Edmonton Capitals

Team history

The Edmonton Cracker-Cats joined the Northern League as an expansion team in 2005. Their unusual name comes from the oil industry term "fluid catalytic cracking," often shortened to "cat cracking," a process that refines crude oil into gasoline. The team played its first game on the road against the Kansas City T-Bones on May 20, 2005. A week later, they hosted the Sioux Falls Canaries for their first home game, drawing a crowd of 7,894.

On June 13, 2006, a series of beanballs during the first two innings sparked two major brawls with provincial rivals, the Calgary Vipers. Edmonton's Greg Morrison had been hit by a Calgary pitch for the fourth time in five games, prompting the Cracker-Cats to throw at two Vipers players. The fighting grew so intense that umpires cleared both teams from the field and suspended the game for over an hour to consult with league officials. When Edmonton refused to return, the game was declared a forfeit, giving Calgary a 9–0 win even though Edmonton led 1–0. The incident led to the resignation of Cracker-Cats manager Terry Bevington. The league issued heavy penalties, suspending both managers and seven players for a combined 79 games. Morrison blamed Calgary manager Mike Busch, claiming Busch held a grudge after Morrison and another former Viper, J.P. Fauske, left Calgary following a falling-out with Busch late in the 2005 season.

On July 18, 2006, Stubby Clapp was named Most Valuable Player of the Northern League All-Star Game. The 'Cats finished their second season on September 3, 2006, six games back in the wild card race and out of the playoffs. The 2007 season proved disappointing. Sports broadcaster Al Coates became general manager, and the team added three former Major Leaguers: Ryan Radmanovich, Mike Johnson, and Lou Pote. Despite this, Edmonton finished 38–58, dead last in the league. After three years in the Northern League, the Cracker-Cats moved to the Golden Baseball League on October 24, 2007, shortly after the rival Vipers made the same switch. On June 30, 2008, the team set a new attendance record of 8,676 fans during a game against Calgary.