baseball League was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

and northwest

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The GBL was not affiliated with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

or the organized Minor League Baseball system, but has featured players with MLB experience (

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played his 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with hi ...

Jose Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...

Alex Arias Alejandro Arias (born November 20, 1967) is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played Major League Baseball from 1992 to 2002. In his career, Arias played for the Chicago Cubs (), Florida Marlins (–), Philadelphia Phillies ...

Bud Smith Robert Allan "Bud" Smith (born October 23, 1979) is an American retired baseball pitcher. Smith was active at the major league level in 2001 and 2002, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Minor leagues In 2000, Smith led the minor league Cardin ...

Desi Wilson Desi Bernard Wilson (born May 9, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player. He played part of one season in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants in 1996, primarily as a first baseman. He also played one season in Japan ...

José Lima José Desiderio Rodriguez Lima (September 30, 1972 – May 23, 2010) was a Dominican right-handed pitcher who spent 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers (1994–1996, 2001–2002), Houston Astros (1997–2001), Kan ...

Hideki Irabu was a Japanese professional baseball player of American and Japanese mixed ancestry. He played professionally in both Japan and the United States. Irabu played for the Lotte Orions / Chiba Lotte Marines and Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professiona ...

Junior Spivey Ernest Lee "Junior" Spivey Jr. (born January 28, 1975) is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. In his five-year major league career, Spivey batted .270 with 48 home runs and 201 runs batted in in 457 games. He made the National L ...

Mark Prior Mark William Prior (born September 7, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. A onetime top prospect of the Chicago Cubs, he pitched for the team from 2002 to 2006 in a career that was marred by injuries. In ...

). It was formed in 2004 and began play on May 26, 2005. The GBL's presenting partner was

Safeway Inc. Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

Other investors in the GBL included '' Wheel of Fortune'' host

Pat Sajak Pat Sajak ( , born Patrick Leonard ; born October 26, 1946) is an American television personality and game show host. He is best known as the host of the American television game show ''Wheel of Fortune'', a position he has held since 1981. Fo ...

, former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

players

Mike Sherrard Michael Watson Sherrard (born June 21, 1963) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos. He played college football ...

and Christian Okoye, and executives from

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...

, Taleo and

Draper Fisher Jurvetson Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) is an American venture capital firm focused on investments in enterprise, consumer and disruptive technologies. In January 2019, DFJ Venture, the early-stage team, spun out and formed Threshold Ventures. DFJ Growth ...

. Over 100 players were sold to MLB organizations after it began play, with seven players already making it to a major league uniform –

Dane De La Rosa Dane David De La Rosa (born February 1, 1983) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Career Prior to playing professional ...

Adam Pettyjohn Adam Christopher Pettyjohn (born June 11, 1977) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Listed at and during his playing career, he batted ...

, Scott Richmond,

Chris Jakubauskas Christopher James Jakubauskas (born December 22, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles. College career Jakubauskas ...

, Sergio Romo, Bobby Cramer, and

Daniel Nava Daniel James Nava (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Philadelphia Phillie ...

. The Golden Baseball League combined with United League Baseball and the Northern League into a new North American League for the 2011 season to form the first nationwide independent professional baseball league. However, the North American League folded after two seasons.

History

The league was founded in 2004 by Stanford University graduates

Dave Kaval David A. Kaval (born October 28, 1975) is the seventh and current president of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. He previously served as president of Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and founded the Golden Baseball Le ...

and Amit Patel. Kaval was the president and chief executive officer (Patel departed after the 2008 season to run his family business conglomerate in Laurel, Mississippi). Brian MacInnes was the president, and Bill Weiss was the league's secretary and historian. Many former MLB coaches and players coached or managed in the GBL, including

Kip Gross Kip Lee Gross (born August 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Nippon-Ham Fighters, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professi ...

, Les Lancaster, Mike Marshall, Ozzie Virgil, Jr.,

Darrell Evans Darrell Wayne Evans (born May 26, 1947) is a former American baseball player, coach and manager. He played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), beginning his career as a third baseman with the Atlanta Braves (1969–1976, 1989), alternatin ...

