09/29/2003 10:04 AM - Kansas City T-Bones baseball club announced that they have signed field manager Al Gallagher for the 2004 season.

In spite of a disappointing record in the first half of the season, Gallagher skippered the T-Bones to a strong finish in the Northern League's second half, remaining in the playoff hunt until the final three days of the season.

Upon announcing the signing, John Ehlert, CEO of the T-Bones, said "Al Gallagher has proven himself to be not only a quality Northern League manager, but also a solid citizen of the Kansas City community. He has quickly become a fan favorite both on the field and for his many off-field and off-season commitments. We share the fans' excitement that Al and Nancy are year-round residents of the greater Kansas City area.""

Gallagher re-built the franchise virtually from the ground up this past season and introduced T-Bones fans to all-star players such as league MVP Eddie Pearson, center fielder Rick Prieto and closer D.J. Johnson.

When that nucleus of talent is combined with the robust fan support and players' awareness and satisfaction of the surroundings at Community America Ballpark, there will be an even stronger talent pool for the 2004 seasons, said Gallagher.

Adam Ehlert, general manager of the T-Bones, said that "we hoped for the playoffs this past season, and we expect to be in the playoffs at the end of the 2004 season. Al has the fan support, the ballpark, the players and the experience to bring us to the next level and we look forward to that relationship continuing.”