Slow going for new teams

The two new franchises in the Golden Baseball League's 2008 season quickly settled into their winning ways.

Edmonton and Calgary both won more than 40 games and played each other in the Northern Division playoffs.

This year's new teams don't appear headed toward a similar fate.

The Victoria Seals entered Wednesday's game 14-22, last in the North Division, and the Tucson Toros are 11-16, 2-1/2 games ahead of Yuma but eight games back of South Division leader St. George.

Fortunately for the newcomers, the second half of the season offers a clean slate.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Tucson, Orange County and Yuma will be hosting Fourth of July celebrations on Saturday, and Chico will get the holiday started early with a fireworks show on Friday games.

The Outlaws will also be treated to a singing of the national anthem by No. 1 starting pitcher Jose Lima, who also sang The Star-Spangled Banner as part of Chico's Opening Night festivities.

North of the border, the Victoria Seals were the long GBL team in Canada for Canada Day for an afternoon game. The home team lost, however, 2-1 to Tucson.

OUTLAWS ATTRACT MORE MLB VETS

Chico added another Major League veteran to its pitching staff on Tuesday, signing former San Francisco Giant Wayne Franklin. Franklin pitched in more than 300 innings as a reliever in the big leagues with five different teams, but has spent the last two seasons as starter in an independent league on the east coast.

ALL-STAR GAME JULY 14

The GBL announced its plans for the league's annual All-Star game on Tuesday, naming St. George's Bruce Hurst Field as the site for the July 14 event.

The game will begin at 7 p.m. and be preceded by an autograph session and home run derby.

As for a hint as to which players might be playing in the game, the league's leaders will certainly be hard to get overlooked. They include Calgary's Fehlandt Lentini (.413 batting average), St. George's Angel Sanchez (10 home runs) and A.J. Valentine (41 RBI), Victoria's Isaac Hess (five pitching wing), and Austin Bibens-Dirkx (54 strikeouts) and Edmonton's Louis Pote (1.37 ERA).

The Scorpions' most likely All-Star selection may be Carlos Villalobos, a .327 hitter with six home runs.