Wild Things ownership in court over blocked Kokomo expansion team

In case you missed it, in today's edition of the Observer-Reporter staff writer Barbara Miller has a story about the ownership of the Wild Things being in litigation over the Frontier League failing to land an expansion team in Kokomo, Ind., for the 2015 season.

Here is the link to the story:

http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20150711/SPORTS03/150719868

If you want a Reader's Digest version, here it goes:

According to the lawsuit ...

* The Wild Things ownership, in its own right and for the benefit of the Frontier League, has filed suit against MKE Sports & Entertainment, Michael Zimmerman and MKE Baseball. The Frontier League was named as nominal defendant.

* The story goes back to the spring of 2014, when the Frontier League's board of directors identified Kokomo, Ind., as a potential site for an expansion team. Kokomo was building a new ballpark with more than 2,000 permanent seats and a lawn-seating area. The Frontier League was willing to give the potential Kokomo franchise to any current owner at the bargain-basement price of $50,000. They would have to fund the franchise until they could sell it to an outside owner. The league valued such as franchise at $1 million.

* Stu Williams, owner of the Wild Things, and Clint Brown, owner of the Florence Freedom, were appointed to negotiate a lease with the City of Kokomo to place an expansion team in the new ballpark. Brown eventually withdrew from the position.

* At the time Williams was in negotiations, the Rockford Aviators' ownership, in conjunction with Zimmerman, who owns KME Sports, also was in negotiations with Kokomo to land a lease for the ballpark.

* The Frontier League advised the Aviators that they were to take no further action in regards to Kokomo.

* The Aviators ignored the directive from the league and a contract/lease was signed between Zimmerman and Kokomo.

* Zimmerman tried to use the lease as leverage to be given a franchise in the Frontier League. He eventually has Kokomo join the Prospect League, which is a college summer league. Zimmerman also owns the Jamestown (N.Y.) franchise in that league.

* Because the FL does not have a team in Kokomo, the league's 13 owners must financially support for another season the Frontier Greys, the league's traveling team.

* After being denied a Frontier League expansion team, Zimmerman signs a contract to become CEO of the Aviators and KME Sports signs a management contract to run the day-to-day operations of the franchise.

* Williams asked the Frontier League to take legal action but it did not, so Williams proceeded on his own. Commissioner Bill Lee eventually imposed a "substantial" fine on those involved in getting Kokomo to sign with the Prospect League, but Lee's 44-page decision was ordered sealed by the court.

* MKE Sports terminates its contract with the Aviators after Lee rules that Zimmerman has an ownership in multiple teams in another league, violating the Frontier League's bylaws. A Frontier League team owner can have teams in other leagues, but to do so it must be approved by two-thirds of the FL. Zimmerman, apparently, did not have kind of support.

* Wild Things ownership is seeking a jury trial and is requesting: 1. an award of all costs associated with running the Greys in 2015 and a reasonable period of time after the season; 2. the $50,00 expansion fee (that price is now expired); 3. any profits or other benefits the Zimmerman Defendants directly or indirectly receive from the lease or the Kokomo team; 4. other relief.