The Victoria Mussels were a minor league baseball team located in British Columbia, Canada. The Mussels were members of the short-season Class A Northwest League from 1978-1979. Besides the Mussels, the other teams in the 1978 North Division were the Bellingham Mariners, Grays Harbor Loggers and the Walla Walla Padres. The South Division consisted of the Bend Timberhawks, Salem Senators, Eugene Emeralds and the Boise Buckskins. Jim Chapman managed the team in 1978 and played infield while Don Rogelstad served as the pitching coach along with pitching for the Mussels in 10 starts. Prior to owning the Mussels, both players during the early 70's played in the MLB minor system where Jim rose to AAA in 1973 with the Peninsula Whips of the International League and Don pitched in the New York Yankees farm system in 1972 with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the A class Florida State League. The 1978 season record ended at 29-40 with an attendance of 10,103 or an average of 288 fans per 35 home games. In the 1979 season the North Division teams were the Victoria Mussels, Bellingham Mariners, Grays Harbor Mets and the Walla Walla Padres. The South Division consisted of the Central Oregon Phillies (replacing the Bend Timberhawks), Salem Senators, Medford A's(replacing the Boise Buckskins) and the Eugene Emeralds. In the 79 season the owners formed a partnership with Van Schley, an independent baseball entrepreneur from Texas/California who provided 16 players and his manager, Bill Bryk and coach Chris Gandy and covered the cost of the payroll for the team in exchange for the player contracts for each player which could be sold to MLB to recover his cost. Van Schley even brought along Bill Murray to liven up the crowd with his antics. Chapman and Rogelstad stepped away from their on-the-field roles to concentrate on promoting the team; along with Jim's brother Lynn, to a very hardball sleepy Victoria. Bryk's Mussels caught wind in the second half of 1979 winning 24 of their final 36 games finishing one game out of first with a 41-31 record. During the season the Mussels found a gem in knuckleball pitcher Tom Candiotti (the CandyMan) earning a 5-1 record & %.833. After the Mussels he moved on to AAA in 1983-85 with the Vancouver Canadians of the Pacific Coast League earning an above %.600. He later made his MLB debut in 1983 as one of