It has long been rumored, but the Saskatchewan Monarchs are no more. In the last week while players were at Spring Training, the team announced that the Double - A affiliate of the Edmonton Jackrabbits would relocate to the Manitoban capital of Winnipeg.
GM Chuck Valenches had this to say, "We loved the fans in Saskatchewan, but in the end, we could not come to an agreement on the upgrades that were needed to the stadium. Winnipeg was willing to step up and show just how much they wanted to have a minor league club in their city and have provided our players with a top notch facility for AA and we still get to stay in Canada and play in the same division.
The team unveiled a new logo and new uniforms which were designed by the Winnipeg marketing firm of Moranis & Levy which conducted a 'name the team' contest through the Winnipeg Sun. An unknown number of votes were cast, upwards of 50,000, but definitely more than 21. The winner chosen by the Winnipeg fans was the "Black Drums' a type of fish found in local waters and not to be confused with the type of snapper found off the East Coast.
The Winnipeg Black Drums will begin play on April 1st when the visit the Santa Cruz Spartans. The home opener and grand opening of the ballpark will be Saturday April 5th vs the Corpus Christi Crawfish. There will be a Winnipeg Black Drums baseball cap giveaway to the first 5,000 fans and after the game a fireworks show will be displayed. You can get your tickets by calling (204) DRUMSBB (278-6722) OR ORDER THEM ONLINE AT www.winnipegblackdrums.com.
