Kansas City T-Bones

For the 1960s baseball team, see Duluth-Superior Dukes (1960-1970 team).

Kansas City T-Bones
Founded in 2003 Kansas City, Kansas
Team logo	Cap insignia
League affiliations
American Association Central Division Northern League (2003-2010)
Name
Kansas City T-Bones (2003-present) Duluth-Superior Dukes (1993-2002)
Retired Numbers	22 (Buck O'Neil)
Team Colors
Black, maroon, white
Ballpark
CommunityAmerica Ballpark
Championships
League titles: 1 (2008) Division titles: 0
Owner(s)/Operated By: John Ehlert
General Manager: Chris Browne
Manager: Tim Doherty
Media: Kansas City Kansan, The Kansas City Star
Website: www.tbonesbaseball.com

The Kansas City T-Bones are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas, in the United States. The T-Bones are a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The T-Bones have played their home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark since 2003, when the team started as a member of the Northern League. In 2011, the team joined the modern American Association.

History

The team was previously known as the Duluth-Superior Dukes (representing Duluth, MN and Superior, WI), which had won the Northern League championship 1997, though league records do not reflect such continuity.

The T-Bones broke ground on CommunityAmerica Ballpark September 4th, 2002, and just over nine months later played their first home game on June 6th, 2003.

The team's mascot is named "Sizzle".

Yearly Summary

2003

Eddie Pearson led the league in batting average (.362), RBIs (78), and hits (124). and was named 2003 Northern League Player of the Year.

2004

The T-Bones finished the regular season with a 48-48 record. They went to the first round of the playoffs and exited the first round after losing 3 of 5 games to the Schaumburg Flyers. For the year, T-Bones player Eddie Pearson received the Most Valuable Player award, Rick Muntean received co-executive of the year, and the entire team received Organization of the Year. Several League Records were set by T-Bones players: Jonathan Krysa set records for innings pitched (165.1), total batters faced, and games started (24); Rick Prieto set new records for walks (78), and runs (97), while tying the league record for triples (10); and Eddie Pearson set the intentional walks record with 17.

2005

The T-Bones finished 45-49 overall. They finished second in the first half with a record of 27-19, just missing the playoff berth, but never contended in the second half due to the loss of several key players.

2006

Jonathan Krysa was named Northern League Pitcher of the Year with a record of 13-5 and a 3.74 ERA. However, the T-Bones finished third in both halves of the season. They led the second-half race until the final week, when a disastrous season-ending road trip ended their hopes. Their overall record of 45-51 for the season was their franchise-worst record and gave them a 181-194 (.482) record in their four years in Kansas City. On Oct. 16, 2006, the T-Bones announced the firing of manager, "Dirty" Al Gallagher, who had been the team's first and only manager. Andy McCauley replaced him. Gallagher has been in professional baseball since 1965 when he was the fourteenth player overall selected, taken in the first round by the San Francisco Giants, and took another managing job with the St. Joseph Blacksnakes.

2007

The team hired former Schaumburg manager Andy McCauley to replace Gallagher. The team began 2007 with only two players carried over from the previous season, and released them by mid-season for a 100% turnover of its 22-man roster. The T-Bones finished deep in last place in the Southern Division in the first half, but moved into the lead during the second-half and held that lead until a late-season collapse left them in a disappointing second-place finish. The team's overall 44-52 record was one game worse than the previous season's franchise record. Despite their disappointing finish, the organization was named Northern League Organization of the Year.

2008

The Northern League contracted to six teams, and a single-division full season schedule was used. The T-Bones finished only marginally better (46-50) than the two previous seasons, but nonetheless qualified as the fourth team in the playoffs. They shocked the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the semi-final round of the playoffs, sweeping them in three games, and then defeated the Gary SouthShore RailCats three games to one to win the Northern League championship.

