Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
Published on May 9, 2011 under Continental Basketball League (CBL)


BASEBALL

Frontier League: The Oakland County (MI) Cruisers of the Frontier League have come under new ownership and the team is still seeking financing for a proposed new stadium. The Cruisers played the 2010 season without a home field and decided to sit out the 2011 season until financing for a new stadium was in place.

Southern League: The new Pensacola-based team that will start play in the 2012 Double-A Southern League has selected six potential team nicknames: Redbones, Salty Dogs, Aviators, Loggerheads, Mullets, Blue Wahoos. The league's current Carolina Mudcats franchise will move from Zebulon (NC) to Pensacola for the 2012 season.

Carolina League: The current Kinston (NC) Indians team in the High Class-A Carolina League has been sold and will move to Zebulon (NC) and become the Carolina Mudcats in the 2012 Carolina League. The Carolina League could consider Kinston for another team and was watching the situation with ballpark lease negotiations between the league's Frederick (MD) Keys and the independent Atlantic Baseball League. If the Keys do not extend their lease in Frederick, a move to Kinston could be an option in 2012.

North American League: An ownership group has presented a plan to the city of San Rafael (CA) for upgrading the local ballpark and trying to bring an NAL franchise to the area.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association Development League: The New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association have started a single affiliation with the Springfield (MA) Armor of the NBA D-League. The Nets will run the basketball operations for the Springfield team, but it will remain under local ownership. The NBA's Houston Rockets have a similar "hybrid affiliation" with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League. Three other NBA teams both own and operate their NBA D-League affiliates.

National Basketball Association: The NBA's Sacramento Kings will not be moving to Anaheim for the 2011-12 season, but will consider relocation for the 2012-13 season if an arena plan to be proposed by the city of Sacramento cannot be finalized in a timely manner.

Premier Basketball League: The three former Canadian PBL teams-the Saint John (New Brunswick) Mill Rats, Quebec Kebs, and Halifax (Nova Scotia) Rainmen-that announced their departure from the league after the 2011 season plan to make a decision by May 12 as to what the teams will do for next season. The teams are considering the creation of a new Canadian-based league with additional teams possible in Ontario and New Brunswick. If this does not work out, the teams could join an existing league.

American Basketball Association: The ABA has announced it will add another Bay Area team called the Richmond (CA) Rockets and another Connecticut-based team called the Connecticut Chill, based in Durham (CT), for the 2011-12 season. The league also announced a new team called the Atlanta Aliens will join for the 2011-12 season. Another new team called the Atlanta Experience was previously announced for the 2011-12.

Americas Basketball International: The ABI failed to start its inaugural 2011 season in April as planned, but plans to play a series of games with teams from Central and South America as it prepares for its international Freewill Games, which will be held in July or August and could feature teams from China.

Continental Basketball League: The CBL has started its second season that will run from May 6 to June 19, 2011. The 2011 standings list eight teams that include the Birmingham Sabers, Cary (NC) Invasion, Fayetteville (NC) Crossover, Florida Flight, Gainesville (FL) Galaxy, Heartland Prowl, Miami Stars, Palm Beach Titans, Savannah Warriors, and Wilmington (NC) Sea Dawgs. The 2011 schedule does not include teams in Palm Beach and Miami. The Savannah Wildcats team from last season has announced it will not be able to participate in the 2011 season due to family issues with the team's owner. It is uncertain if the Savannah Warriors will be replacing the Wildcats.

FOOTBALL

American Football League: The proposed new AFL was planning a start in the fall of 2011, but could not work out a television contract and will try again for the fall of 2012. The league could consider a switch to a spring season, if a proposed fall season does not work out. The AFL wants to become a major professional football league competing with the National Football League. The league had announced 16 teams in 4 regional divisions across the United States.

Eight-Man Professional Football League: The new EPFL plans to start play in 2012 and currently has five teams listed: the Duval (FL) Tigers, Florida Bobcats (Fort Myers), Florida Buccaneers (Tampa), Florida Scorpions (Tampa), and Palm Beach Phantoms.

South Atlantic Indoor Football League: The new semi-pro SAIFL plans to start play in 2011 and currently has four teams-the Atlanta Kings, Kissimmee Outlaw, Palm Beach Stingrays, and South Carolina Drillers.

