News and Announcements
A few URL’s you may want to bookmark:
- Main MBLL Site:
http://www.mbll.org
- MBLL Majors Baseball:
http://www.mbllmajors.teampages.com
- Our Dirtbags Page:
http://www.mblldirtbags.teamages.com
I like to log in to the "Majors" page because that page has different discussions, links and documents, plus, it will have all of the updates league scores & standings. From that page, you can just click on Dirtbags in the list of teams and you’ll get to our page.
Hey Again.
Mike and I have received several questions about the uniforms. Mike just picked them up & here’s the deal:
- They are white with navy blue pinstripes and orange letters.
- So, we figured navy blue socks & a navy blue belt would be the way to go.
- A far as the pants go, the league is going to get them for us, so don’t worry about that.
- Also, they messed up the color scheme when ordering our hats, so we’ll be getting the messed up ones also, which we can use for practice.
OK, one more biggie- most of the Dad’s have either coached before or they are on the board, or both, so Mike and I figure we’ll have plenty of help with the baseball stuff. So, Moms, this is for you. We are in desperate need of a TEAM MOM. Don’t all volunteer at once. Anyone…Anyone…? It’s an important gig, so it would be very much appreciated if somone can volunteer. Otherwise we’ll have to draw a name out of a hat. And no one wants that. Just let us know. Thanks.
That’s all for now. More to come.
Jim
A few things regarding practice:
1. MBLL is giving us some time at Total Baseball. We have 4-5PM this Sunday, 2/15. This is not a mandatory practice. If you can make it, great, come on down. We’ll be in the 60MPH cage.
2. Our regular practices will be at 3:30 on Fridays at Premiere. This is the field the league is really trying to make in to the state-of-the-art field, so it will be fun to practice there. For the kids who attend MBMS, it will be a quick walk over there after school. I’m sure we can figure out a way to get their equipment to them. Pracrice will start the week after next, not next week.
3. We also have the Dorsey batting cages reserved for 10:30AM on Saturday mornings. This will give us a good chance to practice our hitting on game-days if the timing works out OK.
More to come soon.
“Being a Dirtbag is great, it’s a great group of guys. We’re just players who like to get dirty and play hard. We’ll always battle every inning, every at bat – it’s just a hard-nosed way to play ball,”
— Jeremy Reed, Mariners Outfielder
“A Dirtbag doesn’t have the greatest ability—on a scale from 1 to 10, you’re always a 5, but you always play hard and don’t care how pretty you look. You just get after it.”
— Brian Whatley, Starting Catcher on 1993 CWS Team
“It was a tremendous honor to be a Dirtbag. Being a Dirtbag means you’re a never-say-die player who puts it all on the line all the time.’’
— Terrmel Sledge, Major Leaguer
Go Dirtbags!!!
The Long Beach State 49ers Baseball team is the college baseball program that represents California State University, Long Beach. Unlike all other Long Beach State sports teams, since 1989 the baseball team has unofficially gone by the name The Dirtbags.
Long Beach State has competed in the NCAA Division I Big West Conference (BWC, formerly the PCAA) since 1970. Before becoming a founding member of the BWC, LBSU participated in the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) from 1957-1969, and before that spent three years as an independent team.
The Long Beach State baseball team gained national prominence in 1989, with the hiring of Dave Snow as head coach. Since then The Dirtbags have been one of the strongest teams on the West Coast, being consistently ranked in the national top 25 and appearing in 17 of the last 20 NCAA tournaments (through 2008).
The Dirtbags currently play their home games at Blair Field, a semi-professional baseball facility located less than 2 miles from campus and operated by the city of Long Beach.
Although like all other LBSU sports teams the baseball team is officially known as the 49ers, players and fans alike generally prefer the more colloquial name the “Dirtbags." The team bears the name with pride, despite the fact that it may seem disparaging at first. The term Dirtbag is in fact distinct from pejorative demonyms (such as Limey and Hoosier) that have later been adopted later as symbols of pride. The term was instead coined as a sort of ironic badge of honor, referring to the team’s scrappy playing style and success against higher profile programs. 1
The name Dirtbag first appeared in 1989, the first year under new head coach Dave Snow. After a successful 4-year run at Loyola Marymount (where he led the Lions to 2 WCC titles and their first ever CWS appearance), Snow arrived at The Beach and found himself inheriting a program that had compiled a horrific 14-45 record the year before, along with a roster consisting almost entirely of new players. What’s more, Snow’s team was forced to play without the benefit a true home field (instead splitting games between Long Beach City College, Cerritos College, and Blair Field).
But the lack of a field didn’t seem to deter the young 49ers. In fact, infield coach Dave Malpass routinely took his players to a local (all-dirt) Pony League field for practices rather than have them play on the on-campus practice field. When the infielders returned to the main practice field, their uniforms caked with dirt, the other coaches would often tease Malpass about his group of “Dirtbags.” Soon, however, the Dirtbags would show that they were not to be laughed at.
Long Beach State exploded onto the college baseball scene in 1989. Rebounding from their disappointing 14-45 season just one year before, the reborn Dirtbags completed their incredible turnaround by posting a 50-15 overall record (a school record for wins that still stands to this day) and winning their first conference title in two decades. In their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Dirtbags breezed through their Regional and reached the College World Series, another school first.
The pivotal 1989 season set the stage for future Dirtbags teams. In the 20 years since then, Long Beach State has maintained the high level of play introduced by Dave Snow and the first Dirtbags team, while establishing itself as one of the premier teams on the West Coast. The Dirtbag name continues to be worn as a badge of honor, by players old and new.2
Dirtbags in the Major Leagues include Evan Longoria, Jason Giambi, Bobby Crosby, Steve Trachsel, Jered Weaver and Troy Tulowitzki
