IndependentBaseball.net

In recent weeks there have been rumors of realignment in the independent baseball leagues in order to reduce travel costs.  Having been in several league meetings over the years, it is true that cutting travel costs either with sponsorships and/or geographic alignments is a concern for the executives and owners.  Some leagues have even taken the step in recent years to go to (or at least discuss) using vans instead of the team buses for shorter trips.  The fixed-to-rising costs of bus travel, increased gas costs from 5+ years ago, not getting as many hotel discounts or sponsorships, and other travel-related fixed costs have translated into increased financial pressure on many independent teams.

These rumors of realignment have been swirling about for some time, but Ballpark Digest’s recent article brings these discussions to light:

• http://ballparkdigest.com/201008293002/independent-baseball/features/indy-realignment-in-the-discussion-phase

There is nothing official to confirm at this time, but as reported on this site over the past few months we have started to see some of the old grudges between the leagues give way to some signs of cooperation.  Inter-league exhibitions, All-Star Games, tryout camps, and other examples have started to become prevalent.  Hopefully, intelligent decisions are made to cut travel costs (the owners’ and league offices’ primary short-term concern) AND also grow the game giving fans a reason to truly care about the independent leagues.  For the most part, owners and commissioners probably would admit that the main focus of a given team is to entertain its local market.  While this is the case currently, any realignment or other shake-ups to the industry could help the leagues and teams take advantage of their “independence”; and they could take actions to entertain fans both locally AND nationally as well as giving people a reason to care about the games other than just that night’s promotion.

Should there be any further developments to the linked story then they will be posted here once confirmed.

Resources for those involved with baseball at any level:

If you, or someone you know, is a youth baseball parent and frustrated with the experience then click here: Youth Baseball Parents

If you, or someone you, want guidance from actual independent minor league baseball executives on how to succeed in the independent minor leagues then click here: Independent Baseball Advice Interviews

If you simply want to find out about independent minor league baseball tryouts then click here: Independent Minor League Baseball Tryouts Notification List

If you, or someone you care about, want to improve the mental game of baseball then click here: Improving Your Baseball Mental Game

If you, or someone you know, need to improve your 60 yard dash time then click here: Click Here

Click this link if you, or someone you know, need baseball equipment which occasionally is on sale and/or offers free shipping (check the site for any such incentives):

In order to give you, the baseball fan, more information pertaining to the independent minor league professional baseball industry IndependentBaseball.net has added a few additional pieces of information:

• More posts on the right-hand sidebar from Bob Wirz’s Indy Baseball Chatter blog column.  If you like his work then consider subscribing to his terrific weekly (during the season) column at Wirzandassociates.com
• The latest  posts from Bob’s Atlantic League Notebook blog on the right-hand sidebar
• More posts from MLN Raw News’ independent baseball coverage on the right-hand sidebar
• The latest posts from Atlantic League Independent on the right-hand sidebar

As more information continues to be added then IndependentBaseball.net will notify you.  In the meantime, should you find this post and website to be useful and helpful then please share it with your email lists, Twitter friends, Facebook and MySpace friends, and on any blogs or other baseball-related forums on which you participate.

Thank you for helping spread the word about the independent professional minor league baseball industry and those who do what they can to offer quality baseball and entertainment in the respective markets.

Resources for those involved with baseball at any level:

If you, or someone you know, is a youth baseball parent and frustrated with the experience then click here: Youth Baseball Parents

If you, or someone you, want guidance from actual independent minor league baseball executives on how to succeed in the independent minor leagues then click here: Independent Baseball Advice Interviews

If you simply want to find out about independent minor league baseball tryouts then click here: Independent Minor League Baseball Tryouts Notification List

If you, or someone you care about, want to improve the mental game of baseball then click here: Improving Your Baseball Mental Game

If you, or someone you know, need to improve your 60 yard dash time then click here: Click Here

Click this link if you, or someone you know, need baseball equipment which occasionally is on sale and/or offers free shipping (check the site for any such incentives):

Kevin Millar is going to return to play for the St. Paul Saints (American Association), and the New York Times did an article on him recently:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/sports/baseball/07millar.html

Hopefully Kevin’s experience between independent baseball in 1993 and 2010 will be recorded and made available to all independent baseball fans.  The Saints were, in 1993, part of the Northern League; and the NL was one of two independent baseball leagues, with the other being the Frontier League.
Should you wish to learn more about previous independent baseball teams, including those which no longer exist, then you are welcome to visit:

• http://independentbaseballalumni.com/blog/information-on-all-previous-independent-baseball-leagues-and-teams/

Much has changed in independent baseball since then, so hopefully Kevin’s insights will be helpful for future independent baseball fans and players.  Leave your comments below with the type of questions you would like to see asked of Kevin as he ends his professional playing career with the team that helped him begin it.

Here is a video recapping this past week’s results of the independent baseball inter-league exhibition series between the Kansas City T-Bones (Northern League) and the Grand Prairie Airhogs (American Association):

• http://www.ktka.com/videos/2010/may/06/29428/

Here are the Opening Days for the independent baseball leagues:

• American Association:  May 13
• Atlantic League:  already started
• Can-Am League:  May 27
• Continental League:  May 6
• Frontier League:  May 20
• Golden League:  May 19
• Northern League:  May 20
• United League:  May 27

These dates are subject to correction.

Please remember that you can follow your favorite independent baseball teams this season on their respective Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace pages here:

• http://www.independentbaseball.net/twitter-facebook/

Should a team not have the correct (or updated) page on this site then please reply with the OFFICIAL Twitter, Facebook, MySpace page for the respective team.  In addition, if you are familiar with other Web 2.0/social media properties which teams use actively (such as a private-label social network) then please let us know so that we can update this page quickly.

