The Lake County Fielders will finish out the season as a member of the independent North American League, but if an NAL team doesn’t show up for a series, the opponent will be the Kenosha County Fielders. The Washington Generals Kenosha County Fielders could be pressed into action tomorrow, when Na Koa Ikaika Maui is […]
Tag Archives | independent
Fielders: We’re still in NAL — for now
The independent North American League has pulled back on kicking the Lake County Fielders from the circuit for the time being, as Rich Ehrenreich says the team will finish out the season playing against NAL teams or squads from a different league. This isn’t to say that a league action won’t come shortly: we get […]
Fielders tossed from North American League
The Lake County Fielders have been kicked out of the independent North American League after failing to show up yesterday for a scheduled four-day series against Na Koa Ikaika Maui — the logical conclusion to one of the worst seasons in baseball history. The league made this announcement on its Facebook page: The North American […]
Fielders skip on Hawaii road trip; season in question
The Lake County Fielders (independent; North American League) did not fly to Hawaii for a long series against Na Koa Ikaika Maui today as scheduled, as the team’s status is now certainly up for debate. Ownership has been quiet about exactly what’s going on. That ownership, by the way, includes more than just Rich Ehrenreich, […]
Frederick reopens ballpark-lease discussions
A proposed lease between the Frederick Keys (High Class A; Carolina League) and the city for Harry Grove Stadium will be reevaluated after city aldermen questioned why a higher bid from the independent Atlantic League was rejected. City officials will meet with Keys officials today to address some of these shortcomings — specifically, in the […]
Another forfeit in the NAL — this time in Chico
Things seem to be careening out of control in the independent North American League, as the circuit’s second forfeit in three days came last night after a bench-clearing brawl featuring former major leaguer Tony Phillips. The brawl had its roots in the third inning, when former major leaguer and current Yuma Scorpions third baseman Tony […]
Fielders game scrapped because of sub-par baseballs
Just when you think things couldn’t get weirder: last Friday’s Lake County Fielders (independent; North American League) game was scrapped because the team failed to provide official Rawlings baseballs and substituted recreational baseballs. Not all baseballs are created the same, and the professional baseballs manufactured by the likes of Rawlings are of a considerably higher […]
River City Wizards for a night
The River City Rascals (independent; Frontier League) will be the River City Wizards on Sept. 1, as the team honors longtime St. Louis coach Lonnie Maclin with an Ozzie Smith promotion. Smith is a longtime friend of Maclin, who played in twelve games for the Cardinals in 1993. Maclin suffered a stroke back in January […]
Zion: Fielders owe us $185K in back rent
In what could be the start of a contentious — and litigious — divorce, the city of Zion has demanded $185,000 in back rent from the Lake County Fielders (independent; North American League), but owner Rich Ehrenreich says he doesn’t owe a thing. The city isn’t moving to kick the Fielders out of Fielders Stadium, […]
Competitive eater Kobayashi to take on RailCats fans
Nice promotion for the Gary SouthShore RailCats (independent; American Association) legendary competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi will take on five ‘Cats fans at U.S. Steel Yard during an Aug. 17 appearance. Competitive eating is just what it sounds like: folks face off to see how much they can eat in a given period of time. In […]
The Schaumburg Mallers? Not so fast
The new Schaumburg team in independent baseball still doesn’t have a name, even though there’s been a winner in a name-the-team contest: the Schaumburg Mallers. The contest was a a drawing among all entering a name. Besides winner Steve Larek, an additional 65 winners were selected to receive other prizes, such as a pair of […]
Voters reject new Nassau County ballpark
It wasn’t even close: voters in Nassau County voted down $400 million in bonding for a new New York Islanders (NHL) arena and a new independent Atlantic League ballpark by a wide margin, 57 percent to 43 percent. The vote doesn’t necessarily kill the project: the county board can still go ahead and approve the […]
Atlantic League
The Atlantic League is one of the two most successful independent leagues in existence, with a stable lineup and a planned expansion to Texas in 2012. Independent / 1998-present Current TeamsBridgeport BluefishCamden RiversharksLancaster BarnstormersLong Island DucksRoad WarriorsSomerset PatriotsSouthern Maryland Blue CrabsYork Revolution Teams (in alphabetical order)Aberdeen Arsenal, 2000Atlantic City Surf, 1998-2006Bridgeport Bluefish, 1998-presentCamden Riversharks, 2001-presentLancaster […]