The American West Baseball League has been quoted on several sources that it has suspended operations for the 2013 season, with the intent on regrouping for the 2014 season. The sources also have stated that the league’s original CEO has stepped down with the current Commissioner replacing him as both CEO and Commissioner for the league.
Here are the articles of interest:
- http://www.nogalesinternational.com/sports/awbl-puts-halt-to-its-inaugural-season/article_f805bd42-c251-11e2-ab49-0019bb2963f4.html
- http://ballparkbiz.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/cummings-resigns-awbls-inaugural-season-postponed-until-2014/#more-40813
- http://www.ballparkdigest.com/201305226303/independent-baseball/news/awbl-goes-dark-for-2013
There likely will be follow-up stories to this announcement. Those include the status of any possible legal actions, if announced AWBL managers and coaches sign on elsewhere, etc.
Most people who have followed the AWBL since its formation likely will write off the league as one of the announced independent leagues which never played a game and will never come back. Their reasons for that belief are plentiful based on history.
The league does have an opportunity should new CEO, Sean Smock, be able to take advantage of one particular option next season. The AAA team in Tucson is moving to El Paso for the 2014, thus leaving Tucson without a pro baseball team so far. Sean was the GM of the Tucson Toros, one of the more successful franchises in the Golden League; and the team ceased operations when the AAA team came to town after that team’s original intent was to play in a California market with a brand new stadium.
Should the AWBL be able to shake off the continued failures leading up to this announcement then Tucson would be the option to consider, with Las Cruces, Bisbee and Nogales as the other teams. Obviously a lot of obstacles would have to be overcome, and they very well may be insurmountable. Of course, no announcements have been made to this effect. If any of this does happen then confirmed news will be posted on this site.
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That’s okay. I wasn’t counting on them for very much anyway.
They should interact more with Miles Wolff, or at least read his books on how to build an independent league. Works for him, even when he has to setup interleague play. Not totally balanced, but solves a problem for two of them at least.
These franchises were too spread out for that small a league anyway. Starting up would produce lots of red bills based on travel alone. I doubt the players would even get noticed.
For that matter the Pacific-Freedom idea is a long distance experiment also. Do not understand why the Hawaii teams are going to Texas, without a reciprocal trip planned. Thought they were only dealing with Japan as well as No. California.
Bizarre what people try to make work these days…and for what?