 The Sioux Falls Canaries are a professional independent baseball team that has been playing at Sioux Falls Stadium since 1993. The team's nickname pays homage to a long-standing tradition of professional baseball in Sioux Falls. Professional baseball first came to Sioux Falls in 1898, and the team was first referred to as "The Canaries" in 1900, when a newspaper reporter bestowed the nickname upon the team because of their yellow jerseys. Professional baseball was played on-and-off in Sioux Falls for the next half-century, with the Canaries playing as a Chicago Cubs affiliate in the original Northern League from 1942-1953. After 11 years without professional baseball, Sioux Falls returned to the Northern League with a new nickname. The Sioux Falls Packers, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, played for six years from 1966-1971. The Northern League made its triumphant return in 1993, with the Sioux Falls Canaries as one of its flagship franchises.
The Birds played in the Northern League for 13 years (1993-2005), with 2001 standing out as the organization's most successful venture. That year, the re-born Canaries, under the guidence of manager Doc Edwards, won their first division championship in dramatic fashion. On the final day of the first half, the Canaries picked up a win in Duluth that allowed them to eek out the South Division crown by a mere one game over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The Surley Birds repeated as South Division Champions in the second half, again by the slimmest of margains, one game ahead of the Lincoln Saltdogs. After standing tall as the leagues best team, with a 55-35 regular season record, the Canaries faltered during the post-season. The Birds won just one playoff game in falling three games to one to the wild card Lincoln Saltdogs. In the fall of 2005, the Canaries departed the Northern League along with the Sioux City Explorers, St. Paul Saints, and Lincoln Saltdogs. The quartet of former Northern League teams joined forces with five teams from the Central League (the Fort Worth Cats, El Paso Diablos, Shreveport Sports, Pensacola Pelicans, and Coastal Bend Aviators) and one new franchise (the St. Joe Blacksnakes) to form a new league, the American Association of Independent Baseball. The American Association began play in 2006, and saw the Canaries struggle their first year. The Birds brought in Steve Shirley as their manager heading into the 2007 season, and saw immediate success. The Canaries set a record for their winningest half in club history going 31-17 during the first half of 2007. Unfortunately, the newfound winning ways of Shirley's Canaries did not result in a playoff berth as, the Birds were bested by the Lincoln Saltdogs, who went 34-13 in the first half of 2007. The Canaries finished the year 53-43, falling two wins short of tying the club record, and missing out on their second playoff appearance. In 2008, Shirley proved he was not a one-hit wonder. The Canaries matched their club record 31-17 half in the first half of the season, and this time it was enough to win the North Division crown. The Birds continued to play well in the second half of the season, finishing the year with a club record 60 wins. In their second go-around, the Canaries found the playoffs fruitful. A three-game sweep of their I-29 Rivals from Sioux City, advanced the Canaries to the American Association League Championship Series. In the American Association League Championship Series, the Birds met the expansion Grand Prairie AirHogs. The teams split the first two games in Grand Prairie before heading north to settle the series. After a game three victory put the Canaries on the verge of their first league championship, the Canaries and AirHogs battled in a memorable 12 inning game with the Canaries prevailing 5-4 on a game-winning, bases-loaded single by Patrick Reilly. The victory crown the Canaries as American Association Champions, giving Sioux Falls its first professional baseball championship. League Championships: One (2008) Division Championships: Three (2001 First Half, 2001 Second Half, 2008 First Half) Opening Day One of baseball's grandest traditions is the pomp and circumstance surrounding the beginning of a new season. While in reality it is just one game in a slate of so many, Opening Day seems to take on extra significance for fans as it is the first chance to see what lies ahead for a season. Opening Day can set the tone for a season, or it can be mind-numbingly deceiving as it was for the Shreveport Sports in 2008. The Sports came out on Opening Day in 2008 and set a league-record for runs scored in obliterating the El Paso Diablos by a score of 21-5. You can only imagine the glee that illuminated Sports fans who were likely dancing with excitement upon hearing of the Opening Day result. However, the Sports joy stopped there. The Sports lost their next four games, and went on to finish with the losingest record in American Association history, 26-68. Worst of all, that league-record they set for runs scored was washed away at the team's own expense when the Sports lost by a score of 26-5 against the Sioux Falls Canaries during the final weekend of the year. So while Opening Day success doesn't always equal further success throughout the season, it is better to start 1-0 than 0-1. More often than not, the Canaries have. Here is a look back at Canaries results on Opening Day. PAST OPENING DAY RESULTSThe Canaries, 8-8 on Opening Day in their 16 year history, are the only team in the American Association to have won on Opening Day in each of the league's three years. In 2009, the Canaries will open at home against the St. Paul Saints on May 14. The game will be the 12th in time in club history that the team has opened at home. Despite being in the same league for each of the last 16 years, the Canaries have only opened against the Saints twice (losing to them at Sioux Falls Stadium in 1997 and 2004).
Here is a look at the Canaries Opening Day line-ups... PAST OPENING DAY LINE-UPSBy playing on Opening Day in 2009, Ben Van Iderstine will become the second player in Canaries history to be featured in three consecutive Opening Day line-ups (Abner Arroyo, 2005-2007).
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