Latest on FL in 2011
Don't expect to see the Rockford RiverHawks returning to Consol Energy Park next year.
The RiverHawks, Joliet JackHammers, Schaumburg Flyers and Lake County Fielders appear headed to a new independent league, to be called the North American League, with about 18 teams throughout the country.
The North American League is actually the scraps left from the Golden League, United League and Northern League. Each league has lost teams in the offseason.
All four Northern League franchises recently applied for membership in the Frontier League, but their applications were never accepted or denied. There are issues with each franchise that has made the Frontier League wary of taking on the four teams. Joliet and Schaumburg are deep in debt and in need of new ownership, Lake County has ballpark construction problems and Rockford apparently didn't leave the Frontier League last year in good graces.
An official announcement of the three-league merger is expected Wednesday.
Here's saying this unique setup is doomed to failure. Why would cash-strapped teams from Illinois and other places hook up with a league that has teams in far-flung places like Hawaii, Calgary and Texas? Sounds like a business plan for failure, if you ask me.
So what does this mean for the Frontier League in 2011? While it would have been nice to have a 16-team league with the quality ballparks in Joliet and Schaumburg, it's no great loss for the Frontier League. Other than Rockford, those teams were never in the league, and the RiverHawks bolted before last year.
The big question now for the FL is will the league be 10 or 12 teams? There are serious questions about whether Kalamazoo will return for another season because of its woeful attendance and financial situation. The Oakland County Cruisers still have no definite financing for their ballpark, and another year of selling home dates, playing on inadequate youth league fields or before empty seats at Eastern Michigan University is not appealing to anyone in the league.
The 2011 schedule will be drawn up soon, so final decisions must be made quickly about K-zoo and Oakland County.
The RiverHawks, Joliet JackHammers, Schaumburg Flyers and Lake County Fielders appear headed to a new independent league, to be called the North American League, with about 18 teams throughout the country.
The North American League is actually the scraps left from the Golden League, United League and Northern League. Each league has lost teams in the offseason.
All four Northern League franchises recently applied for membership in the Frontier League, but their applications were never accepted or denied. There are issues with each franchise that has made the Frontier League wary of taking on the four teams. Joliet and Schaumburg are deep in debt and in need of new ownership, Lake County has ballpark construction problems and Rockford apparently didn't leave the Frontier League last year in good graces.
An official announcement of the three-league merger is expected Wednesday.
Here's saying this unique setup is doomed to failure. Why would cash-strapped teams from Illinois and other places hook up with a league that has teams in far-flung places like Hawaii, Calgary and Texas? Sounds like a business plan for failure, if you ask me.
So what does this mean for the Frontier League in 2011? While it would have been nice to have a 16-team league with the quality ballparks in Joliet and Schaumburg, it's no great loss for the Frontier League. Other than Rockford, those teams were never in the league, and the RiverHawks bolted before last year.
The big question now for the FL is will the league be 10 or 12 teams? There are serious questions about whether Kalamazoo will return for another season because of its woeful attendance and financial situation. The Oakland County Cruisers still have no definite financing for their ballpark, and another year of selling home dates, playing on inadequate youth league fields or before empty seats at Eastern Michigan University is not appealing to anyone in the league.
The 2011 schedule will be drawn up soon, so final decisions must be made quickly about K-zoo and Oakland County.
Labels: North American Baseball League
posted by Chris Dugan at
6:36 PM
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