HAC
06-22-2007, 04:36 PM
The only letter that needs to be added to USBL is a big 't'
By Brad Hallier
The Hutchinson News
bhallier@hutchnews.com
Looking at the United States Basketball League standings is educational.
Toddlers can learn all about the letters x, y and z. But instead of saying, "X is for X-ray, y is for yo-yo and z is for zip-a-dee-do-da," you have to explain that when it comes to the USBL, 'x' is for a team that doesn't -exist, 'y' is for a team that has played in two different states in the same season, and 'z' is for winning games by forfeit but don't really count.
It's like taking everything your child learned on "Sesame Street" and telling them how wrong Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus really were.
And so goes the quickly declining life of the USBL, once a respected minor-league basketball organization.
But this league has been deteriorating for some time. This decade alone, 26 franchises have claimed status in the USBL. Today, seven remain.
Even the old Major Indoor Soccer League didn't lose franchises like this.
Need an indication of how badly in shape this league is? Last year's champions, the Nebraska Cranes, aren't around to defend their title.
The Kansas Cagerz, who have a decent following since moving to Salina in 1998, are not doing well financially. The Dodge City Legend, a three-time champion who also have a loyal fan base, actually briefly ceased operations after winning the 2003 title.
But that's not half of it. The USBL was set for a 10-team season this year. Before the season started, a new franchise called the Boston Freedom moved to Monmouth, N.J., and became the New Jersey Meteors.
New Jersey hit the road to Albany, N.Y., for the season-opener. A few problems came up that should have made the game televised on Comedy Central.
First, Albany didn't have uniforms 30 minutes prior to the start. Then, New Jersey didn't bring enough players, or have a coach.
Needless to say, New Jersey didn't play a second game. That's why it remains at the bottom of the USBL standings with an 0-1 mark and an 'x' by its name.
Jackson, Miss., must have thought that 'x' marks the spot, because after only four games, it too was booted from the league. The story of its brief season was seemingly written by Eddie Murphy for a stand-up routine.
Before its fifth game of the season, Jackson - which shifted all over the city looking for a building to play at - was all ready to go. It had only six players, but the Wildcats were ready to go against Gary, Ind.
The game never happened. No trainers or referees showed up, and the Jackson owner was nowhere to be found. An hour after game time, the USBL said Jackson wouldn't play again.
The trip cost Gary nearly $8,000 to fly for a couple of games that never happened.
Oh well, at least Jackson finished 1-3, ahead of New Jersey in the standings. Plus, the Wildcats got that nifty 'x'.
Delaware was next. After sporting a not-so-perfect 0-10 record, the Stars stopped playing. Long Island, which was to play this season but was pulled from the schedule after cancelling its first two games, was then asked to come back to play Delaware's games against Albany and Brooklyn for the rest of the season.
Long Island, at 0-13, isn't really doing anything but prepping Albany and Brooklyn for the postseason because Long Island won't play in the postseason tournament.
Because Long Island/Delaware/Paris/the moon has played in two different states, it gets a neat little 'y' next to its name in the standings.
Gary and Oklahoma get a 'z' for winning a game by forfeit, but the win is not counted in the standings.
Yes, yes, most of these stories deal with eastern teams. But the comedy hasn't been immune to Kansas.
On April 30, the Kansas Cagerz and Dodge City Legend were ready to square off in Salina. More than 1,000 fans were there. The starting lineups had been announced, and the game was ready to start.
One problem - no referees. Thus, no game.
The season will soon come to a merciful end, although the comedic stories will live on. But this is no way for a league to go on. The best thing for the USBL to do is to add a 't' in the standings, preferably next to the league name. The 't' will stand for one word that will need no explaining - terminated.
By Brad Hallier
The Hutchinson News
bhallier@hutchnews.com
Looking at the United States Basketball League standings is educational.
Toddlers can learn all about the letters x, y and z. But instead of saying, "X is for X-ray, y is for yo-yo and z is for zip-a-dee-do-da," you have to explain that when it comes to the USBL, 'x' is for a team that doesn't -exist, 'y' is for a team that has played in two different states in the same season, and 'z' is for winning games by forfeit but don't really count.
It's like taking everything your child learned on "Sesame Street" and telling them how wrong Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus really were.
And so goes the quickly declining life of the USBL, once a respected minor-league basketball organization.
But this league has been deteriorating for some time. This decade alone, 26 franchises have claimed status in the USBL. Today, seven remain.
Even the old Major Indoor Soccer League didn't lose franchises like this.
Need an indication of how badly in shape this league is? Last year's champions, the Nebraska Cranes, aren't around to defend their title.
The Kansas Cagerz, who have a decent following since moving to Salina in 1998, are not doing well financially. The Dodge City Legend, a three-time champion who also have a loyal fan base, actually briefly ceased operations after winning the 2003 title.
But that's not half of it. The USBL was set for a 10-team season this year. Before the season started, a new franchise called the Boston Freedom moved to Monmouth, N.J., and became the New Jersey Meteors.
New Jersey hit the road to Albany, N.Y., for the season-opener. A few problems came up that should have made the game televised on Comedy Central.
First, Albany didn't have uniforms 30 minutes prior to the start. Then, New Jersey didn't bring enough players, or have a coach.
Needless to say, New Jersey didn't play a second game. That's why it remains at the bottom of the USBL standings with an 0-1 mark and an 'x' by its name.
Jackson, Miss., must have thought that 'x' marks the spot, because after only four games, it too was booted from the league. The story of its brief season was seemingly written by Eddie Murphy for a stand-up routine.
Before its fifth game of the season, Jackson - which shifted all over the city looking for a building to play at - was all ready to go. It had only six players, but the Wildcats were ready to go against Gary, Ind.
The game never happened. No trainers or referees showed up, and the Jackson owner was nowhere to be found. An hour after game time, the USBL said Jackson wouldn't play again.
The trip cost Gary nearly $8,000 to fly for a couple of games that never happened.
Oh well, at least Jackson finished 1-3, ahead of New Jersey in the standings. Plus, the Wildcats got that nifty 'x'.
Delaware was next. After sporting a not-so-perfect 0-10 record, the Stars stopped playing. Long Island, which was to play this season but was pulled from the schedule after cancelling its first two games, was then asked to come back to play Delaware's games against Albany and Brooklyn for the rest of the season.
Long Island, at 0-13, isn't really doing anything but prepping Albany and Brooklyn for the postseason because Long Island won't play in the postseason tournament.
Because Long Island/Delaware/Paris/the moon has played in two different states, it gets a neat little 'y' next to its name in the standings.
Gary and Oklahoma get a 'z' for winning a game by forfeit, but the win is not counted in the standings.
Yes, yes, most of these stories deal with eastern teams. But the comedy hasn't been immune to Kansas.
On April 30, the Kansas Cagerz and Dodge City Legend were ready to square off in Salina. More than 1,000 fans were there. The starting lineups had been announced, and the game was ready to start.
One problem - no referees. Thus, no game.
The season will soon come to a merciful end, although the comedic stories will live on. But this is no way for a league to go on. The best thing for the USBL to do is to add a 't' in the standings, preferably next to the league name. The 't' will stand for one word that will need no explaining - terminated.