The 2014 independent professional baseball season is now completed, with the upcoming development and fall/winter/spring leagues starting soon. The Lancaster Barnstormers won the 2014 Atlantic League title, defeating the Sugar Land Skeeters (story here). This was the last league to complete its season, with the six other independent leagues having finished their post-season games in recent weeks.
The Barnstormers have been added to the list of historical independent professional baseball league championship teams. That link is here:
Upcoming posts will cover the state of independent baseball, likely happenings for next year, business developments and much more. Please leave your thoughts on additional topics you would like to see covered in future posts this off-season. Thanks!
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Get notified of upcoming independent baseball tryouts from either of these services: first service or the second service. Prospective players can find some helpful resources here
See the list of former / folded independent baseball teams since 1993 and get non-official merchandise featuring those teams: Former Independent Baseball Teams And Merchandise
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Please probe the Atlantic League to see if it really IS going to expand in 2015…FINALLY! It was said that Virginia Beach is ready to go, but that makes me wonder if the Loundon VA Hounds are still having problems getting it together, or if the idea has been scuttled. Will we see the Road Warriors again, or will a second Texas franchise finally appear. Usually the AL has made such announcements by now, and their schedule has been set.
Will the Frontier Greys have to play again, or is there finally a franchise ready to take over in 2015? Do they dare expand to 16 in 2015? What about the supposed town where the Greys were supposed to play some home games? I never really saw any article on their site, or results reflecting that.
Interleague play between the American Association and the CanAm seems to be a done deal again for 2015. The AA announced the addition of Joplin, which brings the league back to 13 teams, while the CanAm adds Ottawa, bringing it back to 5 teams. So a more bona fide interleague schedule will come out, although you would think that the size of the AA would promote the possibility of a travel squad, and that the CanAm could invite Newark back, poor at drawing as they are. At least the CAN side of the CanAm becomes more creditable now, with the addition of the Champions. Why they cannot get an independent franchise into Montreal is totally beyond me, however. Do they hate baseball that much now, just because the Expos left them?
The Pecos League actually HAS a pretty good schedule out already, having decided to just deal with 8 firmer franchises, dropping two that did poor. I feel badly for Raton…but have NO bad feelings about Douglas! Something wrong with that town, supporting a Mexican team over an American one! But the league again OVERLY supports Santa Fe, with 52 of 70 games at home! It also belittles Las Vegas, from where it should probably LEAVE, by giving them only 18 home games…two of which are probably being played in Santa Rosa. The latter is probably not up to supporting a FULL time team yet. But I suggested that a SECOND team could be set up in Santa Fe, because the first one has done amazing. NOT fair, however, that the All Star game gets to ONLY be there, slightly the other teams that have done well in the Pecos.
Here’s hoping that the Pacific Association solidifies and expands to six. Try to find out how Pittsburg did, let alone the other competitive three. If Maui joins the Japan circle, will you even bother covering them again?
So the Atlantic League continues to lie about expansion happening. This group is obviously NOT to be trusted about this subject ever again. All that razzle about Virginaia Beach coming aboard in 2015? All worthless.
So don’t expect much change in the speed of the game either. Don’t know why they bother, as most games I follow are done in 2:45 hours, which I think is the perfect length anymore. MLB and Japan need to take notes! Obviously the lengthier games there are because of all the extra commercials one DOESN”T have to put with in minor league ball, plus the ever longer and longer renditions of singing during the 7th inning stretch. God hasn’t blessed America obviously…so we should be done with that crap by now. Take me out to the ball game doesn’t add any time to it.
Ridiculous schedules now…week long series in Sugarland? The AL is taking lessons from the Maui setup and the Pecos League? Sad…very sad.