Garry Templeton Garry Lewis Templeton (born March 24, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and New York Mets from 1976 t ...

Cory Snyder James Cory Snyder (born November 11, 1962) is an American former professional baseball right fielder and the manager of the Northern Colorado Owlz. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1994 for the Cleveland Indians, ...

Jeffrey Leonard Jeffrey Leonard (born September 22, 1955) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 to 1990 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee ...

, Gary Carter, Mike Busch,

Steve Yeager Stephen Wayne Yeager (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his Major League Baseball career, from 1972 through 1985, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last year, 1986, ...

Phil Nevin Phillip Joseph Nevin (born January 19, 1971) is an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He is the manager for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 12 seasons, appearing in 1,217 gam ...

Charlie Hough Charles Oliver Hough (; born January 5, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) knuckleball pitcher and coach who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Florida Marlins from 1970 to 1994. Pla ...

Mark Parent Mark Parent (born August 25, 1954) is a Canadians, Canadian clergyman, author, academic, and former politician in Nova Scotia. Parent is the son of Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches, Baptist Missionary, missionaries Hazen Coles Parent ...

, Tim Johnson, Terry Kennedy,

Paul Abbott Paul Abbott (born 22 February 1960) is an English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain, following his work on popular series such as ...

, Brett Boone,

Rusty Meacham Russell Loren Meacham (born January 27, 1968) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball between 1991 and 2001. Professional career Early career Meacham was drafted by the Det ...

, and

Warren Cromartie Warren Livingston Cromartie (born September 29, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player best remembered for his early career with the Montreal Expos. He and fellow young outfielders Ellis Valentine and Andre Dawson were the talk ...

The beginning

The league began with a single-entity model whereby the league owned all the clubs (except Tijuana and Japan which were partnerships). Since then, several of the clubs have been sold to private groups. In its inaugural season, the league was composed of eight teams: the

Chico Outlaws 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 Ba ...

, Fullerton Flyers,

Long Beach Armada The Long Beach Armada were an independent professional baseball team based in Long Beach, California, in the United States. The Armada was a member of the North Division of the now-defunct Golden Baseball League (GBL), which was not affiliated wi ...

and

San Diego Surf Dawgs 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 instructi ...

in California;

Mesa Miners 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 ...

, Surprise Fightin' Falcons and

Yuma Scorpions Yuma can refer to: Places * Yuma Desert, desert in southwest U.S. and northwest Mexico ;United States * Yuma County, Arizona ** Yuma, Arizona ** Fortuna Foothills, Arizona ** Marine Corps Air Station Yuma ** United States Army Yuma Proving Ground ...

in Arizona and the Japan Samurai Bears. All teams played their home games in city- and university-owned stadiums, with the exception of the Samurai Bears, a traveling team of Japanese players that played all of its games on the road. The Japanese team was a late entry as the Tijuana Toros, who led all of minor league baseball in attendance at over 13,000 fans a game, had jumped from the Mexican League to the GBL in December to be a charter member of the league, only to learn that the government of the Mexican state of

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

would not permit this. Three of the GBL's teams, Long Beach, Chico and Yuma, operated in cities that once hosted

Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. Its member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002. The league was founde ...

teams. The WBL operated from 1995 to 2002. On May 9, 2005,

's all-time stolen base leader,

, signed a contract to play the 2005 season with the Surf Dawgs. The 2005 season ended with a four-team championship tournament on Labor Day Weekend. The tournament ended with San Diego winning two games on the final day, knocking off Mesa in the second game to win the title.

José Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...

, another retired star, signed with the Surf Dawgs in 2006 as part of his attempt to return to baseball and promote his book, ''

Juiced Juiced may refer to: * ''Juiced'' (video game), a racing video game ** Juiced (series), the subsequent series of games * ''Juiced'' (book), a book by Jose Canseco noted for revealing the extent of steroid use in baseball * '' Juiced.GS'', a maga ...

