VIPERS ALL-STARS TO PLAY IN LONE STAR STATECalgary Vipers players who are selected to the Golden League 2008 mid-season All-Star team will earn a free trip to Texas. The Golden League today announced a two year partnership agreement with the United Baseball League to stage the annual All-Star game against each other in 2008 and 2009.
The 2008 game will be played on Tuesday, July 15th in San Angelo, Texas as the San Angelo Colts host the game at the beautiful 4200 seat Foster Field. The 2009 game will be played in southern California hosted by the Orange County Flyers.
Baseball America Player of the Year Darryl Brinkley along with 2007 All-Stars Carlos Duncan, Nelson Castro and Evan Greusel will be heavily favoured to represent the Vipers in San Angelo.
The GBL and ULB are two of the most heavily scouted independent leagues in the country and together had over 30 of their players from 2007 acquired by major league organizations. The 20-man rosters will be comprised of players from the eight GBL teams in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and western Canada versus players from the six United League teams in Texas and Louisiana.
Although these two leagues, of the seven independent minor leagues in the nation, total less than 20% of independent teams they produced five of the top nine Baseball America Top Indy Prospects in 2007, took 6 of the 13 spots on the 2007 Baseball Ball America All-Indy First Team, and had the Independent Leagues Player of the Year in .400 hitting Darryl Brinkley of the Calgary Vipers.
The Vipers and Edmonton Cracker-Cats joined the Golden League in October and will compete in 2008 against Hall of Famer Gary Carter and his Orange County (CA) Flyers, Steve Yeager and his Long Beach (CA) Armada, former major league All-Star Jeffrey Leonard and his Reno (NV) SilverSox, the Chico (CA) Outlaws, St. George (UT) Roadrunners and Yuma (AZ) Scorpions. The GBL also expects expansion of up to three teams in British Columbia and Washington for the 2009 season and from two to three additional franchises in California and Arizona.
Vipers’ player/coach Darryl Brinkley will also act in a similar capacity in the Golden League’s Winter League beginning the first week in February. Brinkley is current finishing up the playoffs in the Venezuelan Winter League. Carlos Duncan is also in the finals of the Colombian Winter League where he again leads the league in home runs and runs batted in.
