MLB/MiLB growth could foot the Bill for Independent League Stadiums

Some of the bill anyway.
And this could happen because of the need for new A-ball clubs.

Could this be the solution for American baseball saturation?

Whether the A-advanced teams in the California, Carolina or Florida State League teams, or the Class-A South Atlantic or Midwest Leagues, when a MLB expansion causes a need for up to 12 new teams in the pro ranks, unless there's going to be agreements to park prospects under a shared franchise, like how the NHL does for some "farm" teams, there become a lot more moving parts across the American landscape.  That might mean a lot of stadiums in newer markets where likely other leagues are already parked, like the Pecos League in Tucson.  There may be too much saturation to bare multiple ballparks everywhere.

While this should help the independent leagues thrive, it shouldn't be so much as a slow hostile takeover.  Perhaps MLB-MiLB could lease gametimes with some gate and concession share from the likes of the American Association and/or Frontier League, agreements at hotstove time.  No fire sales happen.

University of Cincinnati Health Field in Florence, Kentucky (Frontier League)

No Two Teams - MLS

LAFC and NYCFC is too much for a Major League Soccer brand efforting to spread across the map.  And even if you were going to double up, be the league outside of baseball that doubles up in Chicago.  Fire v. the Shield is great stuff.

These generic Insert-FCs can go about anywhere.  Let's pretend the coming-soon expansions take care of Sacramento and Cincinnati.  And damn, let me pretend a charter franchise like the C-Bus is okay.

So, I'm moving the above bad boys to my wish for Texas Exited FC in San Marcos as an inbetween weekly trek for San Antonio and Austin.

And the Detroit Arsenal.

Hey MLS.  Downtown San Marcos.  Yeah.  Do it.

No Two Teams - NFL

Canadian Power - formerly the LA Chargers

Portland Jets or Giants for industry or redwoods, respectively.

Fictional new Pioneer League team at Bakkan Oil Fields

Dakota Diesel or Bakkan Boomers are neat names.
Oilers could evoke more support from the transient workers.  Naming them the American Oilers would be appropriate for a long-time following.

Something else ring better?  How does North Dakota American Outlanders sound ?  Motorcycle gang looking uniforms.  Dakota Blue Collars ?

The boom town around Williston, of shale oil economy, needs more constructive stuff to do with off time.  And it doesn't get much more American than baseball.

MLB's Portland Pioneers Farm System

MLB's Carolina Cougars Farm System

Charlotte AAA

Carolina Cougars
When all is right with the world, further into the future.


  Minor Leagues                                                                        *shared stadium of existing pro team

International:  Carolina Lumber Co. *home of the Knights
AA:  East Coast Colonials (*Myrtle Beach)
A-Advanced:  Fort Bragg Bad Boys *

A: Greenbrier Windfarmers

Rookie-Advanced:  Greenbrier Green Cougars

White Sox affiliation won't totally vacate Charlotte in the city's promotion to the big leagues.  In this schemed up spit-balling, I rebrand the Charlotte Knights as the Southside Swingers, using Charlotte's now multi-team MiLB ballpark and their MLB Comisky Park as home-camp parks of play in the International (AAA) League.

In this current series of future MLB team posts, the Montreal Expos have their Appalachian League Rookie-Advanced affiliate Charlotte Internationals playing their minor league ball in this newer downtown Charlotte stadium (with the above Southside Swingers).  The A-Advanced Ft. Bragg Bad Boys could split some time here too.  

2 trip-A and perhaps 2 other farm clubs playing here can account for major butt occupancy in seats and better use of the existing environment.  And this of course includes the new small stadium built on Ft. Bragg by Major League Baseball.  Season tickets?  Think multipacks.

Who could some MiLB affiliate cities be for the likes of Charlotte MLB ?

MLB's Portland Pioneers Farm System

Montreal Expos minor league farm system

MLB's Portland Pioneers Farm System

When all is right with the world, further into the future.

 
   Minor Leagues
                                                                        *shared stadium of existing pro team
Pacific:  Vancouver Mounties (*, and/or BC Place)

AA: Waco Roundtrippers 
A-Advanced:  Washington County HillKings (*Hillsboro (Portland))
A:  Tri-State Riders (*Florence, KY(Cincinnati area))

Rookie-Advanced:  Bakkan Field Outlanders in Williston, North Dakota

click those below

Who could some MiLB affiliate cities be for the likes of Portland MLB ?

