The Biddeford Orphans were a minor league baseball team based in Biddeford, Maine . Preceded in minor league play by the 1885 Biddeford "Clamdiggers," who played as members of the 1885 Eastern New England League , the Orphans were members of the Class D level Maine State League in 1907 and 1908, hosting home games at St. Louis Park.
41-481: Minor league baseball began in Biddeford, Maine in 1885. The Biddeford Clamdiggers became members of the 1885 Independent level Eastern New England League . The five–team league schedule consisted of an 80–game season, with each team playing 20 games against each of the other four. On July 17, 1885, Biddeford had a record of 13–20 when the franchise disbanded and relocated to Newburyport, Massachusetts to complete
82-477: A 47–31 final record, followed by the Biddeford Orphans, Portland Blue Sox (39–41) and Pine Tree Capers (27–32) in the 1907 final standings. The Augusta Senators (27–28), Lewiston (24–23), Manchester (1–7) and Waterville (8–14) all folded before the completion of the season. In 1908, Biddeford continued play under new manager Bernie McGraw as Maine State League games began play on June 10, 1908. During
123-475: A bull charging through a barn while the tertiary logo is a black roundel with a red outline and "Lancaster Stormers" in gold letters. Inside the roundel, there is a baseball field with a red barn as a backstop featuring two white Xs implied on the door trim symbolizing the Stormers' twentieth season. A rooster-themed weathervane tops the barn with lightning striking it. The Stormers home cap is red, charged with
164-590: A few years later. Clipper Magazine has owned the naming rights to the stadium since 2005. The team's original name (the Barnstormers), selected in a fan ballot, refers to the tradition of " barnstorming ," which means to travel around an area appearing in exhibition sports events, especially baseball games. The term was used to describe Lancaster's baseball teams as early as 1906 when the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer reported, "There
205-713: A historical rivalry in all sporting events from the high-school level to the professional. Since the cities are named after the English cities of Lancaster and York , their former Pennsylvania baseball teams were named for the opposing sides of the Wars of the Roses . As a metaphor, "War of the Roses" describes the intense baseball matches fought between the Lancaster Red Roses and the York White Roses . With
246-593: A stylized cursive L in white with a black and gold outline interweaving with a curving baseball. The home jerseys are white with red headspoon piping and the cursive "Stormers" wordmark across the front in red, black, and gold. The away jersey is gray with red headspoon piping, featuring the cursive "Lancaster" wordmark in white and outlined in gold and black. The Stormers wear red belts, socks, and undershirts with all uniforms. The cities of Lancaster and York in South Central Pennsylvania , US have
287-619: Is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball ). Independent leagues have flourished in northeastern states, where dense populations can often support multiple franchises . Because they are not subject to the territorial limitations imposed on affiliated minor-league teams, independent clubs can relocate as close to affiliated teams (and one another) as they choose to. For example,
328-545: Is an anthropomorphic , red cow named Cylo. He wears the team's home jersey with striped socks and retro-style sneakers. Cylo debuted on March 4, 2005, at the Mascot Roller Mill in the Lancaster County village of Mascot . His name in full is Cyloicious L. Barnstormer, alluding to Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young and to silos , representing the county's agricultural heritage. The mascot was designed by
369-765: The Carolina League and the Quebec -based Provincial League . The Carolina League, based in the North Carolina Piedmont region, gained a reputation as a notorious "outlaw league" during its existence from 1936 to 1938. The Provincial League fielded six teams across Quebec and was independent from 1948 to 1949. Similarly to early 20th-century independent leagues, it joined the National Association in 1950, playing for six more years. Independent leagues saw new growth after 1992, after
410-659: The Route 30 Showdown in 2009–2011, an annual cross-county doubleheader inadvertently created after the 2008 season by a rain-delay. Every Stormers game was broadcast on WLAN (1390 AM) and WPDC (1600 AM) by Dave Collins, their announcer. Select home games were televised on Blue Ridge Cable-11. On April 20, 2023, the Atlantic League announced that all games, including the Barnstormers, would be streamed exclusively on FloSports. The Lancaster Stormers' mascot
