Potter County (Texas) will exclusively negotiate with Southern Independent Baseball for a lease at Potter County Stadium — the former Amarillo Dilla Villa — as the independent American Association is poised to move into Amarillo for the 2011 season. Southern Independent Baseball is headed by Scott Berry, who also own the Shreveport-Bossier Captains in the […]
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First look: Proposed St. Paul Saints ballpark
The St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) will be taking another run at state funding for a new downtown ballpark, this time with a design of sorts in hand and a game plan that includes lots of support from the local business community. Gone is Mike Veeck‘s vision of a ballpark oriented to the west […]
MacInnes joins Golden League during transitional time
Brian MacInnes is the new president of Diamond Sports and Entertainment, which owns the independent Golden Baseball League; he joins the circuit at a time when it’s facing great challenges for the 2011 season and beyond. MacInnes, a C.P.A., comes to Diamond Sports from Deloitte & Touche, one of the Big Four accounting firms, where […]
Indy realignment: Two scenarios
Insiders tell us there are two scenarios for the potential realignment of the Frontier League, Northern League and American Association. Under both, the current Northern League would cease to exist — but could come back in name only in the second. Things are coming to a head in the potential independent-baseball realignment, first reported here […]
Dillas officially evicted; Amarillo to seek new tenant for ballpark
The decision by Potter County Commissioners to end the lease for the Amarillo Dillas (independent; United League Baseball) may have terminated the current version of the team over unpaid rent, but the independent American Association is preparing a bid for the market. The meeting of the Potter County Commissioners was pretty much a formality: Reunion […]
ULB bounces second Amarillo check — but no funds wired this time
Reunion Sports Group, the outfit behind the independent United League Baseball, bounced a second check for back rent at the Amarillo Dilla Villa — but this time there’s no wiring of funds to cover the shortfall, leaving Potter County officials wondering what to do. The league had agreed to lease the Amarillo Dilla Villa for […]
ULB bounces check for Amarillo rent, but immediately corrects it
The drama over the future of United League Baseball in Amarillo was heightened when the beleaguered indy circuit bounced a check to Potter County for Amarillo Dilla Villa back rent, but the league quickly wired funds to cover it. Potter County ordered ULB to make up $100,000 in back rent for the home of the […]
New for 2012: The Loudoun Hounds
The name of the new independent Atlantic League team in Loudoun County, Virginia, has a name and a logo: The Loudoun Hounds. The team name and logo reflects the equestrian traditions intrinsic in the history of Loudoun County and the wider region. “Today, I am proud to unleash the Hounds,” announced Bob Farren, President and […]
ULB facing ballpark issues in Amarillo?
Multiple sources indicate that the independent United Baseball League may be removed as a tenant of the Amarillo Dilla Villa within a matter of weeks by Texas’s Potter County because of unpaid rent going back to the beginning of the 2010 season. The embattled indy circuit, which lost a ballpark lease in Laredo after the […]
Frontier League announces end-of-year honors
The independent Frontier League announced its end-of-the-season awards today, and the Southern Illinois Miners and Ryan Gates were the big winners. The Southern Illinois Miners attracted over 200,000 fans for the fourth consecutive season, finishing the regular season with an average attendance of 4,253 fans, both enough to win Organization of the Year. The Miners […]
ULB announces end-of-year awards
United League Baseball announced its annual awards today, and the San Angelo Colts and Laredo’s Jose Melendez were among the big winners for front-office and broadcasting duties. “In congratulating all the winners I feel this shows how good this league is as a whole,” said United League President Byron Pierce. “We look to continue all […]
Indy realignment in the discussion phase
Multiple sources confirm that recent discussions between reps of the independent American Association, Northern League and Frontier League could yield a dramatic realignment of the independent scene for the 2011 or 2012 seasons, as old grudges and bitter rivalries are giving way to a new sense of economic reality. The discussions directly between American Association/Northern […]
Laredo finalizes lease with Ventura Sports for new 2012 ballpark
The city of Laredo and Ventura Sports, the owner of two independent American Association teams and another on the way, finalized their lease for a new $18 million ballpark set to open in 2012. The Laredo City Council approved the Lease and Operations Agreement with Ventura Sports Group for the ballpark planned for construction […]