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The Strange Saga of the Washington Raptors and the Alaska Dream

by Chris Munson
December 23, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA)


Just about two months into the American Basketball Association season, the league is already looking at one of those stories that can only happen in the ABA.

First of all, nine teams have folded or have "been moved to the 2009-2010 season," according to the league, making the number of dead ABA teams 228 since 2000-01. Gallup has now tried to play in four seasons and has now failed in all four. The last of last year's ABA playoff teams, the San Diego Wildcats, have folded, Fresno had a shooting outside of its arena, and of course there was the arrest of ABA Chief Operating Officer Quentin Townsend on charges of fraud and forgery. Of all of the stranger than fiction things that have happened in this league, perhaps none are as odd as what has happened to the Washington Raptors.

The Chehalis, Washington based Raptors expected to open their season with a pair of home games against the San Francisco Rumble. Unfortunately, the Rumble didn't show up for the opener before appearing for a game the next night.

The Raptors were then set to head to Anchorage, Alaska for a two-game set against the Alaska Dream, their first road trip of the year. It was supposed to be the regular season opener for the Dream, but it would not happen.

According to published reports, the Raptors refused to fly to Fairbanks because of the logistics of the travel arrangements. As is par for the course in the ABA, Raptors players have jobs outside of their playing duties. The original flight arrangements had Washington flying to Anchorage on Sunday, games taking place Monday and Tuesday and the team returning to Washington on Thursday. The main issue with the arrangements was Raptors players had to be back at their regular jobs on Thursday morning. Also, there was the small fact that Alaska owner Trey Davis insisted the Raptors pay for some of the plane tickets and other associated expenses.

Davis eventually relented, agreeing to pay for the plane tickets, but it was too late. Disagreements over the flights and confusion over the lodging proved too much to overcome. In the end, the Raptors refused the travel arrangements, and Alaska called off its first two games, claiming they lost more than $20,000 in the process.

In an email obtained by OurSports Central, ABA Chief Executive Officer Joe Newman places the blame for this fiasco square on the shoulders of Trey Davis, owner of the Alaska Dream. In one of the emails, Newman stated to Davis, "Trey. There seems to be much confusion as to our 'deal' to admit the Alaska Dream into the ABA. We have spoken on many occasions about the requirements for a team in Alaska and why we had not had one there previously. The 'deal' was that Alaska would provide air transportation to and from Alaska. And that Alaska would bear the costs of air transportation for its road games. There was no discussion relating to teams picking up the air fares or even parts of the air fares. My understanding was that you were making a deal with an Alaskan airline or that you had a sponsor providing $50,000 for subsidizing travel. We also said that we would try to do doubleheaders to reduce the trips to 7-8 and the same for your going on the road. I find out now that you expect Washington to pay for their airline tickets. That was not our agreement.

I'd like to get this resolved quickly."

In various e-mails, it is apparent there were some serious issues taking place. Per the agreement Davis had with the ABA, travel was supposed to be taken care of by the Dream and theoretically, should have been booked and taken care of well in advance. Instead, Davis was scrambling to book flights in the last couple of days before Washington's scheduled trip.

In one of the emails, Davis said to Raptors owner Tim Joseph, "I hope things are going better for you guys in Washington.  We are trying to pull things together here with the airline tickets.  I have only been able to pay for 8 tickets at this point for travel to Alaska coming here Monday December 15, 2008 leaving Seattle at 6:00 am.  I am trying to get more money but I am having a tough time.  Please forward me the names so I can have those to Alaska Airlines.  Thank you."

The above statement is glaring in the fact that part of the original deal admitting Alaska to the ABA was that air transportation for 12 people for each of the Dream home opponents would be taken care of by Davis, yet the Alaska owner was apparently scraping to pay for even eight tickets.

Rather than chastising Davis publicly, Newman issued an apology to Dream fans. In his statement, Newman said, "On behalf of the ABA, I would like to apologize to The Alaska Dream and their fans. Because of a terrible mix-up relating to travel, the Washington Raptors did not make it to Anchorage for the Dreams' opening home games. Whatever the reason for the mix-up, and there have been many explanations, the fact is that Trey Davis and The Alaska Dream worked long and hard for this event - and the City of Anchorage and the State of Alaska has shown tremendous support for their team. It was going to be a great night and the beginning of an awesome season. It didn't happen, and at this point, pointing fingers and placing blame is not productive."

The reality is that even though Newman did not directly place blame on the Raptors, he also did not acknowledge the issues were caused by the Dream. Per the agreement between Newman and the Dream, Alaska was to pay for air travel. While privately placing the blame for the cancellation on Davis, Newman publicly thanked him for his hard work. In the end, two more ABA games were cancelled, no one was held accountable and fingers are still being pointed in every direction.

Only in the ABA.

Notes from the ABA:

It was announced on Monday night that Fresno and Washington have merged and will play games in Washington and Fresno. This comes after Fresno traveled to Washington for a scheduled four game set with all games postponed due to weather conditions. As part of the agreement, Fresno will disband and the team will be run by the Raptors organization.

ABA Chief Operating Officer Quentin Townsend, who was suspended by the league following his arrest on charges of fraud and forgery, may be working with the league again. In some of the above mentioned e-mails, Townsend was cc'd, leading to speculation his suspension may have been lifted.

The ABA and CBA have entered into an agreement where three of the remaining four CBA teams will play regular season games against each other. These will count in each other's standings. Currently, the CBA leads the series 6-0 after East Kentucky defeated West Virginia 172-70.

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 December 23, 2008


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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