PRESS RELEASE – American West Baseball League is announcing today the resignation of CEO Michael Cummings and that the league will go dark for the 2013 season.
The Commissioner Sean Smock will replace Michael Cummings as the new CEO and shall remain also as the Commissioner. With all of the team changes and new ownership groups, the league has decided it would be in the best interest of players, cities, ownership groups and the league to reschedule our inaugural season to 2014. Our goal has always been to operate a league however, it has also been our goal to do it right, from the beginning and many would say that we did not accomplish this goal. However, we believe by postponing our season it will give us the opportunity to do it correctly and professionally.
American West Baseball League would like to thank all the individuals, businesses, media and cities that supported us and let them know that we will continue working towards the Inaugural Season in 2014.
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Fans of minor league ball in indy markets have to spend extra time praying and crossing their fingers. Teams and leagues come and go, even more frequently than affiliated franchises switch towns for newer ballparks or larger markets. The extra financial burdens; without the assistance of a big daddy major league team, make it a dicey proposition at best. So when a city, like my town of Alpine TX with the Pecos League and even the former Continental League, enjoy something most towns don’t have — a pro game in a wonderful historic facility built for the Doubleday game, let us enjoy it without the criticism rampant of “bush league”, “semi-pro” etc, etc. I know there’s been a lot of harping about the old CBL and Andrew Dunn’s Pecos League, but for the moment, 8 towns have pro baseball that wouldn’t otherwise.
Like I said, everyone keep up the prayers, keep fingers crossed, go out and support your home town team in any of the pro leagues. You’ll miss it a lot more if it once was there and suddenly isn’t, having joined the ever longer list of “former”.
By the way, it isn’t any skate through the park for teams in some minor hockey leagues, like the CHL. They keep losing teams to the NAHL — at best a second tier Junior A league. Junior A may be alright for our Canadian friends, but give me pro hockey back in places like Odessa and McAllen TX.
will you be refunding the money to the players who tried out and got “contracts,” how about the cwl guys who got “signed”?
Really, this comes down to another aborted league/team run by Cummings. This guy could field an entire league of teams he’s owned that have never played a game. If Indy ball out west is going to make it, the league has to have NOTHING to do with Cummings or his posse. It’s great to see the Pecos League and Pacific Association making it. Hopefully they can grow both in cities and in stadium size and become viable, respected indy leagues like the AA, AtlL, FL, and CanAm. Lots of options on the table for the SW come 2014.
Im from Nor-Cal and i like what im seeing with San Rafael Pacifics and Vallejo Admirals, hopefully they can keep it going and add more teams in the future
Fullerton never sounded like a go with no place to play. So all of the teams came after the initial formation. Next year Tucson will be available, although not sure where they would play for sure. Bisbee sounded like a go, the league had even ordered uniforms for the Copperheads. Now they have more time and we get to hear about possible new teams for the entire next 12 months. lol.. oh well I guess I find it interesting anyway.
There’s no “experiment”. The WBL is not the mess that followed. 2 completely different groups, 3 if you count Cummings. Just because those guys failed doesn’t mean someone else would too. No comment on Cummings but some of us saw the writing on the wall long ago.
Don’t see why they need to talk to ODP. Frank Boulton did fine to get things off the ground before there was an ODP. They may be a good group of owners but they aren’t like the only ones in independent baseball.
There are things that need to be done right and things that should not be done at all and some people need to figure those things out. It’s not hard to figure out, just some people don’t get it or some people see money and want to cash out.
Maybe this Smock guy is the one, who knows. But if he keeps the same plan they have now then there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
The experiment that started with the Western Baseball League and continued with the Golden and North American Leagues should now come to a close. Lots of people lost lots of money. Many cities in California and Arizona turned sour on independent baseball. A lot of bills haven’t been paid. I hope anyone who wants to build a new league will talk to Opening Day Partners and follow the lead of the Atlantic League, instead of going it on their own.