Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
December 22, 2008 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
BASEBALL
Golden Baseball League: The GBL plans to place a team in Tijuana (Mexico) for its 2009 season. The market was made available because the Tijuana Potros (Colts) franchise of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (Mexican League) was disbanded by the league after the 2008 season. The GBL tried to place a team in Tijuana back in 2005 when the owner of the Tijuana Toros decided to leave the Mexican League and join the new, independent GBL. That proposed GBL team had planned to keep the Tijuana Toros name, but never did start play. At that time, the Mexican League sold its Tijuana franchise rights to a new ownership group that operated the Tijuana Potros from 2005 through 2008.
Liga Mexican de Beisbol (Mexican League): The Mexican League has disbanded its Tijuana Potros franchise after three seasons and relocated the franchise to the city of Reynosa, which is closer to more of the other Mexican League teams. The team will be called the Reynosa Broncos, which was the name of the city's previous Mexican League team that moved to San Luis Potosi and became the Tuneros for the 2004 season.
Hawaii Winter Baseball: Major League Baseball has decided to end its contract with HWB and will not send prospects to Hawaii in 2009, thus ending the second installment of HWB after a three-year (2006-08) run. HWB previously operated from 1993 to 1997 without support from Major League Baseball. There has been some talk about the possibility of an independent league or team being formed, but that is uncertain at this time.
Frontier League: The city of Woodstock (IL) in McHenry County (IL), a far northwest Chicago suburb, has approved zoning variances for land to be used for a new Frontier League ballpark that is now planned to open for the 2010 season.
United League Baseball: The ULB is facing problems in some of its markets and the prospect of a 2009 season seems unclear. A bank in San Angelo (TX) has taken foreclosure action on the home field of the San Angelo Colts because the team's majority owner is behind on payments. The Harlingen WhiteWings were locked out of their stadium due to missed rent payments and the Alexandria Aces have laid off its entire front office staff. The city of Brownsville (TX), the proposed home of a ULB expansion team, has pulled back funding for a new ballpark.
Northwoods League: An attempt to add a new Waukesha (WI) team for the 2009 season of the summer-collegiate Northwoods League has failed due to financing that fell through on previously approved ballpark improvements. The league is working toward an opening in 2010. The Waukesha team was planned to replace the Brainerd (MN) Blue Thunder, which had been taken over by the league in the off-season due to financial issues.
BASKETBALL
American Basketball Association: The West Virginia Wild has been added to the Northeast division, replacing the West Virginia Outlaws club that left the league. The Winston-Salem Storm, which dropped out after playing five games, and the Montreal Matrix are now listed as teams for the 2009-10 season. The Sacramento Heatwave has reportedly dropped out for the 2008-09 season. A 2009-10 ABA team called the Fresno Rebels has apparently agreed to fill in for some of the Sacramento games and will now be included in the 2008-09 ABA schedule. A team in Riverside (CA) is now holding tryouts with plans to join the ABA.
United Regions Basketball League: The URBL has announced its newest team is the Capital City Knights. The owner was once involved with the San Marcos/Austin Knights in the 2008 United Basketball League.
International Basketball League: The IBL reports that it will return for its fifth season starting in April 2009 and expects to have 18 teams.
Texas Professional Basketball League: The TPBL has announced its ten-week 2009 schedule that runs from January 9 to March 15. Eight teams are listed as participants: Central Texas Blackhawks (Killeen), Cypress Synergy, East Texas Trailblazers (Crockett), Houston PTS Rebels, Metro Miracles (Dallas/Fort Worth), Midland Heat, San Angelo Chaparrals and West Texas Storm (Big Spring). The TPBL started play in 2001.
FOOTBALL
Arena Football League: After a vote of AFL owners last weekend, the AFL has decided to sit out the upcoming 2009 season as it tries to reorganize its financial structure. The league has been around since 1987 and plans to return in 2010. The arenafootball2 league, which is considered a developmental minor league to the AFL, was not affected by this decision and will continue to play in 2009.
Continental Indoor Football League: After two seasons (2007-08) in the CIFL, the Kalamazoo Xplosion will not be part of the upcoming 2009 season because the owner was unable to sell the team in time. The return of the league's Worcester-based New England Surge franchise for 2009 is still uncertain. The New Jersey Revolution announced the team would return and the league's 2009 schedule is expected to be announced next month.
Independent Indoor Football Alliance: The Texas-based semi-pro IIFA, which plans to add a North Carolina division in 2009, has the Texas Krush now listed as a new Texas division team.
United Football League: The UFL plans to start play in the fall of 2009 with six teams, most likely in Hartford, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. Once they get off the ground there are second year commitments from Monterrey (Mexico) and Salt Lake City. The league plans to make a formal announcement early in 2009 and wants to start with a minimum of six teams.
HOCKEY
American Hockey League: The owners of the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms continue to look for a new home, since its current arena is scheduled for demolition after this season. There has been talk of the team playing in Glens Falls (NY) until a new arena can be built. A potential new arena project in Camden County (NJ) has received some interest from the Phantoms.
Professional Development Hockey League: The PDHL will not be playing its second season in 2008-09 and is apparently undergoing a restructuring. The PDHL was a four-team semi-pro league based in southern Maryland in 2007-08.
SOCCER
United Soccer Leagues W-League: The Tacoma Pride of the USL's Premier Development League has acquired the rights to the W-League's Seattle Sounders Women franchise that has been part of the league since 2001. There is possibility of a name change to link the women's team to the Tacoma Tide.
United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League: The PDL has announced that the new Midland (TX) franchise will be called the West Texas United Sockers. The Sockers will begin play in 2009 as part of the Mid-South Division. The new PDL team in Bremerton (WA) on the Kitsap Peninsula across from Seattle will be called the Kitsap Pumas. The Pumas club, which was created from a transfer of franchise rights from the former USL First Division Seattle Sounders, will begin play in 2009 as part of the Northwest Division.
United Soccer Leagues First Division: The operator of the St. Louis Lions team in the USL Premier Development League has approached the USL about placing a First Division club in St. Louis, possibly in suburban St. Charles (MO), for the 2010 season. Another group has been trying to obtain a Major League Soccer expansion franchise for the St. Louis market that would play in a proposed stadium on the Illinois side of the river in Collinsville.
Women's Professional Soccer: The WPS has officially announced it will start play in its inaugural season on March 29, 2009. The league will feature seven teams-Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (San Jose), Los Angeles Sol, St. Louis Athletica, SkyBlue FC (New Jersey) and Washington (DC) Freedom.
Major League Soccer: The FC Barcelona MLS application for a Miami expansion team is contingent on the franchise being added to the league in 2010. If the league does not approve its entrance for that year, the partners plan to pull their application. The group does not want to wait until 2011 to enter the league because facility agreements with the Florida International University are linked to 2010. The group expects to hear in early January whether the league will admit Miami in 2010.
OTHER
World TeamTennis: The WTT has announced it will return for its 34th season that will be played in July 2009.
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.
Golden Baseball League Stories from December 22, 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.
