Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
Published on May 4, 2009 under United League Baseball (ULB)
BASEBALL
Continental Baseball League: The CBL's new Dallas Aviators team has pulled out of the 2009 season and has been replaced by a Houston-based travel team called the Coastal Kingfish. Of its six teams in 2009, the CBL will have two travel teams, the Kingfish and the previously announced South Louisiana Pipeliners.
United League Baseball: The Edinburg (TX) Coyotes franchise has been renamed the Edinburg Roadrunners for the upcoming 2009 ULB season. The city had an independent baseball team called the Edinburg Roadrunners in the former Texas-Louisiana League (2001) and Central Baseball League (2002-05). After the CBL disbanded in 2005 and the ULB moved into the Edinburg market for 2006, the city's ULB team took the Coyotes nickname. The original 2001 version of the Edinburg Roadrunners came into existence when the Lafayette (LA) Bayou Bullfrogs relocated to Edinburg.
Southern League: The owner of the Mississippi Braves in the Jackson area continues to work toward placing a minor league baseball team in the Biloxi area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Last year there had been discussions with the city of D'Iberville, just east of Biloxi, but there could be other locations under consideration. It is uncertain if the proposed ballpark would host a relocated Southern League franchise or a team in another league.
BASKETBALL
National Basketball Association Development League (D-League): The owners of the Bakersfield Jam in the NBA D-League have shut down the franchise after only two seasons due to low attendance and financial losses. With the Anaheim Arsenal relocating to Springfield (MA) next season, this is the second team to leave the West Division since the end of the 2008-09 season. The NBA D-League plans to add the new Portland-based Maine Red Claws for the 2009-10 season. There has been talk of a change in the current league ownership structure from private ownership groups sharing multiple affiliations to NBA parent clubs controlling basketball operations for its NBA D-League affiliates.
America Basketball Association: The proposed 2009-10 ABA expansion franchise based in southwestern Michigan will be called the Lake Michigan Admirals. It is uncertain where the team will play, but the ownership had been looking in the Benton Harbor (MI) area. The Admirals' ownership also controls the ABA franchises called the Knoxville (TN) Thunderbolts and Tri-City Racers, based in the eastern Tennessee cities of Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport.
Women's Blue Chip Basketball League: The WBCBL currently has 58 teams listed in 9 divisions (East Coast, Gulf South, Mid South, Mid West, North East, South, Suncoast, West and West Coast) for its upcoming 2009 season. The league also has four cities-Portland (OR), Seattle, Snohomish County (WA) and Tacoma-listed in a proposed Pacific Northwest division. The semi-pro summertime league started out with 12 participating teams back in 2005.
Kentucky Basketball Development League: The semi-pro KBDL has started its second season with six teams split into two conferences. The Appalachian Conference includes the Cincinnati Stallions, Clermont Generals (Milford, OH) and Kentucky Thunder (Alexandria), while the Bluegrass Conference includes the Harrodsburg (KY) Tankers, Lebanon (KY) Lancers and River City Gamblers (Sellersburg, IN).
Premier Basketball League: Reports of certain outstanding tax obligations owed by the PBL's Detroit Panthers franchise has raised concerns about the team's future.
FOOTBALL
United National Gridiron League: The UNGL has postponed its planned inaugural 2009 season until 2010. The UNGL, which hopes to become a feeder to the National Football League, had announced proposed teams in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Virginia.
HOCKEY
American Hockey League: The AHL has officially approved the move of the Quad City Flames franchise to Abbotsford (British Columbia) for the 2009-10 season. The Abbotsford franchise will not use the "Flames" nickname and a name-the-team contest has been planned.
The AHL granted the Texas Stars a limited membership for the 2009-10 season under the condition the franchise complete the purchase of an AHL franchise within one year. The Texas Stars will be based out of a new arena in the Cedar Park area of Austin and will be the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars. The Texas Stars had hoped to purchase the Edmonton Oilers' dormant AHL franchise called the Road Runners, but the Oilers plan to operate that franchise starting in the 2010-11 season. There are no other AHL franchises currently for sale, so the Texas Stars are expected to work out a deal with an AHL franchise and move it to the Austin area within the year. Dallas used the Des Moines-based Iowa Stars as its affiliate from 2005 to 2008, but did not have an AHL affiliate last season.
The owners of the Philadelphia Phantoms were granted approval to move the franchise to Glens Falls (NY) for the 2009-10 season, where the team is expected to be called the Adirondack Phantoms. The Phantom's ownership has stated its intent is to eventually move the franchise to a proposed new arena in the Allentown (PA) area of the Lehigh Valley, possibly after three seasons. Although planning for the new arena is underway, the Pennsylvania government says there will be no state funding for the arena.
United States Hockey League: The Tier-I Junior-A USHL has awarded an expansion franchise to Youngstown (OH) and the current owner of the Mahoning Valley Phantoms, which is a Tier-II Junior-A hockey club currently based in Youngstown (OH) and a member of the North American Hockey League. The new USHL club will join the league's East Division for 2009-10 along with the Team USA club, which will represent USA Hockey's National Training Development Program in Ann Arbor (MI). The USHL will have 14 teams next season and one current East Division team is expected to move to the West Division.
North American Hockey League: The Frisco-based Texas Tornado, which sat out the 2008-09 Tier-II Junior-A NAHL season due to arena renovations, plans to return for the 2009-10 season.
Southern Professional Hockey League: The SPHL has received an application from an ownership group to operate a franchise in Biloxi (MS) for the 2009-10 season. The Biloxi-based Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL previously announced that the franchise would sit idle for the 2009-10 season. A group wanting to bring an SPHL franchise to the city of Pensacola (FL) for the 2009-10 season has worked out an arena lease under the condition it sells 1,250 season tickets within 90 days starting on May 15. The league's Richmond Renegades franchise officially notified the league and its arena that it was unable to find a new buyer or raise enough capital to keep operating for next season.
National Hockey League: With the poor financial situation facing the Phoenix Coyotes franchise, there have been reports of the team's possible sale and relocation. A group in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan is seeking to bring an NHL franchise to the area and a relocated Phoenix franchise could be a possibility.
SOCCER
United Soccer Leagues W-League: The USL has announced that the Rochester (NY) W-League franchise has been sold and will operate as the Rochester Ravens FC in the 2009 season. In November 2008, the W-League had announced that its Rochester Rhinos Women team was sold and would be renamed the Western New York Pride. The Rochester Ravens FC will replace the previously announced Western New York Pride club. A Rochester women's team called the Ravens started play in the 1996 W-League and became the Raging Rhinos Women in 2006.
National Premier Soccer League: The elite-level NPSL has started its fifth season with 27 teams split into five conferences-West, Southeast, Midwest, Atlantic and Keystone.
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 2008-09 version can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/6218580. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.
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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.
