The Calgary Vipers will open training camp for their third Northern League season this week at newly renovated Foothills Stadium.

In the off season the Vipers have removed all the bleachers from the main grandstand and replaced them with the chairs from the Lower Bowl.

Installation in the Lower Bowl of 2400 new, wider seats will be completed this week.

In addition a new backstop has been installed with the removal of all but two of the existing poles between the dugouts. New, nearly invisible backstop netting has replaced the decades old original.

Work continues on the new Club Seating area that will separate the Lower and Upper Bowls.

By opening night a new Food Court will be operational just inside the front gates and the concourse will be enclosed with bright Vipers baseball murals.

The Vipers will also be welcoming their 2007 Sponsors on Thursday and outline plans for the Cardel Night Under the Stars, the Cardel Carnival and Paint the Park Pink weekend.

This season all Super Drug Marts will be featuring the Pepsi Party Pack for all Vipers games. A ten dollar voucher will give fans a ticket to the game, a Pepsi, hot dog and bag of chips.

Field Manager will welcome 29 hopefuls to training camp including 12 from the 2006 roster. Eight of those are position players who together form one of the scariest offences in the Northern League. Leading the way are veterans Carlos Duncan and Darryl Brinkley.

Duncan, the NL Stolen Base record holder is coming off a fantastic Colombian winter ball season where he was the MVP and triple crown winner.

Brinkley on the other hand brings 13 years of minor league experience to Calgary including over 400 games at the AAA level.

The Vipers 2006 Most Outstanding Player Drew Miller is also back. The Medicine Hat, Alberta product had a productive second season in Calgary playing in all 96 games. Miller was notorious for getting on base; hitting .297, collecting 100 hits, being walked 51 times, hit by pitch an astonishing 20 times and leading the team with 63 runs scored, all this resulting in the fifth best on base percentage in the Northern League at .418.

Left handed hitting sluggers Aaron McEachran and Jason Colson also return. McEachran was a Northern League All-Star and also the 2007 Hardest Working Viper playing in all 96 games, being second on the team in both home runs with 9 and runs batted in with 57. Colson meanwhile in his 82 games with the Vipers has belted 11 home runs with 48 runs batted in.

The 2007 Snakes will also have great speed to go along with all that power with both Manabu Kuramochi and veteran Nelson Castro returning. Kuramochi in his first season in the league was not only a Northern League All-Star but also named Rookie of the Year. Even though he was limited to 67 games Manabu was fourth in the league in both stolen bases with 29, and on base percentage at .423, while also having the league's ninth best average at .303. Castro on the other hand brings over a 100 games of experience at the AAA level and last season stole 13 bases, while also hammering 6 home runs and collecting 43 runs batted in.

The Vipers pitching staff will be for the third season in a row anchored by ace Evan Greusel. The 2006 Outstanding Pitcher of the Year led the entire Northern League in shutouts with 2, while being third in complete games with 2, and having the ninth best earned run average at 3.49. July was Greusel's best month being named player of the week twice and eventually player of the month.

Evan this season will be surrounded by primarily new faces to the organization on the pitching staff. None bigger than former Major League pitcher David Manning who has 14 years of pro experience including a stop in Milwaukee to pitch for the Brewers in 2003. Former Minnesota Twins 7th round selection Chris Schutt also joins Calgary after a great season in Fort Myers high A ball last year posting a 2.76 earned run average in 37 appearances.

One of Carlos Duncan's Columbian teammates Daivis Burguillos joins the staff and will make his North American debut this summer. Evan Greusel's neighbourhood friend Jeff Groeger comes to the Vipers after a solid 2006 season. The 6'5" right-hander had the fourth most strikeouts with 76 and fifth most wins with 7 in the Golden League with Fullerton. Speaking of height another 6'5" pitcher Ryan Olson comes to the Vipers. This lefty was with Groeger in Fullerton last season posting a 2.89 earned run average in 29 games.

Finally Ryan Klatt of Lubbock, Texas comes to the Snakes after a stellar season with Lake Elsinore of high A ball posting 3.02 earned run average in 55 appearances.