As we’ve been predicting, there’s no Burnsville team in the lineup as the independent Northern League releases a six-team schedule for 2009.
As we’ve been predicting, there’s no Burnsville team in the lineup as the independent Northern League releases a six-team schedule for 2009. League sources say the final schedule has been distributed to teams; look for them to post schedules soon.
The status of a Burnsville (Minn.) team has been under debate for several months; despite promises that an environmental study was forthcoming and financing was just around the corner, no serious progress has been made on the project. Furthermore, the principals in the ownership group have changed; we hear Tony Pettit has stepped away, leaving Terry Deroche to put together another group.
UPDATE: The PR firm for the Metro Millers — the Burnsville team — sent word to say there’s been no changes in the ownership ranks, but later events proved them wrong. The Millers owners were also holding out hope that a new ballpark can be opened in time for the 2009 season. While we disagree as to what constitutes serious progress (it’s late November and not a lick of work has been done on the site), it’s a fact that at least three teams have released their 2009 schedules, and the Millers are not on them.
UPDATE 2: The deal is dead, at least as far as the landowners and Burnville officials are concerned.