A Look Around The Leagues

by Walter L. Johnson II
August 12, 2004 - American Basketball Association (ABA)


We're deep into August, and summer is heading into its traditional home stretch, with the Olympic Games in Athens nearing their arrival, and NFL teams opening training camp. And as always, the minor and independent league sports landscape continues to take shape as this latest column is being written. So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!

AFL OFFSEASON REPORT: We start off with some offseason news from the Arena Football League, as a familiar franchise returns to the fold. That's thanks to one of pro football's veteran owners in longtime Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams. The recent return of the Kats brings the list of AFL franchises with NFL ownership ties to six. Those other ties aside from Adams include: Jerry Jones (Dallas), William Clay Ford (Detroit), Arthur Blank (Georgia), Tom Benson (New Orleans), and recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee John Elway (Colorado).

Longtime AFL fans may recall the original Kats went 51-29 between 1997 and 2001, reaching back-to-back Arena Bowls during the latter two years. The Kats were then sold to Virgil Williams, who moved the team to the metro Atlanta area prior to the 2002 season. Of course, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has since bought the franchise. The big question here is, can the "new" Kats duplicate the success the original franchise had during the late 1990's and early 2000's? Only time will tell.

In other AFL news, it didn't take long for the Arizona Rattlers to find a replacement for the fired Danny White. Former New York Dragons Head Coach Todd Shell became the only second head coach in franchise history after leading the Dragons to a 29-25 record during his time on Long Island. It'll be interesting to see how Shell thrives under new ownership, as well as how he will deal with veteran talent such as quarterback Shedrick Bonner, and ironman Hunkie Cooper. Meanwhile, White, a former quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, turned down an offer to coach the Las Vegas Gladiators.

ABA "EXPANSION" TWIST: Just when things couldn't get any weirder in the expansion saga of the American Basketball Association, they just did. Bellevue, Wash. became the latest team to join the ABA. But that move came with a twist, as the management group in Bakersfield, Calif. volunteered to sit out the upcoming season so the suburban Seattle-based franchise could start play immediately.

Plus, the ABA grabbed two new franchises for the 2004-2005 campaign, with Mississippi and Colorado Springs, Colo. coming on board, bringing the total number of expansion squads to 37. Plus, the ever-growing league added more expansion candidates for 2005-2006, as Buffalo, N.Y., Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and Miami became the latest cities to toss their hat into the ring, joining Birmingham, Ala., San Antonio, and Everett, Wash., another Seattle suburb. By the way, Buffalo is obviously no stranger to pro basketball, having once served as the home Buffalo Braves, now NBA Los Angeles Clippers.

That leaves just one question: Is the sky beyond the limit for the ABA? Who knows?

ECHL REPORT: Meanwhile, in hockey action, the ECHL fell from 30 to 28 franchises for 2004-2005, as that league's Board of Governors recently terminated the memberships of the Greensboro (N.C.) Generals and the Roanoke (Va.) Express, due to the lack of solid ownership groups. That move forced ECHL officials to make changes to its divisional alignment, moving the Augusta (Ga.) Lynx from the South to the East Division, thus balancing the American Conference with six teams in both divisions. Fortunately, the format for the postseason will stay the same, as well as the North and West Divisions of the National Conference. Still, this only goes to show how unstable the minor league sports business can be. And that is certainly true of "America's Premier AA Hockey League".

WNBA UPDATE: With the WNBA taking an extended break for the Olympics, the 2004 season has sort of been a tale of two conferences, with the Los Angeles Sparks currently boasting that league's best record at 19-7, and a five-game winning streak to boot. The only other franchises in the Western Conference with a winning record are the Seattle Storm, which has been a pleasant surprise at 17-8, followed by the Minnesota Lynx at 15-11.

On the other hand, the Eastern Conference looks like a total mess, with only the New York Liberty boasting a better than .500 mark at 13-12. Still, New York faces a tremendous challenge in fending off their fellow conference rivals, with Connecticut, Detroit, and Charlotte all trailing the Liberty by one game. And, finally, the Houston Comets, who won the first four WNBA titles from 1997-2000, could miss the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, as they sported a mediocre 12-14 record prior to the All-Star/Olympic break. However, the Comets trail the Sacramento Monarchs and Phoenix Mercury by just half a game in the race for the West's last playoff spot. So, Houston, you might have some hope for your Comets when the season resumes Sept. 1.

NETCASTS: As the minor league baseball regular season winds down, and postseason play just around the corner, let OSC be your source for all of the pennant races with the "Netcasts" page. Just log on to OSC, and click on "Netcasts". From there, click on the speakers for the broadcast you want to hear. It's that simple.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.



American Basketball Association Stories from August 12, 2004


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.


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