Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
April 13, 2009 - International Basketball League (IBL)


BASEBALL

Eastern League: Both Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball have apparently signed off on the transfer of the Norwich-based Connecticut Defenders to an ownership group from Richmond (VA), with the deal to close in the next two weeks. This approval does not include the future relocation of the franchise to the city of Richmond, which still needs to settle on funding for either a new stadium or a renovation of the city's current stadium.

Major League Baseball: The city of San Jose (CA) is trying to lure the American League Oakland A's to a proposed new downtown stadium. The San Jose market is currently considered the marketing territory of the National League San Francisco Giants.

BASKETBALL

International Basketball League: The IBL's 16 full-schedule teams are grouped into four, four-team divisions for the 2009 season. The West includes the Edmonton Energy, Los Angles Lightning, Seattle Mountaineers and Tacoma Tide; the East includes the Grand Rapids Flight, Holland Blast, Japan Tornadoes and Kankakee Soldiers; the North includes the Bellingham Slam, Snohomish County Explosion, USA All-Stars and Vancouver (British Columbia) Titans; and the South includes the Central Oregon Hotshots, China-Shanxi Zhongyu, Oregon Waves and Vancouver (WA) Volcanoes.

Premier Basketball League: There has been talk of future PBL expansion into the West Coast with a possible six to eight teams, one of which would be the Oakland Showtime team. The PBL is apparently interested in adding the Albany Patroons from the Continental Basketball Association.

America Basketball Association: The ABA has announced yet another proposed 2009-10 expansion franchise called the Compton (CA) Cobras. Compton is in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area.

West Coast Professional Basketball League: The WCPBL has started its 2009 season with eight participating teams listed-Beijing Aoshen Olympian, High Desert Rattlers, Hollywood Jammers, Newport Beach Surf, Orange County Gladiators, Pasadena Slam, Santa Barbara Breakers and Ventura County Jets.

Mississippi Basketball Exposure League: The MBEL plans to return for a second season this summer. Last year the league had nine participating teams playing in the Jackson (MS) area from mid-June to early August.

United States Basketball Association: The USBA has decided to push back the start of its inaugural season until May 6, 2009 and has also shortened the season from 30 to 20 games per team. Along with the struggling economy, the league ran into venue problems and some coaching issues.

FOOTBALL

American Indoor Football Association: An ownership group in Wenatchee (WA) is close to reaching a lease agreement for an AIFA franchise to play in the city for the 2010 season. The league is also still moving forward with plans to add a Richmond (VA) expansion team in 2010. The AIFA would own the Richmond franchise for its first season and then try to transfer the franchise to local ownership.

American Professional Football League: It appears the indoor APFL will have some Florida-based teams in its 2009 season. A new APFL team called the Palm Beach Makos has the Florida Scorpions, Miami Sharks, St. Petersburg Hammerheads and Tampa Tigers on its 2009 schedule. The Bradenton-based Florida Scorpions team, which took over last season for the Florida Knights, is listed on the schedule for the APFL's Topeka-based Kansas Koyotes.

HOCKEY

ECHL: Due to management issues with its home arena, the ownership of the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs may consider selling the team, relocating the team or terminating the franchise. The ECHL's Biloxi-based Mississippi Sea Wolves franchise, which suspended operations after the 2008-09 season, could be replaced in the city by a single-A level Southern Professional Hockey League in 2009-10.

Southern Professional Hockey League: A previous owner of the Pensacola Ice Pilots in the ECHL is moving forward with trying to place an SPHL franchise in Pensacola for the 2009-10 season. A group of investors is trying to work out an agreement to land an SPHL franchise in Biloxi for next season to replace the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL. After the 2008-09 SPHL season, the Richmond Renegades shut down operations and the Twin City Cyclones announced plans to move out of Winston-Salem (NC).

Central Hockey League: The city of Independence (MO) is still negotiating with a prospective ownership group for a CHL franchise. The new hockey team is expected to use "Independence" in its name.

All American Hockey Association: The four-team AAHA has awarded an expansion franchise to the Flint (MI) area town of Lapeer for the 2009-10 season. The team would be called the Thunder. The area has the Flint Generals in the International Hockey League, but that franchise had financial problems throughout the 2008-09 season.

Western States Hockey League: The junior-A level WSHL plans to add a Boise-based team called the Idaho Junior Steelheads for the 2009-10 season. The team will use the name and logo of the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads franchise, which will have a loose partnership with the Junior Steelheads.

Major League Roller Hockey: The MLRH has announced that the Michigan Thunder, Washington Power, Buffalo Wings and Boston Storm will be the MLRH Pro Tour teams participating in the next "made-for-TV" event in Detroit April 18-19, 2009. The MLRH's co-ed Slamm Hockey League will also have four participating teams-the Miami Mambo, Quebec Mistral, New York Flash and Washington Spin.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer: The MLS has suggested that if the D.C. United cannot find a new stadium to replace its current home at RFK Stadium, the league would have to consider moving the franchise out of Washington (DC). Cities in Maryland and Virginia have expressed interest in working with the club on a stadium partnership.

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 2008-09 version can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/6218580. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.



International Basketball League Stories from April 13, 2009


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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