{"id":1637,"date":"2009-09-25T12:57:40","date_gmt":"2009-09-25T19:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/25\/brockton%e2%80%99s-return-seems-likely-though-can-am-league-searching-for-one-more-team\/"},"modified":"2009-09-25T12:57:40","modified_gmt":"2009-09-25T19:57:40","slug":"brockton%e2%80%99s-return-seems-likely-though-can-am-league-searching-for-one-more-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/25\/brockton%e2%80%99s-return-seems-likely-though-can-am-league-searching-for-one-more-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Brockton\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Return Seems Likely Though Can-Am League Searching for One More Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

A prime topic in many of my Independent Baseball calls these days seems to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what is going on in the Can-Am League<\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n

It sounds to these ears like some people are wondering if the Miles Wolff<\/strong>-led league is going to survive. Let me tell you up front that from what I have gathered from people inside the league it will be okay, even though some key details probably won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be known at least until October 12 when the owners hold their annual head-count meeting.<\/p>\n

What is painfully known is that the primary Indy circuit in the northeast lost Ottawa<\/strong> and Atlantic City, NJ<\/strong> shortly before the 2009 season, dropping it to a six-team league. Then, the American Defenders of New Hampshire<\/strong> were unceremoniously locked out of Holman Stadium<\/strong> in Nashua<\/strong> shortly before the season ended and had to finish in make-shift fashion on the road. The biggest potential nightmare which surfaced within the last week was that the Brockton (MA) Rox<\/strong>, considered one of the stronger franchises, had furloughed most of its employees and had major unpaid bills. That would potentially only leave Quebec<\/strong>, Worcester, MA<\/strong> and the two New Jersey<\/strong> teams in Little Falls<\/strong> and Augusta<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

My sources, which are very sound in this case, leave little doubt Brockton will be okay, even though it faces the black eye of the negative publicity. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We definitely want to come back,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d one insider told me; \u00e2\u20ac\u0153we are actively trying to come back\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Much of the debt that has been reported is due not to outside creditors but to the primary ownership face of the franchise, Californian<\/strong> and longtime Independent Baseball supporter Van Schley<\/strong>. It will be necessary that other current investors step up, and\/or one or more new financial backers come on board, but all that seems quite workable.<\/p>\n

The challenge for the league is finding at least a sixth team since Nashua seems almost certain to be lost.<\/p>\n

* * * *
\nSTILL LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT BASEBALL COVERAGE? VISIT OUR BLOG<\/strong>, www.IndyBaseballChatter.com<\/a>
\n* * * *\n<\/p>\n

Four-Team Florida League Debuts Next Month<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mickey Filippucci<\/strong> seems to be one confident and brave guy.<\/p>\n

I say this with every hope he can be successful with the newest venture into an Independent Baseball-like league. Filippucci has been running men\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leagues in southern Florida<\/strong> for 17 years, and on October 30 he and his partners, who include former major league pitcher Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez<\/strong>, launch the four-team Florida Winter Baseball League.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FWBL could be a rousing success, but there is no getting around certain facts, not the least of which is these ventures are not inexpensive. The Senior Professional Baseball League<\/strong> could not draw with name players when it started up a few years ago, the Florida State League<\/strong> does not attract many throngs after major league teams have departed in the spring, the economy still is not as strong as anyone wants it to be for selling sponsorships and the league will be flying in the face of both football and basketball for its 60-game schedule which runs through January.<\/p>\n

The Latino market will be one of the target audiences from the beginning, especially for the Miami Diamantes<\/strong>, who, according to Filippucci, already have the Leon Medical Centers<\/strong> as title sponsor. The other three teams are further north with the Space Coast Surge<\/strong> based in Cocoa<\/strong>, the Seminole County Naturals<\/strong> in Sanford<\/strong> and the Lake County Black Bears<\/strong> in Leesburg<\/strong>, which is near the large retirement community known as The Villages<\/strong> northwest of Orlando<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Filippucci, who has brought Ken Griffey, Sr.<\/strong> on board as commissioner and James Gamble<\/strong> as executive director, says the FWBL will pay players from $800-1200 a month, a departure from other recent pay-to-play winter leagues.<\/p>\n

Nearly Eight Million Fans at Independent Games<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

With the Atlantic League<\/strong> once again easily topping two million fans (2,160,734) and the enlarged Golden League<\/strong> increasing its count by more than 200,000, Independent Baseball attendance came within less than 35,000 of reaching eight million for a third consecutive season despite the economic woes. The final regular season count, based primarily on reports compiled by official league statisticians, finished at 7,965,235. That was a decrease of less than 300,000 from one year ago.<\/p>\n

The league-by-league attendance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
League, No. of Teams<\/u><\/strong><\/td>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u212208 Attendance<\/u><\/strong><\/td>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u212209 Attendance<\/u><\/strong><\/td>\nInc.\/Dec.<\/u><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
American Association (10)<\/td>\n*1,506,665<\/td>\n1,482,214<\/td>\n-24,451<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
#Atlantic League (8)<\/td>\n2,208,734<\/td>\n2,160,734<\/td>\n-47,741<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Can-Am League (6)<\/td>\n843,660<\/td>\n563,208<\/td>\n-280,452<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Continental (6)<\/td>\n——-<\/td>\n64,659<\/td>\n——-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frontier League (12)<\/td>\n1,468,977<\/td>\n1,444,226<\/td>\n-24,751<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Golden League (9)<\/td>\n428,402<\/td>\n631,109<\/td>\n+202,707<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Northern League (6)<\/td>\n1,289,330<\/td>\n1,220,300<\/td>\n-69,030<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
United League (6)<\/td>\n503,351<\/td>\n*398,526<\/td>\n*-104,825<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Totals<\/strong><\/td>\n8,249,119<\/strong><\/td>\n7,965,235<\/strong><\/td>\n283,884<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

*Attendance collected from multiple sources; some unofficial
\nNotes: Continental League attendance was not available in 2008; two of league\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 2009
\nteams spent the season on the road<\/p>\n

(This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes on Independent Baseball. Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com<\/a>, enjoy his blog, www.IndyBaseballChatter.com<\/a>, or comment to RWirz@aol.com.<\/font><\/span><\/a> 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.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A prime topic in many of my Independent Baseball calls these days seems to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what is going on in the Can-Am League\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":452,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t