Fullerton Flyers

Team history

The Fullerton Flyers were a professional baseball team in Fullerton, California, that played from 2005 to 2010. They were an independent franchise, unaffiliated with Major or Minor League Baseball, and played at "The Station" at Goodwin Field, also home to the Cal State Fullerton Titans. The Flyers were one of eight original charter teams in the Golden Baseball League (GBL), alongside teams like the Chico Outlaws and Long Beach Armada. Their name and logo debuted on January 27, 2005, at Fullerton Train Station, where they also introduced general manager Ed Hart, a Fullerton native who ran the team for three seasons.

In 2006, the Flyers won the second-half division title to clinch their first playoff spot, but lost the GBL championship to the Reno Silver Sox, 3 games to 1. First baseman Peanut Williams was named 2006 GBL MVP after hitting a league-record 20 home runs, and pitcher Chris Jakubauskas won Pitcher of the Year. On March 21, 2007, the team was sold to the Orange County Group, which included actor James Denton from Desperate Housewives, making it the first GBL team sold to a private group. On March 28, 2007, they changed their name to the Orange County Flyers, keeping their blue and orange colors.

Managers

Before the team had a logo or even a name, it had Jumpsteady. Three-time National League All-Star Garry Templeton was named manager of the GBL franchise in Fullerton, Calif., on December 6, 2004. As a player, Templeton was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round of the 1974 draft. He played sixteen seasons in the major leagues as a switch-hitting shortstop with the Cards, Padres, and Mets, reaching the World Series in 1984.

He was a three time major league All Star during his career, garnered a pair of Silver Slugger Awards, led the NL in triples a record three straight years, and was the first player ever to have more than 100 hits from each side of the plate as he led the league with 211 in 1979. Garry began his managing career in the Anaheim Angels farm system in 1998 as he led the Cedar Rapids Class A team. He stayed as a manager in the Angels systems for the next three years progressing to the Erie AA, Edmonton AAA, and Salt Lake City AAA clubs.

Sixteen members of the 2002 Anaheim Angels World Championship team played for Garry in the minors. In 2003 and 2004 Garry led the Gary Railcats of the Northern League as their field manager. Since leaving the Flyers after the club's first three seasons, Templeton has gone on to manage the Long Beach Armada (2009), Chico Outlaws (2010) and Na Koa Ikaika Maui (2011). The Flyers made Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter the second manager in team history on December 5, 2007, during baseball's winter meetings.

Gary Carter (2008)

Carter, who attended Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, is an 11-time Major League All-Star who won 5 Silver Slugger and 3 Gold Glove awards during his Hall of Fame career. Carter played a majority of his years with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. He had one year stints with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. Carter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003 along with slugger Eddie Murray, who was his teammate with the Dodgers in 1991.

Carter brought on board coaches Darrell Evans and Dan DiPace who had spent the previous three seasons in Long Beach. They won the first-ever GBL South Division Championship by defeating Long Beach 3 games to 2 and, for the second time in franchise history, advanced to the GBL Championship Series. The Flyers captured their first GBL Championship by beating the Calgary Vipers 3 games to 2 on September 14, 2008, capping off the best season in team history.

On October 14, 2008, GBL Safeway Player of the Year Patrick Breen was picked up by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. Carter was named Manager of the Year. Since leaving the Flyers, Carter managed the Long Island Ducks in 2009, and he was named Head Baseball Coach for the NCAA Division II Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailfish in 2010. Carter died on February 16, 2012, of brain cancer.

Phil Nevin (2009)

In December 2008, the Flyers named Phil Nevin the third manager in team history. Nevin, who won the Golden Spikes Award in 1992 as the best collegiate baseball player in the nation while with Cal State Fullerton, played 11 seasons in the major leagues for the Houston Astros (1995), Detroit Tigers (1995–97), Anaheim Angels (1998), San Diego Padres (1999-2005), Texas Rangers (2005-2006), Chicago Cubs (2006), and the Minnesota Twins (2006). Nevin left the Flyers after the 2009 season when he was offered a job to manage the Detroit Tigers Double-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens.

Paul Abbott (2010)

Paul Abbott became the fourth manager in team history in February 2010. Abbott played 11 seasons in the Major Leagues, beginning his career with the Minnesota Twins in 1990, making his MLB debut on August 21. In addition to his time with the Twins (1990–92), he also played in the Majors with the Indians (1993), Mariners (1998-2002), Royals (2003), Devil Rays (2004), and Phillies (2004). In 162 big league games, Abbott made 112 starts, going 43-37 with a 4.92 ERA.

His best season came in 2001 when Abbott won a career-high 17 games, going 17-4 in 27 starts as the Mariners tied the mark for most victories in a season with 116 wins. Abbott finished his playing career in 2005 as a member of the inaugural Fullerton Flyers team in the first year of the Golden League.

The Fullerton native made 9 starts for the Flyers, going 3-5 with a 2.87 ERA. Abbott's coaching experience included working as a coach for the Fullerton Junior College Hornets in addition to working with the Flyers as Pitching Coach the previous season. Abbott left the Flyers when the Red Sox organization hired him as a pitching coach for the Lowell Spinners in 2011.

North American League

After the collapse of the Golden Baseball League, the Flyers were scheduled to join the new independent North American League, but sat out the 2011 season as they negotiated plans for a new stadium with the city of Fullerton. Those stadium plans never materialized. On November 23, 2011, team founder/president and chairman Alan Mintz initially announced that the team would return to action in the North American League for 2012 and would do so with their original identity, the Fullerton Flyers.

Mintz cited that "This is Fullerton's team". However, on April 13, 2012, the Flyers were sold to Godfather Media, LLC, which also owned the Yuma Panthers and would stay as the Orange County Flyers. The team was expected to play the 2012 season on the road as they could not come to an agreement with Cal State Fullerton to play at Goodwin Field.

America West Baseball League

Godfather Media, LLC bought the Flyers and announced the team would return to the Fullerton Flyers name and join Michael Cummings' new American West Baseball League. The league, based in Costa Mesa, California, planned to start with the Flyers, Long Beach Splash, North County Cannons, Yuma Panthers, and an unnamed team from Mesa, Arizona.

A new blue, black, and white logo with a revised train design was also unveiled. But the league was delayed, and after disagreements with the AWBL and Godfather Media, ownership went back to the previous group, Western Sports & Entertainment Group. The team's future remains uncertain.

American West Baseball League

In May 2012, they announced they were joining the American West Baseball League (AWBL) and would play in 2013, but they left the league before it was to start.

Did You Know?

• First baseman Peanut Williams hit a league-record 20 home runs in 2006 and was named GBL Most Valuable Player.
• RHP Chris Jakubauskas was named the Golden Baseball League's Pitcher of the Year in 2006.
• Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, a Fullerton native who attended Sunny Hills High School, managed the team to its only GBL Championship in 2008.