Montreal Expos minor league farm system

MLB's Carolina Cougars Farm System

 

More Exciting MLB ??? Carolina Cougars or Tennessee Truckers

Would two stadiums across the state for one team be more exciting (Memphis, Nashville), or a two-state named team based in Charlotte ?

Will it be Carolina Colonials or Cougars and the Portland Pioneers for the next expansion?

Tennessee Trucking      sounds so phenomenal

You'll notice I'm on a bit of a kick - a team named Lumber.

So many that would sound good with it.

Louisville Lumber

Carolina Lumber Co.

Tennessee Lumber

Who would take that name?

My tag team cities idea blogged about before for Vancouver and Montreal of North Country Lumber'Jacks is a good'un.  It's Super Expansion.

Nashville

click: MLB in Tennessee

Charlotte: Visiting the Possibility of more Pro Sports

Minor League Saturation issue and a Second Franchise for your City

NBA Cities before Kansas-St. Louis Showmen

Nifty Newer Arena awaits in Kansas City.  Surely, St. Louis could take hoops on a part-time basis.  This relationship stood before with the NBA's Kings franchise with the cities of KC, Omaha and Saint Louey before the move to Sacramento.

The Show Me State

What're some good names for the place of play that once touted the Kansas City Omaha Kings ?  ShowMe State Showmen ?  KC Louis Ramblers ?  Missouri Diesel ?

Should Short-Season Baseball leagues become Split-Season with Honolulu ?

Should they?  Could they?

A so-called Split-Season League could take on players from an assortment of the Class A and Rookie leagues from September to later.  It could even be called something coy like the Split-log Hot Stove League or Lincoln League in Hawaii.

But why stop that far?  Since we have evoked imagery of logs, why not dock in Anchorage as well.  Let the Alaskan leg of the 'major league trip' be the Lag League as a way to house and play overstock players?  Invite independent league players if at all feasible or possible.  Certainly college ball players getting in Summer swings from the Alaska Baseball League could chime in.  Let a portion of their gate, if any, go to something like NCAA charities.  I don't know,....get creative.

But anyway, in La La Land, I just want some 49th and 50th state apple pie ambiance.

It could be somewhat of an assortment of players, like pure rookies and misfits to get playing time.  And MiLB could get more money from gate and concessions, from Summer to something like Christmas break or leading into Spring Training.

U of Hawaii

si.com/mlb/2018/02/08/mlbpa-host-spring-training-camp-unsigned-players

army.mil  Amateur ball in Alaska

West coast area of Mexico

Go back to some Winter League action ?  Or would ball in resort or north Mexico do better logistically?  Can the off-season Arizona Fall League good enough?  Or should we stick with the aesthetic of detached West Coast USA ?

wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Winter_Baseball 

New Reds Club in Appalachian League

wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeneville_Reds

This Rookie level team kicks off this year.

I have been Hot-Stoving like hell here, folks.  And more logs and kindling is hitting the flames for weeks to come.

This area of about 18 thousand folks houses the oldest college in Tennessee and one of the oldest in the country.

Double-A Cities that Could Step up for AAA

And of course this can cause a cascading discussion for the next AA cities and so on.  But getting more cities along the lines of Altoona or Binghampton shouldn't be the toughest thing.

Or the AA and AAA teams could play in the same place if needed, as the case with cities I'd argue for like Akron and Richmond (AAA city before).

Above, home of the Rubber Ducks and Flying Squirrels, respectively.

Others in northeast USA that could step up:  Bowie, Reading and Trenton

As is no surprise, all mentioned generally have strong proximity to big league cities.  Frisco, Texas is basically just Dallas.  Let's say Dallas Diamonds were an expansion team in the National League future.  The new AAA club could just play there at the big park at Arlington, or up the street in suburbia Dallas a la Frisco.

Cities like Richmond, Jacksonville and San Antonio have robust centers of populations, easily justified for the next Trip-A squads and seats.  In fact, a physical team relocation from Colorado gives San Antonio it's promotion to a Trip-A city.

I believe Dayton, around 40 miles apart from Cincinnati, and just an A-level team, could absorb any level of minor ball.  Their attendance figures could justify it.  Trip-A Toledo, up the road much further from Cinci and near Detroit up Interstate 75 takes on the same amount of fans for the season.  Pretty much, out of the 30 stadiums at the highest level of minor league ball, Dayton beats out at least 21 of those cities in attendance.  Seat-wise, almost always sold out at nearly 8k seats* (usually AAA are 10k), Dayton beats all other leagues in stateside pro ball.  No contest.

