Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings Baseball

Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings (2003)

Arizona-Mexico League (2003)

Tombstone

Born: 2002 – Arizona-Mexico League founding franchise
Folded: June 17, 2003

First Game: May 30, 2003 (? vs. Cananea Mineros)
Last Game
: June ?, 2003

Arizona-Mexico League Championships: None

Stadium

Ownership & Affiliation

Owners: John Guy, Mark Hebard, Rick Johnston & David Skinner

Major League Affiliation: Independent

 

Background

These guys knew how to have fun, so it’s unfortunate that the obscure Arizona-Mexico League of Professional Baseball Clubs lasted for only three weeks before folding in the spring of 2003.  Run by minor league historians John Guy and David Skinner, the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings were a revival of  an old Class C ball club of the same name that existed from 1949-1958.

The Copper Kings captured some national headlines when they hosted “Ted Williams Frozen Popsicle Night” on June 2, 2003 to riff on the revelation that the remains of the Splendid Splinter were locked inside a cryogenics facility in Scottsdale, Arizona.  They auctioned off a contract on e-Bay that was won by an aide to the Governor of Maryland.  The Copper Kings also employed an official team psychic:

“Why not let the fans know how this game is going to turn out, so they can spend more time socializing, visiting the concession stand and checking out team souvenirs?” President John Guy reasoned in a team press release.

On the field, the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings employed former National League base stealing champion (1993) Chuck Carr.  The rest of the roster, however, was beyond obscure.

Unfortunately, the four-team Arizona-Mexico League ran out of cash after a couple of weeks and folded, thus depriving the world  of “Shoeless Joe Jackson Séance Night” and “Outdraw the Montreal Expos Night”, both planned for later in the summer.

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