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
Copper King Stadium (1,800)
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.
###
One Response
Not all are forgotten. Our son, Jason Glosser, went on to play for the Rockford River Hawks in Illinois winning a championship ring. He finished his career with the Joliet Jackhammers with Hal Lanier (Nolan Ryan’s former manager) as his manager. My wife and I, and our 24 year old grandson are coming to Bisbee either this Sunday or Monday to look things over. Hopefully, there are some things downtown to remember the 2003 team.