can you believe this... aapbl is trying to survive

[spiderman]

I have just heard that the aapbl is coming back with 7-8 teams.... how can this happen, Worth Christie scammed coaches and players and left some of the cities high and dry... numerous bills have not been paid and neither has the coaches...

I plead with the fans on this board to please call the dept of labor and report this man. he did this 27 years ago.... did a couple of months ago and is trying to do it again!!!!

He is not remorseful for what he did, in fact he still believes people will come and be a part of the league....

Now he is trying to sell these bogus teams off to investors....... DONT LET THIS HAPPEN!!!!

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

AAPBL's demise leaves many without paychecks
By ANGIE BUCKLEY
Of The Gazette Staff

The demise of the All-American Professional Basketball League has resulted in claims filed at the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, unpaid bills and possible legal action.

That's an 0-3 record, and the season never started.

League President and Chief Executive Officer Worth Christie, of Casper, Wyo., announced in August the league was ceasing operations, just weeks after a summer camp that drew hundreds of players to tryouts in Billings.


Contacted by The Gazette, Christie had no comment about the AAPBL or future plans and directed questions to league attorney and board of directors member John Hord, who didn't return phone calls.

Gary Widup, the league's chief financial officer and part of the three-member board, also directed calls to Hord or Christie.


Unpaid bills

MetraPark is owed more than $40,000 for rent of the arena for 10 days, a 20 percent improvement fee and catering. The players, coaches and officials stayed at Montana State University-Billings dorms and dined in the college's cafeteria. Bills of $20,000 each owed to Sodexho's dining services and the university are unpaid.

Bob Wagoner, general manager at MetraPark, said he hasn't heard from Christie since the August announcement and has worked with the Yellowstone County Attorney's office to establish a paper trail of communication via registered mail. It's up to the county attorney's office what to do next, he said.

With 33 home games scheduled at MetraPark Arena for the AAPBL, Wagoner said his staff is trying to rebook the area for the dates in November through March. Metra will try to make up the $40,000 so far uncollected.


Lack of communication

Jeannie McIsaac-Tracy, Montana State University-Billings director of student life, echoed a lack of communication with Christie. The bill at the college will go to the accounts payable department and eventually through the state's collections agency.

"We are in a more fortunate state than food service because we don't have a lot of bills to pay directly. We were hoping to use the money to generate revenue for expenses, so we were disappointed," she said.

Christie also owes his former employees wages from the month of July.

Mike Marcum was to be the general manager of the Billings Rims, and says Christie owes him $8,400. He said paychecks were consistently late, or wrong, from the time he began working for the AAPBL in December 2004. Christie also asked Marcum to invest $100,000 in stock in the company last spring, claiming he was afraid he wasn't going to be able to bankroll the league. Still, Marcum didn't think the situation would end the way it did.

"He spent a great deal of time trying to find owners for the different teams," Marcum said. "He told me … that he has $1.2 million per team in capital and had 10 teams, and it wasn't three or four months into the deal and he was looking for money.

"I knew it was a risk when I took the job, but I didn't think the risk was that I wouldn't get paid. I thought the risk would be I wouldn't have a job."

Although Marcum and former colleagues have filed claims with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry's Wage and Hour Commission, he's not hopeful he'll receiving the money he's owed.

"I talked to (Christie) one time in August when we hadn't gotten any paychecks and I heard he was at the office cleaning it out. And I went down and asked if he had the checkbook and if he was going to write paychecks. He said no, he wasn't and that was the end of the conversation," Marcum said. "I've pretty much written it off."

Cliff Livingston, a former NBA player hired to coach the Rims, is owed $1,800 in wages. He's chalking up the possible loss of money and folding of the league to experience, but he said he is concerned about how payroll will be met for coaches and players who were in line to return for veterans' camp. Livingston is returning to St. Louis to coach for the team he left before coming to Billings, but he said he would work for Christie again under different circumstances.

"I know business things happen and you think everything is going to work out, but things happen. It happens in minor league sports a lot, that you don't get the support you think you're going to get," Livingston said.

Steve Horne, a former University of Montana basketball player, tried out for the AAPBL in hopes of returning to Montana hardwood. Although he figures that's out of the question now, Horne considers himself lucky - he'll be playing with the American Basketball Association. A lot of guys, Horne said, likely won't get jobs because of the time they spent at the AAPBL camp. The experience, he said, makes him more wary of minor leagues and startup teams in general.

"You put in so much, and there's nothing you can do when you're put in a bad situation," Horne said.

Gene Mitchell, a Florida attorney for Horne, said that for now, he's trusting Christie's word that players who were in line for veterans' camp may get their money back. Patience is running out, though, and Horne's agent, Benny Washington, is prepared to do whatever it takes to get the money he fronted for Horne and two other players to attend AAPBL camp.

Beyond the money, the real damage, Mitchell said, is that players put their time into the Billings camp with hopes of getting a job. That time would have been better spent at another camp, with another league.

"These athletes only have so many years to pursue their dream, and when someone goes and does a complete sham like this, it's a waste of their time and crushing to them," Mitchell said.

[nksports]

The question pops up again -- Where's the $1,000 per player he collected for that summer league. It should have at least payed the bills there.
If he tries to start another scam, I mean league, in the future, just as (as King Arthur did when trying to attack the killer rabbit -- "RUN AWAY!"

[patmc16]

What is this? Basketball's version of Dumb, Dumber, & Dumberer?

Cliff Livingston is owed $1,800 in wages, but he said he would work for Christie again under different circumstances.

Steve Horne considers himself lucky - he'll be playing with the American Basketball Association.

Gene Mitchell, a Florida attorney for Horne, said that for now, he's trusting Christie's word that players who were in line for veterans' camp may get their money back.

Actually, that really is good lawyer speak. The word "may" in lawyerese means "kiss your cash goodbye."

Yep, there really is a sucker born every minute. :lol: :lol:

[B@LL3R]

There's no way Worthless can regroup. I think he's getting all his ducks in a row for bancruptcy. But you are right that anyone in the know needs to speak out about this creep to keep him and others from scamming good folks out of their hard earned money.

Pretty crazy quote from Levingston. I bet it's just political. It's interesting that Good News is only owed $1800. That probably pales in comparrison to what other employees are owed.

[Tha Man*]

Worth has filed Banruptsy once before.. I wonder if he is still under the unbrlla of the last one.

[SK Fan]

Worth has filed Banruptsy once before.. I wonder if he is still under the unbrlla of the last one.

The bankruptcy was filed in 1998. I imagine another one is in the works.



SK Fan