Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
November 5, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)


BASEBALL

- Can-Am League: The New Haven County Cutters have folded and will not be part of the 2008 Can-Am season. The Cutters started play in the 2004 Northeast League when the Berkshire Black Bears relocated to New Haven. The Northeast League then evolved into the Can-Am League in 2005. The North Shore Spirit franchise had previously announced the team would not return in 2008. The Can-Am League will operate with eight teams in 2008-the Atlantic City Surf, Brockton Rox, Grays (traveling team), Nashua Pride, New Jersey Jackals, Quebec Capitales, Sussex County Skyhawks and Worcester Tornadoes.

- Frontier League: Plans appear to be moving forward on a proposed ballpark in the Waterford Township of Oakland County, in the Detroit area, and it could be ready for the 2009 season. The Frontier League has two other Michigan-based teams in Kalamazoo and Traverse City and also hopes to add a team in the city of Holland.

- Pioneer League: The Casper (WY) Rockies franchise has been renamed the Casper Ghosts. The Casper Rockies have been part of the Pioneer League since the 2001 season when the Butte (MT) Copper Kings relocated to Casper. The affiliated Pioneer League is part of Minor League Baseball and considered a Short-Season Advanced Rookie league.

- Continental Baseball League: After operating with four Texas-based teams in its inaugural 2007 season, the CBL wants to expand into the Mid-Atlantic area and is interested in Anne Arundel County (MD). The CBL is looking at locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Northern Virginia to create a Mid-Atlantic division that could start in 2008 or 2009. The league also wants to add two Texas division teams for 2008. When the Mid-Atlantic division is added, the winner from each division would meet in a championship series.

BASKETBALL

- National Basketball Association: The Seattle SuperSonics franchise has informed the league of its intention to relocate to Oklahoma City. The franchise has been unable to work out a plan for a new arena in the area. The city wants to hold the Sonics to its current lease and force the team to remain in Seattle through the 2009-10 season. The Sonics have until March 1, 2008 to file for relocation with the NBA if they want to play anywhere besides Seattle in 2008-09. The Sonics have not made a decision about the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association. If the Sonics leave, the Storm could be sold off and remain in Seattle.

- American Basketball Association: The future of the Rochester (MN) Fire franchise is uncertain due to financial issues with the team's lead investor, who was also part of the Peoria Kings franchise. This investor had also tried to take over the Minnesota Ripknees franchise, but apparently that deal has fallen through. The Reno Sharpshooters franchise has been unable to find a home venue for the 2007-08 season and has suspended operations. Another Chicago-based franchise called the South Chi-Land Infernos is listed on the 2007-08 schedules of several ABA teams, but not yet listed on the league web site. The Chicago area also has ABA teams called the Chicago Throwbacks and Cicero Cometas USA.

- Texas Professional Basketball League: The TPBL has added a new franchise called the Dallas Stallions for its upcoming 2008 season.

FOOTBALL

- Arena Football League: The AFL announced its 2008 schedule and will operate with 17 teams, down from 19 teams last season. The Nashville Kats folded and the Austin Wranglers dropped down a level to play in Arenafootball2. Also, the Las Vegas Gladiators relocated to Cleveland for 2008.

- American Indoor Football Association: The AIFA has brought seven teams into the league since the end of last season-the Prescott (AZ), Baltimore Mariners and Florida Stingrays expansion teams; the Augusta Spartans and Columbus Lions from the World Indoor Football League; and the Wyoming Cavalry and Fayetteville Guard from the National Indoor Football League. The league's western expansion is still in progress. The Tallahassee Titans franchise, which left the AIFA after 2007 to join the WIFL, failed in a recent attempt to rejoin the AIFA after the WIFL disbanded.

- World Indoor Football League: The Osceola Ghostriders franchise has folded and the WIFL is most likely done after only one season. The other three teams from the 2007 season-the Augusta Spartans, Columbus Lions and Daytona Beach Thunder-have also left the WIFL. The Tallahassee Titans joined the WIFL as a fifth franchise after a 2007 season in the American Indoor Football Association. The Titans are searching for another league.

HOCKEY

- Central Hockey League: Land has been purchased in Independence (MO) where plans are moving forward for an arena that could become home to a CHL franchise by October 2009.

- Mid-Atlantic Hockey League: The MAHL has started its inaugural season with five teams-the Indiana (PA) Ice Miners, Jamestown (NY) Vikings, Mon Valley (PA) Thunder, Valley Forge (PA) Freedom and Wooster (OH) Warriors.

- National Women's Hockey League: The NWHL shut down this past summer and the league chairman wants to restart the league, but needs at least six solid owners. Two former teams, the Ottawa Raiders and Oakville Ice, were not ready to commit to the NWHL requirements. It is uncertain how a restarted NWHL would operate with the new Canadian Women's Hockey League that was formed for the 2007-08 season.

SOCCER

- United Soccer Leagues W-League: The W-League recently announced two new expansion teams called FC Indiana and the Pali Blues, based in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. The FC Indiana club purchased the W-League franchise rights in the Indianapolis area and was a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League for the past few seasons. The new Kalamazoo-based W-League and men's Premier Development League teams will be called the Kalamazoo Outrage.

OTHER

- National Lacrosse League: The NLL announced its 2008 season schedule, but the Arizona Sting and Boston Blazers will sit out the season due to business issues caused by the league's previous announcement that it was cancelling the 2008 season.

Dan Krieger is the creator of "Leagues, Teams & Nicknames", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The latest version can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/774026. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.

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 November 5, 2007


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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