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Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
February 18, 2008 - Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL)

BASEBALL

- South Coast League: The Charlotte County Redfish are expected to play in the 2008 SCL season, but the team will be a travel team due to ballpark renovations.

- South Atlantic League (SALLY): The city of Bowling Green (KY) has approved construction of a 4,000-seat ballpark for a Low Class-A SALLY franchise. The owner of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the Double-A Eastern League has recently purchased the Columbus Catfish of the SALLY. The owner has a lease agreement with Bowling Green (KY) to bring a SALLY franchise to the city in 2009. If the Catfish move out of Columbus, the independent South Coast League is expected to consider the market for a franchise.

- Canadian-American League (Can-Am): The new Ottawa franchise in the Can-Am League will be called the Ottawa Rapids. The team starts play in 2008 and replaces the affiliated Triple-A Ottawa Lynx franchise that will move to Allentown as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the 2008 International League season. A proposed franchise called the Plymouth (MA) River Eels plans to join either the Can-Am League or the Atlantic Baseball League when a new ballpark is finished. The Plymouth ownership had hoped to start play in 2007, but the contractor for the ballpark and surrounding development filed for bankruptcy causing delays in completion.

BASKETBALL

- National Basketball Association: The NBA could eventually expand into European markets like Berlin, London, Madrid and Rome, but not all cities have NBA-ready arenas. The league was considering the possibility of placing expansion teams in those cities rather than have European teams join the league.

- Premier Basketball League: The league has a 2008 team called the "PBL Travelers" that will be used to fill in for regularly scheduled teams that are unable to play for one reason or another. The future of the Dallas Defenders franchise is uncertain after the ownership announced it had ceased operations as part of the PBL and would look for another league. There is a possibility that a new ownership group could take over the franchise and finish out the season.

- International Basketball League: The owner of the Elgin Racers has apparently changed his mind about sitting out the 2008 season and the team will play in the upcoming season. The league has established an Asian Expansion Department and added a team from China called the Shanxi Kylins for the 2008 season. A second Chinese team and a team from Japan are expected to join in 2009. The league is also considering teams from the Philippines.

FOOTBALL - Arenafootball2: The af2 is looking for new investors in Yakima (WA) after plans to place a 2008 franchise in the city fell through. The league hopes to have a Yakima franchise ready for the 2009 season.

- The Indoor Football Association: An indoor football league known as the TIFA is targeting smaller markets and plans to play an eight-week schedule from April to June 2008. The league has evolved from the Mid-American Indoor Football League and was organized by the owner of the Mid-American Buzzards team that played in last year's short-lived Eastern Indoor Football League. The league features teams called the Albert Lea (MN) Chill, Indiana (PA) Wolverines, Indiana Nightmare (Elkhart), Lansing (MI) Steelkatz, Lynwood (IL) Knights and Washington (PA) Steam. The TIFA also has the Cuyahoga (OH) Crusaders and a team from Beaver County (PA) ready to join in 2009.

HOCKEY

- Mid-Atlantic Hockey League: The five-team MAHL shut down operations of its inaugural season and hopes to reorganize for the 2008-09 season. The MAHL was considered an A-level developmental minor league and consisted of the Indiana (PA) Miners, Jamestown (NY) Vikings, Mon Valley (PA) Thunder, Valley Forge (PA) Freedom and Wooster (OH) Warriors. Many of the teams were suffering from poor attendance.

- Central Hockey League: Although the city council in Yuma voted in favor of a new arena that would become home to a CHL franchise, the plan has been met with some objections. The plan could be put up for a public vote, thus delaying construction of the new arena.

- United States Hockey League: The USHL has agreed to place a team in the Wausau (WI) area by 2009 if a group of investors can build a proposed 4,000-seat arena. The league currently has 12 teams and hopes to grow to 18 teams in the future.

SOCCER

- United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League: The USL announced that the Newark (NJ) PDL franchise for the 2008 season will be operated by Ironbound SC. The team will be called the Newark Ironbound Express.

- United Soccer Leagues First Division: The ownership of the Rochester Rhinos is facing financial problems and the team could end up folding. One investor wants to keep the franchise alive by purchasing the Rhinos and their stadium, while another is interested in buying only the franchise.

OTHER

- Major League Lacrosse: The MLL has taken over the Philadelphia Barrage franchise and the team will play its 2008 home games on the road in other potential MLL markets as a way to evaluate interest in the league. One of the team's "home games" will feature the Barrage versus Rochester in the Raleigh-Durham (NC) area. The league is also considering Virginia Beach, St. Louis, Dallas and Portland (OR).

- World Team Tennis: The WTT has added a new team called the Washington (DC) Kastles for its upcoming 2008 season. The Kastles are expected to be added to the Western Conference as a replacement for the Houston Wranglers team, which dropped from the league after the 2007 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/1375144. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.

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Mid-Atlantic Hockey League Stories from February 18, 2008

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger

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.