Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
June 23, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
BASEBALL
Midwest League: The Fort Wayne Wizards franchise of the Low Class-A Midwest League plans to change the team's nickname when it moves into a new ballpark for the 2009 season. The franchise is holding a name-the-team contest. Efforts are moving forward for a possible new ballpark that could become home to a Midwest League team in Dubuque (IA).
South Atlantic League (SALLY): The city of Bowling Green (KY) has started work on a new ballpark for the SALLY's Columbus (GA) Catfish team, which will be relocating to Kentucky for the 2009 season. The new Bowling Green team is holding a name-the-team contest. With the geography of the SALLY enlarging, there has been talk of switching Bowling Green and the Lake County Captains teams to the Midwest League, the other Low Class-A league. Ironically, the Lake County Captains team was the former Columbus (GA) RedStixx team that moved to Eastlake (OH) and became the Captains for the 2003 season. After the RedStixx moved out, the South Georgia Waves team moved from Albany (GA) to Columbus for the 2003 season, changing its name to the Columbus Catfish the following season.
New York-Penn League: The short-season Class-A New York-Penn League has started its 2008 season. The 14-team league has the same teams, affiliations and league alignment as it did in the 2007 season. The four-team McNamara Division has the Aberdeen IronBirds, Brooklyn Cyclones, Hudson Valley Renegades, and Staten Island Yankees; the six-team Pinckney Division has the Auburn Doubledays, Batavia Muckdogs, Jamestown Jammers, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, State College Spikes and Williamsport Crosscutters; and the four-team Stedler Division has the Lowell Spinners, Oneonta Tigers, Tri-City ValleyCats and Vermont Lake Monsters.
Tabasco League (Liga Tabasquena de Beisbol): Mexico's Class-AA baseball league in the state of Tabasco has returned for the 2008 season with six teams: Cangrejeros de Paraiso, Jicareros de Jalpa, Lagartos de Centla, Petroleros de Reforma, Tigres de Tacotalpa, and Titanes de Huimanguillo.
Northern Sonora League (Liga Norte Sonora): Mexico's rookie-level league in the state of Sonora has started its 2008 season with the same eight teams as last season: Azules de Mexicali, Cerveceros de Tecate, Marineros de Ensanada, Membrilleros de Magdalena, Ostioneros de Guaymas, Rieleros de Empalme, Rojos de Caborca, and Vaqueros de Agua Prieta
BASKETBALL
American Basketball Association: The ABA has announced it will return to Kansas City (MO) for the upcoming 2008-09 season. The Kansas City Knights franchise was part of the league's first two seasons (2000-02) and returned for another two seasons (2003-05) after the ABA sat dormant for 2002-03. The Knights played only one game in the 2005-06 ABA season before dropping out. The ABA's second new Detroit franchise for the upcoming 2008-09 ABA season is listed as the Detroit Hoops. The Los Angeles Push will return for 2008-09 and a new yet-to-be named team in Winston-Salem (NC) was announced.
International Basketball League: The new Olympia (WA) Reign franchise that will join the IBL for the 2009 season will be playing another exhibition game next week. Other new teams expected to join the IBL in 2009 are the Nippon (Japan) Tornadoes, Vancouver (BC) Titans and West Coast Highflyers. The IBL also expects several teams like the Arizona Flame (formerly Phoenix), Eugene Chargers, Salem Stampede, Seattle Mountaineers, and Washington Raptors (formerly Lewis County) to return in 2009 after sitting out the 2008 season.
Southeast Exposure Basketball League: The SEBL will return for another summer season in 2008 with two men's conferences starting play in July. The NCAA-sanctioned Metro A-League will feature an eight-team division playing in Cartersville (GA) and an eight-team division playing in Morrow (GA). The SEBL's non-sanctioned B-League will feature teams playing in Cartersville, along with an affiliated division in Oklahoma City. The Women's SEBL (WSEBL) also plans to start its third season in July 2008.
United Basketball League: The UBL's South Texas Showboats have been given the opportunity to enter the league after suffering some early difficulties. The San Antonio-based team will play in some UBL-sponsored tournaments and a few league games in this season.
