Continental Baseball League
 Continental Baseball League logo | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Gegründet | 2006 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Land |  Vereinigte Staaten |
| Most recent champion(s) | Bay Area Toros |
| Official website | www.cblproball.com |
The Continental Baseball League, based in Addison, Texas, is a professional, independent baseball organization operating in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Texas in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams nor affiliated with either.
The Continental Baseball League exists so that professional baseball players who are not signed by a Major or Minor League organization could have another chance at playing at a higher level. Although the level of Continental Baseball League play can be categorized as single A standard, players in independent baseball are usually not scouted heavily by Major League teams. Many Major League alumni have called independent league teams home in an effort get back to the Majors. The league also caters to players who are not quite talented enough to play at a higher level.
The League
The CBL's players primarily come from the college ranks, although some former professional players will fill the team rosters.
The CBL's first game was played on May 27, 2007 between the Texas Heat and the Bay Area Toros. It was played at Clear Creek Wildcat Stadium and the Heat beat the Toros, 6-5, in 10 innings.
The historic first milestones:
- Official Start Time: 5:12pm (Attendance: 1150; Time of game: 3 hours and 50 minutes)
- First Hit: Mitch Elliott (Heat) had an infield single
- First Home Run: Samson Oldenburg (Solo HR)
- First RBI: Robby Winn (Heat)
- First Extra Inning Game in CBL History
- First Win: Adam Beseda
- First Save: Brandon Pello
Current franchises (2009)
| Continental Baseball League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Gegründet | City | Stadium | Capacity | |
| Alexandria Aces | 1994 | Alexandria, Louisiana, USA | Bringhurst Field | 3,500 | |
| Bay Area Toros | 2007 | Texas City, Texas, USA | Robinson Stadium | 1,800 | |
| Big Bend Cowboys | 2009 | Alpine, Texas, USA | Kokernot Field | 1,400 | |
| Coastal Kingfish | 2009 | Houston, Texas, USA | Travel Team | K.A. | |
| South Louisiana Pipeliners | 2009 | Morgan City, Louisiana | Travel Team | K.A. | |
| Texarkana Gunslingers | 2008 | Texarkana, Texas, USA | George Dobson Field | 1,600 | |
2008 Season Overview
Standings
Final regular-season standings for 2008
| Team | Games | Wins | Losses | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Area Toros | 73 | 44 | 29 | .603 | - |
| Texarkana Gunslingers | 72 | 38 | 34 | .528 | 5.5 |
| *Corpus Christi Beach Dawgs | 72 | 34 | 38 | .472 | 9.5 |
| McKinney Blue Thunder | 73 | 29 | 44 | .397 | 15 |
*First half winner
Note: Texarkana and Corpus Christi played 72 games, as opposed to 73 for the other teams. The series scheduled for July 22-24 in Corpus Christi was postponed due to Hurricane Dolly, and rescheduled for a series of double-headers August 12-14. The August 13 make-up game was also postponed due to rain, then canceled due to a lack of available dates. The game would not have made a difference in standings for either team.
Managers for the 2008 CBL Season:
Bay Area Toros: Jim Bolt; Corpus Christi Beach Dawgs: Hector Salinas/Trey Salinas; McKinney Blue Thunder: Curtis Wilkerson; Texarkana Gunslingers: Steve Trout/Chris McKnight
Post-season
In the first round of playoffs, the Texarkana Gunslingers hosted the Corpus Christi Beach Dawgs. The Gunslingers won Game One by a score of 4-3. Heavy rain and unplayable field conditions caused Tuesday's game to be rescheduled as a doubleheader for Wednesday. More rain on both days worsened field conditions; league officials called for the double-header to be played on Thursday, but the field was declared unplayable at the 9:00 a.m. deadline. By a previous league ruling, the series ended under red flag conditions, and Texarkana was declared the winner by virtue of winning the only game played.
Texarkana advanced to the championship round, hosted by the Bay Area Toros. Bay Area won the best-of-three series in two straight games, by scores of 2-1 and 9-3.
2007 Season Review
Standings
| Team | Wins | Losses | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarrant County Blue Thunder | 30 | 17 | .638 |
| Texas Heat | 25 | 17 | .595 |
| Lewisville Lizards | 19 | 25 | .432 |
| Bay Area Toros | 13 | 28 | .317 |
Playoffs
The first CBL championship was won by the Tarrant County Blue Thunder, who beat the Bay Area Toros in a double elimination event 17-0 on August 18, 2007 and 6-3 on August 19, 2007.
The 2008 championship will be decided by a playoff involving the first half champion, and top two other teams. The team with the best season record will have a bye in the first round. The other two teams will play a best-of-three round beginning August 18, 2008, at the home field of the team with the better season record. The championship round will also be best-of-three, with the winner of the first round facing the team with the best overall season record, at the latter's home field.
Under the 2008 playoff rules, it is possible for a team with the worst overall record to have a berth in the playoffs, over the team with the third best record.
Season Awards
Zach Duncan of the Tarrant County Blue Thunder won the league's ERA crown with a 3.14 ERA and was named the CBL Pitcher of the Year. He was tied for the league in wins with five and second in strikeouts with 57 Ks in 51 innings pitched for a K/9 ratio of 10.06. He held opposing batters to an average of .241.
Josh Blackstock, also of the Tarrant County Blue Thunder, took the batting title with a .373 average.
First baseman Robby Winn of the Texas Heat won league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards with a .341 batting average, 46 runs scored, and league leading 61 hits, 21 HRs and 64 RBI.
Tarrant County Blue Thunder pitcher George Castillo and Lewisville Lizards pitcher Randy Strann shared the Reliever of the Year award with 7 saves each.
Curtis Wilkerson a former MLB player for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals won Manager of the Year honors for leading the Tarrant County Blue Thunder to the league's best regular-season record.
Managers For The 2007 Continental Baseball League Season:
Bay Area Toros: Jim Bolt; Lewisville Lizards: Tom Goodwin; Tarrant County Blue Thunder: Curtis Wilkerson; Texas Heat: Royce Holder
Expansion
| Year | # of Teams | Expansion Teams | Folded Teams | Suspended Teams | Returning Teams | Relocated Teams | Name Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 4 | Bay Area Toros Lewisville Lizards Tarrant County Blue Thunder Texas Heat |
|||||
| 2008 | 4 | Texarkana Gunslingers | Lewisville Lizards | Bay Area Toros | Tarrant County → McKinney Blue Thunder Texas → Corpus Christi Beach Dawgs |
||
| 2009 | 6 | Alexandria Aces Dallas Aviators Big Bend Cowboys South Louisiana Pipeliners |
Corpus Christi Beach Dawgs McKinney Blue Thunder |
Bay Area Toros Texarkana Gunslingers |
An invitation for the remaining ULB teams to join the league for the 2009 season was made by Ron Baron.