- Chris fink fifth third bank movie#
- Chris fink fifth third bank professional#
- Chris fink fifth third bank free#
The Whitecaps recognized the rich history of baseball in Grand Rapids with six "Turn Back The Clock" tribute games in 1996. The West Michigan Whitecaps are keeping the century-old baseball tradition alive. Rasberry fought to keep black baseball alive until 1960, when the league, which at one point consisted of 16 teams, shrunk to only four (two of them being Rasberry's Stars and Monarchs) due to the falling of the racial barrier.
His team, the Sullivans, were noted for their success in amateur baseball play and in sending players to the majors for almost four decades.Īnother local hero, Ted Rasberry, owned the Grand Rapids Black Sox and later the Detroit Stars and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. But local baseball legend Bob Sullivan successfully bucked this trend.
Chris fink fifth third bank professional#
Locally-sponsored professional baseball all but disappeared in this country during the 1950's as television brought major league baseball into the home. The Chicks were popular and played excellent baseball, winning the AAGPBL playoff pennant in 1947 and again in 1953, but were forced to disband when the league folded in 1954.įor a time, the Chicks had competition from a men's team, the Grand Rapids Jets, who played minor league baseball in the Central League from 1948 through 1951.
Chris fink fifth third bank movie#
Toward the end of the war, the Chicks of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (immortalized in the movie "A League of Their Own") came to Grand Rapids from Milwaukee. The Dodger Colts, as the team was called, played at Bigelow Field on South Division until the outbreak of World War II ended their stay. Because enthusiasm for the game was so high, the Dodgers decided to place a farm team in Grand Rapids for the 1940 season. When the Brooklyn Dodgers barnstormed through Grand Rapids in 1939, they discovered more than 50 teams playing in six city leagues. Many teams came and went in the early 1900's, but with the onset of the Great Depression in the late '20's, professional baseball all but ended in Grand Rapids.įans were still able to enjoy semi-pro baseball in the area during the Depression. The team had no nickname and played home games at Recreation Park on weekdays and at Alger Park on Reeds Lake on weekends. The original professional team in Grand Rapids was organized in late 1882 and played as a charter franchise in the Northwestern League in 1883. Playing in a variety of leagues, the teams went by such nicknames as Furnituremakers, Rustlers, Gold Bugs, Ganzeloids, Braves, Black Sox, Bissell Sweepers, Bill-Eds, Billberts, Billbobs, Dodger Colts, Chicks, Orphans, Jets and Joshers. But Grand Rapids has a strong history of baseball as more than 30 professional teams, both men's and women's, and dozens of amateur leagues have called this area home since 1883.
Until the West Michigan Whitecaps began their inaugural season in 1994, Grand Rapids had been without a professional baseball team for 40 years, since the Grand Rapids Chicks disbanded in 1954.
Chris fink fifth third bank free#
Glass received two season tickets for the inaugural 1994 season, a team jacket and free luxury suite for a night as grand prize winner. Some of the more unusual entries included: Apple Knockers, Beach fleas, Chicken Hawks, Fruit Flies, ET's, Aardvarks, Hunks, Mud Sox, Mug-wumps, Office Workers, Nimrods, Sand Burrs, Steelheaders and Wet Sox.
Some of the most popular were the Waves, Robins, Grand Slammers, Lumbermen, River Rats, Mitts, Mittens, Muskies, Lakers and Diamonds. More than 100 names were suggested for the team during the contest. 'Whitecapping' is a common occurrence on the river and lake due to turbulent or rough wind and water conditions.Besides, giving the team the moniker gives fans performing the 'Wave' more meaning." "The moniker is also relevant in geographic sense since Grand Rapids is situated next to the Grand River and east of Lake Michigan. So, the West Michigan Whitecaps has some connection with baseball tradition. His winning entry read: ".Historically, there have been major league teams nicknamed after their attire (i.e. Twenty-two fans chose the name Whitecaps, and Brian Glass of Rockford was chosen the winner based on how well the name ties the team to the area, the originality of the name and the creativity of the explanation. The contest, in which 1,800 fans entered, concluded on September 26, 1993, when Chamberlin and Baxter selected the name Whitecaps. (as the fledgling team was then called) ran a lengthy Name The Team Contest to allow the West Michigan public to cast their vote on a name for the team.
0 kommentar(er)