'', along with its upcoming movie adaptation. Canseco was traded to the Armada after only one game. He said that the move was to be closer to his daughter.

Season 2: League Contracts

Before the 2006 season, Surprise was discontinued, while Mesa moved to Reno, another former Western League city, and became the

Reno Silver Sox The Reno Silver Sox were a minor league baseball team that existed on and off from 1947 to 1992. The team name is derived from the nickname of Nevada, the "Silver State". There was another baseball team known as the Reno Silver Sox who played i ...

, the first GBL club in Nevada. The league moved to a six-team format and did not have the traveling Samurai Bears return.

League expands to Utah and Canada

Prior to the 2007 season, the San Diego Surf Dawgs operation was discontinued as San Diego State breached the lease agreement with the league and subsequently paid a settlement. The GBL remained at six teams by adding the

St. George RoadRunners 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 Stadi ...

. The Utah city also hosted a Western League club from 1999 to 2001, the Zion Pioneerzz, becoming the fifth former WBL city to join the league. In 2008, two former Northern League clubs, the

Calgary Vipers The Calgary Vipers were a professional baseball team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They were part of the Western Division of the independent North American League. The Vipers played all of their home games at Foothills Stadium. Previously, ...

and

Edmonton Cracker-Cats The Edmonton Capitals, originally the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, were a Canadian professional independent minor league baseball team that played between 2005 and 2011 in several leagues. The Capitals are based in Edmonton, Alberta, and are currently ...

, joined the GBL, becoming the loop's first two Canadian teams. The league expanded to nine teams in 2009 with the addition of the

Victoria Seals The Victoria Seals were a professional baseball team based in Victoria, British Columbia. The Seals were a member of the North Division of the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball (MLB) or ...

, while the Reno Silver Sox moved to Tucson to become the

Toros Toros may refer to: Sports *Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, an American soccer team in Edinburg, Texas * Austin Toros (2005-2014) a minor league basketball team from Austin, Texas *Western District Toros, a soccer club from Adelaide, South Australia ...

. The Cracker-Cats were sold to Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz and renamed the

Edmonton Capitals The Edmonton Capitals, originally the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, were a Canadian professional independent minor league baseball team that played between 2005 and 2011 in several leagues. The Capitals are based in Edmonton, Alberta, and are currently ...

for the 2009 season.

Tijuana joins league in 2009 and will play in 2010

On December 15, 2008, the league signed a letter of intent to place another expansion franchise in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

. After the addition of the expansion

Tijuana Potros The Tijuana Cimarrones were a professional independent baseball franchise based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They were originally a minor league baseball team in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (Mexican Baseball League), but joined the Golden B ...

on January 13, the Armada were moved to the North Division. The Potros themselves would postpone the season due to the swine flu outbreak in Mexico.Tijuana on Hold for '09
GBL website, May 8, 2009 This made all their scheduled games days off for the other nine teams and left their GBL future in serious doubt. As planned, the Tijuana team did return for the 2010 season but came back with a new name and additional owners. The

Tijuana Cimarrones The Tijuana Cimarrones were a professional independent baseball franchise based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They were originally a minor league baseball team in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (Mexican Baseball League), but joined the Golden B ...

were announced as a member of the GBL when the schedule was released on January 15, 2010.

Yuma becomes a Colombian affiliation in 2009

On May 20, 2009, the

Yuma Sun The ''Yuma Sun'' is a newspaper in Yuma, Arizona, United States. It has a circulation of 18,799.Colombian Professional Baseball League The Colombian Professional Baseball League ( es, Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombiano, links=no or LPB), is a professional baseball league based in Colombia. It is a five-team winter league that plays during the Major League Baseball offseason ...