451-467: The 1907 Maine State League began games on May 24, 1907. The league lost several franchises before the season concluded. Both Manchester and Waterville folded in June, with Augusta and Lewiston folding after. With a 30–27 record, Biddeford placed second in the final 1907 standings, finishing 6.5 games behind the first place Bangor Cubs, playing the season under managers Charlie Allen and John Guiney. Bangor had
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#1732794511315492-516: The 1908 Maine State League championship. The Maine State League permanently folded following the 1908 season. Biddleford, Maine has not hosted another minor league team. The Biddeford Orphans were noted to have played home games at St. Louis Field in 1907 and 1908. St. Louis Field is still in use today as a public park with ballfields. It is located at 284 Hill Street Biddeford, Maine. Biddeford (minor league baseball) players Independent baseball league An independent baseball league
533-593: The 2012 Atlantic League Championship Series but were ultimately defeated by the Long Island Ducks in Game 5. In 2012, the Lancaster Barnstormers set an Atlantic League record with 88 wins. Herr managed the team from 2005 to 2006 and from 2009 to 2010. In 2008, the Barnstormers was coached by Von Hayes , a former teammate of Herr from the 1989 and 1990 Philadelphia Phillies . Rick Wise ,
574-545: The 2024 season, there are seven active leagues, with four of them acting as MLB Partner Leagues . Additionally, Major League Baseball co-operatively operates the MLB Draft League , which operates as an amateur collegiate summer baseball league in the first half of each season and a professional league outside of the structure of Minor League Baseball for the remainder. Independent baseball leagues and teams exist outside of North America, though rarer. In Japan,
615-608: The Commissioner of Baseball. Independent baseball existed in the early 20th century and has become prominent again since 1993. Leagues operated mostly autonomously before 1902, when the majority joined the NAPBL. From then until 1915, a total of eight new and existing leagues remained independent. Most joined the National Association after one season of independence. Notable exceptions were the California League , which
656-608: The Japan Independent Baseball League Organization, which consists of the Shikoku Island League Plus and Baseball Challenge League , operates independently from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Japan also has a variety of independent semi-professional leagues consisting of industrial teams , where the players are regular employees of the company that own the team and are additionally paid to play baseball for
697-727: The Keystone Association while the Ironsides played in the Eastern League , both starting in 1884. The following season, the Lancasters joined the Eastern League, and the two teams became rivals. They competed against each other for fan support, league affiliation, and money at the gate. At its peak, insults and refusals to play against each other were the norm. The teams finally agreed to play each other at
738-488: The Red Roses to reflect Lancaster's baseball heritage. The primary logo features the "Stormers" wordmark in red with a white outline set against a black background. The letters are in a custom font inspired by fraktur , a Pennsylvania Dutch blackletter calligraphy. A bull's head completes the logo below the wordmark in red, black, and gold. There is also a lightning bolt across the bull's forehead. The secondary logo features
779-428: The Roses , the name change infuriated the rival White Roses from the nearby city of York. In 2003, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball formally announced an expansion team for the city of Lancaster. In November 2004, the Barnstormers announced the signing of Tom Herr , a Major League Baseball veteran and Lancaster native, as the team's first manager. The Barnstormers' were set to begin competition in 2005 at
820-512: The Sisters of Mercy Orphanage. Biddeford began play in the 1907 season alongside fellow members from Augusta, Maine ( Augusta Senators ), Bangor, Maine ( Bangor Cubs ), Lewiston, Maine (Lewiston), Manchester, New Hampshire (Manchester), Portland, Maine ( Pine Tree Capers ), a second team in Portland ( Portland Blue Sox ) and Waterville, Maine (Waterville). Biddeford continued play as