*It should be noted that number of games and how many games were maxed out at smaller venues nation wide, and how much artificial demand is created by limited seating is curious.

The chatter of MiLB saturation causes curious questions for the farm system of the next two MLB teams.  Portland is on the shortlist.  And now, their suburbs only host an A-level team.  Certainly Portland could handle a 3A team now.

baseballpilgrimages.com/ballparks

baseballpilgrimages.com/attendance/minor-leagues-2016

milb.com/milb/news/minor-league-baseball-attendance-:

 The Dayton Dragons' streak of consecutive sellouts, the longest in professional sports history, sits at 1,246 games (began during the 2000 season), while the Frisco RoughRiders led the Double-A classification in attendance for the 13th consecutive season. The Clearwater Threshers recorded the second-highest total (200,201) in Florida State League history and the South Bend Cubs set a new franchise attendance record for the fourth consecutive season.

click: Minor League Saturation issue and a Second Franchise for your City

AAA Indication for Other Major League Cities

2 Minor League Teams in Dayton ?

Map and Chart of Pro Baseball

Basketball and Football Minor Leagues are BIG

 

Montreal Expos minor league farm system

Some possibilities dreamt up for when the world is right again... in the future....and for the past.

  Minor Leagues                                                                        *shared stadium of existing pro team


AAA: Ottawa Internationals*

AA: Ohio Oaks (*Dayton)

A-advanced:  *Ft. Lauderdale Florida Fleet (and *Jacksonville)
A:  Hampton Roads Heroes (*Norfolk)

Rookie advanced:  Charlotte (*NC) Internationals
                                                                       *existing stadium

Ottawa....brought to us by Vogue

State-Named MiLB

Connecticut Tigers
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Arkansas Travelers
Vermont Lake Monsters                                                                     
Mississippi Braves

Iowa Cubs
Tennessee Smokies
Carolina Mudcats
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
West Virginia Power
West Virginia Black Bears


I love the geographical expanse of other teams coined by County or Valley, Tri-City and Great Lakes.  I give a tip of the cap to these teams of wider geographic appeal.

In MLB there is Texas, Minnesota, Arizona and kind of New York.  

There used to be first names of California and Florida.

Bootleggers United v. Armada

Got jugs and a fast car....Cinci bootlegger

Put a soccer team in Charlotte.  I had thoughts of a co-location with Atlanta and/or Nashville ....but I suppose that gig is not to be.  But look at that NASCAR heritage in the Carolinas.  And look at the root heritage of car racing.  That's Bootlegging.  And think how the fans will root. 

The Sinners kick it in a city of Saints?  At least for preseason, right?  Ditto for Charleston, West Virginia.  Flasks in the boots, hooray.  Bootleggers United.

Armada is a badass brand.  And lets stick with the spirit of co-location.  Should this be a share between San Diego and Oakland?  Dock in Honolulu?  Should they just be called West Coast Divided or United? Or should it be a name instead for cities like Milwaukee, Cleveland and Rochester ?  Can it float to Cincinnati and Indy?

Are these names not an evocation of Europe and America ?

NBA International - Future Goals

And before the NBA starts to look more like an NCAA map, I believe the likes of these markets will take shape in global B-Ball

AAA Indication for Other Major League Cities

More than one Triple-A team in an area ???  Is this a good indicator where the next big league brands should be ?

3 AAA teams in north and western New York:  

Buffalo Bisons

Syracuse Chiefs

Rochester Red Wings

Buffalo built a trip-A ballpark that's major league convertable'.

2 in the heart of North Carolina:

Durham Bulls

Charlotte Knights

                                               ....that clinches a Charlotte MLB bid for me.

This territory combination rubs up against Philadelphia and New Jersey

          Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs

          Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders
.....these Phillies and Yanks affiliate areas could sustain a third franchise in New Jersey in a market with the Bronx Bombers and Mets.  Nothing to say of the AA teams near there.  But Brooklyn is more romantic ?



Tennessee totes 2 AAA teams and a handful of AAs.  Bodes well for population Tennessee in the form of Memphis Redbirds and Nashville Sounds.   click:  Major League Baseball in Tennessee

2 Minor League Teams in Dayton ?

Anything to add?

