PRESS RELEASE – The Midwest Collegiate League’s Commissioner, Don Popravak, has announced that effective immediately, the Will County CrackerJacks and the Illinois Lincolns baseball clubs have resigned from the League.
Jamie Toole, Owner, President and General Manager of the CrackerJacks and Lincolns, notified the Midwest Collegiate League’s Board of Directors of his decision to resign from the League at approximately 6:35 p.m. Thursday. Commissioner Don Popravak stated that “each club in the League has a financial obligation to meet its debt payments to the League throughout the year.” He added, “It is most unfortunate that Mr. Toole has made this decision.”
Commissioner Popravak further stated the following: “In our opinion, Jamie Toole’s decision to voluntarily resign his clubs from the League during the season significantly impacts the fifty-or-so college baseball players, managers and coaches that were recruited for his CrackerJacks and Illinois Lincolns teams. These baseball players, managers and coaches are the ones who are paying the very high price of not being able to continue their baseball development this summer. Additionally, it affects the communities that supported these players and clubs.”
The Midwest Collegiate League’s six remaining clubs — the Chicago Zephyrs, DeKalb County Liners, DuPage County Hounds, Rockford Foresters and Southland Vikings — are revising the League’s remaining schedule and will release it on Friday, July 20th. Its 46-game schedule this year runs from June 1st through July 29th. Post-season League playoffs begin on July 31st.
The MCL League will continue to look for expansion franchises across the Midwest for the 2013 season and beyond. “We are looking for experienced owners and operators who share our vision of creating a top pre-minor league baseball destination filled with potential Major League Baseball prospects and who can recreate the family fun excitement and experiences that are seen at the Minor League venues,” stated Commissioner Popravak.
ballparkbiz.wordpress.com 
Let’s see…
* A league hires as one of its managers a guy who was fired from 3 previous college coaching jobs because of his maniacal behavior toward umpires.
* This same manager assaults off the field on their way to their locker room two umpires who just worked a game where the manager’s team lost a big lead.
* A criminal complaint & police report is filed against the offending manager.
* Law enforcement requests the written statements given to the league from witnesses to the assault, but the league refuses to turn over anything to the police.
* The assaulting manager is not suspended until 5 days after the incident, and he’s suspended only when it becomes known that the police report is filed by the umpires.
* The manager is suspended “indefinitely” pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, but after a mere 4 games, he is reinstated without comment.
* Meanwhile, the umpire crew chief of the game after which the assault occurred was kicked out of the league, even though he did nothing wrong and the assault by the manager was directed more so at the other umpire in the game (verified by numerous witnesses). He’s a veteran umpire with a decades long, stellar reputation, BTW.
* The league failed to meet the July 6th and July 20th pay dates for its umpires. Umpires began resigning in early July, with more turning in their resignations as the days progress. Of course, the league demanded the umpires purchase on their own and wear a specific uniform. (Good luck to the league for ever finding halfway decent umpires to work their games!)
* The commissioner runs 2 of the league’s teams, and his wife is the league’s attorney. No, no conflict there. Riggggghhhhht.
* The owner of two of the teams, a person with a track record of skipping out on owing organizations/people money, suddenly and without notice folds his two teams and walks away leaving over 50 players hanging and leaves the league with unpaid expenses.
* The league bills itself as “pre-professional,” yet the behavior they’ve exhibited this year has been contemptible and reprehensible, at best.
Baseball people everywhere would be best to stay as far away as possible from this sorry excuse of a collegiate league. The people who run it are a bunch of unprofessional scumbags.
Wait a minute. Doesn’t the season end in 9 days? What the hell was the point of waiting this long if this was the plan or why do it at all if that wasn’t the plan and there are only 9 days left. Must be a very bad situation…
I don’t see how any of those teams are making it with those attendance numbers…The lead team is at about 600.
Don – glad to hear. Summer college ball is a great thing in a lot of ways and good to see the oilmen thriving.
I swear we see his name every single year. Not a good look.
In the scheme of the defection of a couple rebellious teams from the Midwest Collegiate League, I wish the Oilmen continue success. I attended a game in early June and enjoyed the neighborhood setting and proximity to the city of Chicago and lakefront. I also felt a slight envy when the kid next to me caught (or should I say harvested) three foul balls. All joking aside, it was a pleasant visit to Oil City Stadium and enjoyed talking with players at the Bulldog Brewpub. I only wish I lived closer, I would want to be a part of the team in some capacity.
The Northwest Indiana Oilmen Baseball Club http://www.nwioilmen.com are not connected in anyway whatsoever to Jamie Toole or his Illinois Lincolns and Will County CrackerJacks clubs other than having played in the same league as them. The Oilmen organization is enjoying enthusiastic and strong support from our fans and the Northwest Indiana businesses in our Inaugural Season. We are looking forward to continuing to provide affordable family fun and entertainment to the fans of the Region for years to come.
I am assuming lack of funds
Looks like everything else is all set with all of the other teams. Check out http://www.MidwestCollegiateLeague.com The CrackerJacks and Lincolns have already been removed from the leagues header.
What about the Oil Men in Whiting?
No news here about them, so I assume they are still operating. Below are attendance stats:
http://midwestcl.bbstats.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=771&seasonid=15900
Alan
shocking! lol this guy is a joke has been fired from every job he has ever had, started the South Coast League (FAIL), Super Indy Baseball (NEVER HAPPENED) Collegiate Teams (FAIL) GM of several teams (FAIL)
How does this Toole guy keep finding a job? Nobody checking his history?
The young men on these two teams are the ones that are paying the price for being scammed. They take money from all these guys and then they don’t pay the bills and leave them hanging. Then he changed his mind about playing the last couple of weeks between the two teams so the players ‘Would have a chance to play on
Another team’. Yeah right. A few players made it to other teams while he saved money. And obviously this guy seems to do it every year. Wish my son and I had read up on the team owners. Won’t make that mistake again. Then they have the audacity to say they may refund some of your money. Don’t forget, this guy also let another of his teams fold this year also, the Chicago Jets, which paid even more money than the other teams. Hopefully there is no team for him next year!!
Mary, Mary, Mary,
Some time has passed and perhaps now you have some perspective on this situation. Isn’t the most important thing that our boys did get new uniforms and were able to play with bats and balls for most of the summer– and they stayed out of the POOL HALLS!!!