(CPBL). Under the terms of the affiliation, the CPBL will handle all on-field personnel and player issues while the team will retain control of promotions, concessions, and other front-office business. The Scorpions will act as a showcase team for players from all four CPBL teams. Yuma Scorpion Reynaldo Rodriguez, of Cartagena, Colombia, was named GBL 2009 Rookie of the Year, the top prospect in all the independent leagues by Baseball America, and had his contract purchased by the Boston Red Sox.

Maui announced for 2010, Long Beach suspended

On September 30, 2009, the GBL announced that the Hawaiian sports and entertainment company XnE Inc. had purchased the territory rights to place teams in Hawaii and that their inaugural team would play at the War Memorial Complex in Maui in 2010. The team announced their name as ''Na Koa Ikaika Maui'', which means the Strong Warriors of Maui. The Long Beach Armada announced that they were suspending operations due to an ongoing stadium lease dispute with the city of Long Beach.

Kaval leaves GBL for MLS, League to expand east

, co-founder and C.E.O. of the GBL since its inception in 2005, resigned to take the job as team president of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. The United League and the Northern League agreed to join the GBL for the 2011 season in the formation of the new North American League. The Rockford RiverHawks,

Schaumburg Flyers The Schaumburg Flyers were a professional baseball team based in Schaumburg, Illinois, in the United States. The Flyers were to be charter members of the North American League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, but the team fol ...

Joliet Jackhammers The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, in the United States. The JackHammers were a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is ...

, and

Lake County Fielders 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, ba ...

planned on leaving the Northern League and join the GBL for 2011 with the new format. United League teams joining the NAL include the

Edinburg Roadrunners The Edinburg Roadrunners were a professional baseball team based in Edinburg, Texas, in the United States. The Roadrunners were a member of the United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League B ...

Harlingen Whitewings The Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings was a professional baseball team based in Harlingen, Texas, in the United States. The WhiteWings was a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major Leag ...

and

San Angelo Colts The San Angelo Colts were a professional baseball team based in San Angelo, Texas, in the United States. The Colts were most recently a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which was not affiliated with Major Leagu ...

Drug testing

The league was the only independent baseball association to have drug testing. The league CEO Dave Kaval explained: "I feel that there is no place for illegal drugs in our business. We run a family-friendly operation off the field, and illegal drug usage by our players would undermine the trust we have established with our fans. That is exactly what has happened at the MLB level. As a steward of the great game of baseball, I am proud to say that we have the most stringent drug policy in all of professional baseball."

Franchises that played

Teams that never played

Tijuana Toros The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Minor League Baseball, Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Ori ...

from

Tijuana, Mexico Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

– Stadium was seized by Mexican military forces in January 2005 and awarded to former politicians who had struck a deal to bring a team back to the

Mexican Summer League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. The GBL quickly responded by forming the Japan Samurai Bears to fill the Tijuana spot on the schedule. There was also the

and

Tijuana Embajadores The Tijuana Embajadores were a proposed independent professional team to be based out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They were to play in the North American League and were expected to play at Estadio de Béisbol Calimax in 2011. They were ...

from

Tijuana, Baja California Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

. * Santa Clarita, California – Awarded franchise in 2006, but ownership was unable to find or build a ballpark. * Palm Springs, CaliforniaGolden Baseball League Reaches Agreement To Place Team In Palm Springs
Our Sports Central, December 14, 2009 - Awarded franchise in 2009, was expected to play in the 2012 season. The GBL and later NAL didn't allow Palm Springs to have the team play in 2010 and 2011, due to Palm Springs Stadium's substandard facility standards.

Season-by-season results

2005 Season

:Standings x-Division Champion y-Wild Card (Division champions and top two wild card teams go to Championship.) :Playoffs and Championship (4 team double-elimination, final 2 teams face in one game playoff): :Awards: Gold Glove winners: Pitcher:

, Long Beach Catcher: Cody Clark, San Diego First base: Yuji Nerei, Samurai Bears Second base: Kenichi Miura, Samurai Bears Third base: Sean Walsh, Fullerton Shortstop: Jeremy Hernandez, Long Beach Outfielders

Marcus Knight Marcus Larae Knight (born June 19, 1978) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is currently the wide receivers coach at Ball State University. He played college football at Michigan and professionally as a wide receiver a ...

