Future of League?????

[Berkshirian]

Not good.

Sussex and Nashua (excuse me, ADofNH) on life support...

Ottawa and Atlantic City gone...

Nj and Worcester?

Brockton and Quebec to Atlantic League. They are the only two realistically viable franchises. You'll see. Not what I want, but remember this post when that happens.

Worcester and Nashua can always grab slots in the (very fun) NECBL. I don't know about the Sussex and NJ teams. NYCBL?

Let's face it, one of the problems of this league is the perceived inferiority to the Atlantic League in a similar geographical footprint.

The league took the AtL's castoffs (AC, Nashua) in a bid to grow too quickly. This didn't help.

And Quebec may just be too far afield for the AtL.

Brockton may be the sole survivor here in a year or two.

How long do you really think this league can last now with 6? And more than one of them in trouble?

I think the Indy "boom" has shot it's bolt and we are looking at the end.

Well, time to attack the messanger, so have at me!!

[OttawaBallFan]

> Not good.

I wouldn't say that exactly. Let's look at it objectively, team by team.

Since we really only have attendance to go by, the two most successful franchises in the league are Brockton and Quebec. They've been 1-2 since 2005. That would put them near the bottom of the Atlantic League. Does the AL want those teams? If one or both do decide to switch leagues, that does not necessarily mean the end of the Can-Am but it certainly would not be the same. And given the problems of finding cities and owners, if this happened next year, the Can-Am may certainly be forced to fold. But it's a pretty big IF.

Worcester looks good to me, looking at attendance since 2005. New Jersey too. They are both about the middle of the pack.

Sussex dropped off in 2008. Let's see what happens this year.

So to me, that's four solid franchises and possibly a fifth. Not bad out of six teams.

New Hampshire has been the weak sister finishing 8th in attendance all three years in the Can-Am. Let's see what the new owners can do this year, maybe it can turn around.

It's a shame Atlantic City had to drop out and bring Ottawa along with them. AC was solid and Ottawa did OK in its first year. There's still hope for Ottawa in 2010. And if Miles Wolff can get Montreal in the fold, that would be a major coup and strengthen the league.

> one of the problems of this league is the perceived inferiority to the Atlantic League

Those familiar with indie baseball and both leagues I believe perceive it that way, myself included. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's the Ricky Henderson effect when he was in that league a few years back. If so, the Can-Am needs to get a few of those big names. But really, the Can-Am shouldn't feel inferior to any other indie league.

> How long do you really think this league can last now with 6? And more than one of them in trouble?

As said above, I think only one team could be considered in trouble at the start of this season.

Other leagues have six teams. I agree it would be preferable to have 8 or even 10. There's still room to grow. The Super Indy League would have only four teams (per division although two divisions could play each other). So six is not the end of the world and the Can-Am can survive with them for a couple of years.

> I think the Indy "boom" has shot it's bolt and we are looking at the end

Disagree. Indy leagues fill a need. I don't see an end in sight. Some leagues may fold, others spring up but the landscape should be pretty much the same in five years.

[Berkshirian]

Thank you for the reply.

I hope you are right.

I'm just not overly optmistic......

[richvide0]

I don't think the Rox advertise enough. Most people who I talk to don't even know they exist! They need to get the word out that there is affordable professional baseball nearby.

[D.Skype]

Things are a bit strange in dubai right now. The developements seem to have moved too fast and now they have a huge backlog of property developements that are 1-3 years behind schedule

[GoCyclones!]

You brought up some interesting points, Berk. I'd agree with you on just about all. I don't think you can trust attendance numbers. I've been to a couple of Skyhawks games. While it's a really nice place to see a game, the games I went to this year, if you add up the players on both teams, vendors and umpires, you might have had a hundred people in the ballpark.

I love baseball but I do agree with your comment that it lacks that extra "sex" appeal. I live in the NYC area. I like going to Jackals games, but I'll go if the affilliated Cyclones are out of town, as well as the Atlantic League's Newark Bears and maybe even Somerset and Long Island. Needless to say, I don't get to many games a year because I do feel the Atlantic League does have more of an appeal - the many recognizable names, higher caliber of play. I do like Jackals games though. I think with a stadium upgrade they could make it in the Atlantic League. They have a strong enough fan base.

Again, I don't think attendance numbers are the sole indicator of how successful a franchise is doing. Brockton has drawn well, but there was that issue of bankruptcy. Worcester's numbers aren't great either, which I don't get since that's a good market for it.

I think what could make it interesting for me and might get me to more games, how about some interleague play? The AA is too far but two weeks against Frontier League teams could jazz it up and those cities are reachable by bus. Or how they used to do it, the league winners play each other in the playoffs.

We are blessed to have many baseball options in the Northeast, including some strong collegiate leagues like the NECBL and ACBL. I'd like to see the Can-Am stick around and get stronger, but it does make you wonder how much longer they'd survive with just six teams. I have some doubts about Pittsfield as well. But we'll see...

[GoCyclones!]

I found something interesting today, several NY-Penn League teams released their schedules without any mention of a team in Connecticut. It's been long rumored that Jamestown or Vermont would move to Norwich, CT. Maybe it's not a done deal after all. That would be an absolutely ideal location for the Can-Am. It's an hour to Worcester, and a couple hours to the NJ teams and Brockton.

[smsudi]

Great news for Brockton:

http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x290 ... -offseason

BROCKTON — Help is on the way to get Brockton Rox out of the red.

A new management group led by Chris Carminucci is taking over, and one of its first moves will be to pay the money due the landlord, the 21st Century Corp.

“The city’s been very patient,” said Carminucci, who joined General Manager Brian Voelkel; Van Schley, an owner and manager; John T. Yunits, president and former Brockton mayor; and Miles Wolff of the Canadian-American Baseball League in making the announcement Friday.

Carminucci, who was the team’s field manager for the 2009 season, said the group will take over all business operations of the club. His group includes local businessman Jack Shields, actor Bill Murray, who was part of the original team, and others.

“We are investing in the team, putting capital in the team,” said Carminucci.

The league had a role in putting the new management team together to rescue the Rox after the team fell behind on rent payments. Yunits blamed the financial problems on the economy coupled with bad weather of the past two seasons.

He said there will be some transition in the front office.

“I’ll still be involved, but don’t know if it will be at the same level,” he said. “It’s been a struggle.”

Voelkel will remain, he said.

“We want them to be successful,” said John Condon, the city’s chief financial officer and a 21st Century Corp. board member.

He said if there is any inclination to restructure the terms of the agreement, it would not be entertained until the team made full payment.

The team owes the 21st Century Corp. about $90,000 by Dec. 15 after paying $60,000 in late November to catch up with payments that were due as far back as Sept. 1. The December payment includes commission on sales, a portion of the parking collections and rent for Campanelli Stadium and The Shaw’s Center, according to Condon.

The lot where the stadium is located is owned by the city and leased to the 21st Century Corp for $10 a year. Meanwhile, the city borrowed $8 million and continues to make payments.

Voelkel said there will be other changes, including concerts and other events at the stadium.

“Our goal is to aggressively market the venue, show off the facility that the city has built,” added Carminucci.