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Independent Ball

What’s New with the United Shore League

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Take Me Out to the Ball Game
May 11th is Opening Day for the 2017 United Shore Professional Baseball League Season
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Utica, Mich. – The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), metro-Detroit’s first independent professional baseball league, will open its second season on May 11, 2017, 7:05 pm at Jimmy John’s Field in downtown Utica, when the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers face the hometown favorite, and reigning champion, Utica Unicorns. Games will be played every Thursday through Sunday until September 10, 2017.
New Team
Fans can expect an array of new and exciting sights, sounds and scents in 2017. For starters, the league has added a fourth team to the roster. The Westside Woolly Mammoths will battle it out with the Utica Unicorns, Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers and Eastside Diamond Hoppers for this year’s pennant.
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New Ballpark Features
The league is adding new outdoor bars to its 3 picnic patio areas (Right Field Patio, Left Field Patio, and Chevrolet Pavilion). The full service bars will feature fountain soda, draft beer, and TV’s to catch all the latest scores. The league also is adding a new stage beyond the right centerfield wall to showcase the many bands that play at the ballpark throughout the season.
New Food
The league has hired new executive head chef Joseph Johnson – most recently from the Inn at Stonecliffe on Mackinac Island and The Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth. Joining him is David Parker, the league’s new director of food and beverage, who brings considerable experience via the Montgomery Biscuits (AA affiliate team of the Tampa Bay Ray’s), Lansing Lugnuts and The Great Lakes Loons. Also new to the food and beverage staff is Nathan Liska, assistant director of food and beverage. Liska was formerly a chef at Andiamo Restaurant and The Tiger Den in Comerica Park.
The new staff has made significant changes to the type and quality of food that will be served at Jimmy John’s Field during the 2017 season. Fans can expect a lot more cooked to order foods made with fresh ingredients—the league is even planting its own herb garden to use in its recipes. The USPBL also hired a BBQ Pit Master and will be serving fresh, smoked on site BBQ favorites such as pulled pork, wings, ribs and chicken. Fans will also be able to enjoy such wide-varying fare as: Philly Cheese Steak Nachos, Foot-Long Hot Dogs and Sausages, Garlic Fries and more.  Additionally, fans will be able to enjoy Chick-fil-A on Thursday nights and Lou & Harry’s, an East Lansing institution, on Friday nights.
New Promotions
The USPBL is all about affordable family fun and has lined-up an exciting season of promotional game days and nights, including:
  • The Human Cannon Ball
  • World Famous Team Ghost Riders (the cowboy monkeys who performed at the inaugural opening day in 2016)
  • Helicopter Candy Drops for Kids
  • The Zooperstars
  • America’s Got Talent’s Quick Change
  • Jake the Diamond Dog
  • Jimmy Buffett Night
  • Star Wars Night
  • Peanut Free Night
  • Family Campout Night
  • WCSX Classic Rock Saturdays
  • WYCD Country Music Nights
  • Heritage Nights to honor the German, Greek, Irish, Italian, and Polish communities
  • Bobblehead, Hat & T-Shirt Giveaways
  • Fireworks Spectaculars every Friday night
  • Kids run the bases after every game
A complete list of promotions and dates can be found at https://uspbl.com/promotions/.
Tickets are affordably priced and start at just $12 in the grandstand and $6 dollars for lawn. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at Jimmy John’s Field or online at https://uspbl.com/tickets/.  Parking is free.
About United Shore Professional Baseball League     
     
Rochester, MI-based General Sports and Entertainment founded the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), an independent professional baseball league, in Metro Detroit in 2015.  The league plays in the new, state-of-the-art $16 million ballpark named Jimmy John’s Field located in downtown Utica, Mich.  The first of its kind for the region, the USPBL provides a fun and exciting family atmosphere while showcasing top baseball talent to fans of all ages. The inaugural season of the USPBL, which began on Memorial Day 2016, featured three teams—the Utica Unicorns, the Eastside Diamond Hoppers and the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers, from which 12 players were signed to contracts by Major League organizations. The 2017 USPBL season will feature four teams with the addition of the Westside Woolly Mammoths, and the season will begin on May 11, 2017 and run through September 10, 2017.  Additional teams and ballparks will be added in future years.

 

 

Independent Ball

USPBL Unveils (Pre)Historic Fourth Team

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Indy Ball Island has been a proud supporter of the United Shore Professional Baseball League since their inception. After an amazing first season, the league has announced that there will now be a fourth team playing at Jimmy John’s Field for the 2017 season.

Rochester, Mich. – January 4, 2017 – The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), metro-Detroit’s first independent professional baseball league, founded by Rochester, MI- based General Sports and Entertainment, today announced the name of the league’s highly anticipated fourth team – the Westside Woolly Mammoths. Core team colors are dark and light blue with red accents.  Alternate uniforms will also bring in orange and animal print designs that harken back to “The Flintstones” – all independent league unique and trendsetting.

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“There have been numerous Mastodons found in Michigan over the last 100 years, and I always thought “Mastodons” had great potential as a sports team name. “Woolly Mammoth” was better, although one had not been discovered here,” said Andy Appleby, USPBL founder and commissioner. “Then, in 2015, a mammoth, complete with huge tusks, was unearthed on a farm in Chelsea, Michigan and our inspiration was complete. In addition to being distinctive, the “Woolly Mammoths” name also allows for a whole host of fun marketing and merchandising opportunities. We are absolutely thrilled with the results.”

The Westside Woolly Mammoths will play the 2017 season at the state-of-the-art Jimmy John’s Field in Utica, MI along with the USPBL’s three original teams – the Utica Unicorns, the Eastside Diamond Hoppers, and the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers.  Shane McCatty, who served as Assistant Manager of the league champion Utica Unicorns in 2016, will manage the Westside Woolly Mammoths.  The USPBL’s 2017 Season begins on May 11, 2017 and runs through September 10, 2017, with games being played every Thursday through Sunday – perfect for families.

The USPBL was designed as a developmental finishing school for players seeking to make it to the Majors, and the 2016 season was an unqualified success, as 9 USPBL players were picked up by Major League organizations during the league’s first year of operation.  Tens of thousands of fans attending games at Jimmy John’s Field during the league’s inaugural season witnessed exceptional professional baseball, as they experienced a first-class ballpark, high-level of customer service, and affordable pricing that made it easy for an outstanding family night out. The USPBL also became an important new community asset, with more than 500 charities leveraging the USPBL and Jimmy John’s Field for various fundraising endeavors in 2016.

About United Shore Professional Baseball League 

Rochester, MI-based General Sports and Entertainment founded the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), an independent professional baseball league, in Metro Detroit in 2015. The league plays in the new, state-of-the-art $16 million ballpark named Jimmy John’s Field located in downtown Utica, Mich.  The first of its kind for the region, the USPBL provides a fun and exciting family atmosphere while showcasing top baseball talent to fans of all ages. The inaugural season of the USPBL, which began on Memorial Day 2016, featured three teams—the Utica Unicorns, the Eastside Diamond Hoppers and the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers. The 2017 USPBL season will feature four teams with the addition of the Westside Woolly Mammoths, and the season will begin on May 11, 2017 and run through September 10, 2017.  Additional teams and ballparks will be added in future years.

2017 Tryout Information for the USPBL is also listed on our TRYOUTS page.