Received this from the Armada today:
The Long Beach Armada Professional Baseball Team announced today that 16-year Major League veteran Garry Templeton will manage the team during the 2009 Golden Baseball League 5th Anniversary Season. A former local standout at Valley High School in Santa Ana, Calif., Templeton brings a wealth of experience to the Armada both from his career as an All-Star shortstop in the National League and from his time as a manager in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
“We’re looking forward to his leadership on the field,” said Armada General Manager Tony Soares. “Just as important as his experience as a manager is having his presence felt in and around the Long Beach community.”
From 1998-2001, Templeton managed in the Anaheim Angels system going 294-272 (.519) during that time. He managed the Cedar Rapids Kernels (1998) and Erie Sea Wolves (1999) before taking over the Triple-A Edmonton Trappers of the PCL in 2000. Templeton spent the 2001 season managing the Triple-A Salt Lake Stingers. After spending two seasons managing the Northern League’s Gary Railcats (2003-2004), Templeton came to the Golden Baseball League during the inaugural 2005 season as skipper of the Fullerton Flyers. As the Flyers manager for the team’s first three seasons (2005-2007), he helped build the team’s foundation, leading them to the 2006 GBL Second-Half Championship. Armada and Golden Baseball League fans will now see this familiar face managing the home team at Blair Field in Long Beach instead of sitting in the visitor’s dugout.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Templeton in the first round of the 1974 amateur draft with the 13th overall selection. The switch-hitting shortstop debuted in the big leagues in 1976 and spent six seasons with St. Louis before being traded to the San Diego Padres for the 1982 season. After a productive decade in San Diego, the Padres traded him to the New York Mets during the 1991 season, his final year in the Major Leagues. Templeton was selected to the NL All-Star team three times (1977, 1979, 1985), won two NL Silver Slugger Awards (1980, 1984) and led the NL in hits in 1979 with 211 while becoming the first ever player to record 100 hits from each side of the plate in a single season, a feat that has only been accomplished one other time.
“At this particular stage, I’m looking forward to coming over and putting these guys back in the playoffs,” said Templeton. “I think they still have a good nucleus with the [players] coming back, and if I can take what they got and add to it, I think we can win a championship.”
Templeton will take over a team that finished the 2008 season hotter than any other team in the Golden Baseball League. The Armada won 11 of its final 15 games to clinch the GBL South Division Second-Half and earn a playoff berth. The Armada fell to the rival Orange County Flyers (formerly Fullerton Flyers) in the fifth game of the best-of-five division championship series. Templeton replaces former Dodger catcher Steve Yeager who managed the Armada for one season after replacing the team’s first skipper Darrell Evans.
Templeton is the fifth new manager in the Golden Baseball League for 2009. In November, the expansion Victoria Seals named former Armada skipper Darrell Evans manager. In December, the Orange County Flyers named former big-leaguer Phil Nevin manager, the Tucson Toros introduced former Blue Jays skipper Tim Johnson, and MLB veteran Greg Cadaret became the manager of the Chico Outlaws.