Tijuana Potros Put on Hold for 2009 Season in GBL
Published on May 7, 2009 under Golden Baseball League (GBL) News Release
San Ramon, CA. May 7, 2009 - The Golden Baseball League announced today that the expansion Tijuana Potros have been forced to shelve their plans to participate in the upcoming 2009 Golden Baseball League season due to the impact of the health risk issues that have erupted throughout Mexico in the last few weeks. Sports facility closings, uncertainty of stadium availability, and government mandates limiting public gatherings have all contributed to an impossible business environment to launch and operate a professional sports franchise with the start of the season less than two weeks away.
"The H1N1 virus health risk and the necessary government response and actions have wreaked havoc with the economy and businesses small and large throughout the country," said Tijuana Potros President Jose Manuel Pena. "It is not possible to operate with this uncertainty that keeps sponsors from committing, fans from buying tickets, and the stadium unavailable to host public events. We know this will pass and the Potros will be ready for next year to bring exciting professional baseball back to the people of Tijuana, but realize the timing of this natural disaster has left us with no other choice."
With so little time left prior to the start of the season, the Golden Baseball League has amended the schedule to play with nine teams for this year. This solution leaves the schedules for all teams unchanged, with a few very slight modifications, with the exception of series that were to be played versus the Potros. Those series, which average just four home contests per team, are now open dates and will be used either for off days or may be filled with special games played outside of the official schedule -- such as fundraiser games with military teams, or for other organizations that are suffering in these difficult economic times such as school districts, police and fire departments, and charitable organizations.
The GBL South Division will now be composed of the Long Beach Armada, Orange County Flyers, St. George Roadrunners, Tucson Toros, and Yuma Scorpions. The GBL North Division will be made up of the Calgary Vipers, Chico Outlaws, Edmonton Capitals, and Victoria Seals. The dates of the season remain unchanged, but due to the unbalanced nature of the original schedule some teams will have a few more games than others each half. The split season format remains the same, first half and second half champions will be decided upon by winning percentage and will advance to playoffs as already scheduled.
"We understand and our very sympathetic to the plight of the Potros in these challenging times," said GBL Commissioner Kevin Outcalt. "We are disappointed to not have the Potros with us this year, but look forward to the health and economic recovery that is already underway that will enable the Potros to have a strong entry into the league next season."
About The Golden Baseball League The Golden Baseball League, Presented by Safeway Inc./VONS, is the premier professional independent baseball league operating in the western United States, Canada, Mexico. The ten Golden Baseball League teams include the Calgary Vipers in Calgary, Alberta Canada; the Chico Outlaws in Chico, CA; the Edmonton Capitals in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, the Orange County Flyers in Fullerton, CA; the Long Beach Armada in Long Beach, CA; the St. George Roadrunners in St. George, Utah; the Yuma Scorpions in Yuma, AZ; the Tijuana Potros in Baja California, Mexico; the Tucson Toros in Tucson, AZ; and the Victoria Seals in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Over 90 GBL players have been acquired by major league baseball or professional international baseball organizations during the last four years and over 50 former major leaguers have played in the GBL including MLB All-Stars Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, and Felix Jose. For general information, please visit our League web site at www.goldenbaseball.com.
About Safeway
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America based on sales. The company operates more than 1,800 stores in the United States and Canada and had annual sales of $35.6 billion in 2003. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.
Golden Baseball League Stories from May 7, 2009
- Tijuana Potros Put on Hold For 2009 - Long Beach Armada
- Vipers Thrown a Mexican Curve - Calgary Vipers
- Golden Baseball League Suspends Franchise In Tijuana - Edmonton Capitals
- Tijuana Potros Put on Hold for 2009 Season in GBL - GBL
- Seals Open Spring Training - Victoria Seals
- Armada invites 44 to training camp - Long Beach Armada
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