Every Friday we take a look at Independent Baseball. Today we do a smorgasbord of Independent news, history, and facts. 

Darryl Strawberry would play an important role on the 1996 Yankees. In a little less than half a season he hit 11 homers and drove in 36 runs. He hit .417 with 3 homers against the Orioles in the ALCS. Strawberry’s ’96 season did not begin the Bronx, but in St. Paul, Minnesota playing in the independent Northern League. He would tear up the league hitting .435 with 18 homers and 39 RBI in 29 games. Check out this ESPN story about Straw a special connection with a member of the team.

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Back in July, former big leaguer Tony Phillips signed with the Yuma Scorpions of the North American Baseball League at the age of 52. Yuma, of course, has been a topic of discussion here thanks to their controversial manager, Jose Canseco.

North of 50 agrees with Phillips as he is hitting .317 with an OBP of .417.

During his career, Phillips was known for his ability to draw walks and score runs. He was a role player on those powerful late eighties Oakland teams. He was also versatile, as he played the entire infield and outfield during his career. He was acquired by Steve Phillips at the 1998 trade deadline to help infuse some life into the Mets offense. Although he hit only .223, he did walk 38 times (.351 OBP) in 52 games. He had a stretch with Detroit and Anaheim where he was one of the better leadoff hitters in the game.

There were some off the field problems, as he was busted for cocaine possession in 1997.

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Last Saturday, July 30th, the Long Island Ducks welcomed their five-millionth fan through the turnstiles. This set a fan mark faster than any professional sports team with a stadium their size (capacity 6,002).

According to the Ducks official site, “Commack’s Andrea Pizzo became the lucky five-millionth fan, entering the gates minutes before first pitch. Pizzo won an authentic Ducks on field Jersey, a bat autographed by the 2011 First Half Champion Long Island Ducks, four tickets to all 2011 Ducks home playoff games, a $500 Visa gift card, courtesy of Bethpage Federal Credit Union and a measure of fame to boot, as several covering media outlets converged on the winner as she entered the gate.”

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Andrea Pizzo, Atlantic League, Darryl Strawberry, Detroit Tigers, ESPN, Jose Canseco, Long Island Ducks, Long Island Ducks Five-Millionth fan, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Northern League, Oakland Athletics, St. Paul Saints, Tony Phillips