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Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
April 13, 2015 - United League Baseball (ULB)


BASEBALL

Eastern League: Late last month the Erie (PA) SeaWolves team of the Double-A Eastern League was sold and the new owner plans to keep the team in the city. At various times over the past several years there had been talk of the Erie team moving to Holyoke (MA), Richmond (VA), Montreal and Ottawa. The SeaWolves joined the Eastern League in 1999 after playing under the same name for four seasons in the short-season Class-A New York-Penn League.

United League Baseball: A bankruptcy judge approved a third amended version of a Chapter 11 reorganization plan for the San Angelo (TX) Colts of the ULB, so it appears the team is still alive. The Colts filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2014 and ended their 2014 season early. The Colts were one of only four Texas-based teams in the ULB last season and it is still unknown if there will be a 2015 season. The league's Fort Worth Cats lost their home field, the Harlingen-based Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings folded and the Brownsville Charros was basically a road team playing their 2014 home games at the WhiteWings' stadium in Harlingen.

BASKETBALL

Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacifico (CIBACOPA): Mexico's Pacific Coast Basketball League known as the CIBACOPA, which is the country's second professional basketball league next to the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP), started its 2015 spring season last week with ten teams aligned in one table. All nine teams returned from last season with the Mineros de Caborca moving back to Cananea as the Mineros de Cananea. One new team called the Nauticos de Mazatlan was added for 2015. Four teams are located in the state of Sonora, five teams are in Sinaloa and one is in Baja California. The season runs from early April to mid-June.

Central Basketball Development League: The CBDL announced seven teams called the Fort Pierce (FL) Pride, Palm Beach (FL) Kings, Shreveport (LA) Knights, South Florida Spartans (Winter Park), Talladega (AL) Toros, D-Elite Silverbacks (Auburn, AL) and Sylacagua (AL) Sonics that will comprise a Southeast Division with league-play starting next month.

Women's United States Basketball Association: The WUSBA, which has been trying to get off the ground with a summer season since 2010, recently announced the ten teams that will be part of the inaugural season from June 3 to August 23, 2015. The ten teams include the Chicago Cagerz, New Orleans Pzazz, Dallas Dynasty, Houston Galaxy, Indiana Royal, Birmingham Starz, Cincinnati Raging River, Minnesota River Hawks, Kansas City Blaze and Columbia (SC) Breeze.

Baloncesto Superior Nacional: Puerto Rico's top men's basketball league known as the BSN started play last month with 12 teams aligned in one table. All ten teams from last season returned for 2015 and the league added teams called the Mets de Guaynabo and Atenienses de Manati.

FOOTBALL

Arena Football League: The San Jose SaberCats of the AFL are considering Sacramento as a possible home for 2015 post-season games, if its current home arena is unavailable. This brought up discussion about Sacramento and its new arena currently under construction becoming home to an indoor football team. The original version of the AFL had a team called the Sacramento Attack for the 1992 season.

American Indoor Football: The AIF's new Savannah Steam will apparently play its inaugural 2015 home schedule outdoors to avoid costs of playing indoors at Tiger Arena on the campus of Savannah State. The AIF's Atlanta Sharks are reported to have lost its arena lease and will play as a travel-only team for the 2015 season.

American 7s Football League: The new A7FL started its inaugural season last month and the current standings list 16 teams from Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. The A7FL plays 7-on-7 football on a field 40 feet narrower than a typical National Football League field. The league claims it will be a safer game with no special teams and players not wearing helmets or pads to foster better tackling techniques.

Legends Football League-USA: The women's indoor LFL-USA, formerly the Lingerie Football League, started its 2015 season this weekend with only six teams. Of the ten teams from last season, the Baltimore Charm, Green Bay Chill, Jacksonville Breeze and Toledo Crush did not return. The league features a three-team Eastern Conference with the Atlanta Steam, Chicago Bliss and Omaha Heart, along with a three-team Western Conference comprised of the Las Vegas Sin, Los Angeles Temptation and Seattle Mist. The Baltimore Charm could return in 2016 in the Washington (DC)/Northern Virginia area, the Jacksonville Breeze could return to another Florida market in the near future and the Toledo Crush could return in another Ohio market by 2017.

HOCKEY

Ontario Hockey League: The Erie (PA) Otters team in the major-junior OHL has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 to allow the team to reorganize its financial structure. The team owes $4.6 million in loans paid by a subsidiary of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers in a potential sale of the Otters that fell through. The Oilers had been trying to force the sale of the team to recover their loans, but the bankruptcy filing should allow the Otters to sell the team without interference from the Oilers.

Federal Hockey League: Arena officials in Danbury (CT) have asked the Danbury Whalers of the FHL to vacate the facility and it is uncertain whether the team will be able to work out a lease for next season. The Whalers have led the league in attendance since joining the league for the 2010-11 season.

North American Hockey League: The Wenatchee (WA) Wild of the Tier-II junior-level NAHL was approved to go into dormancy as the team tries to join the Canadian Junior-A British Columbia Hockey League for next season. The Wild tried this move after last season, but was denied entry by the BCHL. If the team is not accepted into the BCHL, it will return to the NAHL for next season.

North American 3 Eastern Hockey League: The junior-level NA3EHL, which started the 2014-15 season as the Northern States Hockey League before coming under the control of the Tier-II North American Hockey League (NAHL), announced a new expansion team called the Northeast Generals, based in Canton (MA), has been granted for the 2015-16 season.

Major League Roller Hockey: The MLRH announced a team from Chicago will join the summertime MLRH Super League for its second season in 2015. The Super League operated with a four-team East Division and a three-team West Division last year and had hoped to add an Ontario (Canada) Division based in Oakville, but that will not move forward. The league will add teams in Los Angeles and San Diego to the West Division and is still considering other locations for 2015.

SOCCER

National Women's Soccer League: The professional NWSL started its third season this week with the same nine teams as last season. NWSL teams include national team players from the United States, Canada and Mexico. There has been a lot of talk of possible expansion, but the league says nothing has been decided and there is no current expansion timetable.

OTHER

American Ultimate Disc League: The professional AUDL started its fourth season this weekend and grew from 17 to 25 teams. The league features seven-team East and Midwest divisions, a six-team West Division and a new five-team South Division. Of the 17 teams from last season, the Salt Lake Lions did not return and the Seattle Raptors became the Seattle Cascades under new ownership. New teams include the Ottawa Outlaws in the East; the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds in the Midwest; the Los Angeles Aviators and San Diego Growlers in the West; and the Atlanta Hustle, Charlotte Express, Jacksonville Cannons, Nashville NightWatch and Raleigh Flyers in the South.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Leagues, Teams & Nicknames 2013-14: "The Leagueology Almanac" , which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The publication is currently available at www.amazon.com.

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United League Baseball Stories from April 13, 2015


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