FOOTBALL
American Professional Football League: The Conroe (TX) Storm of the semi-pro APFL does not plan on returning to the league next season due to the loss of opponents in its conference this season and various game cancellations. The team may consider a switch to the Intense Football League in 2009.
Indoor Gridiron Football League: The proposed IGFL reportedly has investors interested in the Reno/Sparks (NV) market that plans to have a new arena in the near future. The IGFL plans to be the first indoor football league to play a fall/winter season. The league was announced back in 2007 with a charter Snohomish County (WA) Stallions team, but has added only one other proposed team called the Las Vegas Gamblers.
HOCKEY
American Hockey League: The National Hockey League's Florida Panthers announced a three-year affiliation deal with the AHL's Rochester Americans. For the past three seasons, the Panthers shared the Rochester Americans affiliate with the Buffalo Sabres, but the Sabres switched its affiliation to the Portland Pirates starting next season.
Eastern Professional Hockey League: The EPHL's new Brooklyn franchise will be called the Brooklyn Aces. The league has also announced a new franchise called the Exeter (NH) Freeze. The A-level EPHL plans to start its inaugural 50-game season in November 2008. Other teams that have been announced are the Danbury Mad Hatters, Jersey Icehoppers and a yet-to-be-named team in Rome (NY).
Central Hockey League: The CHL announced its 16-team league alignment with the addition of the expansion Rapid City (SD) Rush franchise for the 2008-09 season. The Rush will be added to the Northwest Division that also will include the Colorado Eagles, Rocky Mountain Rage and Wichita Thunder. The Tulsa Oilers and Oklahoma City Blazers have switched to the Northeast Division that also will include the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and Mississippi RiverKings. The Texas Brahmas have switched to the Southeast Division with the Corpus Christi Rayz, Laredo Bucks and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. The Southwest Division will remain the same with the Amarillo Gorillas, Arizona Sundogs, New Mexico Scorpions and Odessa Jackalopes.
American Inline Hockey League: The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) has created the AIHL, which is a new league designed for elite inline hockey players of age 16 and above and serve as a bridge from the youth leagues to the senior semi-pro level. The AIHL will start play in the fall of 2008 with teams representing several regions across the United States.
Great Lakes Inline Junior-A League: The Canada-based GLI, an elite junior inline hockey league for players between the ages of 16 and 20, has completed its 14-game 2008 regular season. The league featured eight teams with the return of the London (Ontario) Fury and the addition of the Bramalea Blue Devils. The other returning teams were the Brampton Junior-A Radicals, Buffalo Roller Lightning,
Chatham Maroons, Hamilton Power, KW (Kitchener-Waterloo) Rage and Toronto Tigers.
SOCCER
Major League Soccer: The owner of the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators wants to bring an MLS expansion franchise to Ottawa. This move could coincide with the revamping of the city's football stadium for a proposed Canadian Football League franchise. The Canadian cities of Vancouver and Montreal also have expressed an interest in an MLS franchise, along with several United States locations.
United Soccer Leagues (First Division): A group of investors in Tampa plans to build a 7,500-seat soccer stadium for a USL First Division team called the Tampa Bay Rowdies that will start play in the 2010 season. A team called the Tampa Bay Rowdies played in the defunct North American Soccer League (1975-84) and a version of the American Soccer League (1988-93), which eventually became the A-League and a precursor to the USL First Division. The area had the Tampa Bay Mutiny franchise that was part of Major League Soccer from 1996 to 2001.
American Indoor Soccer League: The Massachusetts Twisters, the AISL's only remaining charter team from the league's 2002-03 season, is up for sale. The team's owner also runs the AISL and hopes to find local ownership for the franchise, while trying to develop more AISL teams in the Northeast.
OTHER
American National Rugby League: The ANRL has started its 2008 season with ten teams: Aston Delco Sports Club Bulls, Bucks County (PA) Sharks, Connecticut Wildcats, Fairfax (VA) Eagles, Jacksonville Axemen, New Haven Warriors, New York Knights, Northern Raiders (New York), Philadelphia Fight, and the Washington D.C. Slayers.
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/2533047. 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 June 23, 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.
