Auburn Community Baseball

Auburn Community Baseball (also known as Auburn Community Baseball Inc. and formally Auburn Community Owned Non-Profit Baseball Association, Inc.) is a non-profit company based in Auburn, New York and is the owner of the Auburn Doubledays baseball club in the New York–Penn League. Auburn Community Baseball has been the parent organization of the Doubledays since the team's establishment in 1982 as the Auburn Astros. The company also operated predecessor teams in Auburn before Doubledays, dating back to 1958. Every Auburn professional baseball team that was owned by Auburn Community Baseball including the current team, the Doubledays, have all played the New York–Penn League.[1]

Auburn Community Baseball is based at Leo Pinckney Field at Falcon Park, which is located at 130 North Division Street in Auburn.

Background

Unlike most professional sports teams which are owned by one or more private individuals and/or companies, Auburn Community Baseball is owned by the City of Auburn, New York.[1] In large part because of the team's rare community-owned status, Auburn was immune to the wave of team relocations that saw many communities lose their affiliated baseball teams during the new-stadium construction boom in the 1990s and early 2000s (decade). As a result, Auburn — 2010 population: 27,700 — is one of the smallest communities in the United States with an affiliated minor league baseball team.

History

After losing its last professional baseball team, the Auburn Falcons of the Border League, in 1951, Auburn went without professional baseball from 1952 to 1957.[2] In the late 1950s, a group of Auburn residents undertook an effort to bring professional baseball back to Auburn. Among this group were Leo Pinckney, Ed Ward, and Dr. Thomas Stapleton. The group collected money by selling stock in the team, sometimes by going door to door.[1]

In late 1957, they convinced New York Yankees executive Lee MacPhail to locate a Yankees farm team in Auburn, with games to be played at the original Falcon Park.[1] The Auburn Yankees began play in 1958, which began a long run of New York–Penn League baseball in Auburn that, with the exception of a one-year absence from professional baseball in 1981, has continued almost uninterrupted to the present day.

Teams

Auburn Community Baseball's entry in the New York–Penn League has operated under the following names:[2]

League champions

Auburn Community Baseball's entry in the New York–Penn League has won league championships in the following years:[2]

  • 1962, 1964, 1966 – Auburn Mets
  • 1967, 1970 – Auburn Twins
  • 1973 – Auburn Phillies
  • 1998 (co-champs), 2007 – Auburn Doubledays

Wall of Fame

The Auburn Community Baseball Wall of Fame was created in 2006. The following people have been honored with induction:[3]

Player category:

Contributor category:

  • Leo Pinckney
  • Vince Klein
  • Dr. Thomas Stapleton
  • Bill Graney
  • Charlie Wride (2007)
  • State Sen. Michael Nozzolio
  • Chuck Savage
  • Barney Hearn
  • Art Fritz
  • Charlie Lynch
  • Joe Graceffo
  • Pat Penafeather (2010)
  • Auburn Doubledays game (2012)
  • 1988 Auburn Astros team photo

References
  1. Kekis, John. "Love of game drives 'Mr. Baseball'". Associated Press. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  2. "Baseball-Reference.com — Auburn, New York". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  3. "Auburn Baseball Wall of Fame". Auburn Doubledays. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
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