Schaumburg Flyers

The Schaumburg Flyers were a professional baseball team based in Schaumburg, Illinois, in the United States. The Flyers were to be a charter member of the North American League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, however, the team folded in March 2011, before they began play in the NAL. From the 1999 season to the 2010 season, the Flyers played their home games at Alexian Field, near the Elgin O'Hare Expressway. The team formerly played in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where they were known as the Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks. The team was originally a member of the Northern League from 1993 to 2010.

On July 27, 2009, the Flyers played host to Battle of the Sexes II, which pitted the Flyers against the National Pro Fastpitch Softball Champions, the Chicago Bandits. Played by official softball rules, the game was seen by an overflow record crowd of 8,918, and was won by the Bandits 4-2.

In 1999, the Flyers hired their first manager, Ron Kittle. Kittle is best known for his playing days with the Chicago White Sox, and former Chicago Cubs and White Sox player Greg Hibbard was the pitching coach. During the early years of the franchise, Kittle did a series of TV commercials to promote the team, using the gimmick "Ma Kittle." where he played both himself and his "Ma." The ads were successful at sparking some initial interest in the team as the Flyers hoped to steal away fans from the nearby Kane County Cougars. The ad mimicked the highly successful Converse ads where Larry Johnson starred as both himself and "Gramama." At the end of the 2001 season, however, Kittle resigned from his managerial position, and Jim Boynewicz was hired to replace him.

In 2004, the Flyers made it to the Northern League Championship Series against the St. Paul Saints. Despite leading the five-game series 2-1, Schaumburg eventually lost the series. In Game 5, Flyers relief pitcher Lyle Prempas allowed a game winning grand slam by St. Paul infielder Marc Mirizzi in the ninth inning.

The Flyers appeared in the Northern League Playoffs four times (1999, 2003, 2004, 2006) but never won the championship. Some famous players who played for the Flyers were former Oakland A's outfielder Ozzie Canseco and former Chicago Cubs outfielder Dwight Smith.