Fresh from a divorce with the North American League, Godfather Media — owner of the Yuma Panthers and Orange County Flyers — is launching its own indy circuit, the American West Baseball League.
The American West Baseball League, or AWBL, will be run both as a summer independent league and a fall and winter instructional league, according to a press release issued by Godfather Media.
No word on when the league will actually begin play; it would be a little late for a 2012 season, and the team website for the Panthers still has the team as a member of the North American League.
Besides Fullerton and Yuma — where Godfather owned teams in the NAL — a press release says “AWBL has franchisees signed, in discussion or identified” in San Diego, Palm Springs, Mesa, Long Beach, Irvine and Henderson. Many of these areas were first eyed by the North American League; at one point a Henderson team was envisioned for this season, and Golden Baseball League teams played in San Diego, Mesa and Long Beach.
“I am very excited to make this announcement, after the acquisition of the Yuma Panthers and OC Flyers I knew we were on our way in a great industry,” said Michael Cummings, CEO of Godfather Media. “With recent events I knew the best thing for Godfather Media, Inc. was start a new league and hire a talented staff to run the AWBL. We have formed the league, started interviewing staff and will release their names and bios as soon as we have signed agreements. I look forward to a prosperous business model and will continue to look at acquisitions and newly formed divisions within Godfather Media, Inc.”
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