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PCL Pacific Coast League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
July 10, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)


BASEBALL

Western Canadian Baseball League: The new 2024 Saskatoon expansion team in the summer-collegiate WCBL has announced four nicknames as finalists for fan voting. These include the Saskatoon Bridge Pigeons, Saskatoon Cobra Chickens, Saskatoon Berries and Saskatoon River Pirates. The city had a previous WCBL team called the Saskatoon Yellowjackets that last played in the 2014 season.

Pacific Coast League: The ownership of the Salt Lake Bees in the Triple-A PCL plans to move the team to a new ballpark to-be-built in the South Jordan suburb of Salt Lake City in time for the 2025 season. The ownership has not confirmed a possible name change for the team as part of the move, but it has filed a trademark registration for the "Utah Bees ‚¬Â. The Bees' ownership is also behind the effort to bring a Major League Baseball expansion team to the Salt Lake City area.

International League: The Durham (NC) Bulls of the Triple-A International League played a game last month as the Durham Lollygaggers in honor of a term used to describe players in the 1988 film called "Bull Durham."

BASKETBALL

American Basketball Association: The semi-pro ABA announced the Hoosier State Instigators, based in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, has been added as a 2023-24 expansion team.

Maximum Basketball League: The semi-pro MBL is preparing for its 2023-24 season and recently added several new teams called the Mississippi Panthers (Water Valley), Bridgeport (CT) Kings, Gotham City Unbreakable Talent, Carolina Showtime (Orangeburg, SC), Atlanta Takeover, DLS Rockets (New York City) and the Indiana Unlimited (Fort Wayne).

Unrivaled Basketball League: Two current players in the Women's National Baseball Association (WNBA) are organizing a new professional women's basketball league called Unrivaled as an off-season alternative for WNBA players. The league will have six teams playing three-on-three basketball from January to March with all games played at a single location in Miami.

FOOTBALL

Major League Football: Not much has been heard from the developmental MLFB about a proposed training camp in May and possible games being played this June and July. In March, MLFB stated it was in discussions about a possible merger or joint venture with a group of investors trying to form another league with more fan ownership in the franchises. The league failed to start an inaugural four-team condensed season last August due to funding issues.

European League Football: The Leipzig Kings of Europe's American-style football league known as the ELF is on the verge of bankruptcy and cancelled a game this weekend. The league is considering taking over operations of the team so it can complete the remainder of the 2023 schedule.

United Indoor Football League: The new pro developmental UIFL plans to start play with a schedule running from late October 2023 to January 2024. Listed league members include the Pittsburgh Outlaws, Ohio Boom (Dayton), Ohio Blitz (Lima), Ohio Extreme, The Pack Gang (Columbus, OH), Kentucky Herd Kings, Indianapolis Enforcers, and the Baltimore-based Rage.

HOCKEY

ECHL: The minor AA-level ECHL held the Annual Board of Governors Meeting and announced the league has increased the maximum number of memberships from 30 to 32 teams. The ECHL will operate with 28 teams in the 2023-24 season and hopes to eventually grow to 32 teams with each team operating as an affiliate of the 32 teams in the National Hockey League. The league's Cincinnati Cyclones announced it has changed affiliations to the NHL's New York Rangers and the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolfpack for the 2023-24 season. The Cyclones were previously affiliated with the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the Rangers were previously affiliated with the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen.

Federal Prospects Hockey League: The minor A-level FPHL announced the league's new Elmira (NY) team will be called the Elmira River Sharks when it starts play in the 2023-24 season. The new team replaces the league's Elmira Mammoth, which came under new management after playing only one season in the league. The FPHL had a previous team called the Elmira Enforcers for three seasons (2018-21).

North American Hockey Association: The owners of the Cornwall Colts and Brockville Braves of the Ontario-based Junior-A Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) are organizing the new independent NAHA, which will be a developmental feeder to the CCHL and operate outside of Hockey Canada. The NAHA plans to start play in September with Ontario-based teams in Cornwall (Junior Colts), Brockville (Junior Braves), Kingston, Ottawa West, Ottawa East, Smith Falls, and Montreal-based team in South Shore and West Island.

Southern Professional Hockey League: The minor A-level SPHL announced its 2023-24 season schedule that will feature ten teams aligned in a single-table format. The league started last season with 11 teams, but the Vermilion County Bobcats (Danville, IL) folded during the second half of the 2022-23 season. All ten other teams will return, and each team will play a 56-game schedule from October 20, 2023, through April 6, 2024.

SOCCER

Liga MX: The top Mexican men's professional soccer league known as Liga MX recently started the Apertura (opening) phase of its two-part Apertura/Clausura season with the same 18 teams as the 2022-23 season and again aligned in a single-table format. Each team will play 17 games through November 12, 2023.

OTHER

North American Box Lacrosse League: The senior-level United States-based NABLL is currently playing its 2023 season that runs from early June through August 6, 2023. The current season features 27 teams across 8 regional divisions.

Women's Premier League Rugby: The WPL, which is the top American women's rugby union competition and is affiliated with USA Rugby, recently completed the first 8-week portion of its 12-week 2023 season with seven teams. The WPF will take a summer break until mid-August when play will resume and lead to the national semifinals and championship in early October.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report, which has been tracking the changes in the sports world's leagues, teams and nicknames since April 2007.

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