, Mesa; Billy Brown, Surprise; Travis McAndrews, Long Beach

2006 season

:Standings: z-First-half champion and best overall record, x-second-half champion (Champions of each half face in 5-game series for championship. If one team wins both halves, the team with next best overall record receives championship bid.) :Championship (best of 5 game series): :Awards: All-League Team: Catcher: Marcus Jensen, Reno First base:

, Chico Second base:

Adam Mandel Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

, San Diego Third base: Henry Calderon, Yuma Shortstop: Bret LeVier, Fullerton Utility: Craig Kuzmic, Chico Outfielders: Seth Pietsch, San Diego; Jason Van Meetren, Chico; Jeff LaRue, Long Beach;

Scott Goodman Scott Linton Goodman (born 20 August 1973) is an Australian butterfly swimmer who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning a bronze medal in the 200-metre butterfly. He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.< ...

, San Diego Designated hitter:

Peanut Williams The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...

, Fullerton Starting Pitchers:

, Fullerton; Andre Simpson, Long Beach; Ben Thurmond, Reno; Phil Springman, Chico; Brian Kroll, Chico; Nate Sevier, Reno Relief Pitchers: Josh Rummonds, San Diego; Scott Schneider, Reno; E.J. Shanks, San Diego; Mike Peck, Long Beach; Wes Faust, Fullerton Gold Glove Winners: Pitcher: James Johnson, Reno Catcher: Marcus Jensen, Reno First base:

, Chico Second base:

Rob Gandolfo Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ...

, Chico Third base: Henry Calderon, Yuma Shortstop: Hector Tena, Yuma Outfielders Chris Klemm, Long Beach; Lino Garcia, Chico;

Ryan Webb Ryan Christopher Webb (born February 5, 1986) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He has pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Florida / Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and ...

, Long Beach

2007 season

:Standings: x-1st half champion, z-2nd half champion and best overall record :Championship (best of 5 game series): :Awards: All-League Team: Catcher: Buddy Morales, Orange County First base: Jaime Martinez, Long Beach Second base:

David Bacani David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, Orange County Third base: Henry Calderon, Yuma Shortstop: Jesse Kovacs, Chico Utility: Ryan Stevenson, St. George Outfielders: Daniel Nava, Chico; Kane Simmons, Reno;

Johnny Kaplan Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

, Long Beach Yosvanny Almario, Yuma Designated hitter:

, Orange County Starting Pitchers:

Ben Fox Benjamin Jake Fox (born 1 February 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Northampton Town. Fox came through the youth academy at Burton Albion and progressed to the first team where he made 37 league ap ...

, Orange County; Derek Loop, Chico;

Ryan Claypool Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an electo ...

, Long Beach; Roger Luque, Yuma; Dusty Bergman, Reno Relief Pitchers: Todd Gelatka, Chico;

, Long Beach; Anthony Pluta, St. George; Neil Hayes, Yuma

2008 season

:Overall Standings: x-1st half division champion, y-2nd half division champion :2008 All-Star Game: *2008 -

United League Baseball All-Stars United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * United (2003 film), ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * United (2011 film) ...

8, Golden Baseball League All-Stars 5 (July 15, 2008,

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert to the southwest, Osage Plai ...

) :Northern Division Playoff (best of 5 game series): :Southern Division Playoff (best of 5 game series): :Championship (best of 5 game series): :Awards: All-League Team: Catcher: TBA First base: TBA Second base: TBA Third base: TBA Shortstop: TBA Utility: TBA Outfielders: TBA Designated hitter: TBA Starting Pitchers: TBA Relief Pitchers: TBA

2009 season

:Overall Standings: x-1st half division champion, y-2nd half division champion, z-wild card :Northern Division Playoff (best of 5 game series): :Southern Division Playoff (best of 5 game series): :Championship (best of 5 game series): :Awards: :Attendance (paid):

All-star game

2006 GBL All-Star Game

The GBL played their very first All-Star Game on July 18, 2006 at Chico's

Nettleton Stadium Nettleton Stadium is a baseball stadium in Chico, California on the campus of California State University, Chico. It is the home field for the CSU Chico Baseball team, the Wildcats. It also served as the former home of the now-defunct Chico ...

pitting the North All-Stars against the South All-Stars.

