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Will Elkhart have a team at all?
http://www.etruth.com/Know/Sports/Story.aspx?ID=458166

So the attendance is kinda sorta fudged.

Here we go again.

I might rethink... maybe the Midwest isn't any better off than the West in this league.

I wonder if Elkhart would of not paid so much money to the players they could of afford to stay. Also why would this businessman buy the team and put it somehwere else instead of just starting a new one. Is it a better deal to just buy teams and place them elsewhere.

[quote=""balling2008""]I wonder if Elkhart would of not paid so much money to the players they could of afford to stay. Also why would this businessman buy the team and put it somehwere else instead of just starting a new one. Is it a better deal to just buy teams and place them elsewhere. [/quote]

This sale makes no sense to me, either. If he planned to keep the team in Elkhart, I can understand paying a premium for the franchise, but it isn't as if many in Chicago know anything about the team. He'd be much better off buying a new team and spending a small portion of the $1,475,000 he saved himself to lure all the best players to his new team. If I was the Elkhart owner, I'd take the money and run.

[quote=""balling2008""]Same as minor league baseball, hockey etc.. you will get call ups back and forth. There have been many players in the D league who have gone on to stay in the NBA. I think the D league will just get better and better. You can actually see college stars etc.. who will go on to the NBA. Its the same in baseball. There has been 29 call ups from the D league just last year. Thats pretty impressive. The affiliation part can only help a team. Money, sponsors, better players etc....[/quote]

You may be right eventually, but as it stands right now I don’t think you can make the baseball to basketball comparison. (I don’t know enough about hockey to have an opinion.) Just looking at the numbers from the NBA last year, only 49 played in both leagues, or about 11% of the NBA total (49 out of 451.) However, those 49 started less than 1% of the games (53 out 12,300 possible starts) and played less than 2% of the total minutes played in the regular season. Also, only 4 of the 49 played in more than 41 games and only one, Daequan Cook, made any real, season long contribution.

I planned on looking at the Major League/AAA splits from last year (innings pitched and at bats) but I’m certain minor leaguers made a greater contribution in the majors, and in many cases moved into starting positions this season. What will be interesting is seeing how many D-Leaguers stick next season or move up in the rotation.

[quote=""preeths""]This sale makes no sense to me, either. If he planned to keep the team in Elkhart, I can understand paying a premium for the franchise, but it isn't as if many in Chicago know anything about the team. He'd be much better off buying a new team and spending a small portion of the $1,475,000 he saved himself to lure all the best players to his new team. If I was the Elkhart owner, I'd take the money and run.[/quote]

Something doesn't add up here, but I agree if you have that kind of money in front of you, you don't look back. What are you buying if you are moving the team and possibly even moving leagues? Joe Newman is kicking himself for not finding this guy first.

[quote=""preeths""]This sale makes no sense to me, either. If he planned to keep the team in Elkhart, I can understand paying a premium for the franchise, but it isn't as if many in Chicago know anything about the team. He'd be much better off buying a new team and spending a small portion of the $1,475,000 he saved himself to lure all the best players to his new team. If I was the Elkhart owner, I'd take the money and run.[/quote]

You're absolutely right. Granted the "Express" name does have a little bit of cachet, but not enough to warrant such a high franchise value. Money talks in minor league sports, and all you have to do it throw around a little bit of it and you'll attact decent talent no matter what your team's name is.

This story is so bizarre that I have to question the legitimacy of it. I wonder if this whole thing has been fabricated to either put pressure on the city to build an arena, or perhaps just to drum up interest in the exhibition game they have coming up on Friday, which could be billed as the "last chance" to watch the Express.

[quote=""besl""]You're absolutely right. Granted the "Express" name does have a little bit of cachet, but not enough to warrant such a high franchise value. Money talks in minor league sports, and all you have to do it throw around a little bit of it and you'll attact decent talent no matter what your team's name is.

This story is so bizarre that I have to question the legitimacy of it. I wonder if this whole thing has been fabricated to either put pressure on the city to build an arena, or perhaps just to drum up interest in the exhibition game they have coming up on Friday, which could be billed as the "last chance" to watch the Express.[/quote]

"It's got cachet out the ying yang, baby!" George Castanza

My guess is this is total fabrication. If not, then if I'm an owner of any team in the CBA, PBL, or IBL I'm calling this guy up to look at my club too........

While I agree that there are many, many questions regarding the possible Elkhart sale....I can say this....this isn't a frabrication. I know Coach Beathea very well, and this just isn't his style.

At first glance, my recommendation is to take the money and run -- and start again. Nothing to say that the players won't "find" their way to his new team, and find just as much success.

I know there will be much, much more on this over the next few weeks....

Winds -- you asked where Elkhart would play if they switched to the PBL. Well, Northside of course. (I would prefer a different venue, but if nothing else, Northside.) You're kinda' hung up on the High School games, but I think arrangements can be made. Again, I don't think it's an impossible task.

the entire league isn't worth that, this story seems fishy, why couldnt he just start his own team in Chicago, like so many others have done? And those goofballs started teams with no money, so certainly he could do it with half of that money!

but hey i've been wrong before.