Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
Published on June 1, 2010 under American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)


BASEBALL

United League Baseball: The ULB has started its 2010 season with the same six Texas-based teams as last year-the Amarillo Dillas, Coastal Bend Thunder (Robstown/Corpus Christi), Edinburg Roadrunners, Laredo Broncos, Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings (Harlingen), and San Angelo Colts. The ULB started play in 2006.

Golden Baseball League: The GBL has started its sixth season in 2010 with ten teams. The league lost the Long Beach Armada from last season, but added the new Tijuana Cimarrones and Maui Na Koa Ikaiki teams to its South Division. Other South Division teams include the Orange County Flyers, Tucson Toros, and Yuma (AZ) Scorpions. The St. George (UT) Roadrunners were moved to the North Division, which also includes the Chico (CA) Outlaws, Calgary (Alberta) Vipers, Edmonton (Alberta) Capitals, and Victoria (British Columbia) Seals.

Pacific Coast League: The group that owns the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League and the Edmonton Capitals in the Golden Baseball League is reportedly interested in bringing a Triple-A PCL franchise to the city. The Edmonton Trappers last played in the PCL's 2004 season before the franchise was sold and became the Round Rock (TX) Express. Although the league's Portland Beavers are looking for a home, the Edmonton group is reportedly targeting the Las Vegas Stars for relocation. Apparently, the PCL is not ready to take on the travel issues that could be a problem with a return to Edmonton.

Can-Am League: The town of Ramapo (NY) has voted to move ahead with financing for a 3,500-seat ballpark that it envisions hosting a Can-Am League team in the 2011 season.

Continental Baseball League: A potential CBL team owner has reportedly expressed interest in the western Oklahoma town of Woodward as a possible home.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association Development League: The Los Angeles D-Fenders, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, will sit out the 2010-11 season. The team plans to return in a different Southern California venue for the 2011-12 season. There is speculation that the Los Angeles roster could be used to develop the new Frisco-based Texas Legends team that starts in 2010-11. The NBA's New Jersey Nets are reportedly interested in taking control of the D-League's Springfield (MA) Armor, which served as the affiliate for the Nets, the New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers last season.

Premier Basketball League: The PBL has announced that the Buffalo Stampede franchise will not be part of its fourth season in 2011. The Stampede had been part of the league for the past two seasons, but apparently did not meet the league's operating standards. Officials in St. John (New Brunswick) are apparently close to signing a deal with the Manchester (NH) Millrats for that PBL team to move to Canada.

National Athletic Basketball League: The NABL has announced that the Seattle Mountaineers have left the league and the team will be replaced by an expansion team called the Seattle Aviators. The Mountaineers were part of the fall-winter American Basketball Association for 2009-10 and have played a spring-summer schedule as part of the International Basketball League in 2006, 2007, and 2009. The Mountaineers recently joined the spring-summer NABL for its inaugural 2010 season and now plan to play a fall-winter season as part of the 2010-11 ABA.

American Basketball Association: The ABA plans to announce a new team based in Corbin (KY) for its upcoming 2010-11 season. A Corbin-based team called the Kentucky Warriors was announced for the 2008-09 season, but never started play. The ABA's new team called the South Valley Fever, based in Lemoore (CA), has officially been added for the 2010-11 season. The Seattle Mountaineers, which were part of the 2009-10 ABA, plan to return to the league's Northwest Division for 2010-11.

Women's United States Basketball Association: The WUSBA planned to start play next month with 12 teams, but the league organizer has decided to cancel the 2010 season. A men's league known as the USBA had been in the works for a couple of years, but also failed to start as planned in April 2010.

FOOTBALL

Continental Indoor Football League: The six-team CIFL has decided to fold its Marion (OH) Mayhem franchise for the remainder of the 2010 season due to financial issues surrounding the team. The Mayhem had four games left on its schedule. The team's ownership decided to step down about two weeks ago. The Marion Mayhem started play in 2006 when the league was known as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.

Southern Indoor Football League: The SIFL reported that although the Greenville (SC) Force has been having financial problems, the team plans to finish its 2010 season and will not be leaving town. The league reports that two new ownership groups have expressed interest in the Force. The Force reportedly had to use some replacement players for a game last week.

American Indoor Football Association: The AIFA is having problems with two Western Conference teams-the Ogden (UT) Knights and the Arctic Predators (Wasilla, AK). The Knights were forced to complete the 2010 season as a travel team, but have had problems getting players. The Predators recently cancelled a home game as it was unable to fund the visiting team's trip to Alaska. The AIFA's proposed 2011 expansion team called the Trenton (NJ) Steel will be hosting an AIFA game next month as the team prepares for its inaugural season.

