Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
September 30, 2013 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
BASEBALL
Can-Am League: The city of Ottawa has decided to lease the Ottawa Stadium to a league-operated Can-Am League team rather than an affiliated team in the Double-A Eastern League. If the lease agreement goes through, an Ottawa-based Can-Am League team could start play in 2015. The city determined the cost of stadium upgrades for an affiliated Double-A team were prohibitive. A team called the Ottawa Rapidz was part of the 2008 Can-Am League. That team failed and another attempt for an Ottawa team, first called the Rapids and then the Voyageurs, never got off the ground in 2009. The city was previously home to the affiliated Ottawa Lynx in the Triple-A International League, but that team moved out after the 2007 season.
South Atlantic League (SALLY): The city of Fredericksburg (VA) approved an agreement with the group hoping to build a new baseball stadium that would become home to the relocated Hagerstown (MD) Suns of the low Class-A SALLY. The originally proposed stadium site has been moved and the Suns hope to be in the new stadium by the 2015 season.
Northern League: A facility proposed in Dyersville (IA) that was to include a ballpark for a team in the revived Northern League for the 2014 season has been facing a funding shortfall and some local opposition. A Northern League team in Dyersville will most likely not happen for the 2014 season, but the effort will still continue to add this market in the future.
Futures Collegiate Baseball League: The FCBL is expected to announce a new team based in Worcester (MA) for the 2014 season. The city had been hoping for the return of a professional baseball team after the loss of the former Worcester Tornadoes team that played in the independent professional Can-Am League from 2004 through the 2012 season. Both the Can-Am League and the proposed developmental Diamond League had been looking to place a pro team in Worcester.
BASKETBALL
American Professional Basketball League: The APBL announced the addition of 4 new teams for the 2013-14 season and the league will again have 16 teams. The new teams include the Portsmouth (VA) Cavaliers, Maryland Bay Riders, Brooklyn All-Game and Gotham City Revolution. The Portsmouth team was previously part of the American Basketball Association. The Brooklyn All-Game team was part of the APBL's 2013 summer league. It looks as though 4 of the 16 teams from last year will not be returning for 2013-14. These include the West Virginia Monarchs (Martinsburg), Palmieri Jeans Destroyers, Brooklyn Firebirds and Tri-State Energy (Brooklyn).
Central Basketball League: The CBL has announced the Rochester (NY) Rage as its first expansion team for the league's second season that will start in April 2014. The league later announced two additional new teams called Delray Beach (FL) Hammerheads and the Erie (PA) Hurricane for the 2014 season. The Delray Beach Hammerheads originally stated the team would be part of the Florida Basketball Association. The Rochester Rage and Erie Hurricane will part of the league's new Can/Am Division, while the Delray Beach Hammerheads will be part of a new Sunshine Division. Teams from the league's inaugural 2013 season will be part of a third division called the Heartland Division in 2014. Over the next several days, the CBL plans to announce its other expansion teams for the 2014 season.
Eastern Basketball Alliance: The EBA announced a team called the Metrowest Ballas based in Framingham (MA) will play as a road team in the upcoming 2014 season.
FOOTBALL
Champions Professional Indoor Football League: The CPIFL announced a new team based in Dodge City (KS) will become the league's tenth team for the 2014 season. The league operated with ten teams for its inaugural season in 2013, but the Sedalia-based Mid-Missouri Outlaws will not return. The other nine teams include the Bloomington (IL) Edge, Kansas City (MO) Renegades, Kansas Koyotes (Topeka), Lincoln Haymakers, Oklahoma Defenders (Tulsa), Omaha Beef, Salina (KS) Bombers, Sioux City (IA) Bandits and Wichita Wild. The name of the new Dodge City team will be announced next week.
