Woolly Mammoths reappear for 2017 independent league season

Metro-Detroit's only independent baseball league - the United Shore Professional Baseball League - announced the fourth team amongst their ranks.

The Westside Woolly Mammoths will compete with the Utica Unicorns, Eastside Diamond Hoppers, and the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers in the newly minted Jimmy John's Field, 7171 Auburn Rd., in Utica.

Michigan isn't known for it's vast population of Woolly Mammoths, so why the name?

“There have been numerous Mastodons found in Michigan over the last 100 years, and I always thought 'Mastodons' had great potential as a sports team name," USPBL Founder and Commissioner Andy Appleby said in a press release. "'Woolly Mammoth' was better, although one had not been discovered here. Then, in 2015, a mammoth, complete with huge tusks, was unearthed on a farm in Chelsea, Michigan and our inspiration was complete."

The core colors of the team uniforms are dark and light blue uniform with red accents, Appleby said, while alternate uniforms will be orange with animal print designs that will "harken back to The Flintstones." The season opens for the expanded league on May 11, 2017 and it runs through September 10, 2017. Games are played Thursday through Sunday.

In its inaugural season, the USPBL had nine players, from the original three teams, signed to the Bigs. Appleby said he formed the league to be "a developmental finishing school for players seeking to make it to the Majors" and called last year an unqualified success.

Flex game packages start at $120 and a full list of ticket packages can be found online. Individual games tickets and pricing should be updated closer to the start of the season.