Professional Indoor Football League: The PIFL plans to start play in April 2011 and has already announced that its inaugural "kickoff" game will feature teams called the West Texas Rustlers (Midland) and the Odessa (TX) Vaqueros.

HOCKEY

American Hockey League: The New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League are in the process of moving its Lowell (MA) Devils AHL affiliate to Albany (NY) for the 2010-11 season. It appears as though the Winnipeg-based Manitoba Moose will remain in the AHL for the 2010-11 season. There had been speculation that proposed new ownership of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes would try to move the franchise to Winnipeg for the 2010-11 season. That could eventually happen, but not this year. The NHL recently announced the Coyotes will remain in Arizona next season while it tries to close a sale of the franchise.

Central Hockey League: The CHL has lost another Texas-based franchise as the ownership of the Corpus Christi IceRays has decided to disband the CHL team and will operate a Corpus Christi team in the Tier II Junior-A North American Hockey League for the 2010-11 season. The Amarillo Rattlers dropped from the CHL last week and that city will also have a junior-level NAHL team in 2010-11. The status of the CHL's Arizona Sundogs (Prescott Valley) is uncertain after the league terminated the ownership's franchise license in April. The CHL is seeking new ownership to keep the Sundogs in the area. The parent company of the Sundog's former ownership has since purchased rights to two junior-level NAHL teams, the Texas Tornado and the new Amarillo team.

North American Hockey League: The Tier II Junior-A NAHL has announced that its new Amarillo-based team has purchased the roster of the league's Albert Lea (MN) Thunder team. The NAHL took over the Thunder during the 2009-10 season due to issues with the team's owner, but had not been able to find a new owner. The Albert Lea Thunder had been part of the NAHL for two seasons (2008-10). The NAHL has announced a transfer of ownership and relocation of its Alpena (MI) IceDiggers team to a group in Corpus Christi (TX) that previously operated a pro franchise in the Central Hockey League. Alpena joined the NAHL for the 2005-06 season after the relocation of the Toledo Ice Diggers.

International Junior Hockey League: The IHL and the Central Hockey League are reportedly having discussions about a possible affiliation between the two leagues for the 2010-11 season. The IHL could also add an expansion team prior to next season with one report mentioning Evansville and St. Charles (MO) as possibilities. St. Charles was home to the Missouri River Otters for seven seasons (1999-2006) in the United Hockey League, which evolved into the IHL in 2007.

Northern Junior Hockey League: The independent Junior-A NJHL has announced the Alpena (MI) Thunder will be part of its 2010-11 season. The city's Alpena IceDiggers in the Tier II Junior-A North American Hockey League recently announced a move to Corpus Christi for next season. The Battle Creek Junior Revolution, which is affiliated with the Battle Creek Revolution of the professional All-American Hockey League, also plans to have a team in the 2010-11 NJHL. The NJHL's Wooster (OH) Oilers have left to join the Junior-B level Great Lakes Junior Hockey League for the 2010-11 season.

SOCCER

Women's Professional Soccer: The WPS has announced that the St. Louis Athletica club is shutting down due to funding problems and the team's players will become free agents. The WPS will complete its 2010 season with seven teams. The Athletica started play last year in the league's inaugural season.

United Soccer Leagues - First Division: The USL has announced that the Barracudas FC of Antigua and Barbuda will join the USL First Division for the 2011 season. The team will be a natural rival for the league's Puerto Rico Islanders and opens the door for other Caribbean clubs to join the USL First Division.

Back in March, the USL announced a new Orlando club would also be part of the 2011 First Division.

National Premier Soccer League: The new FC Buffalo team in the 2010 NPSL has decided to use "Blitzers" as its nickname taken from the name of Buffalo native and CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer.

OTHER

Major Series Lacrosse: The Ontario Lacrosse Association's elite indoor MSL has started its 2010 summer season with seven teams: Ajax-Pickering Rock, Barrie Lakeshores, Brampton Excelsiors, Brooklin Redmen, KW Kodiaks (Kitchener-Waterloo), Peterborough Lakers, and Six Nations Chiefs. The St. Regis Indians did not return from 2009, but the Ajax-Pickering Rock moved up from the OLA's Senior B League.

Western Lacrosse Association: The British Columbia-based elite WLA has started its 2010 indoor summertime season with the same seven teams as last year. These include the Burnaby Lakers, Coquitlam Adanacs, Langley Thunder, Maple Ridge Burrards, Nanaimo Timbermen, New Westminster Salmonbellies, and Victoria Shamrocks.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Leagueology™ almanac known as "Leagues, Teams & Nicknames", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The latest 2009-10 edition is available at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/leagues-teams-nicknames-2009-10/6534940. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.

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American Indoor Football Association Stories from June 1, 2010


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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