February 8, 2007
Surf Dawgs Suspend
Operations
 With
the release of its 2007 schedule, the Golden
Baseball League officially confirmed that the San
Diego Surf Dawgs franchise would suspend operations for the
upcoming season.
January 26, 2006
Jackson Senators
Face the Inevitable
 Yesterday,
the owners of the Jackson
Senators of the now-defunct Central
Baseball League made what had become an inevitable announcement.
With no league of its own and no prospect of joining the
new United Baseball League or the American Association for the 2006
season, the Senators officially closed shop in Jackson, Mississippi after
four seasons.
"When we bought the team, we bought it so we could have professional-grade baseball in this area,"
said Cal Wells, who was part of the ownership group. "With the
(Mississippi) Braves coming (to nearby Pearl, Miss. last season), we didn't want to be an impediment to them. We said originally we would be a bridge until another team came. With Double-A baseball there, we feel like we have done what we set out to do. Our goal from that standpoint was accomplished."
For more details, read
this article in Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger newspaper.
If anyone has additional information to add to the
Senators page or any other team pages, please
let me know.
January 10, 2006
Elmira Pioneers Dropped from
Can-Am
Association
 On
Jan. 9, the Can-Am League announced that
Sussex County, NJ (formerly home to the New Jersey Cardinals of the Class
A New York-Penn League) would join the league as its eighth team.
As an afterthought, the league also mentioned the fact that the
Elmira Pioneers would be dropped to make room for the new club.
Owned since 2002 by former Japanese major leaguers Hideo
Nomo, Hideki Irabu and Mac Suzuki, the Pioneers struggled at the gate
and in the standings for many years.
If anyone has additional information to add to the
Pioneers page or any other team pages, please
let me know.
December 7, 2005
Mid-Missouri Mavericks
Suspend Operations
OK, this is old news in the world of
independent baseball.
Because ownership decided to suspend
operations for next season, the Mid-Missouri
Mavericks will now be added to the Frontier League team page and to
Indy Leagues Graveyard. They may not be dead and gone, but they're
definitely on life support.
The Mavericks may be back in Columbia or elsewhere in
2007. If they do, it will be officially "revived" and returned
to the world of the living independent teams.
If anyone has additional information to add to the
Mavericks page or any other team pages, please
let me know.
November 23, 2005
Three Teams Suspend
Operations in
Golden Baseball League
Yesterday, the Golden Baseball League
unveiled its 2006 schedule and revealed that three clubs would suspend
operations for next season.
The lack of concession revenue for the team coupled with
the league's worst overall attendance prompted the GBL to drop the Mesa
Miners. Efforts to find a replacement team and keep its eight-club
alignment proved unsuccessful, so the league was forced to drop the Surprise
Fightin' Falcons franchise for a balanced six-club loop. Not
surprisingly, it also dissolved its road team, the Japan
Samurai Bears.
“While it was a difficult decision, the league believes
that it is in its best long-term interests to suspend both franchises for
the 2006 season,” said David Kaval, Golden Baseball League CEO and
co-founder.
“As stand alone business units, both teams faced
numerous challenges in 2005. We intend to spend the next six months
re-evaluating the markets to determine what changes need to be made in
order to ensure the long-term success of the teams. City representatives
in both Mesa and Surprise have been great to work with, and remain
committed to hosting GBL teams in the future.”
Click
here for the full press release.
As everyone familiar with the history of independent
league baseball knows, suspending operations of a team is the kiss of
death. Perhaps the Mesa and Surprise clubs can be resuscitated for
the 2007 season. Until then, they will have a home here in the Indy
Leagues Graveyard.
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