Salt Lake Bees
Encyclopedia
The Salt Lake Bees are a Pacific Coast League
(PCL) minor league baseball
team based in Salt Lake City, Utah
. The Bees serve as the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball
's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
. They play their home games at Spring Mobile Ballpark, known to fans as the Apiary
, which was opened in 1994 and seats 15,500 fans. The current franchise dates from 1994, when Joe Buzas
, owner of the PCL Portland Beavers
, moved the team to Salt Lake City.
Known as the Salt Lake Buzz from 1994 to 2000, the team changed its name to the Salt Lake Stingers in 2001. The change was forced by a trademark dilution lawsuit filed by Georgia Tech
, whose yellowjacket
mascot is named Buzz
. Later that year, the Angels won the 2002 World Series
and made history in Game 7 when rookie pitcher John Lackey
, called up from the Stingers earlier in the year, was the game's winning pitcher. He became the first rookie to do so in nearly 100 years.
On October 27, 2005, the team announced the Stingers would henceforth be known as the Salt Lake Bees, the name of the original PCL franchise which played in Salt Lake City from 1915 to 1926. The official press release read, in part: "Owner, Larry H. Miller, announced today that the Salt Lake Stingers have officially changed the teams name to the Salt Lake Bees. The new logo, colors and uniforms were also unveiled. The change brings Salt Lake baseball back to its original franchise name and look when the state's first Pacific Coast League team was named the Bees in 1915."
The team was owned by former major league
player Joe Buzas
until his death in 2003. It was then owned by the late Larry H. Miller
, who owned the NBA
's Utah Jazz
.
, though a charter member of the PCL, suffered on the field and at the gate, being exiled at times to Tacoma
, Fresno
, and San Francisco
. After the 1914 season, the forlorn team was sold to Salt Lake City businessman Bill "Hardpan" Lane, who brought PCL baseball to Utah in the form of the newly-renamed Salt Lake Bees (possibly in reference to the fact that the bee is a symbol in the LDS Church, which is headquartered in Utah). On March 31, 1915, the first PCL game was played in the state of Utah, as 10,000 fans poured into Bonneville Park to cheer the Bees to a 9–3 win over the Vernon Tigers
.
Though the original Bees never won a PCL pennant, the team drew attendees well, especially considering the small market size. Other team owners, though, resented the cost of travel to Salt Lake City. When the Vernon Tigers abandoned Los Angeles
after the 1925 season, it was suggested to Lane that he would do well to transfer his team to Southern California. So after eleven seasons, the Bees moved to Los Angeles for the 1926 season. At first known as the Hollywood Bees, the team soon became known as the Hollywood Stars
. After ten seasons in Hollywood, the team transferred again, to San Diego, where it played as the San Diego Padres
from 1936 to 1968. Salt Lake City was without a baseball team until 1946 when it received a franchise in the Pioneer League.
When the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the second version of the Hollywood Stars was forced to relocate and, in an ironic twist, were sold and moved "back" to Salt Lake City, becoming the Salt Lake City Bees. In 1959, the Bees won their first-ever PCL pennant, edging the Vancouver Mounties
by 1½ games. In 1963, the team began its first season ever as a farm team, becoming a full affiliate of the Chicago Cubs
. This second version of the Bees played in the PCL from 1958 to 1965 before moving to Tacoma. As before, the void created by the loss of the PCL was filled by the Pioneer League from 1966 to 1969.
In 1970, the Pacific Coast League returned to Salt Lake City for the third time in the form of the Salt Lake City Padres, the Triple-A farm team for the San Diego Padres. The affiliation only lasted one season, and in 1971, the California Angels moved their Triple-A affiliate from Hawaii (where they had a short, but historic run of PCL dominance) to Salt Lake City and took their parent's name of Angels. Although remaining the top affiliate for the Angels, in 1975 the Angels were renamed the Salt Lake Gulls. The Salt Lake Gulls became the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners
in 1982 before being purchased and moved to Calgary for the 1985 season. Though the team never achieved a first-place finish, it won PCL pennants in 1971 and 1979, winning the playoffs both years. From 1985 to 1992, Salt Lake City fielded a team in the Pioneer League once again, the Salt Lake City Trappers
. In 1987, the Trappers won 29 consecutive games to establish an all-time pro baseball record.
