Four turn down Frontier League

According to ballparkdigest.com, the eight-team Northern League split today with four teams joining the American Association and four others (Joliet, Lake County, Rockford and Schaumburg) turning down an offer to join the Frontier League. The remaining four teams also spurned an offer to join their former rivals in the American Association.

The four remaining teams -- each located in Illinois -- will comprise the new Northern League and the its commissioner will seek expansion opportunities. According to the website, there are financial reasons for the two teams to remain in the Northern League -- it's seen by some owners as the best way to preserve franchise values at a time when Joliet and Schaumburg are up for sale -- and some logistical arguments to running a league in which all four teams are in close proximity, which cuts travel costs. As mentioned in an earlier post, Joliet and Schaumburg are deep in debt.

I'm not sure how you can run a league with only four teams. Four teams is not a league. Heck, it's not even a division.

So, for now, a 16-team Frontier League in 2011 is not a possibility. It will be interesting to see if the four-team Northern League even makes it to opening day, and you can be sure the Frontier League will be watching.

Northern League raiding Frontier League?

It seems the Northern League has declared war on the Frontier League.

Earlier this month, the Northern League enticed the Rockford RiverHawks to switch leagues beginning in 2010. At the time, it appeared it was a move that would help both leagues. The Northern League, which is adding an expansion franchise next year, was stuck at seven teams. The Frontier League, which is adding the Normal (Ill.) CornBelters next season, was going to have an unworkable 13 teams. Rockford switching leagues was seen as a way to give both leagues even-numbered teams.

But according to ballparkdigest.com, the Northern League is not content with one former Frontier League franchise. Representatives of the Northern League have contacted owners of the Windy City ThunderBolts about changing leagues and have offered the same deal given to Rockford: $250,000 up front, a waiver on travel-team fees and a limit on long Western road trips.

There is no word yet if the ThunderBolts are considering the move, but the website reports that the Northern League is worried that Winnipeg, Fargo-Moorhead and Kansas City will leave for the American Association. If that happens, the expansion franchise, Rockford and Windy City would give the Northern six teams, each located in the Chicago area.

Read the story here.

Rockford leaving Frontier League

This is a couple of day old, but I haven't seen the stories linked anywhere on the FL site. The Rockford RiverHawks, who joined the Frontier League in 2002 (the same year as the Wild Things) have announced they will move to the independent Northern League next year. The announcement came less than two weeks after the RiverHawks hosted the Frontier League's All-Star game.

The Northern League has a larger salary cap ($105,000) than the Frontier League ($72,000).

"The Frontier League understands economically where we are coming from and where we want to go,” said Rockford general manager and vice president Josh Olerud. “Obviously, with how we’ve been growing, it’s a step back for them. But it sounds like there are new teams interested in that league as well, so it won’t hurt them too much.”

Losing Rockford solves the odd-numbered team problem for the FL. With Normal, Ill., coming into the league, it will be back at 12 teams for 2010.

Read the story here.