Calgary Journal Online

Calgary Vipers looking forward to winning season

The smell of fresh cut grass, the crack of the bat, the taste of the shale as you slide into home plate; its baseball season sports fans and the Calgary Vipers have started it off with a bang.

The Vipers took their season opener 4-0 against the Long Beach Armada at Foothills Stadium in Calgary on May 21.

The Vipers have been in the city since 2004 when they played with baseball’s Northern League. In 2007 they joined the Golden Baseball League; made up of ten teams including Calgary, Long Beach and Tijuana. The independent minor league is in its fifth year of operation.

The Vipers will be hitting the field all summer long. Check out a game for about $12.

Photo: Julie-Marie Vincent/ Calgary Journal

Team broadcaster and media relations Patrick Haas says this will be a season to look forward to, “I’m excited, the last two seasons the team has been one game away from winning the championship.”

Haas has been with the Vipers for the last four of five years the team has been in Calgary. His first year was the toughest as the team didn’t win a lot of games or make it to the playoffs but that it’s been great after that with the team doing as well as they did in the last two seasons.

Haas said that this season’s pitching staff and hitting line up are some of the best he’s seen. He explained that in the Independent League there are mostly shorter one or two year contracts, so you will see players leave and come back to a team they’ve played for previously.

Players returning to this years line up include infielders Nelson Castro, Carlos Duncan and outfielder Drew Miller. Hass pointed out that new face Rick Guarno will be key to this season as well as outfielder Fehlandt Lentini.

“He’s (Lentini) very quick, he’ll hit lead off and do a bunch of things for us,” he said.

As far as pitching Haas said the return of Cody Cillo was big for the Vipers organization as well.

Coaching staff is also key to the success of a good ball team. The Vipers newly promoted manager is Morgan Burkhart who was hitting coach for the team for the last two seasons. He’s joined by new hitting coach Boots Day who is a former outfielder for the Montreal Expos. Pitching Coach Evan Gruesel plays double duty for the Vipers both as coach and as player.

Haas said that it’s the coaching staff that does all the recruiting and tinkering with the line-up.

“What a fan doesn’t realize is how much thinking and strategy there is in a game,” he said.

The Vipers have even gone so far as to extend an invitation of play to L.A Dodger Manny Ramirez. “Man Ram” is serving a fifty game suspension after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.

Haas said it would be great if he actually accepted the teams offer as the Vipers aren’t affiliated with the Major Leagues and that Ramirez would be able to see some pitches and keep his routine.

Vipers games will be going on in Calgary all summer long and can be some great affordable entertainment with tickets running for about 12 bucks. Games can also be heard live online at www.calgaryvipers.com