The Senior Professional Baseball Association , referred to commonly as the Senior League , was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had eight teams in two divisions and a 72-game schedule. Pitchers Rollie Fingers , Ferguson Jenkins (both future Hall of Famers ), and Vida Blue , outfielder Dave Kingman , and managers Earl Weaver and Dick Williams were the league's marquee names; and former big league outfielder Curt Flood was the circuit's first Commissioner. At age 54, Ed Rakow was the league's oldest player.
14-639: The Daytona Beach Explorers was a baseball club that played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1990. They were a replacement team when the originals Bradenton Explorers relocated to Daytona Beach, Florida , and played its games at the Jackie Robinson Ballpark . Managed by Clete Boyer and coached by Tony Cloninger , the Beach Explorers had registered an 11–11 record and
28-573: A 2.12 ERA. Joaquín Andújar of Gold Coast had 5 wins and an ERA of 1.31. In the first weekend of February 1990, the league's top four teams participated in a three-game, single elimination tournament with a rather unusual format. On February 2, the league's second place clubs faced off. The Explorers defeated the Sun Sox for a chance to face the St. Petersburg Pelicans. The next day, the Pelicans beat
42-615: The Angels' system when he was released at the end of spring training in 1980. He was signed just three days later by the San Diego Padres , where he made his major league debut the following April. Boone pitched in 37 games for the Padres in 1981, winning 1 game, losing none, and collecting two saves with a decent 2.84 ERA. Boone began the next season with the Padres as well, but pitched sparingly, making only 10 appearances over
56-791: The Explorers 9–2 to advance to the league championship game against the West Palm Beach Tropics. On February 4, 1990, the Pelicans, powered by Lamar Johnson 's home run and 3 RBIs, beat the Tropics 12–4 for the league's first championship. The 1989-90 player statistics for all teams were published in the Sporting News on February 12, 1990, pages 30–31 "Assessing the Boys of Winter". 1989/1990 Teams Northern Division Southern Division For its second season, four of
70-697: The North, the St. Petersburg Pelicans finished in first, and the Bradenton Explorers were second, narrowly holding off the Orlando Juice . Infielder Ron Washington of West Palm Beach was the league's offensive star, hitting .359 with a league leading 73 RBIs and winning the MVP award . Washington's teammate Mickey Rivers hit .366, and Gold Coast Sun Bert Campaneris , the oldest everyday player in
84-661: The Orioles, and in September 1990 he was back in the majors. He pitched in four games, including his first-ever major league start against the Cleveland Indians on September 30, in which he did not receive a decision. Boone's comeback drew some attention, and he even was accorded "Rookie Prospect" status in the 1991 Score baseball card set at the age of 36. However, his first major league start also turned out to be his last major league appearance, as he did not make
98-633: The SPBA. Danny Boone Daniel Hugh Boone (born January 14, 1954) is a former professional baseball pitcher . He pitched parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball , appearing in 1981, 1982, and 1990. He is probably best known for the eight-year gap between his major league stints, and the improbable comeback that led him to his time with the Baltimore Orioles in 1990. Coming out of Cal State Fullerton , Boone
112-623: The first two months of the season. On June 8, he was traded to the Houston Astros for infielder Joe Pittman , and after a handful of appearances in June was returned to the minor leagues. After a September call-up, he started the 1983 season back in the minors, and was released in June. Boone signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers , spending about a year in their farm system before being released once again. For
126-595: The league at 47, stole 16 bases. Bradenton's Jim Morrison hit .290 with 55 RBIs and led the league with 17 homers. Tim Ireland of Fort Myers hit a league best .374, and his teammate Kim Allen paced the circuit with 33 stolen bases. Willie Aikens hit 12 home runs and had 58 RBIs. West Palm Beach pitcher Juan Eichelberger went 11–5 with a 2.90 ERA , and St. Petersburg's Milt Wilcox went 12–3. Jon Matlack , Tim Stoddard , and Pete Falcone each won 10 games. Bradenton's Rick Lysander saved 11 games, and Winter Haven's Bill Campbell notched 5 saves to go along with
140-800: The league's eight teams (Gold Coast, Orlando, St. Lucie, and Winter Haven) folded; the West Palm Beach Tropics became a traveling team known as the Florida Tropics , and the Explorers moved from Bradenton to Daytona Beach, becoming the Daytona Beach Explorers . The circuit then added clubs in Arizona, the Sun City Rays , as well as in California, the San Bernardino Pride . In addition, the league dropped
154-538: The minimum age to 34 and shortened the season to 56 games. Less than halfway through its second season, the SPBA folded on December 26, 1990. 1990/1991 Standings Ron Washington , Joaquín Andújar , Paul Mirabella , Danny Boone , and Ozzie Virgil Jr. signed Major League Baseball contracts after playing in the Senior League; Mirabella, Boone, and Virgil all played in the Majors after their appearances in
SECTION 10
#1732776897203168-401: The next five years, he dropped off the radar of American professional baseball. Then, in 1989, a new league started that gave Boone a new lease on his career: the Senior Professional Baseball Association . Boone signed on with the Bradenton Explorers , where he showed off a new pitch in his arsenal: the knuckleball . He pitched well enough for them (4-3, 3.16 ERA) to get a contract offer from
182-495: Was in fourth place when the league ceased operations on December 28, 1990. Senior Professional Baseball Association Throughout the inaugural season, most clubs struggled with poor attendance, with an average attendance of less than 1,000 per game. On the field, the West Palm Beach Tropics ran away with the league's South Division, finishing 15 games ahead of the second place Fort Myers Sun Sox . In
196-551: Was selected in the 2nd round of the 1976 Major League Baseball Draft by the then- California Angels . This was actually the fifth time Boone had been drafted, as he had been selected after each of his four years in college as well as the secondary phase draft in January 1976. It was also the third time he was drafted by the Angels, who selected him in both 1973 and 1974, but he only signed after this draft. Boone's early promise went unfulfilled for several years, as he washed out of
#202797