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Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
July 12, 2010 - NBA G League (G League)


BASEBALL

Pacific Coast League: With the Omaha Royals moving into a new Sarpy County ballpark in 2011, fans of the Triple-A PCL team could get a chance to suggest a possible new team nickname. The Omaha Royals changed their nickname to the Golden Spikes from 1999 through 2001, but fans voted for a return to the Royals name.

Can-Am League: The investment group trying to bring a Can-Am franchise to a proposed ballpark in Ramapo (NY) plans to hold a name-the-team contest. All proposed nicknames must start with "Rockland" (Rockland County).

Golden Baseball League: The GBL's new Tijuana Cimarrones franchise for 2010 has won a small fraction of its games in its inaugural season. The GBL took control of the team during the season after the initial ownership failed.

Continental Baseball League: The CBL reportedly plans to end its 2010 season early and reduce the schedule from 60 to 50 games. The league's Las Cruces Vaqueros franchise plans to move to the new Pecos League, which is preparing to start play in 2011. The Houston-based Pecos League has the CBL's three other teams-the Alpine Cowboys, Desert Valley Mountain Lions, and Coast Kingfish-listed as potential members, along with teams called the Roswell Invaders, Pueblo Mountain Men, Nogales Nomads, and Eastern Arizona Redbirds.

New York State League: The developmental NYSL has started its second of three 50-game summer sessions with two teams called the New York Hudsons and New York Federals. The second session runs from early July to early August. The first session ran was played from early June to early July and featured teams called the New York Empires and New York Capitols.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association Development League: The NBA D-League has announced the affiliations between its 16 teams and the 30 National Basketball Association teams for the 2010-11 season. The D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders are sitting out the 2010-11 season, but the league added the Frisco-based Texas Legends to remain at 16 teams. The Albuquerque Thunderbirds have been renamed the New Mexico Thunderbird Thunders, as the team moves to a new arena in suburban Rio Rancho.

American Basketball Association: After recently announcing a new team called the Colorado Kings, the ABA has another team called the Orlando Kings listed in the league's Southeast Division. The ABA had a team called the Orlando Aces (2006-07), originally named the Orlando Orange Men, and another proposed team in 2009 called the Orlando Tropics. The ABA has also announced the Jacksonville Bluewaves team, which was part of the 2010 World Basketball Association Exposure League, will start play in the ABA for its 2011-12 season.

Universal Basketball Association: The UBA plans to host its 2010 UBA Playoff Classic on July 16-18. Three UBA teams called the Southern Generals, GIE Morrow Disciples, and Austin Knights will participate along with a team from Japan. The UBA plans to start a fall-winter regular season this year.

Basketball Federation of America: The proposed BFA recently scheduled an organizational meeting as it plans to start play in December of this year.

3BA: The proposed 3BA is a professional, full court (72 feet) 3-on-3 league that plans to start its inaugural season in the summer of 2011. Rights to a Portland (OR) franchise were granted last year and a team called the Spokane (WA) Slam plans to be part of the league's first season. The 3BA plans to have eight teams playing a 30-game schedule. The official international launch of the 3BA is expected this fall.

FOOTBALL

Indoor Football League: The owner of the Corpus Christi Hammerheads in the IFL has expressed interest in returning indoor football to Hidalgo (TX). The Hidalgo-based Rio Grande Valley Dorados played six seasons (2004-09) in the arenafootball2, but did not return when the af2 disbanded after the 2009 season. An ownership group has officially announced plans for a Lehigh Valley IFL franchise to be based in Bethlehem (PA) for the 2011 season. The league is planning additional expansion in the Northeast. The IFL's proposed new Tucson-based franchise for 2011 has started team tryouts.

American Indoor Football Association: The AIFA's six-team West Division is looking at two or three possible markets to add for 2011. Two West Division teams, the Ogden (UT) Knights and the Arctic Predators (Wasilla, AK), could not play all of their home games this season, so a decision to reinstate these clubs for 2011 will have to be made at the league meetings in August.

HOCKEY

North American Hockey League: The new Port Huron (MI) franchise in the Tier II Junior-A NAHL has announced the team will be called the Port Huron Fighting Falcons.

Federal Hockey League: The new Class-A FHL plans to hold tryouts at the end of August for its six teams that will start the league's inaugural 60-game season this fall. The league will have the Danbury (CT) Whalers; four New York franchises called the New York Aviators (Brooklyn), Rome Frenzy, Broome County Barons (Binghamton), and 1,000 Island Privateers (Alexandria Bay); and a Canadian franchise called the Akwesasne Warriors near Cornwall, Ontario.

Continental Junior Hockey League: The new CJHL has announced a fifth team called the Niagara Fury will be based in the Niagara Falls (Ontario) area for the league's inaugural 2010-11 season. Other teams include the Indiana (PA) Drillers, Erie (PA) Blizzard, Syracuse (NY) Stampede, and a yet-to-be-named Johnstown (PA) team.

Superior International Junior Hockey League: The SIJHL, which is one of Canada's Junior-A hockey leagues, is down to only four teams after the Thunder Bay-based K&A Wolverines ceased operations. USA Hockey rejected a proposed move of the Wisconsin Mustangs from the Tier III Junior-A Minnesota Junior Hockey League to the SIJHL.

SOCCER

Major Indoor Soccer League: A new MISL team called the Missouri Comets, based in Independence (MO), plans to be the league's sixth team for the upcoming 2010-11 season.

United Soccer Leagues - Premier Development League: The Dayton (OH) Dutch Lions club, which joined the PDL as a 2010 expansion team, plans to make the jump to the USL Second Division in 2011. The club also plans to operate a women's team in the USL W-League in 2011.

United States Soccer Federation - Division 2: A group of cities is planning a Western Conference of pro soccer teams at the USSF Second Division level for the 2011 season. Phoenix (Monsoon), San Diego, Anaheim, Sacramento, San Jose, and Los Angeles are planned for 2011 with Las Vegas joining in 2012.

North American Soccer League: The group trying to bring a new Canadian Football League franchise to Ottawa by 2013 is also interested in bringing a Division II NASL franchise to the city by 2013 or 2014. Another group in Hamilton (Ontario) has secured franchise rights for an NASL franchise that would play in a proposed new stadium that could be built in the next couple of years.

SuperLiga 2010: The annual SuperLiga competition between teams from Major League Soccer and Mexico's First (Primera) Division starts next week. Group A includes Chivas USA (MLS), Houston Dynamo (MLS), Pachuca (Mexico), and Puebla FC (Mexico), while Group B includes the Chicago Fire (MLS), Monarcas Morelia (Mexico), New England Revolution (MLS), and Pumas UNAM (Mexico). The first SuperLiga was played in 2007.

OTHER

World TeamTennis: The WTT has started its month-long 2010 season with the same ten teams as last season. The Eastern Conference includes the Boston Lobsters, New York Buzz (Albany), New York Sportimes (NYC), Philadelphia Freedoms, and Washington (DC) Kastles. The Western Conference includes the Kansas City (MO) Explorers, Newport Beach Breakers, Sacramento Capitals, St. Louis Aces, and Springfield (MO) Lasers.

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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