Tom Nichols All Time Greatest Team
Posted on 19. Aug, 2009 by Corey in All, Dayton Dragons Baseball, General Baseball.
Dayton Dragons Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting Tom Nichols called his first professional game in 1988, as an assistant with the Indianapolis Indians. Fresh out of college with a degree in telecommunications from Ball State University, Nichols would call about 50 games that first season. The Indians were then an affiliate of the Montreal Expos and had players like Randy Johnson, Larry Walker and current Billings Mustangs hitting coach Delino Deshields. It was here that Nichols list of ‘future stars’ began.
After two seasons with the Indians, Nichols got his first full time job in Kingston, North Carolina calling games for the Kingston Indians. A power hitting first baseman (and future Hall of Fame nominee) named Jim Thome happened to be on that team.
Nichols followed his season in Kingston by moving to the Midwest League for the next six seasons, two with the Peoria Chiefs and four with the Fort Wayne Wizards. To start the 1997 season, Nichols took a Double-A job with the Mobile BayBears, an affiliate of the San Diego Padres. It was here that Nichols would stay until 2005. The 1998 BayBears League Championship team was voted by Baseball America as the National Minor League Team of the Year. 11 players from that squad went on to play in the big leagues.
Starting with the 2005 season, Nichols spent the three seasons working Independent Ball for the Gary South Shore RailCats, a member of the Northern League. While working with the RailCats, Nichols would obtain two more championship rings in 2005 and 2007. Following the 2007 season, he got back into affiliated baseball and took a job with the Dragons.
Earlier this season, Nichols had to miss a Dragons game as he was inducted as a broadcaster into the Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame in his home town of Muncie, Indiana.
Throughout his years in professional baseball, Nichols has had the chance to work with and call the action of several players who went on to have terrific Major League careers. I asked Nichols to compile the “All-Time Greatest Team” of players he has had on his teams.
Although no former Dayton Dragons are on this list yet, Nichols hopes to see some of them in the big leagues as early as this season or next.
Tom Nichols All-Time Greatest Team
C: A.J. Pierzynski
1B: Jim Thome
2B: Delino Deshields
3B: Corey Koskie
SS: Khalil Greene
OF: Larry Walker
OF: Torii Hunter
OF: Jason Bay
Bench: Gary Matthews Jr., Otis Nixon, Matt Lawton, Marquis Grissom, Sean Burroughs, Javier Valentin, Ben Davis.
Pitchers:
Jake Peavy
Randy Johnson
Latroy Hawkins
Matt Clement
Oliver Perez
Adam Eaton
