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ULB announces end-of-year awards

United League BaseballUnited League Baseball announced its annual awards today, and the San Angelo Colts and Laredo’s Jose Melendez were among the big winners for front-office and broadcasting duties.

“In congratulating all the winners I feel this shows how good this league is as a whole,” said United League President Byron Pierce. “We look to continue all our success and expand into bordering states in the near future.”

Behind the mic, play-by-play announcers Ira Liebman, the Voice of the San Angelo Colts, and Jonah Goldberg, Voice of the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings, were named Co-Broadcasters-of-the-Year in the ULB. Liebman returned to the ULB for his second season after broadcasting at the Triple-A level, as well as doing some work for Major League Baseball in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Goldberg, who also won last year’s award, is the WhiteWings’ director of communications and the longest tenured broadcaster in the United League. Goldberg also handles public/media relations and is a radio broadcaster for the NBA Development League Champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Co-awards also went to the San Angelo Colts and Edinburg Roadrunners, who were named Co-Franchises-of-the Year. Both teams brought in over 100,000 fans this past season. The Colts brought in 112,164 fans, averaging 2,336 at 48 home games this season; the team also installed a new-state-of-the-art video scoreboard, the biggest one in West Texas. The Roadrunners, even with Hurricane Alex wreaking havoc, drew 101,620 averaging 2,605 during 39 home games.

San Angelo also won both the playing Surface-of-the-Year and Newspaper-of-the Year with coverage from the San Angelo Standard-Times. The WhiteWings famed “Wild Wing” mascot won the Mascot-of-the Year, while the Team Hotel-of-the-Year went to the Coastal Bend Thunder where visiting teams stayed at the Red Roof Inn located in Corpus Christi.  

Laredo President and General Manager Jose Melendez won the United League’s Executive-of-the-Year award.  Melendez’s team finished third in the United League, bringing in record crowds in Laredo, and signed former major leaguer Jose Canseco to play for his Broncos down the stretch. Conseco hit .385 with 4 homeruns and 13 RBIs in 11 games.

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