Traverse City Beach Bums
Encyclopedia
The Traverse City Beach Bums are a professional baseball team based in the Traverse City, Michigan
, suburb of Blair Township
, in the United States
. The Beach Bums are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League
, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball
. From the 2006 season to the present, the Beach Bums have played their home games at Wuerfel Park
.
The "Beach Bums" name refers to the visitors who come to Michigan's most popular resort, to spend time on the beach. Traverse City lies on the Grand Traverse Bay
, a branch of Lake Michigan
. The team's colors of navy blue and gold represent the region's bays and bright summer sunshine.
Wuerfel Park
averages well over 200,000 fans per season for Beach Bums home games, ranking near the top of attendance lists in independent baseball. In their first three seasons, the Beach Bums have drawn over 600,000 fans with a mix of loyal, local fans, tourists, and regional baseball fans.
John and Leslye Wuerfel are the managing members of the Beach Bums. Their son, Jason, is the Beach Bums' Vice President and Director of Baseball Operations. Jason Wuerfel lettered four times with the University of Michigan
varsity baseball team, and also won the 2003 Wolverine Award for Spirit and Leadership. He played professionally with the Elmira Pioneers
, the Mid-Missouri Mavericks
, and the Ohio Valley Redcoats
. Jason also owns and operates the Beach Bums Baseball Academy, an organization that instructs young baseball players in the Traverse City area.
In November 2008, the Beach Bums named two new coaches with Gregg Langbehn being hired as the manager and Roger Mason accepting the position of pitching coach. Langbehn had previously spent 10 seasons as a coach and manager in the Houston Astros
minor league system, while Mason, a Northern Michigan native, spent nine seasons as a pitcher in major league baseball
, including a World Series
appearance with the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies
.
Following the 2004 season, the Frontier League granted a franchise for Traverse City, Michigan. However, the league was not sure whether to consider the team for expansion or relocation. In 2005, the Richmond Roosters were purchased by the Wuerfels and moved to Traverse City.
The Beach Bums played their first home game at Wuerfel Park on May 24, 2006, against the Kalamazoo Kings
, with a sell-out crowd of 5,825.
! colspan="5" align="center"|Richmond Roosters (Frontier League
)
|-
! Year !! W-L !! PCT !! Place !! Postseason
|-
|1995||38-32||.543||4th in FL|||
|-
|1996||39-35||.527||1st in FL West||Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Springfield Capitals 2-1
|-
|1997||43-37||.538||2nd in FL West||Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Evansville Otters
2-1
|-
|1998||49-31||.612||2nd in FL West|||
|-
|1999||40-43||.482||4th in FL East|||
|-
|2000||40-43||.482||4th in FL East|||
|-
|2001||49-35||.583||2nd in FL East||Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Dubois County Dragons 2-1.
Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the Chillicothe Paints
3-0.
|-
|2002||53-31||.631||2nd in FL East||Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Dubois County Dragons 2-1.
Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the Washington Wild Things
3-1
|-
|2003||50-39||.562||4th in FL East|||
|-
|2004||43-53||.448||5th in FL East|||
|-
|2005||39-56||.415||6th in FL East|||
|-
|Totals||483-435||.526|||||
|-
|Playoffs||12-7||.632||||1 Division Title, 4 Playoff Appearances, 2 Championships
|-
{| align=left border=4 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4
!align="center" colspan="5" bgcolor="#001E4C" style="color:#000000"|Traverse City Beach Bums (Frontier League
)
|-
!align="center" colspan="1"|Year
!align="center" colspan="1"|W-L
!align="center" colspan="1"|PCT
!align="center" colspan="1"|Place
!align="center" colspan="1"|Postseason
|-
|2006||57-39||.594||3rd in FL East||
|-
|2007||46-50||.479||4th in FL Central||
|-
|2008||50-46||.521||2nd in FL East||
|-
|2009||42-53||.442||5th in FL East||
|-
|2010||55-41||.573||2nd in FL East||Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Windy City Thunderbolts
2-1.
