A Look Around The Leagues

by Walter L. Johnson II
April 8, 2005 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)


The Final Four is over, the NBA playoffs are just around the corner, and the Major League Baseball season is also underway. As spring gets into full swing, the action within the minor and independent leagues is also starting to heat up. From arena and indoor football to baseball, basketball to hockey, and even some soccer and lacrosse thrown in, we're now entering one of the busiest times of year in all of sports: the spring and summer months.

Having said that, let's throw out some random thoughts as to what's going on.

MINOR LEAGUE SUSPENSIONS: For those of you that haven't followed the sports news on Sports Center, or online, for that matter, the controversy over steroids that has beleaguered Major League Baseball has spread into the minors with a vengeance, as the Commissioner's office announced the names of 38 minor league players who received suspensions for violation of the league's substance abuse policy. David Castillo, of the Oakland Athletics organization, received the harshest punishment of all the named players, as he received a 60-game suspension. All other players were suspended for 15 games.

Obviously, the timing of the suspensions couldn't have been any timelier, as they were handed down just days before the start of the minor league baseball season. However, unlike the big leagues, the minor leagues have a far more stringent policy when it comes to substance abuse. A first-time offender will receive a 15-game suspension, a second offense costs that same player 30 games, a third offense 60 games, the fourth offense one year, and if a player gets caught a fifth time, he's gone from professional baseball for good.

The fact that the minors have such a tough policy on substance abuse shows that the management of Minor League Baseball is committed to keeping the game the wholesome, family-friendly game that it is. In other words, don't be surprised if that same policy mentioned above gets fully implemented in the major leagues in the near future.

MORE BASEBALL: As the minor league baseball season gets underway throughout much of North America, one place that won't be hearing the crack of the bat anytime soon is Montreal. In fact, it has been a rocky road for sports fans in this Canadian city within the last year, as Montreal not only lost the Expos to Washington, D.C., the NHL Canadiens also didn't play this season, thanks to the lockout. That leaves the Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, and the Impact of the United Soccer Leagues First Division as the only options for professional sports in Montreal, at least for now. As for baseball, Montreal residents will have go down the road to Quebec City to see the Les Capitales of the Can Am League.

And while we're on the subject of international baseball, the Golden Baseball League recently announced that the Japan Samurai Bears would be the eighth team to join the fledgling independent baseball circuit, which consists of teams in California and Arizona. The addition of the Samurai Bears marks the first time an all-Japanese team will play in an American professional sports league. The addition of the Japan franchise alone should make things very interesting. And the first pitch of the inaugural season is still weeks away. The GBL will open the 2005 season

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! Two professional basketball leagues recently crowned champions. In the American Basketball Association, the Arkansas Rimrockers took home the title after defeating the Bellevue (Wash.) Blackhawks 118-103 in the title game on Mar. 26. But just as Arkansas was celebrating its first-ever ABA title, there's talk, according to a recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, that the Rimrockers may be headed to the National Basketball Development League (NBDL). Obviously, that move would make sense, since there are expansion teams entering the league based out of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. It'll be interesting to see if the Arkansas franchise will actually make the leap. Stay connected to OSC for any new developments as they arise.

In the Continental Basketball Association, the Sioux Falls Skyforce recently took home its first CBA championship since 1996, as it downed the Rockford Lighting 135-126 on Apr. 2. Unlike the ABA, there is a reason why the CBA is the oldest continuing professional basketball league in North America. While the ABA continues its ambitious expansion plan, only to have teams come and go constantly, the CBA finished its season with the same eight teams took the court at the beginning of the season. Moreover, many CBA players have moved on the NBA, while none of the current ABA players have seen NBA action thus far. In fact, the CBA has sent 14 of its players to the NBA alone. Maybe the ABA management could learn a few things from the CBA as far as operating a professional basketball league is concerned. Although the CBA itself has had some problems in recent years, the fact it has lasted nearly six decades is a testament to the competition it and other leagues face for the sports and entertainment dollar today.

NETCASTS: The minor league baseball season is here, and Our Sports Central has your season ticket to hundreds of thousands of games in 2005 with the "Netcasts" page. As always, you can log on to OSC every night, click on "Netcasts", then click on the link to the game you want to listen to. Then, after the game, log on to OSC again, and click on the links to the stories for each game, as well as the press releases for each team. It's no wonder why Our Sports Central is your number one source for independent and minor league sports news.



Golden Baseball League Stories from April 8, 2005


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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