Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
Published on January 17, 2011 under North American League (NAmL)

BASEBALL

Pecos League: The proposed new Pecos League, which plans to start play in the spring of 2011, has replaced its Clovis (NM) Pioneers team with a team called the Ruidoso (NM) Osos. The league currently has four other New Mexico-based teams and one Texas-based team for its inaugural season.

North American League: The Northern League's Schaumburg (IL) Flyers, along with two other Northern League teams, were set to be part of the new NAL, but a sale of the Flyers has yet to be finalized and is delaying the announcement of the NAL schedule for 2011. There was speculation that an owner with ties to the Frontier League might purchase the Flyers and shift the team to that league as a replacement for the Kalamazoo Kings.

Can-Am League: The Can-Am League confirmed it has added an expansion team based in Ramapo (NY) called the Rockland Boulders and the Newark Bears from the Atlantic Baseball League for the 2011 season. Of the six teams from last season, the Sussex Skyhawks (Augusta, NJ) will not be returning. The league's eighth team will be a travel team called the New York Federals operated by the developmental New York State League, which has played in the New York City area for the past three seasons (2008-10).

Frontier League: The new Frontier League franchise in Joliet (IL) has announced it will be called the Joliet Slammers when the team starts play in the 2011 season. The Frontier League team replaces the city's former Northern League team called the Joliet Jackhammers.

American Association: Groundbreaking for a new ballpark in Laredo (TX) is set for April 2011 and the ballpark plans to be ready for the 2012 baseball season. The ballpark will be operated by an ownership group with ties to the AA and a Laredo-based AA franchise is expected to start play in 2012. The ownership group has announced a name-the-team contest and plans to schedule some AA exhibition games at Laredo's current ballpark in 2011.

California League: The individual who announced plans in August 2010 to try to build a new ballpark in the city of Windsor (CA) for an affiliated franchise in the Class-A Cal League has decided not to pursue the project. There had been speculation that the league's Bakersfield Blaze or High Desert Mavericks franchises, which have been unsuccessful in building new ballparks in their markets, would be candidates for relocation to Windsor.

Texas Winter League: The Harlingen-based Texas Winter League, which had four teams and was operated by United League Baseball in January and February of 2010, will not play in 2011. This league will be merged with the Arizona Winter League, which was has been operated by the Golden Baseball League and based in Yuma (AZ) for the past four years. Since the ULB and GBL were now under the umbrella of the new North American League, the NAL decided to combine the winter league operations in Arizona for 2011. The AWL currently has ten teams listed for a start on February 4, 2011.

BASKETBALL

Universal Basketball Association: The 15-team UBA, which is currently playing its inaugural 2010-11 season, has announced of the Houston Xperience expansion team for 2011-12. The team will start play this month as a traveling team for the rest of the season and start a full schedule next season.

Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League: The ACPBL has announced that its Washington (DC) GreenHawks franchise decided to drop out of the league's inaugural 2010-11 season and has been replaced by a team called the Virginia Avengers. The Avengers' owner had been affiliated with a team called the Alexandria (VA) Avengers, which played three seasons (2008-10) as part of the Eastern Basketball Alliance. The Washington GreenHawks joined the ACPBL from the 2010 Premier Basketball League where the team operated as the Maryland GreenHawks.

International Basketball League: The owner of the Olympia (WA) Reign hopes to play a second full season in the IBL, but will need additional financial support to fund the team's return in 2011.

American Basketball Association: The ABA has announced it will add an expansion team in Richmond (VA) next season. The ABA had the Richmond Generals for part of its 2005-06 season and the Richmond Ballerz, originally named the Warriors, for part of its 2006-07 season. After only one home game in Lake Elsinore, the league's Los Angeles Slam has announced it is looking for a new home court. The Kansas City-based Missouri Rhythm is now listed as an ABA travel team. The ABA now has 2011 expansion teams called the Carolina Jaguars (Raleigh-Durham, NC) and TreFour Cheetahs, formerly the Greensboro Cheetahs, listed in the Mid-Atlantic Division.

Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacifico (CIBACOPA): Mexico's Pacific Coast basketball league known as CIBACOPA plans to start its 2011 season on February 25. The league had 12 teams last season, but will be announcing shortly the 10 participating teams for 2011.