2008 United League vs. Golden League All-Star Game

The GBL reached a two-year agreement with the United League to face off in two All-Star Games. The 2008 game was hosted by the ULB's

, while the 2009 game was to be hosted by the

Orange County Flyers 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 ...

. However, the United League went bankrupt in the off-season after 2008, causing the 2009 All-Star Game to be cancelled.

2009 Golden League All-Star Game

In replacement of the 2009 All-Star Game against the United League, the GBL held its own All-Star Game. The game was between the two divisions, taking place in

St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...

- home of the RoadRunners, on Tuesday, July 14. During the game, pitchers Donnie Brandt and Isaac Hess were purchased by major league organizations during the game by Milwaukee and Boston respectively. Fehlandt Lentini won the home run derby.

2010 and 2011 GBL All-Star Games

On December 9, 2009 the GBL and the Northern League announced a two-year agreement that would pit the all-stars of the two leagues against each other in the mid-summer classic. The 2010 game wAS in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

on July 14 while the leagues will face off in

Zion, Illinois Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,655. History The city was founded in July 1901 by John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907), a Scots-Australian evangelical minister and faith healer who ...

at the newest ballpark (currently under construction) in the Northern League.

GBL Instructional/Developmental Leagues

The GBL, then later the North American League, featured two small instructional leagues that helped produce future independent, minor league and even Major League Baseball standouts, including two-time World Series Champion Sergio Romo of the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. These leagues folded with the NAL in 2013.

Arizona Winter League

On November 15, 2006, the Golden Baseball League announced the

Arizona Winter League 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, th ...

, which would be a short-season instructional league for its summer league. The league began play on January 19, 2007. The Arizona Winter League has just completed its third season. In the first three years, over 130 Arizona Winter League players have been signed to professional contracts. Two of those players, Scott Richmond and Sergio Romo, are now pitching in the major leagues. The 2009 Arizona Winter League began play on January 31, 2009 and has expanded to 8 teams and almost 200 players.

Arizona Summer League

On April 3, 2009, the Golden Baseball League announced its second instructional league known as the Arizona Summer League, which is patterned after the AWL. This league consists of three teams, the

Canada Miners The Western Canada Miners (also known as just the 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 instruction ...

, El Centro Imperials and San Luis Atleticos and began play in late June 2009. The ASL had 12 players signed to pro contracts during the 2009 season. The

Bisbee Miners The Bisbee Miners were a season-season independent professional baseball team that played in the Arizona Summer League representing Bisbee, Arizona. They play their home games at Desert Sun Stadium in Yuma, Arizona, home of the North American ...

and

joined the ASL for the 2010 season.

Television

The Yuma Scorpions became the first franchise in the league to broadcast select games on Adelphia Cable, which were produced by

Arizona Western College Arizona Western College (AWC) is a public community college in Yuma, Arizona. It offers associate degrees, occupational certificates, and transfer degrees. AWC also offers classes in Dateland, La Paz, San Luis, Somerton, and Wellton. Aca ...

Television Services. The Edmonton Capitals televised selected games by reaching an agreement with Shaw TV. The Golden Baseball League announced they had reached a deal with iBN Sports to broadcast 40 games on the internet showing various teams.

Notes and references

External links

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Golden Baseball League group on Facebook
(defunct)
Edmonton and Calgary Leave Northern LeagueSan Diego CityBeat profile by Charles Dahan
{{Professional Baseball Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States Defunct baseball leagues in Canada 2004 establishments in California 2010 disestablishments in the United States Defunct independent baseball leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 2004 San Ramon, California Sports leagues disestablished in 2010