In 1993, Salt Lake City and Portland Beavers
owner Joe Buzas
made a deal where the city would build a new ballpark on the site of historic Derks Field
and Buzas would move his team to Salt Lake City in 1994. The new ballpark, Franklin Quest Field, opened in 1994 with the newly renamed Salt Lake Buzz breaking the all-time PCL attendance record. The Buzz became the Salt Lake Stingers in 2001 and, as noted above, adopted the traditional moniker of Salt Lake Bees in 2006.
In 1998, as the Salt Lake Buzz, the team gained national exposure when a fictionalized version of the team was the focus of the film Major League: Back to the Minors
.
The Bees started the 2008 season with a 21-1 record, the best start in minor league history, according to MinorLeagueBaseball.com.
Tragedy struck the Bees on April 9, 2009, when former team member Nick Adenhart
was killed in a car accident near Fullerton, California. Adenhart had pitched only hours before for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, earning a no-decision but allowing no runs. Adenhart had spent most of the 2008 season with the Salt Lake Bees, finishing with a 9-13 record and 5.76 ERA in 26 appearances.
In 2009, the Bees had their 8,000,000th fan come through the gates at Spring Mobile Ballpark. The fan, nine year-old Cade Pies, got to throw out the first pitch and received five season tickets.
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
(PCL) minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
team based in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. The Bees serve as the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. They play their home games at Spring Mobile Ballpark, known to fans as the Apiary
Apiary
An apiary is a place where beehives of honey bees are kept. Traditionally beekeepers paid land rent in honey for the use of small parcels. Some farmers will provide free apiary sites, because they need pollination, and farmers who need many hives often pay for them to be moved to the crops when...
, which was opened in 1994 and seats 15,500 fans. The current franchise dates from 1994, when Joe Buzas
Joe Buzas
Joseph John "Joe" Buzas was a Major League Baseball shortstop. Buzas played for the New York Yankees in the baseball season. In 30 career games, he had 17 hits, 6 RBIs and a .262 batting average. He batted and threw right-handed.He was the owner of the Salt Lake Stingers and the team's president...
, owner of the PCL Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
, moved the team to Salt Lake City.
Known as the Salt Lake Buzz from 1994 to 2000, the team changed its name to the Salt Lake Stingers in 2001. The change was forced by a trademark dilution lawsuit filed by Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, whose yellowjacket
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries...
mascot is named Buzz
Buzz (mascot)
Buzz is one of the two official mascots of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Buzz is usually represented as a stylized yellowjacket with yellow-and-black fur, white wings, a yellow head, and antennae. He is almost never drawn with six legs, but rather with arms, legs, hands and feet , like a...
. Later that year, the Angels won the 2002 World Series
2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
and made history in Game 7 when rookie pitcher John Lackey
John Lackey
John Derran Lackey is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Lackey was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 1999 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title in 2002, which was his first season in the major leagues...
, called up from the Stingers earlier in the year, was the game's winning pitcher. He became the first rookie to do so in nearly 100 years.
On October 27, 2005, the team announced the Stingers would henceforth be known as the Salt Lake Bees, the name of the original PCL franchise which played in Salt Lake City from 1915 to 1926. The official press release read, in part: "Owner, Larry H. Miller, announced today that the Salt Lake Stingers have officially changed the teams name to the Salt Lake Bees. The new logo, colors and uniforms were also unveiled. The change brings Salt Lake baseball back to its original franchise name and look when the state's first Pacific Coast League team was named the Bees in 1915."
The team was owned by former major league
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Joe Buzas
Joe Buzas
Joseph John "Joe" Buzas was a Major League Baseball shortstop. Buzas played for the New York Yankees in the baseball season. In 30 career games, he had 17 hits, 6 RBIs and a .262 batting average. He batted and threw right-handed.He was the owner of the Salt Lake Stingers and the team's president...
until his death in 2003. It was then owned by the late Larry H. Miller
Larry H. Miller
Lawrence Horne "Larry H." Miller was a Utah businessman and philanthropist who was well known as the owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz and the of Triple-A baseball team, the Salt Lake Bees, 41 automotive dealerships throughout the Western United States , and a variety of other business ventures...
