Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
March 1, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
BASEBALL
American Association: The ownership of the Grand Prairie (TX) AirHogs and the El Paso (TX) Diablos in the AA has signed a deal to build a new ballpark in Montgomery County in the northern suburbs of Houston for another potential AA franchise. A developer is negotiating with the city of Sugar Land, just west of Houston, to build a new ballpark, but it is uncertain which independent league would play in that ballpark. The developer has worked closely with the Atlantic Baseball League in the past.
Continental Baseball League: The CBL has posted its 2010 schedule that will include only four teams-the Desert Valley Mountain Lions, Las Cruces (NM) Vaqueros, Big Bend Cowboys (Alpine, TX), and the West Texas Road Hogs travel team. The Desert Valley and West Texas teams are owned by the New York State League, which has operated a month-long summertime developmental program in the New York City area for the past two seasons. It is uncertain where Desert Valley will be based, but it could play home games at several cities in New Mexico. The league reportedly had a Colorado-based team that was unable to get ready in time for 2010 and will start in 2011, along with other possible locations in Arizona and Texas. Of the six teams that participated in the 2009 CBL only the Big Bend Cowboys are returning.
Golden Baseball League: The Venezuelan Baseball Federation will operate the Yuma Scorpions franchise in the 2010 GBL. As part of a three-year deal, the VBF will provide players, coaches, trainers, and on-field personnel to the GBL team. Last season, the Scorpions were operated as part of an affiliation with the Colombian Professional Baseball League.
Northwoods League: Elkhart County (IN) plans to build a new ballpark that will eventually become home to a team in the summer-collegiate Northwoods League.
Great Plains Baseball League: The new summer-collegiate GPBL plans to have eight teams for its inaugural 2010 season. The league's charter franchise called the Rockford Foresters reports that the other seven teams will be called the Cal Sag Channel Cats, Chicago Zephyrs, Homestead Ranchers, Illinois Jayhawks, Indiana Breakers, Southland Vikings, and Steel City Aces.
Intercounty Baseball League: The Ontario-based IBL will place a semi-pro team in Ottawa's baseball stadium that most recently was used by the Ottawa Rapidz of the independent Can-Am League and the Ottawa Lynx of the Triple-A International League.
BASKETBALL
International Basketball League: The Holland (MI) Blast has decided to return to the IBL for its 2010 season. After the 2009 season, the Blast's owner had announced plans to leave the IBL and form a new league with teams in other Midwest cities. The Blast has been part of the IBL for four seasons (2006-09).
Global Professional Basketball League: The GPBL has confirmed that the eight-team GPBL2 will play a 16-game spring-summer schedule in smaller venues seating 300 to 1,500. The GPBL2 will serve as the developmental league for the GPBL that plans to start play in larger venues this fall. The GPBL will play a 50-game schedule and hopes to have teams in two conferences with three divisions each.
United States Basketball Association: The USBA plans to open its inaugural season on April 7, 2010, and states it will have 16 teams in 3 divisions. Previously, there were 18 proposed first-season teams, but a "Teams" menu on the league site no longer includes the Augusta Raging River and Washington (DC) Congressionals.
World Basketball Association Exposure League: The WBA now has the Franklin (TN) Knights listed as a possible 2010 team. The league had previous "Knights" teams called the Raleigh Knights (2004) and the Gainesville (GA) Knights (2005-06).
Americas Basketball International: The proposed ABI has again delayed the start of its 2010 season that will now run from mid-March to the end of May. There will be two league teams from the United States called the Gladiators (Birmingham, AL) and the Wolf Pack (Florence, SC). International teams from El Salvador, Guatemala, Uruguay, and Costa Rica are expected to play in the 2010 season.
Baloncesto Superior National de Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rican basketball league known as the BSN has started some 2010 pre-season games. The league was reduced to ten teams for 2010 after the Gigantes de Carolina decided not to return. The Guaynabo team, previously called the Conquistadores, is listed as the Mets de Guaynabo, while the Humacao team, previously called the Grises, is now listed as the Caciques de Humacao. The Criollos de Caguas team is gone and replaced by the Gallitos de Isabela.
FOOTBALL
United Football League: The UFL's new Hartford franchise, which played as the New York Sentinels in the inaugural 2009 season, has announced a name-the-team contest. Some suggested nicknames include the Connecticut Yankees, Hartford Knights, Hartford Guardians, and Hartford Travelers. The league wants to place an expansion team in San Antonio and has requested a meeting with the city.
National Football League: The city of Oakland has started planning for a proposed new football stadium that it believes could become home to both the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. The 49ers have been trying to build its own new stadium in Santa Clara (CA).
United National Gridiron League: The UNGL planned to start its inaugural season in May 2010 with eight teams, but after holding some team tryouts it appears as though the league's web site has disappeared.
Regional Indoor Football League: The semi-pro RIFL has announced that the Augusta (GA) Mavericks will be part of its inaugural 2010 season after the Mavericks failed in an attempt to join the Southern Indoor Football League for its 2010 season. The Mavericks had announced the team would try to join the SIFL again in 2011. Currently, the RIFL has 11 teams listed for its 2010 season and is planning 2011 expansion into Ohio, Texas, Iowa, and the Mid-South.
HOCKEY
American Hockey League: Although the Albany River Rats franchise will be moving to Charlotte next season, another AHL team is expected to relocate to Albany. Speculation has the Portland (ME) Pirates as the prime candidate for moving to Albany. The Lowell Devils have also been mentioned as a relocation possibility, as their lease expires after this season.
North American Hockey League: The Tier II Junior-A NAHL has officially announced an expansion franchise for Austin (MN) that will start play in the 2010-11 season. The league has three other Minnesota-based teams called the Albert Lea Thunder, Alexandria Blizzard, and Owatonna Express. The city had a junior-hockey team called the Austin Mavericks that last played as part of the United States Hockey League in 1985. That team moved and became the Rochester (MN) Mustangs.
Atlantic Junior Hockey League: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PA) Knights organization will place teams in both the Junior-A (Tier III) AJHL and the Junior-B Metropolitan Junior Hockey League, which acts as a feeder league to the AJHL.
International Junior Hockey League: The Berlin (NH) Junior Maroons team will start play in the IJHL's top Super Elite Division (Junior-A level) for the 2010-11 season. The team had originally planned to start in 2009-10, but decided to wait another year.
SOCCER
Major League Soccer: The deadline has passed for negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement with MLS players. It is uncertain as to how this could affect league play for the 2010 season.
United States Soccer Federation Division-2 Pro League: The Miami FC Blues have announced the team will be moving its home field to Fort Lauderdale (Broward County) for the 2010 season. Miami is also a member of the North American Soccer League, whose teams will be part of the USSF-run league in 2010.
National Premier Soccer League: The Brooklyn Italians soccer club, which has been a long-time member of the semi-pro Cosmopolitan Soccer League based in the New York City area, has joined the NPSL for its 2010 season. Brooklyn will be part of the league's Atlantic Conference that has a few other New York teams.
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.
United Football League Stories from March 1, 2010
- 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.