NBA Cities before Las Vegas

We can all figure that Seattle and Louisville have dibs.  

But geographically, Las Vegas is set up nicely for go-arounds to come.  Population-wise, southern California is close to crowded, but San Diego has room.  It used to be the Clippers crib.

Given the hockey and football presence, there are a handful of major league cities that could have NBA sooner than Vegas, even though NBA can favor the smaller markets such as Memphis.  But again, not a ton of candidates out west.

NBA after Louisville and Seattle

2 Minor League Teams in Dayton ?

What could another team in Dayton be named?
..... whether that be A-Advanced, AA or Trip-A.
And by the way, yeah, they can double up with the A-club in the Dragon's Layer.   Logistically, this would leave for a lot of coordination and fixed dates.   Coordination between the International League and Midwest League might get tricky.

Why do I say any of this?  Dayton has a top-ten attendance figure Minor League baseball wide.  And that is as an A-ball club.  They could house a Triple-A team with their attendance figures.

Dayton or Ohio based team names ?

If a second team were simply deemed "Ohio" in name, easy justification for other places of play could occur, not limited to Great American Ballpark.  The Ohio Players could grab naming rights from the band to include purchase of mandatory playing of songs.  Or just name them Players Club.  I like Pros or Oaks a lot.

The attendance leaders in each classification of Minor League Baseball and their overall numbers were: Triple-A -- Indianapolis Indians (641,141), Double-A -- Frisco RoughRiders (470,003), Class A -- Dayton Dragons (554,638), Short Season-A and Rookie -- Vancouver Canadians (239,527).

MiLB.com

Cleveland and Milwaukee Should Team Up for Great Lakes

Bucks and Cavs Country footing for soccer.
Brew and Tribe Nation teeming for hockey.

MLS and NHL

Great Lakes

I definitely would love to see this for hockey.  Two saturated markets teaming up for something I think that they deserve.  And so why not for MLS (and playing in existing structures) for what would amount to a home showing in these two cities essentially once a month?  I know.

How badass does this name sound?  Armada

Or Fleet ?  Or Great Lakers SC.  Shippers.

preseason for Great Lakes ?

....what about these cities in the Great Lakes region?  And Syracuse or the like?


Great Lakes SC. Major League Soccer. By Popular Demand?

East Coast Whalers of Norfolk and Hartford. A Two-Place Team in the NHL   (click)

City Combo'Nations for some Sports Tag-Travel Team thoughts

Florida Panthers Rebrand. Southlakes Fisherman. Co-location 

Cinci and Indy

MLS Before more Mutiny or Rowdies in Tampa

Favorite FUTURISTIC Franchise Names

Some bloggystyle schemed up future franchise names

   in the Big Five Sports

Omaha-Dakota Diesel on the ice.

Southlakes Fishermen in NHL Atlanta
West Coast Ghosts in Seattle and Portland
East Coast Whalers could swim between Hartford and Hampton Roads (Norfolk)

Detroit Arsenal

Cincinnati or St. Louis Shield taking on Chicago Fire

Armada docking in Cleveland and Milwaukee

Bootleggers United camped in Nashville and somewhere in the Carolinas.

Texas Divided or Excited

North Country Lumberjacks swinging from Vancouver to Montreal
Louisville Lumber Company
Carolina Cougars or Colonials; Carolina Lumber sounds good too.
Tennessee Trucking
West Coast Whales in Portland and Las Vegas
Oaks in Oklahoma City or Omaha or the Pilots (for both)

What about Toronto Trucking or Nord Force football ?

Oregon Railroad   Express ?

Kentucky Downs

Cincinnati Aviation for hoopin' hardwood
Aces in Vegas
Ohio Flights

Whatchoo' got ?

click:  Favorite Franchise Names and Uniforms

Damn Shame MLS is its Own Thing instead of Our Thing

bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/02/02/could-nippert-stadium-still-be-a-permanent-option

Damn Shame MLS is its Own Thing (Stadiums).........sometimes........... instead of Our Thing


I can sum it up in a few words:  Empty seats and the Environment.
Multi-use year round feels good for the likes of Paul Brown.  Locally shortened to PBS, FC Cincinnati hasn't played there like the pro teams play in NLF stadiums in Portland, some Patriots and like the Seattle Sounders do.

