The Kansas City T-Bones are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas, in the United States. The T-Bones are a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2003 season to the present, the T-Bones have played their home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

History

The team was previously known as the Duluth-Superior Dukes (representing Duluth, MN and Superior, WI), which had won the Northern League championship 1997, though league records do not reflect such continuity.

The T-Bones broke ground on CommunityAmerica Ballpark September 4th, 2002, and just over nine months later played their first home game on June 6th, 2003.

The team's mascot is named "Sizzle". On Oct. 16, 2006, the T-Bones announced the firing of manager, "Dirty" Al Gallagher, who had been the team's first and only manager. Andy McCauley replaced him. Gallagher has been in professional baseball since 1965 when he was the fourteenth player overall selected, taken in the first round by the San Francisco Giants, and took another managing job with the St. Joseph Blacksnakes.

Yearly Summary

2003

Eddie Pearson led the league in batting average (.362), RBIs (78), and hits (124).

2004

The T-Bones finished the regular season with a 48-48 record. They went to the first round of the playoffs and exited the first round after losing 3 of 5 games to the Schaumburg Flyers. For the year, T-Bones player Eddie Pearson received the Most Valuable Player award, Rick Muntean received co-executive of the year, and the entire team received Organization of the Year. Several League Records were set by T-Bones players: Jonathan Krysa set records for innings pitched (165.1), total batters faced, and games started (24); Rick Prieto set new records for walks (78), and runs (97), while tying the league record for triples (10); and Eddie Pearson set the intentional walks record with 17.

2005

The T-Bones finished 45-49 overall. They finished second in the first half with a record of 27-19, just missing the playoff berth, but never contended in the second half due to the loss of several key players.

2006

Jonathan Krysa was named Northern League Pitcher of the Year with a record of 13-5 and a 3.74 ERA. However, the T-Bones finished third in both halves of the season. They led the second-half race until the final week, when a disastrous season-ending road trip ended their hopes. Their overall record of 45-51 for the season was their franchise-worst record and gave them a 181-194 (.482) record in their four years in Kansas City.

2007

The team released manager Al Gallagher and hired former Schaumburg manager Andy McCauley to replace him. The team began 2007 with only two players carried over from the previous season, and released them by mid-season for a 100% turnover of its 22-man roster. The T-Bones finished deep in last place in the Southern Division in the first half, but moved into the lead during the second-half and held that lead until a late-season collapse left them in a disappointing second-place finish. The team's overall 44-52 record was one game worse than the previous season's franchise record.

2008

The Northern League contracted to six teams, and a single-division full season schedule was used. The T-Bones finished only marginally better (46-50) than the two previous seasons, but nonetheless qualified as the fourth team in the playoffs. They shocked the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the semi-final round of the playoffs, sweeping them in three games, and then defeated the Gary Southshore Railcats three games to one to win the Northern League championship.

Year-by-year record

				First Half			Second Half			Overall
Season		Division		W-L	Finish		W-L	Finish		W-L	Win%		Playoffs
2003		West		20-25	4th		23-21	2nd		43-46	.483		Did not qualify
2004		South		20-28	4th		28-20	1st		48-48	.500		Lost semi-final 3-2
2005		South		27-19	2nd		18-30	5th		45-49	.479		Did not qualify
2006		South		22-26	3rd		23-25	3rd		45-51	.469		Did not qualify
2007		South		18-30	4th		26-22	2nd		44-52	.458		Did not qualify
2008		single division		no split season				4th		46-50	.479		Won semi-final 3-0; won championship 3-1

Michael Vick controversy

In April 2008, the T-Bones announced a promotion on May 28, which they were billing as "welcome to the neighborhood" for NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who was imprisoned at the federal prison in Leavenworth, some eighteen miles from the ballpark. Vick is in prison, having been convicted of animal cruelty.

The team plans a parade of dogs up for adoption at nearby animal shelters. The team will wear black and white striped uniforms reminiscent of prison uniforms, and the visiting Gary SouthShore RailCats will wear bright orange uniforms reminiscent of prison jumpsuits. The teams were also supposed to be brought out in shackles and unlocked by their respected managers. Along with spot lights and sirens going off as the teams entered the playing field.

Kristy Winfrey, an animal rights advocate, and Richard McIntire, national spokesman for the NAACP, have objected to the promotion.

External links

• T-Bones web site
• Kansas City Star T-Bones articles
• nlfan.com Kansas City T-Bones Guide
• nlfan.com Duluth-Superior Dukes Guide
• Duluth-Superior Dukes Tribute Page

References

• nlfan.com - yearly league standings & awards