Weekly Sports League and Franchise Update
by Dan Krieger
October 13, 2008 - Premier Basketball League (PBL)
BASEBALL
Frontier League: The league's 2008 travel team called the Midwest Sliders had been sold prior to the 2008 season to a group that planned to operate the franchise as the Oakland County (MI) Cruisers in 2009. Delays in ballpark construction have forced the start of the Cruisers until the 2010 season. The franchise will make its 2009 home on the campus of Eastern Michigan University and the team will be called the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti. The franchise then will move to suburban Detroit as the Oakland County Cruisers in 2010. The league's Chillicothe (OH) Paints franchise, the last remaining team from the inaugural 1993 Frontier League season, will not return in 2010. The franchise is expected to be sold and relocated in the future. A yet-to-be-named expansion team in Avon (OH) will replace Chillicothe in the 2009 East Division. The Midwest Sliders will remain in the East Division, so there should be no other changes in the 2009 league alignment.
Canadian-American League: After recently losing the Ottawa Rapidz of the Can-Am League, the city of Ottawa passed a resolution to start discussions with the league about bringing a different team to the city for the 2009 season.
Atlantic Baseball League: The financially struggling Bridgeport Bluefish franchise was recently sold, but the team is not expected to relocate. The ABL has proposed new franchise locations in Loudon County (VA), West Chester (PA) and The Meadowlands (NJ). There has also been talk of placing an ABL franchise in Richmond (VA) until a new ballpark for an affiliated team can be built.
Arizona Fall League: The AFL has started its 2008 season with the same six team names as last season. For 2008, the teams are split into an American Division (Mesa Solar Sox, Peoria Saguaros, and Scottsdale Scorpions) and a National Division (Peoria Javelinas, Phoenix Desert Dogs and Surprise Rafters).
Hawaii Winter Baseball: After restarting play last season, Hawaii Winter Baseball has returned in 2008 with the same four teams split into the East (Honolulu Sharks and Waikiki Beach Boys) and West (North Shore Honu and West Oahu Canefires) divisions.
BASKETBALL
National Basketball Association: The city of Anaheim is planning improvements to its Honda Center to try to lure an existing NBA team to Orange County within the next five years.
Premier Basketball League: The PBL has added the Mid-Michigan Destroyers based in Bay City as an expansion franchise for the upcoming 2009 season. The team is expected to be an instate rival with the Battle Creek Knights and Detroit Panthers. The PBL also announced that the Maryland Nighthawks will not participate in the 2009 season, but the team will be the league's official "Travel Team" in China and the Far East during the regular season. The team is working toward building a new home arena and plans to return in 2010. Of the 10 teams in the 2008 PBL season, only the Chicago Throwbacks, Rochester Razorsharks and Wilmington (NC) Sea Dawgs are returning. The league has added ten other teams for 2009-the Augusta Groove, Battle Creek Knights, Buffalo Stampede, Detroit Panthers, Halifax Rainmen, Manchester Millrats, Mid-Michigan Destroyers, Montreal Sasquatch, Quebec City Kebekwa (Kebs) and Vermont Frost Heaves.
International Basketball League: An Olympia (WA) businessman is still trying to obtain financial backing for a 2009 IBL franchise to be called the Olympia Reign.
American Basketball Association: The ABA announced it will return to Salt Lake City for the 2008-09 season with a team called the Salt Lake Dreams. The ABA had a previous team in Salt Lake City called the Utah Snowbears in the 2004-05 season. A team called the Salt Lake Dream was announced for the 2006-07 season, but never started play. Since the ABA has a current team called the Alaska Dream, the league stated that the new Salt Lake team changed its name to the "Dreams". The club is currently listed as the Salt Lake City Saints on the league web site. The ABA has announced its 2008-09 divisional alignment for 38 teams. The four divisions are listed as the Southeast (9 teams), Northeast (10 teams), Southwest (9 teams) and Northwest (10 teams). Missing from the alignment are the previously announced Kentucky Warriors, Savannah Pride and Texas City Rangers. The Prescott Valley Rhinos are now the Arizona Rhinos. The Beaumont-based Southeast Texas Mustangs have returned to the list of 2008-09 teams.
Women's National Basketball Association: The WNBA president stated that the league is not expected to expand again until 2010. The league is trying to find a new ownership group for the Houston Comets team that was put on the market earlier this year.
Women's Blue-Chip Basketball League: The owner of the Houston Takers in the American Basketball Association has acquired the Houston-based Texas Fire team in the WBCBL.
FOOTBALL
American Indoor Football Association: The AIFA has announced it has added a 2009 expansion franchise in the District of Columbia called the D.C. Armor. The Armor is expected to become a natural rival for the league's Baltimore Mariners franchise.
Indoor Football League: The IFL, which was created by a merger of the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football, has announced another Texas team based in El Paso will play as an expansion team in 2009. The former Intense Football League had a short-lived team called the El Paso Rumble in 2004, but that franchise lasted only one season.