FOOTBALL

Continental Football League: The CIFL has announced its 2011 schedule that will again include six teams. Three teams return from last season: the Cincinnati Commandos, the Dayton Silverbacks, which were last season's Miami Valley Silverbacks travel team, and the Chicago Knights, which were the Cardinals last season. New for 2011 are the Marion (OH) Blue Racers, Port Huron (MI) Predators, and the Indianapolis Enforcers travel team. The Fort Wayne FireHawks, Marion Mayhem, and Wisconsin Wolfpack did not return for 2011. A team called the Grand Rapids Fury was thought to be the league's sixth team in 2011, but it did not materialize and the Indianapolis travel team was developed.

United Football League: The UFL has announced that its Orlando-based Florida Tuskers franchise will relocate to Norfolk (VA) and become the Virginia Destroyers for the 2011 season. The Destroyers team was previously announced as a 2011 expansion team and would have been the league's sixth team. With the loss of Florida, the UFL is looking to secure a sixth franchise for the 2011 season. The Tuskers had been part of the UFL's first two seasons in 2009 and 2010.

Canadian Football League: The Hamilton (Ontario)Tiger-Cats of the CFL have worked out a deal with the city to rebuild its current stadium and keep the team in the city.

Independent Indoor Football Alliance: The San Antonio Lobos team, which was to be a 2011 IIFA expansion team, will not start until the 2012 season.

United States Football League: The new USFL has announced it has established ownership for franchises in Michigan and Mississippi. The league has appointed directors for proposed Western, Eastern, and Southern divisions. The USFL plans to start play with 12 teams in the spring of 2012.

HOCKEY

All American Hockey League: The AAHL's Battle Creek Revolution and Chi-Town Shooters appear to be the only remaining teams actually playing and the league could end the season early. A potential owner of a Flint-area team that was to replace the departed Lapeer Loggers decided not to move forward.

ECHL: A group in St. John's, Newfoundland is interested in bringing a new ECHL franchise to the city, while another group is trying to return a major-junior team to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The city had the St. John's Fog Devils team in the QMJHL for three seasons (2005-08) before moving to Montreal. Last year, the group that operates the city's hockey arena was trying to bring an American Hockey League team to St. John's.

SOCCER

United Soccer Leagues PRO League: The USL PRO League has announced its inaugural 2011 season will feature 15 teams in 3 divisions. The American Division includes the Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Orlando City SC, Richmond Kickers, and Wilmington Hammerheads; the National Division has the Dayton Dutch Lions, FC New York, Harrisburg City Islanders, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and Rochester Rhinos; and the International Division features the Barracuda FC (Antigua and Barbuda), Los Angeles Blues, Puerto Rico United, River Plate Puerto Rico, and Sevilla FC Puerto Rico. Each team will play a 24-game schedule from April to August.

Liga de Ascenso: After the first part (Apertura) of the 2010-11 season, the Liga de Ascenso, which is a level below Mexican soccer's Primera Division (First Division), expelled the Guerreros de Hermosillo club for defaulting on debts to players and other teams. The league will operate with 17 teams instead of 18 teams for the second part (Clausura) of the season. The Primera Division's Atlante FC and Monarcas Morelia clubs exchanged Liga de Ascenso affiliaties after the 2010-11 Apertura. Atlante FC took over the Merida FC Venados, which had been the Liga de Ascenso affiliate for the Monarcas. The Monarcas took over the Potros Neza (Nezahualcoyotl), which had been Atlante's Liga de Ascenso affiliate, and renamed the club the Toros Neza for the 2010-11 Clausura.

North American Soccer Leagues: The owner of a proposed 2012 NASL franchise in San Antonio has announced the team will be called the San Antonio Scorpions.

Women's Major League Soccer: The new WMLS plans to start play in May 2011 with an Elite Division and a Division 2. The league will feature relegation and promotion between divisions. The initial teams listed are from the Midwest and include the Chicago Breeze, Cleveland Inter, FC Indiana, Columbus, Grand Rapids Alliance, South Bend, and Springfield (MO) Demize.

OTHER

National Pro Fastpitch: The women's NPF has announced its 2011 schedule will include the returning Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, and USSSA Florida Pride (Kissimmee), along with the NPF Diamonds. The NPF Diamonds replace the Nashville-based Tennessee Diamonds and will play each of its five home series in different locations that do not currently host an NPF franchise.

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.

North American League Stories from January 17, 2011

• 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.