Mega sports league conglomerate Blanchette Sports Holdings has named Michael Bari commissioner of the new National Baseball League (formerly Nationwide Baseball League and Southeast Baseball League). According to the league’s LinkedIn and Facebook pages, the league “will span the continental United States and parts of Canada.” Further, “[t]he NBL has begun to choose locations for teams…the first market area is WESTERN TEXAS.”
NBL’s New Logo
PRESS RELEASE – BSH is happy to announce that Michael Bari will be the first Commissioner of the National Baseball League.
Michael Bari
Mr. Bari comes to the NBL with loads of experience and a great vision and a desire for success. We look forward to a long and successful relationship as the NBL moves forward.
Bari will be overseeing the day to day operations of the league. He is very excited to be taking on this role and the challenge that awaits him.
With a team of Bari as Commissioner and recently named President Dan Wingold, the National Baseball League is headed for a successful inaugural season in 2014.
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Click here for our original posting about this league with 13 comments.
ballparkbiz.wordpress.com 
If you remember, when the Atlantic League was first starting up the salary cap was $1,000,000 and it did not take them long to lower it to $250,000. If the NBL is to have a $360,000 cap, they are heading for disaster before they even get off the ground.
Let’s face it, these independent owners are really only competing with themselves. The players would have NO place to play if not for these leagues so why not pay whatever you can to make sure your club is profitable?
Everyone wants to talk about the AWBL or the Freedom League but how about these clowns http://www.blanchettesh.elementfx.com/index.html
They are launching a dozen or so sports league apparently at the same time from Baseball to Field Hockey to an “NHL” competition league the IHL and they are seeking investors, staff, a dozen commissioners etc can someone please call this guy and tell him he can play fantasy sports elsewhere and that it takes a hell of a lot more than some crappy websites and rookie level logos!
Ron,
I am confused by your post. You are commenting as though this is new news and nobody is or has been talking about it with links to the site that are already provided in the posting?
I already hit Mr. Blanchette directly on LinkedIn where he was soliciting potential owners. He subsequently deleted the unpleasant exchange. We also posted this story below, which resulted in numerous comments:
This project is going nowhere, but it is important to shed light on it before somebody gets hurt.
Alan
Sorry Alan I saw the fact of a new baseball league, I did not realize he now is soliciting a dozen leagues at once.
The Commissioner of the NBL was on facebook to talk about the league and answer questions. League will play 72 game schedule from April to September?? So it will be mostly Fri, Sat, Sun games. 360k salary cap (easily the highest in indy ball). Avg ticket will be 7.00. TWo questions were asked, one about the schedule, another asking if they are interested in a team in Muncie, Indiana.
$360k are these guys on drugs? The Atlantic League is only $250k
I followed it also… This league wreaks of inexperience. It does give me a good laugh each day, so thats a good thing.
I went ahead and followed this league on Facebook out of curiosity and I’m finding it hilarious that every single day they are just naming a region and calling it a market release. Today it was Louisiana/Mississippi, yesterday it was Arkansas. I’m guessing tomorrow will be Alabama.
“There will be a salary cap of $360,000. This is based on $200.00 per player, per game. Teams are not required to hit the cap.” from http://nblbaseball.com/expansion/. I believe that would be by far the highest paid Indy league in baseball.
The must meet these requirements:
Minimum 100,000 population
Minimum of 3 other cities within a 300 mile radius creating a tangible and workable NBL Division
No existing pro baseball team
Existence of a suitable baseball facility looking for tenants
How many places can you name that have 100k in population, 3 other cities within 300 miles with 100k, a suitable baseball facility, and no pro team?
Are you sure this isn’t a fantasy league? As in real fantasy, not one that you pick MLB players and follow their stats. As of now, if it isn’t the American Association, Atlantic League, Frontier League or Can-Am League, I won’t believe that it will come off successfully.
You would think the league address would be based out of Blanchette Sports Holdings office not out of a house in Louisiana. I also do not see a physical address for Blanchette Sports Holdings. With 9 leagues you would expect to see major names, sponsors, and some sort of professional website that shows a large financial backing. You do not see any of the present.
Now they are saying East Texas which is an improvement over West Texas. Tyler, Beaumont, Luffkin and Texarkana are bigger towns. I wish this league much success, as I dont want to see any fail. I just hope this league has the cash in pocket to make it work. I also hope they are not thinking too big to fast, a small regionalized (Central, North and East TX, Ark, OK and Missouri) if this is the market they like would be much better than trying to take over the world over night. It will be an interesting story as it unfolds.
Too big too fast? When you are claiming to launch nine (9) nationwide leagues in multiple sports at the same time, you’ve gone far, far beyond too big, too fast.
Alan
Any time a league plans on spanning more than a very limited geographic area you can bet it’s a joke.
This is a joke. There is no market for further independent leagues. Remember the South Coast League? Jamie Toole? This is adding up to the same result. There are solid independent leagues that are well run, but every time another league comes and goes leaving unpaid bills in its wake, it gives the business a bad name. I sense that will be the case IF this thing ever gets off the ground.
Surely they are NOT worried, but pretty sure they are aggressive in protection of their marks. Worth watching.
Yes, MLB would absolutely have a case here. And, I believe they would smack them down (with a cease and desist letter to start), if the project ever gets off the ground.
Alan
I dont think MLB has much to worry about there.
Do you think the National League might have an issue with the name? JD
West Texas? Fail… If you are going to look in Texas look at Weatherford, Waxahachie, Waco, Denton, W. Falls, Sherman / Denison. All these areas have a bigger population and would be great for any league. West Texas population has teams in any location worth 2 cents already. Abilene and Lubbock have no, Midland has AA and El Paso is working on AAA, Odessa has a park with no lights.