2009

The T-Bones matched their previous season's record (46-50) and finish (fourth in a six-team league), but could not advance past the first round, losing that series 3-2 to Gary. Shortly after the end of the season, the team announced that hitting coach Tim Doherty had been promoted to manager for the following season, replacing Andy McCauley.

2010

The Northern League expanded to eight teams again, but maintained the same playoff format, allowing the top four finishers into the post-season. The T-Bones enjoyed their most successful season under new manager Tim Doherty, winning 58 games and setting a new league record with 162 home runs, exceeding the previous high by more than 30 per cent. They led through much of the year, but faded in the stretch to finish in second place, three games behind Fargo-Moorhead. T-Bones second baseman Jason Blackwood led the Northern League in home runs (31), RBI (86), runs scored (82), hits (141), total bases (271), and slugging percentage (.636) while finishing third in batting average (.331), and was named 2010 Northern League Player of the Year. The team beat Joliet three games to two in the first round of the playoffs, but were swept in three games by Fargo-Moorhead in the finals. The T-Bones were named Northern League Organization of the Year for the second time in four seasons, and CommunityAmerica Ballpark was named "Northern League Playing Surface of the Year" for the second straight season.

2011

On October 13, 2010, the T-Bones left the Northern League, along with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Gary SouthShore RailCats, and the Winnipeg Goldeyes to join the American Association for the 2011 season. ^[1]

Year-by-year record

				First Half			Second Half			Overall
Season		Division		W-L	Finish		W-L	Finish		W-L	Win%		Playoffs
2003		West		20-25	4th		23-21	2nd		43-46	.483		Did not qualify
2004		South		20-28	4th		28-20	1st		48-48	.500		Lost semi-final 2-3
2005		South		27-19	2nd		18-30	5th		45-49	.479		Did not qualify
2006		South		22-26	3rd		23-25	3rd		45-51	.469		Did not qualify
2007		South		18-30	4th		26-22	2nd		44-52	.458		Did not qualify
2008		N/A		46-50	4th		N/A	N/A		46-50	.479		Won semi-final 3-0; won championship 3-1
2009		N/A		46-50	4th		N/A	N/A		46-50	.479		Lost semi-final 2-3
2010		N/A		58-42	2nd		N/A	N/A		58-42	.580		Won semi-final 3-2; lost championship 0-3

Current roster

Kansas City T-Bones rosterv · d · e
Active (22-man) roster				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 3 Dewon Brazelton 12 Andrew Cruse 28 Brett Davis 27 Erik Hamren 35 Justin James 50 Ryan Knippschild -- Grant Ledbetter 16 Kevin Light 21 Cody McAllister -- Jose Rodriguez 24 Reid Santos 47 Steven Stewart 32 Josh Wahpepah		Catchers 6 Keith Hernandez -- Craig Hurba 8 Eladio Rodriguez Infielders 10 Jacob Blackwood 41 Jim Fasano 7 Jimmy Mojica -- Kala Ka'aihue 20 Rico Washington Outfielders 33 Ryan Fox 23 Brian Joynt 13 Ray Sadler 9 Keanon Simon 14 Dwayne White		Manager 4 Tim Doherty Coaches 44 Caleb Balbuena (Pitching) 19 Damian Rolls (Hitting) Disabled list ‡ Inactive list § Suspended list Roster updated 2010-06-06 Transactions

External links

• T-Bones web site
• Kansas City Star T-Bones articles
• nlfan.com Kansas City T-Bones Guide
• nlfan.com Duluth-Superior Dukes Guide
• Duluth-Superior Dukes Tribute Page

References

1. ^ Four Clubs Added to American Association

• nlfan.com - yearly league standings & awards

Achievements
Preceded by St. Paul Saints 1996	Northern League Champions Duluth-Superior Dukes 1997	Succeeded by Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 1998
Preceded by Gary SouthShore RailCats 2007	Northern League Champions Kansas City T-Bones 2008	Succeeded by Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 2009