861-578: The Stormers to Lancaster Baseball, LLC. Lancaster Baseball consists of Ian Ruzow, Rob Liss, Steve Zuckerman, and Bob Zuckerman. Ian Ruzow was born in South Africa and moved to the USA in 1980. The other three partners are all natives of New York, and all four have lived in Lancaster for 40 years. Steve Zuckerman, Ian Ruzow, and Bob Zuckerman were the founders of Clipper Magazine, with Rob Liss joining them
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#1732794511315902-664: The War of the Roses is presented with the Community Cup, while the defeated team is obligated to sing the ballpark classic " Take Me Out to the Ball Game " and plant a rose garden at the opponent's ballpark with their representative color: red for Lancaster, white for York. The first Community Cup was championed by the Stormers in the 2007 season, though the Revolution avenged them by winning it in 2008. The clubs also competed in
943-682: The addition of York to the Atlantic League , the Revolution and Stormers now continue this tradition as they battle each other for lower Susquehanna supremacy. The "War of the Roses" was rekindled with the sound of celebratory cannon fire at the start of the 2007 Atlantic League season in Wrightsville , a borough located on the Susquehanna River , the natural boundary between Lancaster and York counties. The winner of
984-706: The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania , cannot have an affiliated team because of its proximity to the Harrisburg Senators and Reading Fightin Phils , leaving the Atlantic League to place a team—the Lancaster Barnstormers —to fill the void. Another example is the greater New York City metropolitan area, where there are many independent teams: the Long Island Ducks , Staten Island FerryHawks , New Jersey Jackals , New York Boulders , and Sussex County Miners . The Atlantic League considered as
1025-605: The city's Northwest Corridor since 2005 when the stadium was completed. Baseball first came to Lancaster County in the 1860s by soldiers returning home from the Civil War . They learned the rules while serving in the military and wanted to continue playing. The very first professional baseball teams in Lancaster were the Lancaster Lancasters and the Lancaster Ironsides . The Lancasters played in
1066-679: The company on the side. South Korea also has series of small independent leagues. Additionally, as of 2024, two Japanese teams without affiliation to NPB teams play within NPB's minor leagues (the Eastern League and the Western League ). Similarly, within KBO Futures League , the minor league of Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), there is an unaffiliated team that consists only of South Korean military personnel . A select number of Japanese independent teams also participate in
1107-810: The day. The Giants hosted many exhibition games against the Philadelphia Giants of the Keystone Club. Between 1896 and 1899, the first team called the Lancaster Maroons played in the original Atlantic League . In 1905, the second inception of the Maroons played in the Tri-State League. In 1906, the Maroons became the Lancaster Red Roses . As both teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of
1148-545: The end of the 1884 season, in which the Ironsides defeated the Lancasters after seven very close games. Only the Lancasters continued to play the next season. In the 1894 to 1895 seasons, a team called the Lancaster Chicks played in the Keystone Association. An all- African-American team called the Lancaster Giants followed in 1887, and many Lancastrians supported the team despite the social pressure of
1189-551: The first round of the playoffs, the Barnstormers swept the Bridgeport Bluefish to win their first Atlantic League championship, in only their second season. Pitcher Denny Harriger threw a complete game, breaking a franchise record for consecutive pitches. It was the city of Lancaster's first professional championship since 1955 when the former Red Roses won the Piedmont League title. The Barnstormers played in
1230-410: The league. The Atlantic League has had many notable managers and coaches, including Wally Backman , Frank Viola , Tommy John , Sparky Lyle , and Bud Harrelson . The Northern League alumni include Leon "Bull" Durham , J. D. Drew , and Darryl Strawberry . Independent leagues are those professional leagues in the United States and Canada not under the purview of organized Minor League Baseball and
1271-421: The middle of its face in red and khaki colors as the main logo. Alternate logos include the bull charging through a barn, a circular logo with the team name on the outside with a barn in a storm inside the circle, while keeping the white L with a baseball as a homage to the prior name and logo set. The primary colors of the Stormers are red, black, gold, and white. These are similar to the colors previously used by
