George Tsamis Named the Manager for Kane County Cougars
American Association Daily provides insights, features, and recaps of the action from around the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions. In today’s edition of American Association Daily, Robert Pannier discusses the naming of former St. Paul Saints Manager as the new manager for the Kane County Cougars.
George Tsamis to Lead Kane County Cougars
They say if you are going to do something you might as well do it right the first time. That must be the philosophy of the Kane County Cougars as they named former St. Paul Saints Manager George Tsamis to lead the club for the 2021 season.
An Impressive Resume
George Tsamis became the Saints manager in 2003 and put together an impressive record during his 18 years with the team. The team finished above .500 in all but five of his seasons, and he led St. Paul to championships in 2004 and 2019.
In June 2018, Tsamis earned his 1000th victory as a manager. At the time, 817 of those victories had come with St. Paul but he has added more than 130 since then. The new Kane County Manager is one of the winningest managers in independent baseball history and will continue as the dean of American Association managers.
A Smart Move for the Cougars
After moving from affiliate ball as a Mid-A team in the Midwest League, Kane County is playing their first season as an independent team, joining the American Association about 10 days ago. This will be a new experience for the Cougars, as they will not have a Major League team funneling players to them. The team will now be required to sign their own players, and no one is better at that than Tsamis.
Not only has he brought in outstanding talent that is helped the team make 10 trips to the postseason, but several former Major Leaguers have come through St. Paul, including Caleb Theilbar and Mark Hamburger.
The move instantly brings credibility to Kane County, and no doubt they will be considered a contender for the North Division crown. The Saints CHS routinely drew over 8000 fans per game during Tsamis tenure with the team, and it will not be surprising to see him garner that kind of support and enthusiasm for the Cougars.
The Cougars are ready to roar!
By Robert Pannier
