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Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
October 25, 2010 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)


BASEBALL

United League Baseball: The owners of the ULB and Potter County (TX) officials plan to enter mediation over the recent eviction of the ULB's Amarillo Dillas from the local ballpark. The ULB hopes to have the Dillas reinstated on its lease for 2011. The county opened the lease for bid by other parties and groups representing the American Association and the proposed Pecos League have expressed interest.

Pacific Coast League: The city of Escondido (CA) has selected a site for a proposed 9,000-seat ballpark that could become home to the relocated Portland Beavers. The Beavers plan to play in Tucson next season before eventually moving to Escondido, possibly in 2012.

Golden Baseball League: The owner of the GBL's Tucson Toros plans to announce next week his plans for the independent franchise in 2011. The team could sit out next season or try to compete with the affiliated Tucson-based Triple-A Pacific Coast League team, which had operated as the Portland Beavers and plans to play the 2011 season in Tucson.

Florida State League: A developer is moving forward with plans to build a ballpark in the Orlando area that could become home to the Tampa Yankees in the Class-A FSL. If everything works out the team could relocate for the 2013 season.

BASKETBALL

Universal Basketball League: The DeSoto (TX) Lightning and Longview (TX) Roadrunners are the latest team names for two of the new UBL markets added for the upcoming 2011 season. The Irving (TX) Mustangs have also been added for 2011, along with a yet-to-be named team in Monroe (LA).

Premier Basketball League: The PBL has officially announced that the expansion Dayton Air Strikers franchise has been accepted for the league's upcoming 2010-11 season.

Universal Basketball Association: The UBA has announced the schedule for its inaugural regular season that will run from late October 2010 to mid-June 2011. A few teams that are not part of the league alignment have appeared on the schedule. These include the Nashville Ballers, Columbus Crush, Texas Wranglers, and Dallas Stars. A team called the Mid-Cities Crimson Tide no longer appears in the league's Western Division and has been replaced by the Tennessee Dragons team, which had been listed as one of the league's developmental (D-league) teams. The UBA was formed after a purchase of the United Regions Basketball League, which operated with several Texas-based teams in 2009.

International Basketball League: The IBL now has the Bend-based Central Oregon Hotshots listed as the West Coast Hotshots with 2011 home games scheduled for Cascade College in Portland. The Columbus-based Ohio Hidden Gems will be an official IBL "branding team" that will play at least five games against IBL teams in 2011. An IBL "branding team" is not considered ready to be a full-season team playing a 20-game schedule.

FOOTBALL

United States Football League: The proposed springtime USFL has announced that its inaugural season will not start in 2011 as planned with 6 to 8 teams, but will now wait until 2012 and start with 12 teams.

Indoor Football League: The IFL has confirmed that the Rochester (NY) Raiders, Maryland Maniacs, Austin Turfcats, San Angelo Stampede Express, Sioux City (IA) Bandits, and West Michigan Thunderhawks (Grand Rapids) will not be part of the 2011 season. The Rochester owner was unable to secure arena dates, but intends to return in 2012. The Sioux City Bandits plan to switch to the semipro indoor league called the American Professional Football League for 2011.

Arena Football League: The AFL has announced the 18 teams and the league alignment for its 2011 season. Of the 15 teams from last season, the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz and Shreveport-Bossier Battle Wings did not return. The league added five new teams: the Pittsburgh Power, Philadelphia Soul, San Jose SabreCats, Kansas City Command, and the New Orleans Voodoo. The Kansas City Command was originally the Kansas City Brigade, but announced a new team name last week. The owner of Shreveport-Bossier shut down the Battle Wings and restarted the new AFL franchise in New Orleans. A proposed deal to relocate Oklahoma City to Seattle apparently fell through, but the Yard Dawgz are not expected to return to the AFL or the city in the future. Last season's Alabama Vipers relocated to the Atlanta area and became the Georgia Force for 2011. Each of the American and National conferences will have a four-team and a five-team division.