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1312-585: The new Professional Baseball Agreement in organized baseball instituted more stringent revenue and stadium requirements on members. The Northern League and Frontier League both started play in 1993, and the Northern League's success paved the way for other independent leagues like the Texas-Louisiana League and Northeast League . Over the next eight years, at least 16 independent leagues formed, of which six existed in 2002. As of
1353-538: The newly built Clipper Magazine Stadium . On May 11, they lost their first game, 4–3, to the Atlantic City Surf , in front of 7,300 fans. They finished the 2005 season with a record of 64 wins and 76 losses. In finishing the first half of the 2006 season with a record of 38–25, the Barnstormers qualified for their first Atlantic League playoff berth. They also won the second half, posting a record of 37–26. After defeating division challenger, Atlantic City, in
1394-605: The off-season Miyazaki Phoenix League alongside Japanese and Korean minor league teams. Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Stormers (formerly known as the Lancaster Barnstormers ) is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania . It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball , a "partner league" of Major League Baseball . The team has played its home games at Clipper Magazine Stadium in
1435-676: The season, Pine Tree and York Beach both disbanded on July 19, 1908, and when the Portland Blue Sox disbanded on August 28, 1908, the Maine State League permanently folded. The Portland Blue Sox were in 1st place with a 32–20 record, followed the Bangor White Sox (31–22), Lewiston/Augusta (20–26) and Biddeford (18–30) in the standings. However, since Portland folded, the Bangor White Sox were awarded
1476-550: The season. Playing under manager Irwin, the Biddeford/Newburyport team had a 25–55 overall record, placing fifth and last in the league standings, finishing 23.5 games behind first place Lawrence. The 1907 Biddeford Orphans resumed play as members of the Maine State League , which reformed as an eight–team Class D level league. The "Orphans" moniker corresponds to Biddeford being home in the era to
1517-587: The top level of competition among the independent leagues, and has had more marquee players than any other independent league, including Jose Canseco , Mat Latos , Steve Lombardozzi Jr. , Francisco Rodríguez , Chien-Ming Wang , Roger Clemens , Rich Hill , Scott Kazmir , Juan González , John Rocker , and Dontrelle Willis . Two former Atlantic League players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum , Tim Raines and Rickey Henderson . Gary Carter , another Hall of Famer, managed in
1558-727: The winning pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series , is also a managerial alumnus of the Lancaster Barnstormers. He was the team's third base coach from the inaugural 2005 season to the end of the 2008 campaign. Herr, in his second term, was succeeded by Butch Hobson . The Lancaster Stormers was originally owned by Opening Day Partners (ODP), a company that specializes in baseball club and stadium operations. ODP also created Atlantic League clubs in York, Pennsylvania , Southern Maryland , and Sugar Land, Texas . On November 12, 2014, ODP transitioned its ownership of
1599-493: Was a crowd of between seven and eight hundred persons out on Friday to see the Lancaster barnstormers play the Philadelphia Giants ." Their original primary logo incorporated the colors red, navy blue, and khaki previously used by the Lancaster Red Roses of affiliated Minor League Baseball from 1940 to 1961. The name and logo also alluded to Lancaster's Pennsylvania Dutch agricultural heritage. The team's name
1640-489: Was changed to the Stormers in a rebranding effort between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. After winning their second straight Atlantic League title in 2023, Barnstormers social media began to tease "A New Storm," set to be announced on February 15, 2024. On that day, the team unveiled a new logo set and a new name. Now known as the Lancaster Stormers, the new logo set includes a bull's head, with a lightning bolt down
1681-641: Was independent in 1902 and from 1907 to 1909; the United States Baseball League , which folded during its independent 1912 season; and the Colonial League, a National Association Member that went independent in 1915 and then folded. Another independent league, the Federal League , played at a level considered major league from 1914 to 1915. Few independent leagues existed between 1915 and 1993. Major exceptions included