The new indy pro Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs will replace the North Division of the indy pro North American League. In addition to playing each other, the San Rafael Pacifics, traveling Sonoma County Grapes, Na Koa Ikaika Maui, and Hawaii Stars will play 24 interleague games. The two California squads will face teams from the Freedom Pro League of Arizona. The two Hawaii squads will face teams from the Baseball Challenge League of Japan. Read more here.
Pacific Association to Replace NAL North
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The Freedom adult league you mean? That league is a joke. So please don’t throw that into the mix. All the west coast Indy leagues are a joke.
Lets keep changing the league name so we can keep filing BK so we get out of not paying our bills. Golden league jokes at it still.
I hope the new league can make it but there are many difficulties awaiting them. One the the stadiums in California are not very good. If the good pull Chico back in it would be a big benefit to the league the facility is nice and they can draw big crowds. Marysville would be another place that could draw good crowds. Get rid of there summer college team and bring a could independent team to the region and the will also draw good crowds. Advertisement of the teams in Hawaii was bad. To get the locals out you must make it fun for the kids and advertise a lot in Hilo a population of 43,000 should be able to draw at least a thousand on week night and a couple thousand on weekends.
It’s going to be tough for any indy league to gain momentum on the west coast/arizona. The ballparks aren’t all that great or they are collegiate/spring training ballparks. Your never going to get a proper lease at a college/spring training ballpark. I like what San Rafael has going, and that’s the only way it will work on the west coast, a smaller scaled down ballpark. It all depends on what you want for a league.
You state: “Your (you’re) never going to get a proper lease at a college/spring training ballpark”
If that is so, then how does the Freedom League play in THREE stadiums all used by MLB sping training?
Those stadiums are not up to your tatses, huh? Its good enough for the MLB.
Now, what other expert opinion do you have?
I don’t know what the lease payments on a Spring Training Ballpark would be, but I know the Freedom League isn’t playing in them for free. Perhaps the Freedom League allocates most of it’s money into lease payments. I mean, there was very little marketing last season, and all of the players that played in the Freedom League were signed through tryouts, or live in the Phoenix area. Correct me if I’m wrong but the Freedom league doesn’t offer housing. It all depends on what you want for a league, one concession open, no giveaways, no promotions, basically a glorified rec league. You have to wonder when people don’t show up to the ballpark, how long can you keep throwing good money after bad.
You sound like a disgruntled girlfriend.
I’m willing to give the PA a chance. It seems like they might have a better idea of a business model. I think we have to look past this coming season to see how good this league will be. They don’t have too much time to build a solid league for themselves. But if by October we see that the league has 6 or 8 viable franchises, each with separate owners, built on a model that mirrors the Atlantic, AA or Frontier League, then we’ll know if this league really wants more than just to survive.
The Pacifics were a huge hit in San Rafael last year and will be again this year. We received National Exposure, when Bill Lee became the oldest starting pitcher to win a game. We also sold out most of our games toward the end of the season. We have excellent owners a wonderful logo, marketing and great fans.
The San Rafael Ownership Group did an amazing job last season, no doubt about it, but when you look at the other Independent Leagues throughout North America the Pacific Association has a ways to go. When you consider a good crowd 600 to 900 people your in big trouble down the road. The Pacifcs only played 60 games last year, 40 shy of what the next closest league would be. This year they will play 78. Player talent wise most of the rosters last year and I assume this year will be made up of players from tryouts, very little recruiting so you can pay a player 800-900 not 2000-3000. I guess it all depends on what you want for a league
The first thing I notice about the Pacific Association is that it’s NOT being ran by a company. It has been awhile since an Independent League on the west coast was ran at the benefit of it’s teams.
The Pacific Association does have a lot of work to do. Right now it consists of San Rafael, Sonoma County, Maui and Hilo… the latter two I don’t even consider independent baseball teams because they don’t post attendance numbers. By the looks of it the Japanese Baseball Challenge League and the Freedom League will play an inter-locking schedule with the Pacific Association, which is a must this year because you don’t want a four team league. The Freedom League didn’t finish out last season so it will be interesting to see how they do with increased travel, albeit only 24 games.
Facility wise (baseball stadiums) the Pacific Association has some of the worst in independent baseball, RIGHT NOW. That could change down the road, and I hope it does.
Mike Marshall for commissioner is interesting, but I like it. Mike was involved with the GBL as a team President, and Manager, so he’s seen the good and bad. I believe Mike also worked for the Northern League in the mid 2000’s.
Hopefully the Pacific Association can bring the BIG FOUR (Atlantic League, American Association, Frontier League, and Can-Am League) to the BIG FIVE.
It looks like the American West Baseball League has some competition in 2013. I just had to say it.
San Rafael is going to move Sonoma County in to a permanent, the marketing for Sonoma County should be just as good. San Rafael had strong corporate support last year, and that will continue this year, they are expanding the seating, so hopefully we will see an average of over 1000 a game, that might be a little too optimistic but we will see. The Stars were victim to too short of preparation time last year, and still from what I have heard, got a couple hundred fans a game. Their stadium is nice and this year, expect to see a rise in attendance for them. Maui should have few troubles getting fans out to the park. The partnership with the BCL of Japan is big news for the Pacific Association, so I expect the Hawaii teams to see a rise in attendance. If they play their cards right, they will be the next big Indy League.
I wish nothing but the best for the teams in the Pacific Association. I just look at past attendance numbers of the teams involved in the Pacific Association and they aren’t great. Long term how can you afford to fly to Japan and into California with low attendance numbers. Just go back and look at attendance numbers on this site from 2,3,4 years ago and how many indy teams are sill around when they don’t average over 2,000. Nothing but the best to all the teams involved.
Mark my words will fold by winter, If they even get off the ground. If they do it will putter though a season with hardly any fan support. Just like the Freedom Professional Mens League in Arizona. This league might give Indy ball 2 black eyes.
So…. we can “mark your words”? What do we win when you’re wrong?
I mean…. since you don’t even know the correct name for the league…. you must be an expert right? You sound like a bitter player who wasn’t good enough to make anyone’s roster.
Just sayin’….
Why dont they get the United Division teams from NAL, and be the Pacificfreedomunitedassocation of Professional baseball clubs. I will admit I will enjoy seeing who gets on the rosters, for the one season the league runs, losses man, and ends up folding next winter. Another black eye on Indy ball.
For a person who claims to like Indy ball, you sure are negative.
Agreed tomhawaiitars. Every new league has its hiccups when they start. The only way to succeed is to keep going and improve from the year before.