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Independent Ball

Amid Financial and Legal Issues, Atlantic League Terminates Membership with Gastonia Honey Hunters

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During the summer, the Gastonia Honey Hunters finanical struggles came to light.

In July, players refused to take the field to bring attention to their unpaid salaries. Staff members also saw significant delays in receiving their paychecks.

The city of Gastonia also came after the team for over $80,000 in unpaid rent and related services for the use of Caromont Health Park.

In the midst of the season, with the Gastonia Honey Hunters fighting for a playoff spot (that ultimately led to them losing in the championship series), the Atlantic League stepped in and paid the city and players everything that was owed.

Ballpark Digest reported at the beginning of August that it appeared as though all of the back pay was caught up and the team continued playing as normal.

But, it seems as if the Atlantic League will not be supporting the Gastonia Honey Hunters any further.

Today, the Gastonia Gazette reported that the Atlantic League has terminated their membership with the Honey Hunters siting more than $1 million dollars in debt.

The lawsuit, filed Friday by the city of Gastonia, alleges that real estate magnate Brandon Bellamy, the president of the company that operates the Honey Hunters, received a letter Aug. 28 stating that the team was in violation of the Atlantic League Bylaws and the League Affiliation Agreement. Essentially, the letter said, if the team did make efforts to pay its debts and improve its financial standing, its membership in the league would be revoked. Bellamy also received a letter Sept. 11 stating that his company was in default for failure to pay an outstanding debt. The team owes the league more than $1.1 million, according to the lawsuit. 

Gastonia Gazette

Check out today’s article (November 22, 2023) from the Gastonia Gazette for more details about the financial debts and the lawsuit filed last Friday by the city of Gastonia against the Honey Hunters,

Independent Ball

The Milwaukee Milkmen Are Joining The American Association

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The votes have been tallied.

The name has been chosen.

The Milkmen are coming to Milwaukee and joining the American Association for the 2019 season.

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The Milwaukee Milkmen are in the heart of “America’s Dairyland” in Franklin, Wisconsin – about 15 miles south of Milwaukee.

The team will be playing at a new 4,000 seat stadium, the Ballpark Commons, that is part of a $125 million development and will also be home to the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’ s baseball team.

According to the American Association website, ROC Ventures – “which also operates three summer collegiate clubs in Indiana and New York, as well as a professional soccer team and a sports complex in the Milwaukee area” – will operate the league’s newest team.

The CEO of ROC Ventures, Mike Zimmerman, told The Ballpark Digest:

“We’re proud to officially join the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball as the Milwaukee Milkmen, on behalf of the state of Wisconsin,” said Zimmerman. “As an organization, our focus has always been on creating and strengthening community opportunities, and we look forward to providing new, affordable fan experiences to the city of Franklin and beyond through America’s favorite pastime.”

They are diving head first into the dairy theme right from the start. Their official website is stating that they are promising professional baseball that is “udderly different” and that the fan experience will be “MOOOre than just baseball.”

The team provided the Ballpark Digest with a promo video as well:

As it stands right now, the Milkmen will be the 13th team in the American Association.

However, there is still some uncertainty surrounding the Wichita Wingnuts.

The Wichita Eagle reported last week that:

Wichita will spend as much as $81 million on building a new ballpark for the Triple-A baseball franchise that is planning to move to Wichita.

And the city will pay $2.2 million to the Wichita Wingnuts to break the independent baseball team’s lease at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, which will be torn down to make way for the new stadium. City officials hope to have the 84-year-old stadium demolished by the end of the year.

If the Wingnuts team ultimately stays in the American Association, the league would have to look into fielding a road team for the 2019 season to even out the amount of teams.