Arenafootball2: An investor is interested in bringing another af2 franchise back to the city of Macon (GA). It is uncertain whether a team would start play in 2009 and whether it would be an expansion or relocation franchise. The af2 had the Macon Knights in the league from 2001 through the 2006 season. There has been talk of the af2 moving into the Worcester (MA) market for 2009. Proposed new ownership for the New England Surge franchise of the Continental Indoor Football League is reportedly interested in a switch to the af2.
HOCKEY
National Hockey League: A group interested in bringing an NHL expansion franchise to a proposed 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas by 2010 has become a primary investor in the arena project.
Eastern Professional Hockey League: The EPHL has confirmed that the owner of the Copper City Chiefs, based in Rome (NY), has folded the EPHL franchise. The league also stated that the proposed Exeter-based New Hampshire Freeze has postponed its start until the 2009-10 season. Since this left the league with only three teams-the Brooklyn Aces, Danbury Mad Hatters and Jersey RockHoppers-the EPHL added a fourth team called the Hudson Valley Bears for its inaugural 2008-09 season. This new franchise will split its home games between the New York cities of Poughkeepsie and Newburgh.
Central Hockey League: Two local businessmen have proposed plans to place a CHL franchise in the new 6,200-seat arena under construction in Allen (TX), north of Dallas. Construction has been started on a new arena in Independence (MO) that will house a CHL expansion franchise. Plans for a proposed new arena in Yuma (AZ) that would be home to a CHL franchise will go before voters in November 2008.
All American Hockey Association: The Motor City Gamblers franchise, based in Fraser (MI), has changed its name back to the Detroit Dragons after it recently joined the new AAHA. A Detroit Dragons team had been announced as an expansion franchise for the 2008-09 Mid-Atlantic Hockey League season, but then was listed as the Motor City Gamblers of the proposed Midwest Hockey League. The Gamblers recently left the MWHL, along with the Evansville IceMen, to join the AAHA. It looks as if the MWHL will not be starting its inaugural 2008-09 season as planned.
Mid-Atlantic Hockey League: It appears the MAHL will not play a second season in 2008-09. Three proposed new MAHL teams for its second season-the Battle Creek Revolution, Detroit Dragons and South Shore Shooters-left to join the new All American Hockey Association. The status of four remaining teams-Chelsea (MI) Tornadoes, Indiana (PA) Ice Miners, Lake Erie (OH) Vikings (formerly the Jamestown Vikings), and the Trenton (NJ) Warriors (formerly the Wooster Warriors)-is uncertain.
SOCCER
Major League Soccer: The owner of the Portland Beavers baseball team in the Pacific Coast League and the Portland Timbers of the United Soccer Leagues First Division continues to work toward building a new ballpark for the PCL team and plans to convert the team's current home to a soccer stadium for an MLS franchise. The owner has submitted an MLS application for a Portland expansion franchise. The mayor of Vancouver recently met with MLS officials to pitch that city for one of the two 2011 expansion franchises. Other markets currently in the running for MLS expansion include Montreal, St. Louis, Atlanta, Las Vegas, New York and Ottawa. The Spanish soccer club FC Barcelona is apparently in the early stages of exploring the Miami market for a U.S.-based sister club in conjunction with the MLS.
Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League: The CMISL officially announced the league has formed a partnership with the eight-team Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro) to participate in inter-league play for the 2008-09 season. The CMISL announced that one of its four teams, the Winnipeg Alliance, will not be participating in the CMISL this season. The active CMISL teams will be the Edmonton Drillers, Saskatoon Accelerators and the Calgary United, which will take over Winnipeg's planned inter-league games with the PASL-Pro.
Premier Arena Soccer League: The PASL-Premier currently has 41 teams listed for its upcoming 2008-09 winter season. At least four of these teams have announced affiliations with new Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro) teams-1790 Cincinnati Reserve (with 1790 Cincinnati PASL-Pro team), Dynamite Reserves (with Denver Dynamite), Turlock Express (with Stockton Cougars) and Wenatchee Fire Reserve (with Wenatchee Fire PASL-Pro).
American Indoor Soccer League: Although the AISL has had some ownership issues, it plans to have four to five teams for the upcoming 2008-09 season. A new Rockford team will be a development team for the Rockford Rampage of the National Indoor Soccer League. The league has received interest from a team in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League, along with some Chicago area teams.
OTHER
National Lacrosse League: The NLL's Edmonton Rush plans to hold a training camp in Boise (ID) to give professional indoor lacrosse some exposure in the market. The NLL has noted that it sees Boise as a potential market for expansion.
Dan Krieger is the creator of "Leagues, Teams & Nicknames", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The latest version can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/2533047. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.
Premier Basketball League Stories from October 13, 2008
- Weekly Sports League and Franchise Update - OSC Original by Dan Krieger
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
