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The Edmonton Capitals
are a professional baseball team based in Edmonton, Alberta. Known originally as the Edmonton Cracker-Cats
, they began play in the Northern League in 2005 before switching to the Golden Baseball League in 2008. The team was sold to Daryl Katz in 2009, after which the team was renamed. The Capitals are not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
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EDMONTON CRACKER-CATS TICKETS
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Team history
Northern League (2005–2007)
The Cracker-Cats began as an expansion team in 2005 as a member of the Northern League. The name "Cracker-Cats" is derived from the oil industry term
fluid catalytic cracking ("cat cracking" for short), which is part of the process of refining crude oil into gasoline by converting high boiling hydrocarbons into smaller molecules. They played the first game of their inaugural season on May 20, 2005, on the road against the
Kansas City T-Bones. Their first home game did not take place until one week later when they hosted the
Sioux Falls Canaries in front of 7,894 fans.
[1]
On July 18, 2006,
Stubby Clapp was named
Most Valuable Player of the Northern League All-Star Game. On September 3, 2006, the 'Cats finished their second season six games back in the wild card race and missed the playoffs.
The 2007 season was a major disappointment for the team despite adding three former Major Leaguers,
Ryan Radmanovich,
Mike Johnson, and
Lou Pote. The 'Cats finished 38–58 and last in the league.
The 2006 brawl
On June 13, 2006, a string of bean balls in the first two innings touched off two major brawls between the Cracker-Cats and their provincial rivals, the
Calgary Vipers. After Edmonton's Greg Morrison was hit by a Calgary pitch for the fourth time in five games, the Cracker-Cats responded by throwing at two Calgary players. The resulting melee was so violent that the umpires sent both teams off the field, and suspended the game for over an hour to consult with league officials. When the Cracker-Cats refused to return to the field afterward, the game was declared a forfeit and the Vipers were awarded a 9–0 victory even though Edmonton was leading 1–0. As a result of the suspension, Cracker-Cats manager
Terry Bevington resigned.
[2]
The league came down hard on both teams, as both managers and seven players were suspended a total of 79 games. Morrison blamed Calgary manager
Mike Busch for the incident, believing that Busch held a grudge after both Morrison and another former Viper, J.P. Fauske defected to the Cracker-Cats after leaving the Vipers after a falling out with the Calgary manager late in the 2005 season.
[3]
Golden Baseball League (2008-2009 and beyond)
After three years in the Northern League, the Cracker-Cats joined the Golden Baseball League on October 24, 2007. This occurred just after the rival Vipers jumped to the league. On June 30, 2008, The 'Cats set a new attendance record of 8,676 fans against the Vipers.
[4]
On August 22, 2008, the Cracker-Cats clinched a playoff spot by defeating the
Orange County Flyers 13–4 and won the second half. They faced the Vipers, who won the first half, in the first-ever North Division Championship Series, but were swept by Calgary 3 games to 0.
On February 4, 2009, the Cracker-Cats were purchased for $400,000 by Katz Baseball Corp. led by Daryl Katz who also owns the
National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers.
[5] Katz chose to drop the Cracker-Cats name, renaming the franchise the
Capitals
.
Logo Gallery
Year-by-year record
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First Half |
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Second Half |
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Overall |
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| Season |
Division |
W-L |
Finish |
W-L |
Finish |
W-L |
Win% |
Playoffs |
| 2005 [6] |
NL North |
22–26 |
5th |
25–22 |
3rd |
47–48 |
.495 |
Did not qualify |
| 2006 [7] |
NL North |
21–27 |
3rd |
23–25 |
T-3 |
44–52 |
.458 |
Did not qualify |
| 2007 [8] |
NL North |
19–29 |
4th |
19–29 |
4th |
37–58 |
.389 |
Did not qualify |
| 2008 |
GBL North |
22–21 |
2nd |
29–15
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1st
|
51–36 |
.586 |
Lost North Division playoff 0–3 to Calgary) |
| 2009 |
GBL North |
23–18 |
2nd |
21-20 |
2nd |
44-38 |
.537 |
Clinched wild card. |
See also
- List of baseball teams in Canada
References
- NLFan.com: Edmonton Cracker-Cats
- Winnipeg Sun: Battle of Alberta, Baseball Style 15 June 2006
- Edmonton Sun: Basebrawl 15 June 2006
- Our Sports Central: Cats Lose Heartbreaker in Front of 8676 1 July 2008
- Edmonton Journal: Edmonton Cracker-Cats sold to Edmonton Oilers 4 February 2009
- NLFan: 2005 Northern League Standings Retrieved on 10 April 2009
- NLFan: 2006 Northern League Standings Retrieved on 10 April 2009
- NLFan: 2007 Northern League Standings Retrieved on 10 April 2009