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Huntsville Stars

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Huntsville Stars
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesDouble-A (1985–2014)
Previous leagues
Southern League (1985–2014)
Major league affiliations
Previous teamsMilwaukee Brewers (1999–2014)
Oakland A's (1985–1998)
Minor league titles
League titles 1985, 1994, 2001
Division titles 1985, 1986, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007
Team data
NameHuntsville Stars (1985–2014)
Colorsblue, red, gray, white
       
MascotHomer the Polecat
BallparkJoe W. Davis Stadium (1985–2014)

The Huntsville Stars were a minor league baseball team of the Southern League, which served as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Milwaukee Brewers from 1999 to 2014. The franchise was located in Huntsville, Alabama and named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied (NASA conducts operations at the nearby Marshall Space Flight Center).[1]

The Stars played their home games at Joe W. Davis Stadium, named after the former mayor of Huntsville; built in 1985, the park seats 10,200 fans and is sometimes referred to as "The Joe." The Stars won the Southern League championship in 1985 and 1994 as the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics, and in 2001 with the Brewers.

In January 2014, the Stars were sold to an ownership group, which relocated the team to Biloxi, Mississippi in November 2014, upon which the team became known as the Biloxi Shuckers.[2] The Shuckers played a few home games in Huntsville in 2015 while their new ballpark in Biloxi was being completed. The Shuckers did not retain the Stars' history, opting to act as a newly established franchise.

Team history

Athletics era (1985–1998)

The Stars came to Huntsville by way of Evansville, Indiana and Nashville, Tennessee. In July 1984, Larry Schmittou, majority owner of the Double-A Southern League's Nashville Sounds, purchased the Evansville Triplets of the Triple-A American Association. After the 1984 season, Schmittou moved the Triplets franchise to Nashville, where it would adopt the Sounds' name and history, effectively elevating the Sounds organization to Triple-A and leaving Nashville's existing Southern League franchise without a home. Schmittou considered moving the Double-A team to Evansville, but city leaders declined necessary improvements to the aging Bosse Field. The City of Huntsville, led by Mayor Joe W. Davis, agreed to build a brand new 10,000-seat multipurpose stadium which lured the franchise to town, where it began play in 1985 as the Huntsville Stars, still under Schmittou's ownership. The Triplets' legacy was retired, and the Stars began with a clean history, much like an altogether-new franchise.

File:HuntsvilleStars.png
Huntsville Stars logo, 1985–2007

The Stars began play in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics with Don Mincher (1938–2012) as the team's General Manager. Mincher, a Huntsville native and 12-year veteran of the Major Leagues, guided the franchise through its infancy as they won the Southern League Championship in their first season. The Stars won the league championship by defeating the Charlotte Knights three games to two. Future superstar José Canseco was the MVP of the league that year.

Terry Steinbach won the MVP award in 1986 solidifying the base of the A's Championship teams of the late 1980s. That same season the Stars met again with Charlotte in the championship series, this time losing the series two games to three.

In 1994, Mincher and a group of local investors purchased the team from Schmittou to keep baseball in Huntsville. The Stars once again won the Southern League title that season. Led by Ernie Young, the Stars swept the Chattanooga Lookouts to win the Western Division, then defeated the Carolina Mudcats three games to one to take the title. In 1997, the Stars made another appearance in the league championship series losing to the Greenville Braves three games to two.

Brewers era (1999–2014)

Following the 1998 season, the Stars and A's parted ways and the Milwaukee Brewers came to town as the new Stars affiliate. Long regarded as having one of the best Minor League systems around, the Brewers struggled through management changes but still managed to give the Stars their third Southern League title in 2001. With the help of all-time Stars home run leader Josh Klimek, the Stars made the playoffs and went on to defeat their rivals, the Birmingham Barons, in the fifth game of the series for the Western Division crown. The Stars would face the Jacksonville Suns, who dominated the Eastern Division winning both halves and the first round, but due to the September 11 attacks, the championship series was cancelled and the Stars and Suns were declared co-champions.

File:HuntsvilleStarsCap.png
Huntsville Stars cap insignia, early Brewers era (1999-2007)

In 2000, Mincher became the Interim President of the Southern League when League President Arnold Fielkow left for the NFL. At the conclusion of the 2000 season, Mincher and his group put the Stars up for sale once again. He resigned from his position as President of the Stars and the Southern League removed the "interim" tag to make him league president for 2001. Pulling double duty until the team was sold, Mincher desired to keep the Stars in Huntsville. The group waded through countless offers to buy the Stars looking to find the right investors who would commit to keeping the team in the Tennessee Valley. Early in 2001, Mincher found his man in New York attorney Miles Prentice who also owns the Double-A Texas League Midland RockHounds, serves as a Director for the Texas League, and is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Minor League Baseball. Prentice promised to keep the team in Huntsville despite several offers for new stadiums in various locales.

In 2003, the Stars played against the Carolina Mudcats in the Southern League championship series where they lost three games to two. They made another championship attempt in 2006, losing three games to two against the Montgomery Biscuits. In 2007, Stars manager Don Money was named the Southern League's Manager of the Year as voted upon by the league's field managers, radio broadcasters, and print media. Also in 2007, the team captured its division title (beating the Tennessee Smokies three games to two) and went on to the SL championship series where they lost to Montgomery, three games to two.

