Cris Rodgers pitches the Gold Sox to a 12-0 win against the Redding Colt .45s, May 30, 2009. Photo by queerbychoice. The Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox are an independent professional baseball team based in Marysville. They are not affiliated with any Major_League_Baseball team, nor with organized Minor_League_Baseball. They play their home games at Appeal-Democrat Park. Games are usually at 7:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. The team also has a clubhouse in Washington Square Park.
On July 3, 2010, the Gold Sox set their single-game attendance record when they beat the San Luis Obispo Blues 8-4 in front of 3,801 fans. The game was followed by the largesr post-game fireworks show in Gold Sox history.1
The official flagship radio station of the Gold Sox is KUBA-AM 1600/FM 95.5 in Yuba City. Geoff Flynn serves as play-by-play commentator.
History
The Gold Sox were founded in 2002 by the late Don McCullough of Don McCullough Dodge Chrysler (now John L. Sullivan Dodge Chrysler) in Marysville and Bob Bavasi of Bavasi Sports Partners, LLP. The team was named in honor of Marysville's Gold Rush history. The team's mascot is a gecko. There are actually two geckos at most games - a female gecko called Mrs. Green who wears lipstick and a tulle skirt over a baseball uniform, and a male gecko called Mr. Green who wears only a baseball uniform.
The Gold Sox played their first season in the independent Western Baseball League, before that league folded during the following offseason. They joined the California Coastal League for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In 2005, the Gold Sox became the host team for the Horizon Air Summer Series, a collegiate wood bat league created by Bob Bavasi, which the team has continued to participate in ever since. Bob and his brother Peter both handled the team as managing partners.2
In 2007, the Bavasis sold the Gold Sox to Tom and Karyn Lininger of Fair Oaks. At least one—often both—of the Liningers is always around to greet fans at the gate before the game and thank fans for coming after it's over.3 Bob Bavasi remains a major investor in the team, and Peter serves as an advisor to the Liningers. They do have hopes of rejoining a league (possibly the Golden Baseball League) in the future.4
Personnel
Manager Jack Johnson is a former minor league player and broadcaster. Star players include catcher Max Stassi (a Yuba City High School graduate) and pitchers Corey Chaffins and Cris Rodgers.5
Links
Mr. Green, one of the Gold Sox' two gecko mascots. Photo by queerbychoice. GoldSox.com Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox
Footnotes
1. Territorial Dispatch, July 14, 2010
2. Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox
3. "Team's a Big Hometown Hit: Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox Thrill Communities Laid Low by Economy" by Bill Patterson, The Sacramento Bee, July 28, 2009
4. Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox
5. "Team's a Big Hometown Hit: Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox Thrill Communities Laid Low by Economy" by Bill Patterson, The Sacramento Bee, July 28, 2009
