Thursday, December 22, 2011

FORT WORTH ADDS TO NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE LANDSCAPE; BUCKNER, SWINDLE ALSO IN THE NEWS

Christmas has come a bit early for fans of the Fort Worth (TX) Cats as well as for Bill Buckner and R. J. Swindle.

Cats fans can celebrate the news there will be baseball for their team in 2012 now that John Bryant and Byron Pierce have purchased the team from Carl Bell and landed as another Texas entry in the southern division of the North American League. Fort Worth had been dropped by the American Association when the team could not produce the appropriate league operational bond.

This addition also adds to NAL CEO Kevin Outcalt's declaration to us a few days ago that he is expecting "10 or 12" teams in the second year league even though our count today is only eight. Could the return of Fullerton, CA be next?

BUCKNER TO CUBS' BOISE FARM, CARDINALS INK SWINDLE

The rumor mill had long been grinding that Bill Buckner would not be back as the manager at Brockton, MA long before the Rox exited from the Can-Am League, and the longtime major league hit machine's next job is now known. He will be hitting coach for the Chicago Cubs' Northwest League farm club in Boise, which is only fitting since Buckner lives in the Idaho community.

Meanwhile, lefty reliever R. J. Swindle, who was 2-0, 4.15 in 39 appearances for Tampa Bay's top farm club in Durham, N.C. last season, has inked a minor league deal that includes an invitation to the major league spring training camp of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Swindle, who toiled in both the Atlantic League (Newark, NJ) and the Northern League (Schaumburg, IL), still is on the short side of 30. He has had brief major league time with both Philadelphia and Milwaukee.

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