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Independent Ball

Bill Murray and The Veecks Become New Owners of the Joliet Slammers

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The Joliet Slammers and the Frontier League announced today that the Slammers now have new majority stakeholders.

Official Joliet Slammers Press Release

The Veecks and Bill Murray are Coming to Joliet!

New investment group has acquired a majority stake in the Slammers

The Joliet Slammers are excited to announce that a sale of a majority stake in the team has been completed to a group led by Mike Veeck, Night Train Veeck, and Bill Murray.  Former majority owner Nick Semaca, will stay on with the group as a shareholder.  

Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy said, “Joliet is excited for the opportunity this new ownership brings. We are looking forward to continuing the partnership with the Slammers.”

Semaca purchased the Slammers prior to the 2013 season, bringing stability to a franchise that had three ownership changes in four years.  During his 11 years as owner, the Slammers won the 2018 Frontier League Championship, hosted the 2017 Frontier League All-Star Game, and delighted hundreds of thousands of fans that attended Slammers games over this time.  The team also created the City of Champions Cup in 2020, a mini-league that played during a time when only a few teams across the country were playing in front of fans, utilizing independent league players, players on loan from affiliated teams, and former Major League Baseball players.  

“I am super excited about Mike, Night Train, and Bill coming into our ballclub to launch a new growth era for the Slammers.  And I am excited to remain a part of the ownership group – it really is a great time for the team, the City, and most importantly our fans,” said Semaca.

Mike Veeck is a nationally renowned speaker, entrepreneur, college professor, philanthropist, marketing, promotions and customer care expert.

The Veeck family started in baseball nearly a century ago when Veeck’s grandfather was president of the Chicago Cubs. Veeck’s father, Bill, is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of his time as the owner of the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and the then-minor league Milwaukee Brewers. Famous for so many occurrences at the ballpark, Bill Veeck will always be remembered for signing Larry Doby, the first black man to play in the American League and for sending 3 foot, 6 inch Eddie Gaedel to the plate for the Browns in a 1951 game against Detroit.

“I love Joliet and I’m looking forward to working with all of the Slammers staff, especially my son Night Train,” said Mike Veeck.

Night Train Veeck is the fourth generation of Veecks to work in baseball. He is a seasoned sports marketing executive with a diverse domestic and international background. With 15 seasons between Independent and Minor League Baseball, followed by seven seasons in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox, he has hands-on experience successfully implementing numerous fan-centric marketing, sales, and partnership campaigns. 

Most recently, he has returned to the U.S. after almost two years leading fan engagement for Cricket Australia’s Big Bash League in Melbourne, Australia and shortly thereafter co-founding a Division III pro soccer team in Chicago. Additionally, he serves as an active owner and board member for Larne FC, a Northern Irish first division Soccer Club.

Night Train will be in leadership with the day to day operations of the Slammers.

Bill Murray has earned numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Independent Spirit Awards, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2016, Murray was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.  Murray rose to fame on The National Lampoon Radio Hour (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on Saturday Night Live from 1977 to 1980, where he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. He then established his stardom acting in a string of successful comedy films such as Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), What About Bob? (1991), and Groundhog Day (1993). He also took on supporting roles in Tootsie (1982), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Ed Wood (1994), Kingpin (1996), and Osmosis Jones (2001). 

Murray has been involved in minority ownership of the Minor League Baseball Charleston RiverDogs and St. Paul Saints alongside Mike Veeck.  Prior to being invited to join the affiliated ranks for the 2021 season, the Saints were considered the premier independent baseball team in the country.

The Joliet Slammers will open their 2024 season on Friday, May 10 against the Evansville Otters. Gates will open at 5:35pm, and the game will begin at 6:35pm.  

To celebrate, the Slammers will be offering a specially priced “New Owner, Who dis(count)?” Season Ticket package only available through Monday, January 15th!  Secure your season ticket plan for a crazy fun year at just $375 for a Club Seat and $275 for a Reserved Seat, a $50 savings. 

Visit https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/team.asp?SponsorID=17093 or call 815-271-7792 to join the Slammers family today!

