AA American Association

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
Published on August 23, 2010 under American Association (AA)


BASEBALL

American Association: The city of Laredo has finalized a lease with a group associated with the AA for a new ballpark set to open in 2012. The group plans to bring some AA exhibition games to Laredo's current ballpark during the 2011 season. The lease indicates that United League Baseball and its current Laredo Broncos franchise could be out of the city after the 2010 season.

Can-Am League: The nicknames of "RidgeRiders" and "Red Glare" have been dropped from the list of possible names for the Can-Am franchise to be based in Ramapo (NY). The original ten-name list is down to four possible names-Boulders, Ice, Palisaders, and Sliders. The team name will start with "Rockland" for Rockland County (NY). Voting for the Rockland ballpark financing plan takes place on August 24.

Pacific Coast League: With the Omaha Royals moving into a new Sarpy County ballpark in 2011, the Triple-A PCL team has started a name-the-team contest with a final decision to be made in November 2010. The Omaha Royals changed their nickname to the Golden Spikes from 1999 through 2001, but fans voted for a return to the Royals name.

Appalachian League: The city of Kingsport (TN) might not renew a lease with the Kingsport Mets of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The city wants to hold more non-baseball events at the city's ballpark.

Golden Baseball League: The owner of the Yuma Scorpions in the GBL announced a new local group has purchased a minority ownership interest in the team for the remainder of the season. The local group has an option of buying controlling interest in the team for next season. A group with ties to the Venezuelan Baseball Federation originally operated the Scorpions this season, but did not meet its financial obligations.

South Atlantic League: The Kannapolis (NC) Intimidators of the Low Class-A South Atlantic League are in ballpark lease negotiations with Rowan County. The team is looking to increase its profits or it might consider moving out of the city. Kannapolis has been home to the team since 1995 when the Spartanburg (NC) Phillies relocated and became the Piedmont Phillies. The team became the Piedmont Boll Weevils in 1996 and changed to the Kannapolis Intimidators for the 2001 season.

BASKETBALL

American Basketball Association: The ABA has announced three new teams called the Conway (AR) Cyclones, Flint (MI) Fire, and Lima (OH) Explosion have been added as 2011 expansion teams. The ABA has created a South Florida-based touring team called "Haiti Relief" that will try to raise money during the 2010-11 season for victims of the Haitian earthquake. A pro-am team called the Bay Area Matrix will join the ABA for the 2010-11 season and replace the Clayton (CA) Showtime team in the Northern California Division.

Americas Basketball International: The ABI plans to hold a tryout camp in Birmingham (AL) for international players in late September. The league plans to hold its annual Freewill Games in November 2010 as a pre-season tournament.

Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League: The ACPBL announced that the Washington (DC) GreenHawks have joined the league for its inaugural 2010-11 season. The franchise previously operated in Rockville (MD) as the Maryland GreenHawks in the 2010 season of the Premier Basketball League. The league's Long Island Lions team is now called the New York Lions.

United Basketball League: In addition to new teams announced for Crockett (TX) and Monroe (LA), the UBL now has a team called the Irving (TX) Mustangs listed in its Southern Division.

Global Professional Basketball League: The GPBL is currently accepting franchise applications for its inaugural 2011 season. The league has plans to have teams across ten regional divisions. Player tryouts for the GPBL and its GPBL2 were to be held this past week.

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional: The LNBP, Mexico's top professional basketball league, will have five new teams for its upcoming 2010-11 season that starts next month. The Algodoneros de la Comarca return after sitting out the 2009-10 season. The Titanes Capital del Distrito Federal replace the Pilares del Distrito Federal in Mexico City. The other new teams include the Jaguares de la Bahia Riviera Nayarit (Puerto Vallarta), Ola Verde de Poza Rica (Veracruz), and Volcanes de Toluca (Mexico). The LNBP will have 18 teams this season after losing 7 of its 20 teams from last season.

FOOTBALL

Arena Football League: A new franchise called the Pittsburgh Power plans to start play next season as part of the AFL. The original AFL that played from 1987 to 2008 had a team called the Pittsburgh Gladiators for four seasons (1987-90). The league also plans to add teams in Kansas City, Philadelphia, and San Jose in 2011. The Huntsville-based Alabama Vipers will not return to the AFL in 2011. The franchise is expected to be relocated to Duluth (GA) near Atlanta where it will be renamed the Georgia Force. A team called the Georgia Force played seven seasons (2002-08) in the original AFL until the league ceased operations.