Nonexistent

Sure, beautiful depictions of the stadium seem exciting for the skylines, but Nippert has the historic charm for all kinds of football in Cincinnati.  More butts in more seats more often.  In a business play to demand respect, Major League Soccer demands a layer of its own now.  Butts not in seats as Mother Nature redundantly weeps.  Reinventing wheels in many o' municipalities.

Nineteen-Fifteen

 

Will MLS embrace a "West Coast" Moniker Brand? Be the First

The Chivas should've been moved to Las Vegas Part-Time: 

West Coast Diamond Club

 

 

Most Transportable Existing Team Names

Most Transportable Team Names for the Big Times

Big Bucks

The Tennessee Oilers temporary decor was weird to me,
                  but maybe it just served as some context for a new black gold Texas tea.

Let's see if I can hit the big ones... .
                                             Because, let's face it, Lightening and Thunderbolts can be anywhere, but I'm talking about some fans may want.  For instance, country folks are country-wide.

Milwaukee Bucks
Clippers ships even in river towns from Pittsburgh on down to the likes of Louisville.

The city of Charlotte, coined the Queen City alongside Cincinnati (of the west), would adore becoming the Carolina Royals.  Two stadium hold-out cities, one being a Florida city with decent television dollars but hideous attendance, have very portable franchise names.  The Athletics have been in Kansas City and Philadelphia before.  Nature's Rays reach all of geography.  Newer name and an easy change, all the same.

Lions and Titans and Bears, oh my.  And do go along with baseball or football, the Cardinal has many variations throughout the western hemisphere.

Ducks and Stars can have nearly any landing.

Sporting or Fire has a nice ring for all cities.  Along with the firefighting implication, the Boys in Blue convey awesome alliteration in towns with a sound like St. Louis or Cincinnati Shield.

Throughout my futurist possibility blog, 

I cast the name Truckers as a highly desirable one of mobility.

Minor League Saturation issue and a Second Franchise for your City

And so let's pretend we would house some triple A clubs in the same yard as the Big League one and have to name it.

Let's say MLB expansion happens for Portland and Montreal.  And we can say there might be a saturation problem in MLB as far as AAA cities are concerned, the map being tagged up, saturated.  Having the new big club in Portland and Montreal probably would be a little too much too soon to have their Triple-A club in town as well.  A new trip-A team would likely sit better in a seasoned city of a big league club.  So Montreal can have the Louisville Bats and the Reds can club up at Great American Ballpark with the Cincinnati Lumber Company big league affiliate.  Sounds badass to me.

Team names spit-ball list in the Pacific and the International League (AAA)
MLB East

Cincinnati Outlaw Reds.  Or maybe Cincinnati Lumber Co.
Cleveland Engines
New York Metros
New York Crankees
Boston Colonies                                                              


Philadelphia Submarines
Pittsburgh Navy
Miami Guppies
Atlanta Railroad
Chicago Midways                                                                   

Chicago Southsiders
Milwaukee Trucking
St. Louis Gatekeepers
Toronto Bluebirds
Baltimore O-birdies
D.C. Americans
Tampa Moonlighters
                         Montreal Expos and Louisville Bats affiliate

Teams in the MLB West and the Pacific League

Royals from Jesters
Mariners from Pontoons
Giants from Wee-Lads
A's from Couch-Taters
Dodgers from Trollies

Padres from Choir
Angels from Nuns
Diamondbacks from Dinos
Rockies from Wagons
Rangers from Cow pokes
Astros from Flyers
Twins from Brats
                                   Portland Pilots and Reno Aces farm club

  But hey, you may want to envision your own town's team something cool instead of San Diego Choir, Oaktown Couch-Taters or Denver Wagons.

Favorite Franchise Names and Uniforms

Best of the Big Five Sports

                                                     Colorado Rockies
                                                                               It just feels sooo right.

Minnesota Timberwolves

 

New England Patriots or Raiders ?

Columbus Crew

Minnesota Wild

Uniforms

Maple Leafs beautiful blue

fathead.com

Bengals super stripes

Celtics pinching


MLB is tough, so many similar sexies: guess I'll go with Tigers

Crew   for the double whammy selection this post


 

Renaming the Native Americans

And by Native American mascots, I'm not referring to the Super Ancient Chinese over the land bridge, or white people like Vikings.

Indians

Braves

Redskins

Blackhawks

=

Cleveland Blue Sox

Atlanta Mavericks

Washington Warriors

Chicago Icehawks