, who owned the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
Team history
The Sacramento SolonsSacramento Solons
The Sacramento Solons were a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods . The current Sacramento River Cats began play in 2000...
, though a charter member of the PCL, suffered on the field and at the gate, being exiled at times to Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, and San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. After the 1914 season, the forlorn team was sold to Salt Lake City businessman Bill "Hardpan" Lane, who brought PCL baseball to Utah in the form of the newly-renamed Salt Lake Bees (possibly in reference to the fact that the bee is a symbol in the LDS Church, which is headquartered in Utah). On March 31, 1915, the first PCL game was played in the state of Utah, as 10,000 fans poured into Bonneville Park to cheer the Bees to a 9–3 win over the Vernon Tigers
Vernon Tigers
The Vernon Tigers were a minor league baseball team which played in the Pacific Coast League from 1909 through 1925. Vernon, California, was and is a small town in Los Angeles County. The Tigers, together with the Sacramento Solons, joined the PCL as new teams in 1909 as the league expanded from...
.
Though the original Bees never won a PCL pennant, the team drew attendees well, especially considering the small market size. Other team owners, though, resented the cost of travel to Salt Lake City. When the Vernon Tigers abandoned Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
after the 1925 season, it was suggested to Lane that he would do well to transfer his team to Southern California. So after eleven seasons, the Bees moved to Los Angeles for the 1926 season. At first known as the Hollywood Bees, the team soon became known as the Hollywood Stars
Hollywood Stars
The Hollywood Stars were a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early and mid 20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.-Hollywood Stars :...
. After ten seasons in Hollywood, the team transferred again, to San Diego, where it played as the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres (PCL)
The San Diego Padres were a minor league baseball team which played in the Pacific Coast League from 1936 through 1968. The team that would eventually become the Padres was well traveled prior to moving to San Diego. It began its existence in 1903 as the Sacramento Solons, a charter member of the PCL...
from 1936 to 1968. Salt Lake City was without a baseball team until 1946 when it received a franchise in the Pioneer League.
When the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the second version of the Hollywood Stars was forced to relocate and, in an ironic twist, were sold and moved "back" to Salt Lake City, becoming the Salt Lake City Bees. In 1959, the Bees won their first-ever PCL pennant, edging the Vancouver Mounties
Vancouver Mounties
The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Mounties played in the Pacific Coast League from 1956 through 1962 as the relocated Oakland Oaks franchise, and from 1965 through 1969 when the Dallas Rangers moved back to Canada.The...
by 1½ games. In 1963, the team began its first season ever as a farm team, becoming a full affiliate of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. This second version of the Bees played in the PCL from 1958 to 1965 before moving to Tacoma. As before, the void created by the loss of the PCL was filled by the Pioneer League from 1966 to 1969.
In 1970, the Pacific Coast League returned to Salt Lake City for the third time in the form of the Salt Lake City Padres, the Triple-A farm team for the San Diego Padres. The affiliation only lasted one season, and in 1971, the California Angels moved their Triple-A affiliate from Hawaii (where they had a short, but historic run of PCL dominance) to Salt Lake City and took their parent's name of Angels. Although remaining the top affiliate for the Angels, in 1975 the Angels were renamed the Salt Lake Gulls. The Salt Lake Gulls became the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
in 1982 before being purchased and moved to Calgary for the 1985 season. Though the team never achieved a first-place finish, it won PCL pennants in 1971 and 1979, winning the playoffs both years. From 1985 to 1992, Salt Lake City fielded a team in the Pioneer League once again, the Salt Lake City Trappers
Salt Lake City Trappers
The Salt Lake City Trappers were an independent Pioneer League minor league baseball team, based in Salt Lake City from 1985 to 1992. The Trappers played their home games at Derks Field, located at the present-day site of Spring Mobile Ballpark. The team is best known for winning 29 consecutive...
