VANCOUVER (AP) - After suffering through their worst season in franchise history last season, the Vancouver Mounties today shocked the Weaver world when they fired manager Ryne Sandberg on the eve of the season opener.

"This team really underperformed last year", said GM Cory Muzyka, "and at the end of the day we thought we were a lot better team than our record showed. The team just plain quit on Sandberg, and that made this move necessary."

The Mounties also fired pitching coach Greg Maddux and hitting coach Tony Gwynn.

"Greg and Tony are the guys directly responsible for how the pitchers and hitters perform, and since they were both so awful last year it cost them their jobs as well", said Muzyka. "This is a team that had two Rookie of the Year winners in a row, and frankly we think that a lot of the problem here is coaching."

The Mounties then presented their new coaching staff, headed up by former Mountie Tony Clark. Clark, who joined the Mounties organization in 1999 at the age of 24, retired after the 2015 season a career Mountie. He's been coaching with the organization since his retirement, leading the Idaho Lakers, the Mounties low minors affiliate, to a championship last season.

"I'm flattered to be selected as the new manager", said Clark, "and make no mistake, what happened last year will not be allowed to happen again. This team just plain quit."

The new hitting coach is former Mountie great Rich Aude. Aude played 12 years with the Mounties, and smashed 210 homers in his Mounties career. The Mounties also named a former Mounties great as their pitching coach - Alex Panchio. Panchio played for 10 yeras as a Mountie, putting up a 3.78 ERA, with 146 saves.

It is reported that Cal Ripken and Kenny Lofton, the base coaches for the Mounties, will be released shortly and replaced with people chosen by Clark and his team.

"We think that this is the way forward - a no-nonsense manager who is going to come in here and shake things up", said Muzyka. "We've got a young team here, and we want to turn this ship around in the next few years. With young talent like Rothschild, Phillippe, Schypinski, Wirts, Priest, Wahl, and Cerone... we have a bright future. The future starts now."