Frontier League Meeting Could Hold Key for Many Indy Teams

    While some stories had pointed to a decision in the middle of this week on the fate of the dozen or so teams without more than a four-team league in which to operate next season and the Golden League had projected an announcement for today (Thursday), I cannot help but believe Monday’s Frontier League ownership meeting outside of Chicago (Orland Park) may hold much of the key.

      That conclusion comes about since the four remaining Northern League teams have applied to the Frontier to join the 12-team Midwestern circuit and one of them, Joliet, IL, seems totally determined that is the league where it wants the JackHammers to land.  The Herald News is reporting a group of investors, including current minority stockholder Alan Oremus, has reached a tentative agreement to buy the cash-strapped Joliet team.  “We’re all still very positive,” City Manager Thomas Thanas told the newspaper.  Thanas and Councilman Thomas Giarrante, who bluntly told The Herald News “we want to be in the Frontier League”, plan to be on site to lobby for admission to the 18-year-old league.

      Joliet’s destination could hold at least part of the key to the widely-rumored plan for the Northern League teams plus the remains of the Golden and United Leagues to form what is being called the North American League.  If formed, the NAL could have a dozen or more teams in three divisions with most of the games in the division with the best geographic fit for each team and some inter-divisional play.

      If Joliet leaves, only three teams—at most—remain for one division.

      Both Northern League Commissioner Clark Griffith and Schaumburg, IL Owner Rich Ehrenreich have told media in Illinois the three leagues will play each other although other possible stumbling blocks, which likely are at least delaying the finalization of an agreement, include the fact Schaumburg has debts and is up for sale and Golden League stalwart Chico, CA has been facing obstacles to continuing to play at Nettleton Stadium.

      Additional cities most prominently mentioned for the North American circuit include United League holdovers Edinburg, Harlingen and San Angelo in Texas, Alberta province teams in Edmonton and Calgary plus Maui, HA from the ’10 Golden League and Rockford, IL and Zion, IL from the Northern League.

Atlantic League Could Get Second Long Island Team

      While we have nothing new to report on the Atlantic League’s desire to have a four-team division in the southwest a year from now because of the new stadium planned for Sugar Land, TX, it appears the league is closer to adding a second franchise on heavily populated Long Island.  It already has the highly popular Long Island Ducks, who annually sell out and lead Independent Baseball in attendance.

      Nassau County hopes to break ground no later than 2012 for a ballpark, with Long Island’s leading newspaper, Newsday, reporting stadium funding would be guaranteed by the county and payments would be made by a team.

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Six Indy Players With 2010 Major League Time Now Out

       The minor league free agency toll, which always numbers in the hundreds in the fall, has hit no less than six former Independent players who logged some major league time this season.  The most surprising might be that of outfielder Matt Watson, who went all the way from Lancaster, PA (Atlantic League) this season to the American League’s Oakland Athletics before an appendectomy sidelined him.  Oakland also dropped pitcher Edwar Ramirez, who had rebounded from twice being released by the Los Angeles Angels to pitch for the New York Yankees as well as the A’s.  He had made his way to the majors by way of Pensacola, FL (now in the American Association) and Edinburg, TX (a current United League member).  The change-up artist posted a 7-2 record with two saves in 103 major league games.

      Lefty Raul Valdes (New Jersey and Nashua, NH, Can-Am League) was dropped by the New York Mets, Pittsburgh axed RHP Chris Jakubauskas (Lincoln, NE, American Association; Florence, KY and Ohio Valley, Frontier League; Orange County, Golden League), the Chicago White Sox released LHP Randy Williams (Edinburg), and OF Cory Aldridge (Newark, NJ, Atlantic League) chose free agency from the Angels.

      Others with recent major league time on release lists include first baseman Wily Mo Pena (Bridgeport, CT, Atlantic) and pitcher Greg Burke (Atlantic City, NJ,  Atlantic) by San Diego and hurlers Josh Kinney (River City, Frontier League) by St. Louis,  Mark Prior (Orange County) by Texas, Scott Patterson (Gateway, Frontier, and Lancaster) by Seattle and R. J. Swindle (Schaumburg, IL, Northern League, and Newark) by Tampa Bay.   

       (This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes year round on Independent Baseball.  Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com, enjoy his blogs, www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com and www.IndyBaseballChatter.com, or comment to RWirz@aol.com.  The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)