Ventura County Gulls

	Ventura County Gulls; (1986); Ventura, CA
Minor league affiliations
Class	Class A-Advanced
League	California League
Division	Southern Division
Major league affiliations
Team	Toronto Blue Jays (1986)
Team data
Nickname	Ventura County Gulls (1986); Lodi Crushers (1984; 1966–1969); Lodi Dodgers (1976–1983); Lodi Orioles (1974–1975); Lodi Lions (1973); Lodi Orions (1972); Lodi Padres (1970–1971);
Colors	Royal blue, powder blue, white;
Ballpark	Ventura College Ballpark (1986); Lawrence Park (1966–1984);
General Manager	Jim Biby

The Ventura County Gulls were a minor league baseball team in Ventura, California. They were a Class A-Advanced team that played in the California League, and were a farm team of the Toronto Blue Jays for the franchise's only year as the Gulls. They played all of their home games at the baseball field at Ventura College. In spite of the fact that the Gulls' roster featured 14 future Major League Baseball players in their lone year, Ventura County did not make the playoffs; instead, they lost a tiebreaker to the Visalia Oaks.[1] Coupled with the poor attendance mark by the Gulls, this proved too much to bear for the struggling franchise. Prior to the 1987 season, the Ventura County Gulls were sold and moved to San Bernardino, California, where the franchise became the San Bernardino Spirit.

Due to a lack of lights at Ventura College's baseball stadium, the Gulls were one of the few minor league teams (if not the only team) in the nation to have every home game played in the afternoon. This major restriction put Ventura County last in the California League in attendance (with 38,818)[2] and was the main reason why the Gulls stayed in Ventura for only one year.

Team identity

The team conducted a survey for a team at the Ventura County Fair in 1985. Over 200 different names were submitted. The owners, who felt it fitting for the community's coastal location, selected the Gulls. Local artist Chris Martinez designed the Gulls logos. "The Gull in Flight logo is used on the Gulls' office stationary and will be on the player's uniform caps. The Batting Gull has been used for promotional flyers and will be featured of on various Gull memorabilia being sold at the ballpark. Both logos typify the characteristics of the Gull. The 'flight' logo depicts the beauty and face of a bird in flight; while the 'batting gull' shows the scrappy and competitive nature of this sea bird. It is only fitting that a beautiful coastal town such as Ventura would adopt the name 'Gulls' for its team."[3] The Gulls would adopt the color scheme of their parent club, the Blue Jays.

Major league alumni

All players are listed in alphabetical order by their surname, with the year they played for Ventura County in parentheses.

Kevin Batiste (1986)
Gerónimo Berroa (1986)
Domingo Martinez (1986)
José Mesa (1986)
Enrique Burgos (1986)
Francisco Cabrera (1986)
Jeff Musselman (1986)
Greg Myers (1986)
Carlos Diaz (1986)
Rob Ducey (1986)
Todd Stottlemyre (1986)
David Wells (1986)
Dave Walsh (1986)
Eric Yelding (1986)

Year-by-year record

Year	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
1986	75—67	4th (t)	Glenn Ezell

References

1986 California League Review - The Baseball Cube
Ventura County Gulls - BR Bullpen
Ventura County Gulls Baseball Program 1986

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[1] 1986 California League Review - The Baseball Cube

[2] Ventura County Gulls - BR Bullpen

[3] Ventura County Gulls Baseball Program 1986