Traverse City Beach Bums
The Traverse City Beach Bums were a professional baseball team based in the Traverse City, Michigan, suburb of Blair Township, in the United States. The Beach Bums played in the East Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since their establishment in 2006, the Beach Bums played their home games at Wuerfel Park.
| Traverse City Beach Bums | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Information | |||||
| League | Frontier League (East) | ||||
| Location | Blair Township, Michigan | ||||
| Ballpark | Wuerfel Park | ||||
| Year founded | 1995 | ||||
| Year folded | 2018 | ||||
| Nickname(s) | The Bums | ||||
| League championships | 3 (2001, 2002, 2015) | ||||
| Division championships | 2 (1996, 2012) | ||||
| Former name(s) |
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| Colors | Navy blue, gold, white | ||||
| Ownership | John Wuerfel & Leslye Wuerfel | ||||
| General Manager | Leslye Wuerfel | ||||
| Media | Traverse City Record-Eagle | ||||
The "Beach Bums" name referred to the residents and visitors who come to Michigan's most popular resort town, to spend time on the beach. Traverse City lies on the Grand Traverse Bay, a branch of Lake Michigan. The team's colors of navy blue and gold represent the region's bays and bright summer sunshine.[1]
Wuerfel Park averaged well over 200,000 fans per season for Beach Bums home games, ranking near the top of attendance lists in independent baseball. In their first three seasons, the Beach Bums drew over 600,000 fans with a mix of loyal, local fans, tourists, and regional baseball fans.
John and Leslye Wuerfel were the managing members of the Beach Bums; their last name is the namesake of the Beach Bums' home ballpark. Their son, Jason, was the Beach Bums' Vice President and Director of Baseball Operations. Jason Wuerfel lettered four times with the University of Michigan varsity baseball team, and also won the 2003 Wolverine Award for Spirit and Leadership. He played professionally with the Elmira Pioneers, the Mid-Missouri Mavericks, and the Ohio Valley Redcoats. Jason also owns and operates the Beach Bums Baseball Academy, an organization that instructs young baseball players in the Traverse City area.[2]
In November 2008, the Beach Bums named two new coaches, with Gregg Langbehn being hired as the manager and Roger Mason accepting the position of pitching coach. Langbehn had previously spent 10 seasons as a coach and manager in the Houston Astros minor league system, while Mason, a Northern Michigan native, spent nine seasons as a pitcher in major league baseball, including a World Series appearance with the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies.
In 2018, the team was sold to the owners of the Midwest League West Michigan Whitecaps who folded the Frontier League franchise and launched a new team in the Northwoods League, the Traverse City Pit Spitters.[3]
History
The Beach Bums were Traverse City's first professional baseball team since 1915. Predecessors included the semi-professional Traverse City Hustlers of the 1890s, and the professional Traverse City Resorters, from 1910 to 1915.[4]
Following the 2004 season, the Frontier League granted a franchise for Traverse City, Michigan. However, the league was not sure whether to consider the team for expansion or relocation. In 2005, the Richmond Roosters were purchased by the Wuerfels and moved to Traverse City.
The Beach Bums played their first home game at Wuerfel Park on May 24, 2006, against the Kalamazoo Kings, with a sell-out crowd of 5,825. The club's final game, a 9-2 loss to the Windy City ThunderBolts, was played at Wuerfel Park on August 31, 2018, before 3,142 spectators.[5]
Season-by-season records
| Richmond Roosters (Frontier League) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | Postseason |
| 1995 | 38-32 | .543 | 4th in FL | |
| 1996 | 39-35 | .527 | 1st in FL West | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Springfield Capitals 2-1 |
| 1997 | 43-37 | .538 | 2nd in FL West | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Evansville Otters 2-1 |
| 1998 | 49-31 | .612 | 2nd in FL West | |
| 1999 | 40-43 | .482 | 4th in FL East | |
| 2000 | 40-43 | .482 | 4th in FL East | |
| 2001 | 49-35 | .583 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Dubois County Dragons 2-1. Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the Chillicothe Paints 3-0. |
| 2002 | 53-31 | .631 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Dubois County Dragons 2-1. Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the Washington Wild Things 3-1 |
| 2003 | 50-39 | .562 | 4th in FL East | |
| 2004 | 43-53 | .448 | 5th in FL East | |
| 2005 | 39-56 | .415 | 6th in FL East | |
| Totals | 483-435 | .526 | ||
| Playoffs | 12-7 | .632 | 1 Division Title, 4 Playoff Appearances, 2 Championships | |
| Traverse City Beach Bums (Frontier League) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | Postseason |
| 2006 | 57-39 | .594 | 3rd in FL East | |
| 2007 | 46-50 | .479 | 4th in FL Central | |
| 2008 | 50-46 | .521 | 2nd in FL East | |
| 2009 | 42-53 | .442 | 5th in FL East | |
| 2010 | 55-41 | .573 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Windy City Thunderbolts 3-1. Frontier League Championship Series: Lost vs. River City Rascals 1-3 |
| 2011 | 51-45 | .531 | 3rd in FL East | |
| 2012 | 64-32 | .667 | 1st in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Southern Illinois Miners 0-3 |
| 2013 | 55-41 | .573 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Lake Erie 2-3 |
| 2014 | 38-58 | .396 | 6th in FL East | |
| 2015 | 56-38 | .596 | 2nd in FL East | Frontier League Play-in Game: Won vs. Rockford 5-1
Frontier League Division Series: Won vs. Normal 2-0 Frontier League Championship Series: Won vs. River City 3-0 |
| 2016 | 42-52 | .447 | 4th in FL East | |
| 2017 | 37-59 | .385 | 6th in FL East | |
| 2018 | 44-51 | .463 | 5th in FL East | |
| Totals | 615-573 | .518 | ||
| Playoffs | 12-9 | .571 | 4 Playoff Appearances | |
References
- "Traverse City Beach Bums unveil logo". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. May 26, 2005. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007.
- "Front Office and Ballpark Staff". Traverse City Beach Bums. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
- "Traverse City to Northwoods League". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- Peek, Jeff (May 22, 2006). "Hustlers, Resorters, and Beach Bums". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Archived from the original on June 20, 2006.
- "Windy City ThunderBolts vs Traverse City Beach Bums box score". Retrieved 27 March 2019.