To start the 2008 season, the Stars set a new team record for best start, by sweeping their first series with the Mississippi Braves 5 games to nothing to start the season 5–0.[3] On April 26, 2008, the Stars turned their second triple play in franchise history, the last coming in 2002. The Stars won the 2009 first-half title, qualifying them for the playoffs, but lost the North Division Title to the Tennessee Smokies, 1–3. In their final season, the Stars won the North Division 2014 first-half title but fell to the Chattanooga Lookouts 3-2 in the best-of-five North Division title series.

Move to Biloxi

Shortly before the team's thirty-first campaign in Huntsville, the franchise was sold to an ownership group based in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Stars played the 2014 season in Huntsville, but announced the expected move to Biloxi shortly after its conclusion. Because of delays in the construction of Biloxi's MGM Park, the Shuckers plan to stage fifteen "home games" at Joe Davis Stadium in April and May 2015.

Season-by-season record

Huntsville Stars Season-by-Season Record
Year Regular Season Post-season
Record Win % Finish* Record Win % Result
1985 78–66 .542 2nd 6–3 .667 Won Western Division Championship vs Knoxville Blue Jays, 3–1
Won SL Championship vs Charlotte Orioles, 3–2
1986 78–63 .553 1st 5–4 .556 Won Western Division Championship vs Knoxville Blue Jays, 3–1
Lost SL Championship vs Columbus Astros, 2–3
1987 74–70 .514 1st 0–3 .000 Lost Western Division Championship vs Birmingham Barons, 0–3
1988 59–85 .410 5th – – —
1989 82–61 .573 2nd 1–3 .250 Lost Western Division Championship vs Birmingham Barons, 1–3
1990 79–65 .549 1st – – —
1991 61–83 .424 4th – – —
1992 81–63 .563 2nd 1–3 .250 Lost Western Division Championship vs Chattanooga Lookouts, 1–3
1993 71–70 .504 4th – – —
1994 81–57 .587 1st 6–1 .857 Won West Division Championship vs Chattanooga Lookouts, 3–0
Won SL Championship vs Carolina Mudcats, 3–1
1995 70–74 .486 3rd – – —
1996 66–74 .471 5th – – —
1997 77–62 .554 1st 5–5 .500 Won West Division Championship vs Mobile Bay Bears, 3–2
Lost SL Championship vs Greenville Braves, 2–3
1998 72–68 .514 2nd 0–3 .000 Lost West Division Championship vs Mobile Bay Bears, 0–3
1999 64–77 .454 5th – – —
2000 64–75 .460 5th – – —
2001 75–63 .543 3rd 3–2 .600 Won West Division Championship vs Birmingham Barons, 3–2
SL Championship series vs Jacksonville Suns canceled due to September 11, 2001 attacks.
Both teams are declared co-champions.
2002 70–69 .504 4th – – —
2003 75–63 .543 1st 5–5 .500 Won West Division Championship vs Birmingham Barons, 3–2
Lost SL Championship vs Carolina Mudcats, 2–3
2004 65–75 .464 4th – – —
2005 60–79 .432 4th – – —
2006 67–71 .486 4th 4–3 .571 Won North Division Championship vs Chattanooga Lookouts, 3–0
Lost SL Championship vs Montgomery Biscuits, 1–3
2007 75–62 .547 3rd 5–5 .500 Won North Division Championship vs Tennessee Smokies, 3–2
Lost SL Championship vs Montgomery Biscuits, 2–3
2008 73–67 .521 4th – – —
2009 63–75 .457 5th 1–3 .250 Lost North Division Championship vs Tennessee Smokies, 1–3[4]
2010 67–73 .479 6th – – —
2011 64–73 .467 8th – – —
2012 65–74 .468 8th – – —
2013 59–79 .428 8th (tie) – – —
2014 77–63 .550 4th 2–3 .400 Lost North Division Championship vs Chattanooga Lookouts, 2–3
Totals 2,049–2,024 .503 – 44–46 .489 3 League Championships
Note: * Finish denotes their position in the overall league standings.

Retired numbers

  • 5 – Don Mincher, General Manager (1985–2001) and owner (1994–2001), Retired June 6, 2008[5]
  • 42 – Jackie Robinson., Retired throughout professional baseball on April 15, 1997

Notable former players

Ryan Braun
Prince Fielder

References

  • "Southern League Champions". Southern League. August 3, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2007.
  1. ^ "Huntsville Stars". Bush League Factor. June 20, 2009. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Hill, Benjamin (November 24, 2014). "Biloxi's new team has a name: the Shuckers". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  3. ^ Pollock, Brett. "Stars Start Season With Series Sweep." Huntsville Stars. April 7, 2008. Retrieved on June 22, 2009.
  4. ^ 2010 Media Guide (PDF). Huntsville, AL: Huntsville Stars. April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  5. ^ "Stars Retire No. 5 in Honor of Mincher." Archived January 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Huntsville Stars. June 6, 2008. June 11, 2008.
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