HOCKEY

Southern Professional Hockey League: The Biloxi-based Mississippi Surge in the Single-A SPHL has been purchased by the owner of the league's Pensacola Ice Flyers. There was speculation the Surge may have folded if the sale did not happen. The SPHL could be adding two to three teams from the Double-A Central Hockey League next season and teams wanting to participate in the 2011-12 SPHL need to notify the league by May 15.

North American Hockey League: The Tier II Junior-A NAHL has announced the relocation of its Motor City Metal Jackets team from the Detroit area to Jamestown (NY) where the team will be called the Jamestown Ironmen for the 2011-12 season.

North American 3 Hockey League: The Tier III Junior-A NA3HL, which was known as the Central States Hockey League prior to the 2010-11 season, has announced the addition of three Minnesota-based teams for next season. These include the Granite City Lumberjacks (Sauk Rapids), Minnesota Flying Aces (Little Falls), and a new team based in Vadnais Heights (MN). The Lumberjacks and Flying Aces teams had been part of the Tier III Junior-A Minnesota Junior Hockey Leagues since the 2007-08 season. The NA3HL is affiliated with the Tier II Junior-A North American Hockey League.

ECHL: The owners of the ECHL's Victoria (British Columbia) Salmon Kings has decided to fold the franchise with the return of a Major-Junior team to the city as part of the 2011-12 Western Hockey League. The Salmon Kings had joined the ECHL as expansion team for the 2004-05 season.

SOCCER

United Soccer Leagues - Premier Development League: The New York Cosmos organization, which eventually would like to evolve into Major League Soccer franchise, will place a team called the New York Cosmos U-23 in the 2012 USL PDL. The PDL Cosmos will play some exhibition games in 2011.

United Soccer Leagues PRO: The Puerto Rico United of the USL PRO league is reportedly having financial problems and was discussing a possible merger with the Mayaguez FC of the Puerto Rico Soccer League. The Puerto Rico United and two other USL PRO league teams called the Sevilla FC-Puerto Rico and River Plate-Puerto Rico also participates in the PRSL regular-season. Mayaguez FC had reportedly been interested in joining the USL PRO league, but was not included for the 2011 season. Another soccer team based in Antigua, home of the league's Antigua Barracudas FC, has apparently made application to the USL PRO league, but the Barracudas claim to have franchise rights in the Antigua and Barbuda area.

Premier Arena Soccer League: The PASL-Pro league has announced that the Omaha Vipers have join the league for its 2011-12 season. The Vipers were an expansion team in the 2010-11 season of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The league reports that three other new teams called the Anaheim Bolts, Phoenix Monsoon, and the Topeka-based Kansas Magic have been added for the 2011-12 season. The Magic recently held its first exhibition game in Topeka against the league's Illinois Piasa and plan to play a second exhibition game in Grand Island (NE) on May 15 against a team called the Nebraska All-Stars.

OTHER

National Lacrosse League: The indoor NLL has again expressed interest in returning a franchise to Vancouver (British Columbia) in the next three to five years. The NLL had a team called the Vancouver Ravens that lasted three seasons (2002-04) before suspending operations. The former NLL commissioner is part of a new indoor lacrosse league that is expected to hold a press conference next week to formally announce the league's name, the number of teams, and when it will start play.

Major League Lacrosse: The outdoor MLL's proposed 2012 expansion team based in Charlotte (NC) has announced six possible team nicknames-Charge, Flow, Hounds, Legion, Monarchs, and Power. A second expansion team for 2012 that will be based in Columbus (OH) recently announced it will be called the Ohio Machine.

Canadian Lacrosse League: The new professional Canadian Lacrosse League, or CLAX, was announced in March 2011 and plans to start play in November 2011. The league plans to place teams in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and eventually Alberta, with teams playing in venues that hold over 3,000 fans.

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 2010-11 edition is available at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/leagues-teams-nicknames-the-leagueology-almanac-2010-11/15228513. Dan can be contacted at dankrieger@leaguesteamsnicknames.com.

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Continental Basketball League Stories from May 9, 2011


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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