York Revolution
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| York Revolution | |
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| Founded | 2007 |
| League | Atlantic League 2007-present |
| Team History | York Revolution 2007-present |
| Ballpark | Sovereign Bank Stadium |
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| Based in | York, Pennsylvania |
| Team Colors | navy, brass, silver, red |
| Owner | York Professional Baseball |
| Manager | Chris Hoiles |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division Titles | 0 |
| Mascot | DownTown Yorkie |
| Broadcasters | Darrell Henry |
| Local Media | York Daily Record |
The York Revolution is an Atlantic League team based in York, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the 2007 season, they will play in the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The team will play at Sovereign Bank Stadium in the Arch Street neighborhood (Though they may play some of their home games at Clipper Magazine Stadium in nearby Lancaster until Sovereign Bank Stadium is complete). Even though the Revolution will play in the city of York, the team will represent all of York County.
When the Revolution play in 2007, baseball fans in York will have waited 38 years for the return of baseball since the York White Roses folded after the 1969 season. In 2006, Yorkers chose the name Revolution over White Roses in a name-the-team contest.[1] The name "Revolution" refers to York’s colonial past, when the Continental Congress met in York and passed the Articles of Confederation during the Revolutionary War. During the American Revolution, York was one of the first capitals of the United States. [2] Many Yorkers also see the Revolution name to symbolize the city's renaissance efforts.[3] The York Revolution is sometimes given the nickname of the "Revs."
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[edit] History of York Baseball
[edit] York White Roses
Before the York Revolution, the city of York has not been the home to any professional baseball team since 1969, when the York Pirates left. The Pirates were previously called the York White Roses and were members of the Keystone Association in 1884; the Eastern League also in 1884; the Pennsylvania State League in 1893; the Tri-State League from 1909 to 1914; the Pennsylvania State League in 1916; and one of the six original teams of the New York-Penn League from 1923 to 1933, where they were unaffiliated until the 1933 season with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1936; the White Roses played in the Interstate League from 1943 to 1952, spending most of their seasons in this league as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates until 1950. They were members of the Piedmont League from 1953 to 1955, where they were affiliated with the St. Louis Browns from 1952 to 1953 and the Baltimore Orioles from 1954 to 1955. The White Roses entered the Eastern League, affilitated with the St. Louis Cardinals, in the 1958 season and played there until the end of the 1959 season. The York White Roses returned in 1962 as a member of the Eastern League, as the Johnstown Red Sox moved to York. The Boston Red Sox affiliation lasted only that season. They were affiliated with the Washington Senators from 1963 to 1967. In 1968 and in 1969,
the team was renamed as the York Pirates, affiliated with Pittsburgh. They were champions in the 1925 and 1969 seasons.
The York White Roses and the York Pirates played their games at Bob Hoffman Stadium, which was also known as Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The White Roses were fierce rivals with the nearby Lancaster Red Roses. When the new name of Lancaster's team was unveiled to the public a few days before the 1906 season started, it drew heavy criticism from the York White Roses staff. The White Roses manager predicted, in spite, that the Red Roses would be at the bottom of the standings column. The Red Roses went on to win the first game, 9-4, and an even heavier rivalry began. [4]Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of the Roses.
In 1997, the York White Roses were named the absolute worst team in the history of the Eastern League. For example, their 1967 season was horrible as they won 43 games and lost 95. This season is still lodged in the minds of York baseball fans, as a player by the name of Dick Such, who until recently has denied this, had an ERA of .281 with a record of 0-16. He redeemed himself as the pitching coach of the Minnesota Twins from 1985-2001, where he oversaw two World Series championships in 1987 and 1991. Such has also has Atlantic League experience with the Long Island Ducks. The York White Roses were considered the worst team because of their record, their horrible attendance, the condition of the playing field, and the team's choice of inferior players. [5]The York Revolution hope to rewrite the city's baseball history, with a better record, better attendance, a state-of-the-art ballpark, and a much better roster.
[edit] A Revolution
York has spent ten years trying to bring professional baseball back to the city. The process looked promising in 2003, until politics halted the project. The new baseball stadium was to be located at Small Athletic Field, on York City School District property, but the district's board voted negatively as they did not believe the ballpark would be the best use of district money and land. For three years, political and financial discussions continued to delay the time York would have a baseball team again. A new site for the stadium was agreed upon in the Arch Street neighborhood, and this time all the pieces fell into place. Other sites that were considered but did not come to fruition were Hoffman Field and Ohio Blender.
