The Visalia Rawhide have been bit by an alligator curse. The Single-A franchise has reached the California League finals 10 times since 1978 and lost all 10 series.
This tale of alligator aura begins in 1978, when the Visalia Oaks had one of the best teams in minor league history, posting a 100-44 record on their way to the California League championship. Eccentric future AL Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau was on that team and owned a pet alligator named Chopper, who lived in his bathtub.
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“Chopper, by all accounts, was a good-natured, even-tempered young reptile.