TREMOR and AFTERSHOCK Mascots of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

ATY1004p012-022 11/3/04 9:33 AM Page 13 [ Logo/Mascot Profile ] TREMOR and AFTERSHOCK Photographs Photographs by FutureAngels.com Mascots of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes ON A FAULT LINE ONLY 40 Park for the first time, they were known McMullen. The franchise moved south MILES EAST OF LOS ANGELES, as the Lodi Crushers, the precursor to and became the Ventura County Gulls, there is more than one type of today’s Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. flocking with their major league birds of tremor in the neighborhood. In While the Quakes’ predecessors a feather, the Toronto Blue Jays. Rancho Cucamonga, fans can find one of saw many identity and affiliation Unfortunately, 1986 was the first and the most consistently successful Single- changes, not once did the franchise final season for the team. Incapable of A franchises today. Ironically, the move in the first 19 seasons. From 1966 finding a permanent home locally, Quakes emerged out of a league where to 1984, baseball in Lodi came full cycle. McMullen sold the Gulls to a group of the only constants in the 1960s were Originally a farm team for the Chicago investors who relocated to San moving, short life spans, and earth- Cubs, the Crushers switched affiliations Bernardino. After six seasons as the San quakes. to the Oakland Athletics for a year and Bernardino Spirit, the team was lured by After the Modesto Colts sat out the then served the following two seasons as the promise of a brand new state-of-the- 1965 season, the California League help- the Lodi Padres for San Diego. In 1972, art ballpark in nearby Rancho lessly watched the franchise in Salinas Lodi began a four-year stint with the Cucamonga. Unable to resist such a fold as well. A league that traditionally Baltimore Orioles under three different tempting offer, the owners set up camp boasted eight teams dwindled down to a names: the Lions, Orions and Orioles. Oh in a group of trailers by the construction mere five. In an effort to regain its for- my! This tenure was followed by eight site, anxiously awaiting the 1993 season. mer glory and success, the Cal League years with the Dodgers, before spending Moving to a community where decided to once again expand to eight their final season as the Crushers with earthquakes are second nature instigat- teams. Modesto and Reno were immedi- the Chicago Cubs once again in 1984. All ed fans to name their ball club the ately reactivated, leaving room for one the while, the Lodi franchise experi- Quakes. Coinciding with that theme, new franchise. This final spot was filled enced constant ownership changes; sup- the team’s stadium was dubbed the by Lodi, Calif., where local investors ported on numerous occasions by the Epicenter, a term used to identify the pooled together $2,500 to start a new community, similar to the NFL’s Green point of the earth’s surface directly team for the 1966 season. As the players Bay Packers, until private groups put up above the focus of an earthquake. trotted onto the diamond at Lawrence the money. While the Epicenter might have been 1985 marked an end of an era when able to sustain a heavy tremor, it was the Cubs moved their farm teams closer not able to support the overwhelming to home. Without a major league affilia- ticket requests. Baseball in Rancho tion, ownership was forced to sell the Cucamonga was such an instant hit Crushers to former major leaguer Ken that 442 temporary outfield bleachers AT THE YARD | November 2004 13 ATY1004p012-022 11/3/04 9:33 AM Page 14 [ Logo/Mascot Profile ] were added to the 4,600-seat stadium. where he lives throughout the year and By the end of their inaugural season, the hibernates during the off-season. Quakes had shattered the California The Quakes loved Tremor so much League’s single-season attendance that they used him as their official logo record of 218,444 and surpassed all on all of the team’s teal and black hats. In Double-A teams’ attendance totals with recent years though, the team has estab- 331,005. Even after expanding the lished its own identity. As general man- Epicenter’s capacity to 6,500 seats the ager North Johnson stated, “We are not following year, the Quakes continued to the dinosaurs, we are not the Tremors… break their own attendance records and No one else really uses teal besides the hit the two millionth fan milestone after Marlins.” With this idea in mind, the a mere five seasons! Quakes erased Tremor from their on- The site of the Epicenter is rich in field hat, replacing him with Rancho baseball history, dating back to prehis- Cucamonga’s initials in a light gold and toric times! Almost 2.5 million years ago, royal blue, much more traditional base- DRAGGING OUT THE COSTUMES: Tremor disguises the Agnomacuc Green Sox played at ball colors. himself as a lovely lady during a Quakes game. Episaurus Field in present day Rancho Tremor was the only show in town Cucamonga. Sadly, a tragic earthquake until the Quakes’ brass decided to FF! struck and only Green Sox right-handed expand the stadium following the strong TS O slugger Tremor the Rallysaurus survived. fan turn out of the 1994 season. When the HA Tremor was suspended in time, bulldozer broke ground and began exca- home trapped underneath the earth’s surface vating, surprised workers stumbled << for millions of years. As fate had it, anoth- across another buried Rallysaurus. The er earthquake on September 9, 1992 gave Quakes took Aftershock from the ground << Tremor a new chance at life in the big and performed DNA tests only to discov- road leagues. Emerging at the construction er that he was Tremor’s long lost baby site of the Epicenter, Tremor immediately brother. To keep the family together, believed he was going to play for the Aftershock was hired as his sibling’s Quakes. Unfortunately, while 6-feet-7- goofy sidekick, and there he’s stayed for batting inches tall was a small strike zone in the the past 10 seasons. Jurassic era, the Rallysaurus continued to Finishing their fourth season as a practice >> clumsily strike out in tryouts. His talent Single-A affiliate of the Anaheim Angels did not awe them, but management this year, the Quakes posted a 36-34 thought Tremor’s screwball sense of record. The winning year satisfied the humor would make for a perfect Quakes Rallysauruses, who are now in hiberna- old home mascot. As part of the deal, Tremor dug tion until the next seismic season. << cap logo himself a lair underneath the stadium [] Eric Karlan THE Tremor Aftershock STATS D.O.B: 2,364,429 B.C. D.O.B: 1,000,003 B.C. Height: 6'7" Weight: 329 lbs. Height: 5'3" Weight: 188 lbs. ON Throws: Right Bats: Right Throws: Poorly Bats: Rarely Position: Utility Position: Shortstop Resides: Below the Epicenter Resides: With Tremor Draft: Selected as a free agent on Draft: Selected by the Rancho September 9, 1992 Cucamonga Quakes on April 1, 1995 Hobbies: Racing young fans, taunting oppo- Hobbies: Harassing Tremor, acting nents, dancing, training little bro Aftershock as a general nuisance 14 AT THE YARD | The Game Starts Here TREMOR and AFTERSHOCK.

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