Albuquerque Isotopes

From BR Bullpen

Location: Albuquerque, NM
League: Pacific Coast League 2003-present
Class: AAA
Affiliation: Florida Marlins 2003-present
Ballpark: Isotopes Park

[edit] Team History

The Albuquerque Isotopes began play in 2003, when the Calgary Cannons moved from Canada to New Mexico.

The team's name is a play on an episode of the television show The Simpsons in which Albuquerque tries to lure away Simpsons' hometown team, the Minor League Springfield Isotopes. At the time the episode aired, Albuquerque was temporarily without a team, and when one moved there it was decided to name the team the Isotopes at least in part because of the TV episode. The name is also appropriate because New Mexico was the home to the first nuclear weapons test in history and remains the home of two nuclear research laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.

The Isotopes hosted the 2007 AAA All-Star Game and festivities at their stadium in Albuquerque.

In 2007, the Isotopes won Baseball America's Freitas Award, given to a minor league team at each classification level for oustanding operations.