Kalamazoo Growlers
| Kalamazoo Growlers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | Northwoods League |
| Location | Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Ballpark | Homer Stryker Field |
| Year founded | 2013 |
| Nickname(s) | K-Zoo Cubs, The Zoo Brewins, Dab-Bears |
| League championships | 0 |
| Division championships | 0 |
| Colors | Navy Blue, K-Zoo Blue and Gold |
| Mascot | Porter |
| Last season | 33-39 |
| Ownership | Dick Radatz Jr. |
| Manager | Matt Lawson |
| Website | growlersbaseball.com |
The Kalamazoo Growlers are a baseball team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan that plays in the Northwoods League, a summer collegiate baseball league. The Growlers were founded in 2013 and played their first game on May 28, 2014, losing to the then defending league champion Madison Mallards 6-2. The Growlers played their first home game on May 30, 2014, beating the Battle Creek Bombers 13-3. The team plays its home games at Homer Stryker Field.
History
On June 3, 2013, the Kalamazoo City Commission approved a contract with Kalamazoo Baseball, LLC to bring a team back to the city. Kalamazoo had been without a baseball team since the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League disbanded in 2011. The contract stipulated that the Northwoods League would pay expenses associated with the team's home games, practice and the maintenance of Homer Stryker Field. On Nov. 15 of that year, the team was formally introduced as the Kalamazoo Growlers, a tribute to the city's brewing tradition and the black bears that can be heard "growling" in the forests of Michigan.
Seasons
| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | I-94 Rivalry Cup | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 29-43 | .403 | 8th NWL South | Won: 5 games to 3 | |
| 2015 | 17-55 | .236 | 9th NWL South | Lost: 0 games to 8 | |
| 2016 | 33-39 | .458 | 5th NWL South | Lost: 2 games to 6 | |
| Overall | 79-137 | .366 |
Rivalry
The Growlers compete for the I-94 Rivalry Cup with the Battle Creek Bombers. The rivalry began in 2014 when the Growlers entered the Northwoods League, ending the Bombers reign as the only team in the league from Michigan. The Growlers trail in the yearly series 1-2 and trail in the all time series 7 games to 17.
Mascot
The mascot of the team is an anthropomorphic black bear named Porter. He was named after a dark style of beer and wears jersey number 64 (number of ounces held in a Growler), which pays homage to Kalamazoo's microbreweries. The original mascot was named Barlee, but the team lost the rights of the name to the Hillsboro Hopps of the North West League.
Nicknames
The team has multiple unofficial nicknames that it is referred to by fans. "K-Zoo Cubs" refers to both the young age of many of the players on the team and to the Chicago Cubs. "The Zoo Brewins" is a salute to the city of Kalamazoo's brewing tradition and nods to the team's bear mascot with the clever spelling of "Bruin". "Dab-Bears" (Pronounced Dab-airs or Duh-Bears) refers to the tendency of the mascot to "Dab" upon request from young fans and makes fun of the Chicago Bears ("Da Bears").
Ballpark Atmosphere
The Growlers organization has made a number of enhancements to Homer Stryker Field. The Miller Lite Party Zone is located down the left field line and offers groups of up to 500 picnic seating with prime views of the game and all-you-can-eat food, soda and water, as well as a selection of beer. The Bell's Bear Cave is an indoor/outdoor suite beyond the right-center field fence that offers guests premium food and drink options in a modern, air-conditioned space. The Home Plate Club includes individual tables with seats originally from Orioles Park at Camden Yards and offers fans food and drink served by wait staff. Other specialty concession stands include the BBQ Pit, which serves Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Wings, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad and other ballpark classics. The BBQ Pit also has a variety of bottled sodas as well as canned and draft beer.
Recognition & Promotions
The Growlers were recognized as a finalist for Ballpark Digest's 2014 Logo/Branding of the Year[1] and the team took home the top prize as the 2014 Summer-Collegiate Promotion of the Year for their "Salute to Selfie" Night which featured a collage of selfies on the player's jerseys which were submitted by Growlers fans.
The team name was chosen in a #NameTheTeam contest. Finalists included "Growlers", "Kraken", "Cabbies", "Kangaroos" and "Clutch". On June 20, 2015 the team saluted the contest by holding a "What If" night where the team changed their name to the Kraken for one game, losing to the La Crosse Loggers 9-7. Similarly on June 4, 2016 the team held a "What Would Have Been" night where they changed the team name to the Cabbies for one game, beating the Battle Creek Bombers 9-0.
In the 2015 season, the Growlers were 5th in the nation in attendance for summer collegiate baseball.
One of the feature items on the concessions menu was the Bear Claw Burger. The Bear Claw Burger was a 2/3 pound Angus hamburger topped with barbeque pulled pork, macaroni and cheese and coleslaw between two Sweetwater’s Donut Mill bear claw shaped donuts. This towering burger was originally sold with a drink and chips for an estimated total of 3,000 calories. It was available at Growlers games during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
For the August 13, 2016 game against the Rockford Rivets, the team will wear "Emojerseys" covered in 25 different fan-favorite emojis.[2]
Growlers in the Pros
| Name | Highest Level Team | Professional Organization | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Baragar | San Jose Giants | San Francisco Giants (A Advanced) | 2014 |
| Seby Zavala | Kannapolis Intimidators | Chicago White Sox (A) | 2014 |
| Kenny Koplove | Lakewood BlueClaws | Philadelpia Phillies (A) | 2014 |
| Troy Montgomery | Burlington Bees | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (A) | 2014 |
| Matt Frawley | West Virginia Power | Pittsburgh Pirates (A) | 2015 |
| Brett Sunde | Vermont Lake Monsters | Oakland Athletics (A Short-Season) | 2014 |
| Ryan Colegate | Mahoning Valley Scrappers | Cleveland Indians (A Short-Season) | 2014 |
| John Schreiber | Connecticut Tigers | Detroit Tigers (A Short-Season) | 2014 |
| Charles Leblanc | Spokane Indians | Texas Rangers (A Short-Season) | 2015 |
| Nick Yarnall | Ogden Raptors | Los Angeles Dodgers (Rookie) | 2014-2015 |
| Sean Isaac | Orem Owlz | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Rookie) | 2015 |
| Bryan Saucedo | Arizona League White Sox | Chicago White Sox (Rookie) | 2015 |
External links
References
- ↑ Reichard, Kevin. "2014 Logo/Branding of the Year: Akron RubberDucks". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ↑ Manzullo, Brian (15 February 2016). "Kalamazoo baseball team to wear jerseys covered in emojis". www.freep.com. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
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