In April of 2006, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball formally announced an expanion team for the city of York, Pennsylvania.[6] One of the prominent members of the team's management is Brooks Robinson, who played with the York White Roses and later with the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. The entrance to the team's stadium will be called Brooks Robinson Plaza in his honor.[7]
[edit] "The Oriole Way" 
With the Baltimore Orioles being the Major League favorite of many Yorkers, the Revolution signed four former Orioles to its coaching staff in December 2006. Chris Hoiles, who batted .262 in 10 seasons (1989-1998) as a catcher with the Orioles, was signed as the team manager. Tippy Martinez, who pitched for 14 seasons (1974-1988) as a reliever with the New York Yankees, the Orioles, and the Minnesota Twins, was signed as the pitching coach. Ryan Minor, who batted .177 in parts of four seasons (1998-2001) with the Orioles and the Montreal Expos as well as the first Lancaster Barnstormer to hit a homerun, was signed as the hitting and infield coach. Al Bumbry, who batted .281 in 14 seasons (1972-1985) with the Orioles and the San Diego Padres, was signed to be the baserunning and outfield coach as well as the "Community Ambassador."[8]
- The market was previously served by: York Pirates of the Eastern League (1884-1969)
[edit] Logos and uniforms
The team colors of the York Revolution are Continental navy, brass, silver, and sergeant's red. The "Revolution" wordmark colored white in script outlined by a navy blue background. The word "York" is incorporated colored brass with two brass stars. The entire wordmark is outlined in silver. Centered below the wordmark is a patriotic-themed bald eagle in navy with red and white detail and silver stars with silver outline. The eagle's left talon clutches a baseball.
The York Revolution caps are navy blue throughout with a stylized "Y", colored white with silver shadowing, with an eagle's head clutching a baseball centered above. The entire cap logo is outlined in navy blue and brass. The Revolution wordmark is centered on the back toward the lower edge of the cap.
During the "War of the Roses", the Revolution wear throwback uniforms of the York White Roses. The White Roses caps are dark grey with a white, Old English "Y" centered on the front. The jerseys are white with grey piping and the "White Roses" wordmark centered on the front, also in dark grey.[9]
[edit] Season-by-Season Records
| York Revolution - 2007 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | W - L Record | Winning Percentage | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2007 | ||||
| Totals (2007) | ||||
[edit] Tradition
[edit] "War of the Roses"
The south-central Pennsylvania cities of York and Lancaster have a historical rivalry in all sporting events from the high school level to the professional. As both cities are named after the English cities of York and Lancaster, the former Pennsylvania baseball teams were named for the opposing sides of the Wars of the Roses. Just as in the English battles, the York White Roses and the Lancaster Red Roses fought intense baseball matches throughout their existence. With the addition of the York Revolution to the Atlantic League, the team continues the White Roses tradition as they battle the Lancaster Barnstormers for lower Susquehanna supremacy.
With the sound of cannons, the "War of the Roses" was rekindled in April 2007 in the town of Wrightsville, a town on the natural boundary between York and Lancaster counties: the Susquehanna River. The terms of the series include the losing mayor planting a rose garden in front of the winning team's ballpark using the victor's choice of rose, and singing the classic, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", during a game of the winning team. The victor’s banner is also hung above the losing city hall for one week following the clinching game. The Revolution and the Barnstormers both wear throwback uniforms for the entire first "War of the Roses" series of the season, as well as the first game in the remaining "War of the Roses" series during the rest of the season. The York Revolution wear 1955 White Roses uniforms that are auctioned off to the York Rescue Mission following their last home game. The winner of the "War of the Roses" series is presented with the Community Cup. [10]
[edit] Retired Numbers
42, Jackie Robinson, retired throughout baseball
[edit] Quick facts
- Current uniform colors:
- Current logo design: The "Revolution" wordmark colored white in script outlined by a navy blue background. The word "York" is incorporated colored brass with two brass stars. The entire wordmark is outlined in silver. Centered below the wordmark is a patriotic-themed bald eagle in navy blue with red and white detail and silver stars with silver outline. The eagle's left talon clutches a baseball.
- Current mascot: DownTown Yorkie (2007-present).
- Current Broadcasters: Darrell Henry
- Current Radio Station: WSBA 910 am
[edit] 2007 York Revolution:
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Pitchers
Catchers
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Infielders
Outfielders
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[edit] Radio and television
The official broadcast home of the York Revolution is Newsradio WSBA 910 am. Darrell Henry is the official voice of the York Revolution.
[edit] References
- ^ York Baseball Team Name Announcement. York Revolution. Retrieved on July 10, 2006.
- ^ The Straight Dope: York, Pennsylvania: First capital of the United States?. The Straight Dope. Retrieved on August 14, 2006.
- ^ Other Possible References to York's Revolution. York Revolution. Retrieved on July 10, 2006.
- ^ The York and Lancaster Rivalry. Lancaster County Historical Society. Retrieved on May 6, 2006.
- ^ The Horrible History of the White Roses. York Daily Record. Retrieved on June 16, 2006.
- ^ York to Play Ball in 2007. York Revolution. Retrieved on August 2, 2006.
- ^ Brooks Robinson Plaza. York Revolution. Retrieved on August 2, 2006.
- ^ Revolution coaching staff takes on Baltimore flavor. York Daily Record. Retrieved on December 20, 2006.
- ^ "War of the Roses". Lancaster Barnstormers. Retrieved on April 3, 2007.
- ^ "War of the Roses". York Daily Record. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.
[edit] External links
- York Revolution
- Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
- Atlantic League blog
- Atlantic League Independent
- York, Pennsylvania
- Newsradio WSBA 910 AM
| York Revolution General Managers |
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| O'Brien |
| Atlantic League of Professional Baseball |
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| North Division: Bridgeport Bluefish • Long Island Ducks • Newark Bears • Road Warriors South Division: Camden Riversharks • Lancaster Barnstormers • Somerset Patriots • York Revolution Future Teams: Southern Maryland Blue Crabs |