Frontier League Championship Series: Lost vs. River City Rascals
1-3
|-
|Totals||250-228||.523|||||
|-
|Playoffs||3-4||.429||||1 Playoff Appearance
|-
|}
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
, suburb of Blair Township
Blair Township, Michigan
Blair Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 6,448.-Communities:...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Beach Bums are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
, which is not affiliated with 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...
. From the 2006 season to the present, the Beach Bums have played their home games at Wuerfel Park
Wuerfel Park
Wuerfel Park is a 3,518-seat baseball-only stadium in Blair Township, Michigan, USA, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 24, 2006, as the tenants of the facility, the Traverse City Beach Bums, took on the Kalamazoo Kings. It was built as a new home of the Beach Bums baseball...
.
The "Beach Bums" name refers to the visitors who come to Michigan's most popular resort, to spend time on the beach. Traverse City lies on the Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
, a branch of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. The team's colors of navy blue and gold represent the region's bays and bright summer sunshine.
Wuerfel Park
Wuerfel Park
Wuerfel Park is a 3,518-seat baseball-only stadium in Blair Township, Michigan, USA, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 24, 2006, as the tenants of the facility, the Traverse City Beach Bums, took on the Kalamazoo Kings. It was built as a new home of the Beach Bums baseball...
averages well over 200,000 fans per season for Beach Bums home games, ranking near the top of attendance lists in independent baseball. In their first three seasons, the Beach Bums have drawn over 600,000 fans with a mix of loyal, local fans, tourists, and regional baseball fans.
John and Leslye Wuerfel are the managing members of the Beach Bums. Their son, Jason, is the Beach Bums' Vice President and Director of Baseball Operations. Jason Wuerfel lettered four times with the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
varsity baseball team, and also won the 2003 Wolverine Award for Spirit and Leadership. He played professionally with the Elmira Pioneers
Elmira Pioneers
The Elmira Pioneers are an amateur baseball team based in Elmira, New York. They currently compete in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league. Prior to the 2006 baseball season, the team was a professional ballclub with a rich history of league...
, the Mid-Missouri Mavericks
Mid-Missouri Mavericks
The Mid-Missouri Mavericks are a former minor league baseball team which played in Columbia, Missouri, in the United States. The team was a member of the independent Frontier League, and has no association with a Major League Baseball team. From 2003 through 2005 the team played at Taylor...
, and the Ohio Valley Redcoats
Ohio Valley Redcoats
The Ohio Valley Redcoats are a minor league baseball team in the independent Frontier League which currently has suspended operations while in search of a new stadium.-Team history:...
. Jason also owns and operates the Beach Bums Baseball Academy, an organization that instructs young baseball players in the Traverse City area.
In November 2008, the Beach Bums named two new coaches with Gregg Langbehn being hired as the manager and Roger Mason accepting the position of pitching coach. Langbehn had previously spent 10 seasons as a coach and manager in the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
minor league system, while Mason, a Northern Michigan native, spent nine seasons as a pitcher in 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...
, including a World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
appearance with the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
History
The Beach Bums are Traverse City's first professional baseball team since 1915. Predecessors include the semi-professional Traverse City Hustlers of the 1890s, and the professional Traverse City Resorters, from 1910 to 1915.Following the 2004 season, the Frontier League granted a franchise for Traverse City, Michigan. However, the league was not sure whether to consider the team for expansion or relocation. In 2005, the Richmond Roosters were purchased by the Wuerfels and moved to Traverse City.
The Beach Bums played their first home game at Wuerfel Park on May 24, 2006, against the Kalamazoo Kings
Kalamazoo Kings
The Kalamazoo Kings are a professional baseball team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in the United States. The Kings are a member of the Eastern Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
, with a sell-out crowd of 5,825.
