Tulsa Drillers

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The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies major-league club. The Drillers play in Drillers Stadium, located in midtown Tulsa.

Related Topics:
Minor league baseball - Tulsa, Oklahoma - Texas League - Colorado Rockies - Drillers Stadium

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The Drillers came into being in 1977, when a Lafayette, Louisiana team was transferred to Tulsa. Before that time, the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers had been the city's only minor league club, but owner A. Ray Smith moved the team to New Orleans, Louisiana due to concerns over the dilapidated condition of Oiler Park. Tulsa County completed 8,000 seat Robert B. Sutton Stadium in 1981, naming it for its chief benefactor, a local oil executive. Sutton, however, was convicted in 1982 of fraud, and as a result the County renamed the park Tulsa County Stadium. In 1989, Drillers Stadium received its current name. The stadium now seats 10,997.

Related Topics:
1977 - Lafayette, Louisiana - Tulsa Oilers - A. Ray Smith - New Orleans, Louisiana - Tulsa County - Robert B. Sutton

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From 1976 to 2002, the Drillers were the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. In 2002, Rangers owner Tom Hicks purchased the Shreveport, Louisiana Texas League franchise with the intention of moving the team to Frisco, Texas, a suburban city north of Dallas. At the time, the Shreveport Swamp Dragons were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants; Hicks cast aside this association and bought out the remaining two years of Tulsa's Player Development Contract. The Drillers then signed a two-year agreement with the Colorado Rockies.

Related Topics:
Texas Rangers - Tom Hicks - Shreveport, Louisiana - Frisco, Texas - Dallas - Shreveport Swamp Dragons - San Francisco Giants - Player Development Contract - Colorado Rockies

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Notable former Drillers include Sammy Sosa, Rubén Sierra, Ivan Rodríguez, Juan González, and Kevin Brown. The Drillers have been Texas League champions twice: 1982 and 1988.

Related Topics:
Sammy Sosa - Rubén Sierra - Ivan Rodríguez - Juan González - Kevin Brown

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ESPN Sportscenter anchor John Anderson has often alluded to team alumni as "former Driller(s)" on-air. Anderson was a weekend sports anchor for Tulsa CBS affiliate KOTV before joining ESPN.

Related Topics:
ESPN - Sportscenter - John Anderson - CBS - KOTV

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