Professional Indoor Football League: The PIFL announced the Harrisburg (PA) Stampede has joined the league as its eighth team for the 2014 season. The Harrisburg Stampede played two seasons (2009-10) as part of the American Indoor Football Association, one season (2011) in the Southern Indoor Football League and the past two seasons (2012-13) in the league known as American Indoor Football. The PIFL had seven teams last season, but the Lake Charles-based Louisiana Swashbucklers will not return. The Swashbucklers' owner folded the team during the season and the league took over operations. In addition to Harrisburg, the league added the new Trenton Freedom franchise last week.
American Indoor Football: The AIF recently announced two teams called the Moorestown (NJ) Saints and the Rochester (NY) Raiders have been added for the 2014 season. The league previously announced two other new teams for 2014 called the Atlanta Sharks and Baltimore Mariners. A previous indoor football team called the Rochester Raiders was part of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League for two seasons (2006-07), the renamed Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) for one season (2008) and the Indoor Football League for two seasons (2009-10). The AIF was supposed to have a Rochester-based team called the Roc City Thunder for the 2013 season, but dropped out due the owner's illness. The Thunder came under new ownership and announced plans to join the CIFL for 2014, but that has yet to happen.
X-League Indoor Football: One of the founders of the proposed new indoor X-League, which plans to start play in the spring of 2014, stated the league currently has three teams (the Lakeland-based Florida Marine Raiders, St. Louis Attack and the Dalton-based Georgia Rampage), but plans to add another Georgia-based team in October and a team in Pennsylvania in early November. There are also plans for a team in Alabama for the 2015 season.
Canadian Football League: Last year there was talk of a possible CFL expansion team for Saskatoon, but the CFL commissioner recently stated the league is not considering the idea. The CFL already has the Regina-based Saskatchewan Roughriders in the province. The league is concentrating on the addition of the new Ottawa RedBlacks franchise to the East Division in 2014 and future expansion into the Atlantic Provinces, possibly Moncton (New Brunswick), which hosted a regular-season CFL game this weekend.
HOCKEY
American Hockey League: The Portland (ME) Pirates announced the team will play its entire 2013-14 in Lewiston (ME) due to ongoing renovations at its home arena in Portland. The Pirates and arena management in Portland are involved in a legal dispute and there is a possibility the AHL team will not return. If the Pirates remain in Lewiston, Portland would not be allowed to add a different AHL team due to the close proximity of the markets and could look to a possible ECHL team.
SOCCER
National Premier Soccer League: The elite-level men's NPSL announced the addition of three new teams for the 2014 season. These include the Temecula (CA) FC in the West Region Southern Conference, the Storm FC of Broward County (FL) in the Sunshine Conference and a team in Lansing (MI) that will be added to the Midwest Region Great Lakes Conference.
Professional Arena Soccer League: The owner of the Grand Island-based Nebraska Danger team in the Indoor Football League tried to add a PASL team to the market for the 2013-14 season, but could not work out a deal with the local arena. The owner of the Nebraska Danger arranged a PASL exhibition game in Grand Island in May 2011 between the PASL's Kansas Magic (Topeka) and an assembled team called the Nebraska All-Stars. When the 2013-14 PASL schedule was announced earlier this month, the Hidalgo-based Rio Grande Valley La Fiera FC team was listed as the Hidalgo (TX) La Fiera FC. The league's Hidalgo-based Rio Grande Valley Flash team from last season came under new ownership in the off-season and was renamed the La Fiera FC.
North American Soccer League: The proposed new NASL team called the Virginia Cavalry is supposed to start play in the 2014 Spring Season, but it is looking for a temporary home venue due to delays in completing a new stadium in Loudoun County. The new stadium, which is to be shared with a new team in the Atlantic Baseball League, will not be completed until July 2014, at the earliest. The NASL also plans to add teams called the Indy Eleven (Indianapolis) and Ottawa Fury for the 2014 Spring Season.
Dan Krieger is the creator of the "The Leagueology Almanac 2012-13", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The publication is currently available at www.amazon.com.
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Canadian American League Stories from September 30, 2013
- Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger
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