Thank you.

Most people generally consider independent baseball leagues, as we know them today, to have started in 1993 with the Northern League and Frontier League.  In actuality, professional independent league baseball has an interesting history.  Many independently-owned teams were playing in the affiliated minor leagues throughout the 1970′s and 1980′s.

Other independent leagues existed in the earlier days of baseball before the formal structure of Minor League Baseball, as we know it.  One unique piece of history, however, is the Empire State League.  The league had 4 teams playing in one location (Long Island, NY) in 1987.

While it was not exactly as we know independent baseball today, it served as a catalyst for the 1993 inception which then spawned 20+ leagues and over 250 teams.  Here is background on the Empire State League:

• http://www.indygraveyard.com/leagues/empirestateleague/index.htm
• http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/09/nyregion/major-dreams-in-a-minor-league.html?pagewanted=all
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_League

Here is some news about a possible new independent baseball league starting in Macon, Georgia this summer:

• http://www.macon.com/local/story/979261.html
• http://ballparkbiz.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/indy-baseball-in-the-south-rises-again/

Whether or not this league comes to fruition is still to be determined.  An e-mail to the new league’s president was sent and information will be posted here once confirmed.

The unique situation is that all 4 teams are intended to play in the same facility during the 2010 season.  This will be done to reduce travel costs, although it will be difficult to determine the impact of top-line revenues since the city of Macon will not have its own “home” team.  Sponsorship dollars may or may not participate depending on what the league is offering.

The first “independent league” was structured similarly with the 1987 Empire State League.   More information about the Empire State League’s history will be on this blog over the upcoming weekend.

Should it come to pass as a developmental league or a new and separate independent league, IndependentBaseball.net will keep you up to date.

With the independent professional baseball industry about to enter its 18th year as we know it (starting in 1993), the industry has reached some tangible achievements:

• Many independent baseball teams, for one reason or another, have been featured in publications like Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and other publications with national recognition
• Independent baseball teams have been featured on national television channels, such as CNBC, for unique promotions, food items, player trades, and other stories
• Dozens of independent baseball players have been signed by affiliated Minor League teams, including dozens who have made it to the Major Leauges.  This includes several players whose first professional baseball experience was with an independent team
• Over 8 million fans (announced) attended independent baseball games in 2009

With all of these accomplishments, the industry still has a significant challenge for which you, the independent baseball fan, may be able to help.  Since IndependentBaseball.net is in contact with several team owners, league executives, and general managers across the independent baseball industry, we have an open communication about problems which are common regardless of the team or geographic area.

One of these problems is the ability to build “hype” regarding a particular game or series.  The problem is that most fans in a team’s area do not follow the team’s players and stats.  For most teams, 90% of their attendance will attend one or two games a year with no specific incentive to attend a game other than “Thirsty Thursday”, “Free T-shirt Night” or Fireworks Night.  Other than Opening Night, the 4th of July home game (with post-game fireworks), an All-Star Game and/or Home Run Derby, and the playoffs/championship most teams cannot generate enough incentive for fans to feel the “urgency” to attend a particular game or series.

The leagues and teams get approached all the time by people thinking that they can solve selected problems, but none has the impact of guaranteeing improved attendance AND increasing interest in the actual on-field play.  Therefore, IndepednentBaseball.net wants the opinion of you, the fan, to give your thoughts on what would compel you to care more about the on-field play where you feel that you MUST attend a specific game, regardless of the promotion.

The question for you, the independent baseball fan, is what gets your interest from other sports and entertainment alternatives?  For example, fans may have an actual increased interest in the on-field action from other sports marketing tactics like these:

• Professional wrestling uses “promos” and “hype videos” to get you to tune in and/or attend matches
• Boxing uses the pre-fight press conferences
• UFC uses video vignettes about the fighters’ backgrounds.  It uses “The Ultimate Fighter” to generate hype for upcoming pay-per-views
• NFL has NFL Films (for history), dozens of talk radio shows, ESPN’s NFL-related shows, etc.
• College Football uses the “Heisman watch” shows and pre-game interest shows like College Football Game Day
• Major League Baseball used to used “This Week In Baseball (TWIB)” as a hype show/lead-in to the weekend television games

Please take a few moments, share this post with your friends and other independent minor league baseball fans you know, and contribute your thoughts to what teams and leagues can do to generate hype, interest, and urgency about attending an independent baseball game regardless of the promotion that night.  Please keep in mind that the teams and leagues have limited budgets and manpower which can be allocated for “hype” purposes; but several teams are interested in no-cost/low-cost solutions which have high likelihood of making their local fans care more about the on-field performance rather than just the promotions.

Thank you for your contributions to help the industry evolve as the new decade of independent baseball begins in the coming months.

This website serves, primarily, as the centralized resource for independent minor league baseball.  Throughout this site you will find information about all of the leagues, teams, online radio coverages, tickets, and numerous other subjects. 

News feeds from other websites covering the industry are found on the sidebars of the site; and they will keep you up to date with daily news updates.  They will offer scores, transactions, and other day-to-day information separated by league.  Other news feeds will keep you up to date with human interest stories and tracking former independent baseball players now in the “affiliated” minor leagues and Major League Baseball.

This post represents the “updates” portion of the website like a traditional blog.  Going forward for 2010, IndependentBaseball.net wants to offer you unique information; and we want your opinions on what you would not only like to see but are also willing to send to your friends and social network lists.

Tomorrow’s post will cover the types of subjects which IndependentBaseball.net can offer.  Please feel free to leave your comments on tomorrow’s post regarding which subjects you would like to see; and we ask that you let your friends know about tomorrow’s post as well.   Thank you.