Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
August 2, 2010 - North American Soccer League (NASL)

BASEBALL

Golden Baseball League: The GBL has moved home games of the Tijuana Cimarrones to Yuma (AZ) due to poor field conditions in Tijuana. The league previously took over the Cimarrones and the team has now been stocked with players from the Yuma-based Arizona Summer League. The Maui-based Na Koa Ikaika franchise cancelled a recent road trip to the mainland due to travel costs.

Pecos League: The proposed Pecos League has proposals from various teams and apparently will select eight teams for its inaugural season in 2011. If travel teams are required for the inaugural season, the Orlando Dragons, Coastal Kingfish, or Desert Valley Mountain Lions will serve as a travel team. The Nogales (AZ) Nomads, a league-based travel team from the proposed Southwestern Baseball League, has decided not to be part of the 2011 Pecos League as previously announced due to the area covered by the Pecos League and the amount of travel that will be involved. The Nomads are talking with semi-pro and professional teams in Mexico, Arizona, and California for its 2011 schedule.

Pacific Coast League: The owner of the Portland Beavers in the Triple-A PCL has confirmed intentions to sell the Portland Beavers after attempts to build a new ballpark in the Portland area failed. Escondido (CA), Tucson (AZ), and El Paso (TX) have been mentioned as possible locations for the PCL franchise.

Can-Am League: Ten potential nicknames have been selected for the proposed Can-Am franchise to be based in Ramapo (NY). These include the Boulders. FireFlys, Flash. Ice, Palisaders, Raccoons, Red Glare, Retrievers, RidgeRiders, and Sliders.

BASKETBALL

Premier Basketball League: The new St. John (New Brunswick) PBL franchise, which is the relocated Manchester (NH) Millrats franchise, will be called the St. John Mill Rats when it starts play in the league's 2011 season. It appears as though the PBL will not be adding any teams from the Puerto Rican basketball league known as Baloncesto Superior Nacional for the upcoming season.

American Basketball Association: The ABA plans to add teams in Roanoke (VA) and Lynchburg (VA) for its 2011 season.

Eastern Basketball Alliance: The Salem (VA) Mustangs of the EBA have announced the team will be called the Old Dominion Mustangs when it starts play in the upcoming 2010-11 season.

World Basketball Association Exposure League: The Kissimmee-based Florida Flight of the WBA has left the league to join the Continental Basketball League for its 2011 season. Several WBA opponents failed to show for games scheduled in Kissimmee. The league's Jacksonville Bluewaves team had already announced it would move to the American Basketball Association for 2011-12.

Continental Basketball League: A team called the Palm Beach Titans reports it plans to be part of the CBL for the league's 2011 season.

FOOTBALL

Ultimate Indoor Football League: The proposed UIFL announced its Johnstown (PA) team will be called the Johnstown Generals when the league starts its inaugural season in 2011.

Southern Indoor Football League: The owner of the Corpus Christi Hammerheads of the Indoor Football League has announced the franchise will move to the SIFL for the 2011 season. The owner will also add a Rio Grande Valley team based in Hidalgo (TX) as part of the 2011 SIFL. A team called the Rio Grande Valley Dorados last played as part of the now-defunct arenafootball2 in 2009. The SIFL is also considering a Houston team in 2011, along with other Texas-based teams in Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo.

Regional Indoor Football League: The RIFL announced it has reinstated its Lake Erie Buzz franchise that plans to start in 2011. The league's proposed new Virginia-based franchise is holding a name-the-team contest as the it prepares for its inaugural season in 2011.

Lingerie Football League: The women's LFL is preparing for its 2010-11 season with ten teams. The season will start in late August. The league is also trying to develop a Las Vegas-based franchise, possibly for a 2011 start.

HOCKEY

ECHL: Several ECHL teams have announced new affiliations with National Hockey League teams and their American Hockey League affiliates for the 2010-11 season. The Kalamazoo Wings are now affiliated with the NHL's New York Islanders; the Florida Everblades are now affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Elmira Jackals are affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks.

Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac): A local investor in Great Falls (MT) has purchased a franchise in the Tier III Junior-A NorPac for the 2011-12 season. The team is expected to be called the Great Falls Americans after a team that last played in the final 2002-03 season of the defunct Junior-A America West Hockey League. The AWHL merged with the Junior-A North American Hockey League for the 2003-04 season, but Great Falls was not part of the merger.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer: The city of Baltimore is still considering construction of a soccer-specific stadium to possibly attract Major League Soccer's D.C. United franchise. A feasibility study for the stadium is expected to be completed in September.

Women's Professional Soccer: The Buffalo Flash of the United Soccer League's W-League is considering development of a WPS expansion franchise as early as the 2011 season. The Flash is in its second season and is the only professional team in the W-League. The owner of the Dallas Premier FC in the Women's Premier Soccer League is trying to develop a Dallas-based WPS franchise, possibly for the 2012 season.

North American Soccer League: If the Atlanta Silverbacks return to the field as part of the NASL, it might not happen until 2012 instead of 2011. The Silverbacks last played in 2008 as part of the United Soccer Leagues First Division and had talked of a return in 2010 as one of the NASL teams playing in the United States Soccer Federation Division-2 League. The owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League has started the application process for an NASL expansion franchise. This is contingent on a new stadium being built that would be shared by the CFL and NASL teams..

Professional Arena Soccer League: The Stockton-based California Cougars of the PASL-Pro League plan to return for the 2010-11 season. The team plans to play all home games in Stockton this season after playing home games in three different locations last season. The PASL-Pro league plans to have 12 American teams when it announces its 2010-11 schedule in late August.

OTHER

National Lacrosse League: The NLL has announced its Orlando Titans franchise will not be part of the 2011 season. The team is to restructure its ownership in an effort to return for the 2012 season. The Titans had moved to Orlando for the 2010 season after playing three seasons as the New York Titans.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Leagueology™ almanac known as "Leagues, Teams & Nicknames", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The latest 2009-10 edition is available at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/leagues-teams-nicknames-2009-10/6534940. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.

North American Soccer League Stories from August 2, 2010

• Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - 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.