The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball

(Central Islip, N.Y., Jan. 26, 2010) –The Long Island Ducks today announced the coaching staff for the 2010 season. Dave LaPoint will return for his third year at the helm after serving as teams’ pitching coach in 2009. LaPoint will be joined by Ducks’ all-time saves leader Bill Simas, who begins his first year as pitching coach, first base coach Bud Harrelson and infield coach Kevin Baez.

“Having Dave, Buddy and Kevin back in our dugout, with the addition of Bill, is a great start as we begin putting together our team for 2010,” says Ducks principal owner Frank Boulton. “We’re excited to get going, and look forward to making a run at a seventh consecutive playoff appearance.”

LaPoint, who spent the 2002-2005 and 2009 seasons as the Ducks pitching coach, managed the club to a 145-123 overall record in 2007 and 2008. In 2006, LaPoint managed the Bridgeport Bluefish to a league-best 75-49 mark and a berth in the AL Championship Series. The former St. Louis Cardinal and New York Yankee is a veteran of 12 big league seasons, earning 80 career victories and a World Series championship ring with the Cardinals in 1982.

Simas begins his first season as Ducks’ pitching coach after leading the Atlantic League in saves last season. In 2009, the former major leaguer broke the Ducks’ All-time saves record, eclipsing the mark of 41 previously held by Todd Erdos. Simas earned AL Closer of the Year honors, shutting the door on the opposition 27 times last season, six ahead of the nearest competitor. He finished fourth in appearances, taking the mound 60 times and limited the opposition to a .220 batting average. The veteran spent parts of six straight seasons coming out of the bullpen for the Chicago White Sox from 1995 to 2000, registering a career-high 18 saves in 1998. Simas owns a career major league record of 18-19 with 23 saves and 265 strikeouts.

Baez played in 1,750 minor league games, and reached the majors twice with the New York Mets. The infielder spent the final three years of his playing career with the Ducks, helping lead the team to the Atlantic League championship in 2004. Baez played in 98 games for Long Island that season, earning MVP honors in the league’s All-Star Game and batting .263 in the championship series against Camden. He joined the Ducks coaching staff in 2005, and has been a mainstay in the Citibank Park dugout ever since.

Harrelson has been a member of the coaching staff since the team’s inception in 2000. After leading the Ducks to an 82-58 record and winning the AL Manager of the Year with the 2000 Ducks, Harrelson moved to the position of first base coach for home games in 2001. Known for his fiery play as a shortstop for the New York Mets from 1965-77, Harrelson is the only man in New York Mets history to have been in uniform for each of the franchise’s World Series championships (’69 as a player, ’86 as a coach).

The Long Island Ducks play their home games at Citibank Park in Central Islip, NY and are entering their 11th season of play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Through 10 seasons, the team has averaged 6,077 fans per game in their 6,002-seat park. For further information, visit www.liducks.com or call 631-940-DUCK.

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