Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
November 29, 2010 - North American Soccer League (NASL)

BASEBALL

Frontier League: The city of Joliet (IL) and a prospective buyer of the city's Joliet JackHammers baseball team have applied for membership in the Frontier League. The league is expected to make a decision next week. The JackHammers are currently members of the Northern League, which recently became part of the new North American League. The JackHammers are behind in debts to local vendors and to Joliet for use of the city-owned ballpark.

North American League: A group with a proposed baseball team called the Omaha Flame has been accepted to play in the new independent NAL for 2011, but a lease still needs to be worked out at the city's new downtown stadium, which will be the new home to the College World Series. The Omaha Flame group was apparently accepted into the Northern League, but shortly after that, four Northern League teams jumped to the American Association and the Northern League has since joined the new NAL. Omaha's affiliated baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, the Omaha Storm Chasers, decided not to play in the new downtown stadium and will move into a new ballpark in nearby Sarpy County in 2011.

Mexican Rookie League: The proposed MRL has been put on hold and will not start in August 2011 as originally planned. Teams called the Arizona Black Sox, Nogales Nomads, and Tucson Cowboys were apparently ready to go, but Mexican teams planned for Tecate (Baja California), Cananea (Sonora), and San Luis (Sonora) were not. Tecate and San Luis had recent teams in the Liga Norte de Mexico (Northern League of Mexico) that were not financially successful, but the Liga Norte was still trying to return with teams in those cities for 2011. Cananea was waiting for a local copper mine to re-open that would help improve the city's economy. The organizer of the MRL now plans to work with the Baseball International Group (BIG) to help introduce the Independent Spring Baseball League in 2011.

New York-Penn League: Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly interested in bringing one of its affiliated minor league teams to the city of Ottawa in the future, possibly a short-season Class-A team in the New York-Penn League. The city last had an affiliated team in 2007 with the Ottawa Lynx of the Triple-A International League.

Can-Am League: Opponents of the new ballpark for the Can-Am League's expansion team called the Rockland Boulders in Ramapo (NY) plan to file a lawsuit if the city goes through with a land transfer for the project. The Boulders are hoping to start play in the 2011 Can-Am League season.

Atlantic Baseball League: The new ABL franchise based in Sugar Land (TX) plans to announce the team's nickname next week. The team plans to start play in 2012.

BASKETBALL

Baloncesto Superior National: The Puerto Rican basketball league known as the BSN could see the return of the Coamo Maratonistas team for league's 2011 spring-summer season. The Maratonistas last played in the 2007 BSN season. The team could play in the town of Juana Diaz if the arena is not ready in Coamo.

Super Liga de Baloncesto 25: The Puerto Rican basketball league known as the Super Liga 25 recently completed its 12-game 2010 season with seven teams called the Caribes Penuelas, Ganaderos de Haltillo, Guardianes Dorado, Magos de Aguas Buenas, Reyes de Juana Diaz, Santeros de Aguada, and the Super Cariduros de Fajardo.

National Basketball Association: Now that the Oakland-based Golden State Warriors have come under new ownership, some in the city would like the team to be renamed the Oakland Warriors. The new owners have indicated a desire to move the team to San Francisco, but a new arena would be needed.

FOOTBALL

Indoor Football League: The new IFL franchise in Oklahoma City will be called the Oklahoma City Bricktown Brawlers when the team starts play in the 2011 season. The IFL team replaces the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz franchise that was part of the 2010 Arena Football League and announce it would not return in 2011.

United Football League: The UFL has announced it will start its 2011 season in August instead of October. All five current teams are expected to return and the league will add the new Virginia Destroyers as its sixth team. The league is evaluating markets for its seventh and eighth teams that it would like to add in 2012. The league apparently was ready to announce Portland (OR) as an expansion city, but had to pull back on that announcement. Los Angeles is a good possibility for expansion and the league is looking at Utah, Mississippi, Hawaii, and other markets without National Football League teams.

