Calgary Cannons

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The Calgary Cannons were a minor league baseball team located in Calgary, Alberta for 17 seasons, from 1985-2002. They joined the AAA Pacific Coast League after Russ Parker purchased the Salt Lake Gulls franchise in December 1983 with an intention on moving the franchise north to Canada once upgrades were completed at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons replaced the Calgary Cardinals who played in the rookie level Pioneer League from 1977 until 1984.

The Cannons began play in 1985 as the AAA affiliate of Seattle Mariners, a relationship that would last ten seasons. When the Tacoma franchise was available after the 1994 season, the Mariners decided that Tacoma (30 miles south) would be a better location for its Triple-A affiliate, and the Mariners ended their Canadian connection. The Cannons were then affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the three seasons. After that, the Calgary Cannons were with the Chicago White Sox for a season in 1998, then they changed for the Florida Marlins for the next four seasons.

Dwindling fan interest and an outdated ballpark ultimately led to the departure of the Cannons following the 2002 season, when they relocated to Albuquerque to become the Isotopes in 2003. Albuquerque named their franchise after an episode of The Simpsons, which saw the Springfield Isotopes relocate to Albuqurque, retaining the Isotopes name.

1 Affiliations
2 All-time Record
3 Playoff History
4 Famous Cannons

[edit] Affiliations

[edit] All-time Record

	First Half		Second Half		Overall
Season	W-L	Finish	W-L	Finish	W-L	Win%
1985	37-32	1st	34-38	4th	71-70	.504
1986	36-35	2nd	30-42	5th	66-77	.462
1987	38-32	2nd	46-25	1st	84-57	.596
1988	33-38	3rd	35-36	3rd	68-74	.479
1989	28-43	5th	42-29	1st	70-72	.493
1990	37-33	3rd	29-42	5th	66-75	.468
1991	27-40	4th	45-24	1st	72-64	.529
1992	28-41	4th	32-37	4th	60-78	.435
1993	34-36	3rd	34-36	4th	68-72	.486
1994	34-37	5th	37-35	2nd	71-72	.497
1995	30-41	5th	28-42	5th	58-83	.411
1996	37-34	4th	37-34	3rd	74-68	.521
1997	29-38	5th	31-40	5th	60-78	.435


Season	W-L	Finish	Win%
1998	81-62	1st	.566
1999	57-82	---	.410
2000	60-82	4th	.423
2001	72-71	---	.503
2002	67-71	3rd	.486
Total	1225-1308	---	.484

Note: the PCL abandoned the split-season format following the 1997 season as the league expanded to 16 teams following the dissolution of the American Association.

[edit] Playoff History

Unlike their Alberta cousins, the Edmonton Trappers, the Cannons were rarely blessed with contending teams, and never won a league championship. The Cannons did qualify for the post season five times in their 18-year history. All time, the Cannons had a 3-5 series record and a 14-19 win-loss record in the post season.

1985 First half pennant winners
- Lost North Division Championship Series to Vancouver 3-0

1987 Second half pennant winners
- Defeated Tacoma in the North Division Championship Series 3-2
- Lost to Albuquerque in the Pacific Coast League Championship Series 3-1

1989 Second half pennant winners
- Lost North Division Championship Series to Vancouver 3-0

1991 Second half pennant winners
- Defeated Portland in the North Division Championship Series 3-0
- Lost to Tucson in the Pacific Coast League Championship Series 3-2

1998 Pacific Conference North Division pennant winners
- Defeated Fresno in the Pacific Conference Championship Series 3-2
- Lost to New Orleans in the Pacific Coast League Championship Series 3-2