American Indoor Football Association: The Reading (PA) Express has announced the team will leave the AIFA and join the Indoor Football League for the 2011 season. The Reading Express started play in the 2006 season as part of the American Indoor Football League, which evolved into the AIFA in 2007.

Southern Indoor Football League: The new SIFL franchise based in Hidalgo (TX) will be called the Rio Grande Valley Magic when it starts play in the 2011 season. The Abilene Ruff Riders from the Indoor Football League have decided to join the SIFL for its 2011 season. Abilene entered the IFL for the 2009 season after the relocation of the Katy (TX) Ruff Riders. Another IFL franchise called the Corpus Christi Hammerheads recently announced a move to the SIFL for 2011. The SIFL also plans to add a Houston-based franchise reportedly to be called the Stallions. The league is considering Mobile (AL); the Georgia cities of Rome, Macon, and Savannah; and the Mississippi cities of Tupelo and Jackson for possible teams.

Indoor Football League: Although the IFL is losing the Abilene Ruff Riders and Corpus Christi Hammerheads to the Southern Indoor Football League next season, the league will add a new Lehigh Valley team based in Bethlehem (PA) and the Reading (PA) Express from the American Indoor Football Association. The owner of the former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers, which played eight seasons (2002-09) as part of the defunct arenafootball2, is reportedly working with a potential buyer and the IFL for possible membership in 2012.

Continental Indoor Football League: A new franchise called the Port Huron (MI) Predators has announced it will be part of the CIFL in 2011. The league had the Port Huron Pirates franchise for two seasons (2006-07), but the team moved to Flint as the Michigan Pirates for one playoff game at the end of the 2007 season. The Pirates' owner then formed the Flint Phantoms for the 2008 CIFL season.

Ultimate Indoor Football League: The new UIFL has extended the deadline until September 1 for new teams to join and it plans to announce its sixth team next month. The league's Pikesville (KY) team will announce its nickname on September 3.

United Football League: The UFL has assumed ownership of its proposed 2011 Virginia franchise based in Hampton Roads. A previously announced prospective owner had a 60-day period to come to terms with the league. The UFL is confident it will find local ownership to purchase the Virginia franchise.

HOCKEY

All American Hockey League: The Chi-Town Shooters hockey team announced it has left the AAHL after two seasons and will develop a junior-level team for the 2011-12, possibly in the Tier III Junior-A Central States Hockey League or a Junior-B hockey league. The team started as the South Shore Shooters, a proposed expansion team for the 2008-09 Mid-Atlantic Hockey League. The Shooters left the MAHL and became the Chi-Town Shooters in the 2008-09 All American Hockey Association, which evolved into the AAHL the next season. The AAHL has announced a new team in the Cincinnati area called the Queen City Storm that will be part of the 2010-11 season. With the loss of Chi-Town and the addition of Queen City, the AAHL has four teams and plans to announce a fifth team.

Ligue de Hockey Nord Americaine: The Quebec-based minor professional LNAH, or North American Hockey League, will again have seven teams in the 2010-11 season. The new Sorel-Tracy GCI Environment team was added to replace the Pont-Rouge Lois Jeans team that was dropped by the league late in the 2009-10 season. The team called Riviere-du-Loup CIMT was renamed the Riviere-du-Loup 3L.

Major League Roller Hockey: The MLRH has tentatively scheduled it next co-ed Slamm Hockey League event for September 25. The MLRH Pro League season plans to start play on November 6.

SOCCER

National Star Soccer League: The amateur-level NSSL plans to expand and add five new conferences (Rocky Mountains, North East, Mid East, Florida, and West Coast) next season. For its second season in 2010, the NSSL had 30 teams in four conferences-the North Central, Southwest, South Central, and Northwest.

National Premier Soccer League: The amateur-level NPSL has announced the creation of the 2010 NPSL Winter Season that will run from September 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. This outdoor league will compliment the current NPSL Premier Season that runs from April to August and allow clubs to keep their teams together during the winter months. The inaugural outdoor Winter Season will feature four new Texas-based teams-the Texas Lonestrikers, Regals SC, Galveston Pirate SC, and Corpus Christi Fuel.

Major Indoor Soccer League: The MISL has announced a seventh franchise based in Omaha (NE) will start play in the upcoming 2010-11 season. The Omaha team is expected to become a rival for the recently added Missouri Comets team based in the Kansas City suburb of Independence. The five MISL teams from last season are expected to return in 2010-11. The league plans to add at least one more team before the start of the 2010-11 season and as many as three or four additional teams for the following season.

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 Association Stories from August 23, 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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