Season-by-season records
{|class="wikitable" width="60%"! colspan="5" align="center"|Richmond Roosters (Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
)
|-
! Year !! W-L !! PCT !! Place !! Postseason
|-
|1995||38-32||.543||4th in FL|||
|-
|1996||39-35||.527||1st in FL West||Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Springfield Capitals 2-1
|-
|1997||43-37||.538||2nd in FL West||Frontier League Division Series: Lost vs. Evansville Otters
Evansville Otters
The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana, in the United States. The Otters are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
2-1
|-
|1998||49-31||.612||2nd in FL West|||
|-
|1999||40-43||.482||4th in FL East|||
|-
|2000||40-43||.482||4th in FL East|||
|-
|2001||49-35||.583||2nd in FL East||Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Dubois County Dragons 2-1.
Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the Chillicothe Paints
Chillicothe Paints
The Chillicothe Paints are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chillicothe, Ohio, in the United States. The team is a member of the summer collegiate Prospect League.-Team history:...
3-0.
|-
|2002||53-31||.631||2nd in FL East||Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Dubois County Dragons 2-1.
Frontier League Championship Series: Defeated the Washington Wild Things
Washington Wild Things
The Washington Wild Things are a professional baseball team based in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Wild Things are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
3-1
|-
|2003||50-39||.562||4th in FL East|||
|-
|2004||43-53||.448||5th in FL East|||
|-
|2005||39-56||.415||6th in FL East|||
|-
|Totals||483-435||.526|||||
|-
|Playoffs||12-7||.632||||1 Division Title, 4 Playoff Appearances, 2 Championships
|-
{| align=left border=4 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4
!align="center" colspan="5" bgcolor="#001E4C" style="color:#000000"|Traverse City Beach Bums (Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
)
|-
!align="center" colspan="1"|Year
!align="center" colspan="1"|W-L
!align="center" colspan="1"|PCT
!align="center" colspan="1"|Place
!align="center" colspan="1"|Postseason
|-
|2006||57-39||.594||3rd in FL East||
|-
|2007||46-50||.479||4th in FL Central||
|-
|2008||50-46||.521||2nd in FL East||
|-
|2009||42-53||.442||5th in FL East||
|-
|2010||55-41||.573||2nd in FL East||Frontier League Division Series: Defeated the Windy City Thunderbolts
Windy City ThunderBolts
The Windy City ThunderBolts are a professional baseball team based in the Chicago suburb of Crestwood, Illinois, in the United States. The ThunderBolts are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
2-1.
Frontier League Championship Series: Lost vs. River City Rascals
River City Rascals
The River City Rascals are a professional baseball team based in O'Fallon, Missouri, in the United States. The Rascals are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 1999 season to the present, the Rascals have played their...
1-3
|-
|Totals||250-228||.523|||||
|-
|Playoffs||3-4||.429||||1 Playoff Appearance
|-
|}
Quick facts
- Founded: 2006
- Stadium: Wuerfel ParkWuerfel ParkWuerfel Park is a 3,518-seat baseball-only stadium in Blair Township, Michigan, USA, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 24, 2006, as the tenants of the facility, the Traverse City Beach Bums, took on the Kalamazoo Kings. It was built as a new home of the Beach Bums baseball...
- Uniform Colors: Navy blue hats and white jerseys are worn for home games, while navy blue hats and grey jerseys are worn for road games. The alternate jersey is navy blue with the "TC" centered on the left-side chest, in gold.
- Logo Design: A gold ring outline in navy blue with "Traverse City" arched inside. The "Beach Bums" wordmark overlaps the bottom of the ring in navy blue and gold, with a baseball splashing in stylized, navy blue waves underlining it. A baseball-playing bear is centered in the design wearing a Beach Bums jersey and cap.
- Mascot: Two American black bears named "Suntan and Sunburn", wearing Beach Bums caps and matching jerseys.
- Current ownership: John & Leslye Wuerfel
- Playoff appearances: (0)