Independent Indoor Football Alliance: The new IIFA team previously listed as the Grapevine (TX) Gridiron Cat's is now the DFW Gridiron Cats with its home in DeSoto (TX).

HOCKEY

All American Hockey League: The AAHL has started its 2010-11 season with six teams: the Battle Creek (MI) Revolution, Indiana Blizzard (Dyer), Lapeer (MI) Loggers, Madison (WI) Ice Muskies, Queen City Storm (Cincinnati area), and Troy (OH) Bruins. Only Battle Creek remains of the four teams from last season. The Chi-town Shooters decided to leave the AAHL to form a junior-level team, so the West Michigan Blizzard moved from Muskegon to the Shooters' former home in Dyer (IN). The Evansville IceMen left to become part of the Double-A International Hockey League after the owner took over and relocated the IHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks franchise to Evansville. Lapeer, Madison, Queen City, and Troy were added as expansion teams. The Troy Bruins had been part of the 2009-10 Northern Junior Hockey League. The Madison Ice Muskies replaced another AAHL team by the same name that folded midway through the 2009-10 season.

Southern Professional Hockey League: The SPHL has started its 2010-11 season and now has eight teams with the addition of the August (GA) RiverHawks this season. All seven teams from last season have returned. These include the Columbus (GA) Cottonmouths, Fayetteville (NC) FireAntz, Huntsville (AL) Havoc, Knoxville (TN) Ice Bears, Louisiana IceGators (Lafayette), Mississippi Surge (Biloxi), and Pensacola (FL) Ice Flyers. The SPHL played its inaugural season in 2004-05.

American Inline Hockey League: The AIHL currently has 39 teams listed in both its Elite and Minor leagues for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Each level has added a Midwest Division to go with the seven other regional divisions called the New England, Mid Atlantic (Atlantic last year), Colonial, Pacific North, Pacific South, Southwest, and Gulf. The season will run from early December 2010 to late March 2011.

SOCCER

United Soccer Leagues PRO: The new USL PRO league, which will combine teams from both the USL First Division and Second Division, plans to announce next week the 20 teams that will be part of its inaugural 2011 season. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the 2010 USL Second Division announced this past week that the team will be part of the 2011 USL PRO league. The owner of the USL's Austin Aztex, which played as part of the 2010 United States Soccer Federation Division II Pro League, is reportedly seeking new investors that could move the team to Orlando as part of the 2011 USL PRO league.

Women's Professional Soccer: The WPS is planning to hold a player draft early next month for its new Western New York expansion team that will start play in 2011.

National Premier Soccer League: The men's NPSL has announced that the Lancaster (CA) Rattlers team, which was part of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League for the past four seasons (2007-10), has moved to the NPSL for 2011.

Southern Premier Soccer League: The amateur-level SPSL, which recently started its inaugural 2010-11 fall-winter outdoor season with six teams, has announced that the Rio Grande Valley Bravos FC will be part of the league's spring season that will start in 2011. The Bravos are based in Brownsville (TX) and were part of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League for the past two seasons.

Major Indoor Soccer League: The MISL has announced a new team called the Chicago Riot will become the league's fifth member for the 2010-11 season that starts November 12. Three of last season's five teams, the Philadelphia KiXX, Rockford Rampage, and Monterrey (Mexico) La RaZa, are no longer part of the league. The MISL previously added two other expansion teams called the Omaha Vipers and Missouri Comets. The Baltimore Blast and Milwaukee Wave will return from last season to create a five-team league. The Philadelphia owner decided to sit out due to the low number of teams in the league and might consider a return next season. Monterrey decided not to play due to the economic impact of hurricane damage in the area. The Rockford owner was still trying to close on a sale of the team and has been approached by the new United Soccer Leagues I-League. The MISL claims it is in active discussion with ownership groups in Dallas, Harrisburg (PA), St. Louis, and Wichita for future teams.

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.

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Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from October 25, 2010


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