The Victoria Seals will be part of unique sporting history this season in the Golden Baseball League.
For the first time since the International League operated from 1954 to 1960 with teams in Canada, Cuba and the U.S., a North American pro baseball league will encompass three nations.
"Some are calling it the NAFTA League," chuckled Seals president Darren Parker.
The independent Golden League, with franchises in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., unveiled its 2009 schedule yesterday. The Seals will play the first game in franchise history May 21 at Telus Field in Edmonton against the Cracker-Cats, recently purchased by the NHL Edmonton Oilers.
The Seals will be busy with seven games over the season's first seven days, following up four nights in Edmonton with three in Calgary against the Vipers. The Victoria home opener, the first of 44 dates at Royal Athletic Park, is May 29 when the Seals open a three-game set against the Long Beach Armada. The Seals' regular-season home schedule concludes Aug. 27 against the Tijuana Potros of Mexico. The final Victoria regular-season game is Aug. 31 in Long Beach, Calif.
"We will feature plenty of promotions during our home dates because they are equally as important as the game itself in minor-pro ball," said Parker.
"It will be the full entertainment experience. It is more than a ball game. We want families leaving RAP with smiles on their faces."
Since its inception five years ago, 85 GBL players have had their contracts bought out by major-league teams, 25 in 2008 alone.
There were several draft revisions of the schedule before the final one was released yesterday.
"Adding the Victoria Seals, Tucson Toros, and Tijuana Potros, along with a change in ownership in Edmonton, resulted in more scheduling challenges than we've had in the past," said Golden League commissioner Kevin Outcalt, in a league media release.
Parker, who was on the scheduling committee, can attest to the myriad permutations that had to be ironed out.
"It's been a heck of a process with revisions, revisions and revisions. But we're happy with it," he said.
The Seals will play in the five-team North Division with Calgary, Edmonton, the Chico Outlaws of northern California and Long Beach of Southern California. Although the St. George RoadRunners of Utah would appear a more likely fit for the North Division than Long Beach, the Armada are actually closer to Canada in travel time because of the club's nearness to LAX.
The South Division consists of Tucson and the Yuma Scorpions of Arizona, the resort town of St. George, the defending league champion Orange County Flyers and Tijuana.
Each club will play 88 games, from May 21 to Aug. 31, in a season split into two halves. The first round of playoffs will be a divisional championship series between the winners of the first and second half in each division. If one team wins both halves, it will meet the team in their division with the best overall record during the entire season. The division champions will meet in the GBL championship series.
