Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
February 25, 2008 - South Coast League (SCL)


BASEBALL

- Continental Baseball League: The new CBL team in Robstown (TX) will be called the Corpus Christi Beach Dawgs. The team will play at the home of the former Coastal Bend Aviators franchise, which was dropped from the American Association after the 2007 season.

- South Coast League: The SCL has decided against having the Charlotte County Redfish play a 2008 road schedule. Instead, the league will operate with only four teams - the Anderson Joes, Aiken Foxhounds, Macon Music and South Georgia Peanuts - for its 2008 season. The Redfish, along with a proposed franchise for Jackson (MS), are expected to play in 2009. The league could add an additional two teams by 2009 for a total of eight teams. The league's sixth team from last season, the Bradenton Juice, finished the season as a traveling team and is considered a dormant franchise. The SCL owns all franchises in the league.

- Major League Baseball: The days of the Florida Marlins looking for a new city to support its need for a new stadium could be over soon. City and county officials in the Miami area recently voted in favor of plans for a new stadium that could open in 2011. The new stadium will be located at the current site of the Orange Bowl.

- Northern League: The Northern League is apparently interested in the Bloomington-Normal (IL) market and stated the area could be ready for a team by 2009. The city of Normal has also been talking with the Frontier League about the possibility of a new ballpark at Heartland Community College.

BASKETBALL

- National Basketball Association: The NBA appears to be resigned to the fact that the Seattle SuperSonics will eventually move out of Seattle and most likely relocate to Oklahoma City. The franchise has been unable to get much local support to help finance a new arena.

- Premier Basketball League: The PBL's Dallas Defenders franchise has not changed ownership and the team's original owner will try to finish out the 2008 season.

- Global Basketball Alliance: The licensee for the proposed Jax Crox franchise in the GBA has apparently taken over operations of the Jacksonville Slam franchise in the Premier Basketball League (PBL). The Jax Crox franchise rights, along with the licensee's rights to a Daytona Beach team, have reverted back to the GBA.

- International Basketball League: The Eugene (OR) Chargers have been removed from the IBL's list of 2008 teams. The league has announced a developmental team called the USA All-Stars that will play a full 2008 schedule of games against other IBL teams. The USA All-Stars will play all road games during the season and will give players the opportunity to showcase their abilities.

FOOTBALL - United Football League: The new UFL is expected to announce six cities and ownership groups at the end of March 2008, but there is a possibility the league's start could be pushed back a year to August 2009.

- Independent Indoor Football Alliance: The Texas-based IIFA has finalized plans for its inaugural season, which will feature eight teams split into four-team American and National conferences. The season will run from late March to early July 2008. The IIFA will have another team called the East Texas Express that will operate as a travel team in 2008. The Pasadena-based team known as the Texas Blackout has come under new ownership and was renamed the Bay Area Buccaneers. The league also has a team called the Stephenville Sting that will join in 2009.

- United National Football League: The new UNFL plans to start play in January 2009 and wants to be a professional minor or development league for the National Football League. The league is seeking owners for 22 franchises for its inaugural season.

HOCKEY

- North American Hockey League: The NAHL has granted conditional approval for an expansion franchise in Wenatchee (WA). The ownership group has to meet certain season ticket and sponsorship commitments before final approval is granted. The NAHL is the country's Junior-A level Tier II league that is sanctioned by USA Hockey. Currently, the United States Hockey League is the only Junior-A league in the country at the top Tier I level. The Junior-A Tier III level currently has six sanctioned leagues - Atlantic, Central States, Eastern, Minnesota, Western and Northern-Pacific.

SOCCER

- Major League Soccer: The MLS is expected to announce Philadelphia as its 16th franchise in the very near future and the team most likely will not start play until 2010. The league has added San Jose as the 14th team for the 2008 season and Seattle will start play in 2009 as the league's 15th team. Additional expansion to 18 teams is expected with St. Louis considered as the frontrunner for one of those two teams.

- Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League: The CMISL started its second "showcase season" last month with the same four teams - Calgary United FC, Edmonton Drillers, Saskatoon Accelerators and Winnipeg Alliance FC. Teams will each play about ten games from mid-January to early March 2008. Winnipeg is playing all road games this year. The league hoped the 2007 and 2008 seasons would lay the groundwork for full operations in 2009. The CMISL plans to add additional teams, possibly in British Columbia and in eastern Canada.

OTHER

- World Team Tennis: The WTT's new Washington (DC) Kastles franchise replaces the departed Houston Wranglers franchise that played in the 2007 Western Conference. The Kastles will be placed in the Eastern Conference with the Boston Lobsters, New York Buzz, New York Sportimes, Philadelphia Freedom and Delaware Smash. With the loss of the Houston club, the five-team 2008 Western Conference will include the Newport Beach Breakers, Kansas City Explorers, Sacramento Capitals, St. Louis Aces and Springfield (MO) Lasers.

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.



South Coast League Stories from February 25, 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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