. In 1987, the Trappers won 29 consecutive games to establish an all-time pro baseball record.
In 1993, Salt Lake City and Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
owner Joe Buzas
Joe Buzas
Joseph John "Joe" Buzas was a Major League Baseball shortstop. Buzas played for the New York Yankees in the baseball season. In 30 career games, he had 17 hits, 6 RBIs and a .262 batting average. He batted and threw right-handed.He was the owner of the Salt Lake Stingers and the team's president...
made a deal where the city would build a new ballpark on the site of historic Derks Field
Derks Field
Derks Field was a baseball stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the home field of the Salt Lake Bees, Salt Lake Gulls, and the Salt Lake City Trappers of the Pioneer Baseball League until the Franklin Covey Field opened on the same site in 1994. It also hosted the Salt Lake Sting of A-League. ...
and Buzas would move his team to Salt Lake City in 1994. The new ballpark, Franklin Quest Field, opened in 1994 with the newly renamed Salt Lake Buzz breaking the all-time PCL attendance record. The Buzz became the Salt Lake Stingers in 2001 and, as noted above, adopted the traditional moniker of Salt Lake Bees in 2006.
In 1998, as the Salt Lake Buzz, the team gained national exposure when a fictionalized version of the team was the focus of the film Major League: Back to the Minors
Major League: Back to the Minors
Major League: Back to the Minors is a 1998 film, distributed by Warner Bros., directed and written by John Warren, with David S. Ward taking the co-writer duties. It is the third film in the Major League series.-Cast:...
.
The Bees started the 2008 season with a 21-1 record, the best start in minor league history, according to MinorLeagueBaseball.com.
Tragedy struck the Bees on April 9, 2009, when former team member Nick Adenhart
Nick Adenhart
Nicholas James Adenhart was an American right-handed baseball starting pitcher who played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
was killed in a car accident near Fullerton, California. Adenhart had pitched only hours before for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, earning a no-decision but allowing no runs. Adenhart had spent most of the 2008 season with the Salt Lake Bees, finishing with a 9-13 record and 5.76 ERA in 26 appearances.
In 2009, the Bees had their 8,000,000th fan come through the gates at Spring Mobile Ballpark. The fan, nine year-old Cade Pies, got to throw out the first pitch and received five season tickets.
Notable past players
- Bernardo BritoBernardo BritoBernardo Brito known as EL Pupo , is a retired professional baseball player who played outfield & designated hitter in the Major Leagues from -...
- Chone FigginsChone FigginsDesmond DeChone "Chone" Figgins is an American Major League Baseball third baseman for the Seattle Mariners. Figgins is a utility player, playing all positions except catcher, pitcher, and first base.-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:...
- LaTroy HawkinsLaTroy HawkinsLaTroy Hawkins is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Through 2011, he was third of all active pitchers in career games pitched.-Minnesota Twins:...
- John LackeyJohn LackeyJohn Derran Lackey is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Lackey was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 1999 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title in 2002, which was his first season in the major leagues...
- David OrtizDavid OrtizDavid Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
- Todd WalkerTodd WalkerTodd Arthur Walker is a former Major League Baseball infielder.-College:Walker attended LSU where he led the Tigers to the 1993 national championship. He also earned the 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. In 2006, Walker was elected to the LSU Hall of Fame...
- Jered WeaverJered WeaverJered David Weaver , is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
- Nick AdenhartNick AdenhartNicholas James Adenhart was an American right-handed baseball starting pitcher who played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
- Joe SaundersJoe SaundersJoseph Francis Saunders is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.-College and minor league career:...
- Howie KendrickHowie KendrickHoward "Howie" Joseph Kendrick III is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.-Early life:...
- Robb QuinlanRobb QuinlanRobb William Quinlan is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He plays first base, third base, corner outfield, catcher and designated hitter....
- Torii HunterTorii HunterTorii Kedar Hunter is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Hunter has taken away many home runs throughout his 13-year major league career by "climbing the fence" in the outfield. He has won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder.Hunter resides...