To learn more about the Slammers or the 2024 season, visit www.jolietslammers.com   

Independent Ball

Pioneer League Expands to Oakland, California

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The Pioneer League announced today its plans to expand to California with their first team being set for Oakland, CA. According to the official press release, the league will add a Pacific West Division with another team set to debut in Northern California, That team will be released in January.

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
The Pioneer Baseball League presented by TicketSmarter today announced that in 2024 it will be expanding to Oakland, CA with the launch of its first team, the “Oakland Ballers”, in its newly planned “Pacific West Division”.
 
“I am so excited to usher in the next chapter of the Pioneer League’s future with our expansion to Oakland, California,” said PBL President Mike Shapiro. “Launching our first club in Oakland underscores the PBL’s spirit of innovation and commitment to providing the very best
fan and player development experiences. The richly diverse Oakland community, with its historic baseball heritage, is a perfect first step for the PBL’s expansion beyond its foundational roots in the Mountain West states.”
 
The Oakland Ballers, and the club’s Co-Founders, East Bay-natives Paul Freedman and Bryan Carmel, were introduced at a press conference attended by Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, rapper Mistah F.A.B. and the Baller’s named manager, former MLB player and coach, Micah Franklin.
 
“I strongly believe that the real value of a sports team is in its relationship to the community it serves. Baseball is a sport with deep roots in this country and a rich legacy in the East Bay. That’s why with the Oakland B’s we intend to build a team committed to honoring that legacy and our community. With the Oakland Bs, we are going to bring joy back to the game and give Oaklanders something to be proud of,” said Paul Freedman, co-founder of the Oakland Ballers.
 
The Oakland Ballers have obtained $2 million in initial funding from nearly 50 investors linked to Oakland and the wider East Bay region.
 
The Ballers also announced a formidable coaching and operations team, including the appointment of Don Wakamatsu, serving as the EVP of Baseball Operations for the Ballers. Wakamatsu, a former professional baseball player, notably made history as the first Asian-American manager in MLB history during his tenure with the Seattle Mariners.
 
Franklin, a native of San Francisco, joins as the team’s Manager, boasting 17 years of experience in professional baseball both as a player and scout. Additionally, Ray King, also with major league pitching and coaching experience, will assume the role of the Ballers’ Pitching Coach.
 
“As a proud Bay Area native, it is a tremendous honor for me to step into the role of Manager for the Oakland Ballers. This opportunity is not just about baseball; it’s about honoring the Bay Area baseball community and legacy. I am honored to be a part of a movement to prioritize fans, celebrate our unique culture, and build community. Together with the Oakland Ballers, I am dedicated to bringing a new era of championship baseball to The Town,” said Franklin.
 
In addition to the Ballers, there will be another PBL team located in Northern California that will be announced in January.
 
About the Oakland Ballers:
The Oakland Ballers (aka the B’s) is a new professional baseball team launching in the Spring of 2024. The B’s will join the Pioneer League, which was founded in 1939, as its first ever West Coast franchise. The B’s are backed by almost 50 Bay Area sports fans, who believe that the true value of a sports team is its power to bring people together. The Oakland Ballers are dedicated to delivering a joyful, community focused experience for Oakland and the entire East Bay. We vow to never leave town. Built by Oakland, for Oakland, forever Oakland.

Pioneer League Official Press Release

ESPN was also quick to pick up the story giving the background on how fans rallied together to make the Oakland Ballers a reality.

A consortium of dozens of Oakland-area fans, led by a pair of high school friends, banded together to start the Oakland Ballers — also known as the B’s — who plan to play in the independent Pioneer League starting this summer wearing the same green and gold as the A’s.

The plans for the B’s came together, Freedman said, after the A’s — who have played in Oakland since 1968 — announced their move to Las Vegas. The A’s will play at Oakland Coliseum, their dilapidated home, for the 2024 season, but plans beyond that are unclear until their new stadium in Las Vegas opens for the 2028 season.

“We just felt like our hearts had been ripped from our chests, like all East Bay sports fans,” Carmel said. “Oakland is a city that has seen the Raiders leave town, the Warriors move across town. There was a lot of chatter that maybe Oakland isn’t a pro sports town. We reject that completely.”

ESPN Oakland-area fans start Ballers, an independent baseball team