Canadian Football League: The CFL is working on an expansion draft proposal for its new Ottawa-based franchise that is expected to start play in the 2013 season. The city's last team was the Ottawa Renegades, which folded after the 2005 season.

HOCKEY

Continental Junior Hockey League: After planning to start its inaugural 2010-11 season with six teams, the CJHL was down to only two teams-the Niagara (Ontario) Fury and Alpena (MI) Thunder-after the Indiana (PA) Drillers, Erie (PA) Blizzard, Syracuse Stampede, and Johnstown (PA) Wings decided not to play in 2010-11. The Erie Blizzard then merged with the Niagara Fury and the Syracuse Stampede will join the International Junior Hockey League for the 2011-12 season. Alpena and Niagara will play a 20-game season in 2010-11 with some of Niagara's home games to be played in Erie.

SOCCER

North American Soccer League: The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has granted initial approval for the NASL to operate as a Division II league in 2011. As part of USSF sanctioning for 2011, Major League Soccer is classified as a Division I league, while the new United Soccer Leagues PRO league will be a Division III league. The NASL will include eight teams: the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks (Cary, NC), FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Miami FC Blues, NSC Minnesota Stars, Montreal Impact, and Puerto Rico Islanders. Carolina, Tampa Bay, Miami, Minnesota, and Montreal were five of the nine NASL teams that participated in the 2010 USSF-sponsored Division II Pro League. Of those nine NASL teams, the Crystal Palace Baltimore and AC St. Louis fell victim to financial difficulties, the Rochester Rhinos moved to the new USL PRO league, and the Vancouver Whitecaps moved up to the MLS. The Puerto Rico Islanders were a USL-affiliated club as part of the 2010 USSF-sponsored league, but switched to the NASL after the 2010 season. FC Edmonton and Atlanta will be new NASL teams in 2011. The Atlanta Silverbacks last played in the 2008 USL First Division, but had been a dormant member of the NASL since it was formed in 2009. The NASL's Miami FC is expected to change its name to the Strikers for 2011 and an official announcement is expected in the near future. The FC Tampa Bay club had been called the Rowdies in 2010, but recently lost the use of the nickname in a lawsuit and is working to regain use of the Rowdies name. The NASL plans to add a San Antonio-based team in 2012 and another team in 2013.

United Soccer Leagues PRO: The USL PRO league recently concluded an owners meeting and decided its inaugural 2011 season will include 16 teams. Details on the teams and alignment will be announced in December. A new team based in Fullerton (CA) is reportedly in the works for 2011. The league would like to expand to 20 or 24 teams by the 2012 season and has had advanced discussions with groups in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. A group in San Antonio has been granted rights to operate a USL PRO league team in 2012.

Major League Soccer: The MLS held its expansion draft to stock the new Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers teams that will start play in the 2011 season as the league's 17th and 18th teams. The league's 19th team, the Montreal Impact, will join the MLS for the 2012 season. The MLS is considering a switch from its current spring-summer schedule to a fall-winter schedule to better coincide with the timing of most other international soccer leagues.

OTHER

Major League Lacrosse: The Rochester (NY) Rattlers will return to the MLL for the 2011 summertime field lacrosse season, as Rattlers' ownership purchased the Chicago Machine franchise from the league. A team called the Rochester Rattlers was a charter member of the MLL in 2001, but suspended operations after the 2008 season and most of the players became part of the expansion Toronto Nationals team in 2009. The Chicago Machine had been part of the MLL for five seasons (2006-10) and played its 2010 home games at various venues throughout the country. After only two seasons (2009-10) in Toronto, the Nationals are expected to move to Hamilton (Ontario) for the 2011 MLL season.

National League Lacrosse: The Rochester Knighthawks of the indoor NLL are in the last year of its arena lease for the upcoming 2011 season and there has been speculation the team could be relocated to Hamilton (Ontario) for the 2012 season. Hamilton had a team called the Ontario Raiders in the 1998 NLL season, but that team moved and became the Toronto Rock.

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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