Long Beach Armada

Independent baseball team
name = Long Beach Armada
founded = 2005
city = Long Beach, California

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cap
current league = Golden Baseball League
current division = South Division
past league =
currentname = Long Beach Armada (2005-present)
colors = Navy Blue, Tan, Red, White
color box|#00004d color box|#CC9953 color box|#C80815 color box|white
ballpark = Blair Field
pastparks =
leaguechamps = 0
divisionchamps = 1 (2006)
owner = Golden Baseball League
manager = Steve Yeager
gm = Tony Soares
media = Long Beach Press-Telegram
website = http://www.longbeacharmada.com www.longbeacharmada.com

The Long Beach Armada is a professional baseball team based in Long Beach, California, in the United States. The Armada is a member of the South Division of the independent Golden Baseball League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball "or" Minor League Baseball. From the 2005 season to the present, the Armada has played its home games at Blair Field.

The current roster includes three left-handed pitchers who reached the major leagues: Adam Pettyjohn, Alan Newman, and Bud Smith. In July 2006, former major league star José Canseco was traded to the team and played as a designated hitter and pitcher.

Team history

The Armada are one of the original eight GBL charter teams that began play in 2005 along with the Chico Outlaws, Fullerton Flyers and San Diego Surf Dawgs in California; Mesa Miners, Surprise Fightin' Falcons and Yuma Scorpions in Arizona and the traveling Japan Samurai Bears. They, along with the Outlaws and Scorpions, remain the only league-owned teams still active as are the Flyers who had been sold in 2007. They began play in May 2005, three years after their predecessors, the Long Beach Breakers folded along with the Western Baseball League. Ironically, the current Armada manager Steve Yeager managed the Breakers to the WBL Championship in 2001, that team's inaugural season, beating the Chico Heat 3 games to 2.

On May 28, 2007, Golden Baseball League CEO, Dave Kaval, announced that the Armada's official name had been changed to Long Beach Armada of Los Angeles of California of the United States of North America Including Barrow, Alaska. Kaval explained the change saying, "In order to better reach the larger Armada Nation, we felt compelled to lengthen the name to incorporate all our fans stretching from the warm beaches of Los Angeles to the frigid beaches of the Arctic Circle. Our inspiration was Arte Moreno's brilliant marketing gambit of positioning the Anaheim Angels as an LA team. Being a real Los Angeles county team, we too wanted to extend our reach as far north as possible." [ [http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3482138 Long Beach Armada Changes Official Name] ]

The chances of the Armada playing any actual games in Barrow is unlikely -- there is in fact a baseball field there, but the playing surface is all-dirt (due to a lack of grass in Barrow) and the dimensions are only Little League-sized. [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=barrow,+ak&ie=UTF8&ll=71.29043,-156.757972&spn=0.00296,0.013218&t=h&z=16]

Despite the team's name change, they are still referred to in the media and at their home games as the Long Beach Armada.

In 2007, the Armada made it all the way to the GBL Championship Series, only to lose 3 games to 1 to the eventual champions, the Chico Outlaws.

Famous Players

Former MLB star José Canseco.

MLB Player Brock Smith, who coincidentally engaged in a mid-season fight with Canseco, but have since cleared things up after hosting a charity gala, in which all proceeds went towards anti-doping.

Two former players on the San Francisco Giants were signed on by the Long Beach Armada for the 2008 Season.

In February 2008, The Armada signed Tony Torcato, who has since been traded to the Chico Outlaws.

One month later, in March 2008, the Long Beach Armada signed former Major League Baseball pitcher, [http://www.goldenbaseball.com/LongBeach/ArDisplay.aspx?ID=4144&SecID=239 Jerome Williams] to improve the teams pitching staff.

eason-by-season records

References

External links

* [http://www.longbeacharmada.com Long Beach Armada official website]
* [http://www.goldenbaseball.com/LongBeach/roster.aspx?SecID=852 Long Beach Armada team roster]
* [http://www.goldenbaseball.com Golden Baseball League official website]