Tag Archives: independent baseball

Independent Ball

Frontier and Can-Am Leagues Set to Meet in 2019 All-Star Game

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ROCKLAND BOULDERS TO HOST 2019 CAN-AM / FRONTIER ALL-STAR GAME
For Immediate Release – December 18, 2018

Rockland County, N.Y. — The Rockland Boulders will host the 2019 All-Star Game between the Can-Am League and the Frontier League on Wednesday, July 10, at Palisades Credit Union Park, presented by Good Samaritan Hospital. This will mark the first time that these two independent professional leagues will face each other, and only the third time a Can-Am organization has hosted an All-Star game since the league’s re-formation in 2005.

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Festivities will begin with a home run derby on Tuesday, July 9, with the game the following evening. “We consider this a great holiday gift to our fans,” stated Boulders president Shawn Reilly. “It’s a rare opportunity and we’re very appreciative of the Frontier League and Good Samaritan Hospital making it possible. Many of the best independent pro baseball players in the country will be in our park, and we look forward to putting on a first-class event worthy of that talent.”

“Everyone in the Frontier League is excited to play the Can-Am League in the All-Star Game this year,” noted Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee. “We are also excited to come to Rockland and the New York market. We want to thank the Boulders organization for hosting this event. It will be tremendous for the fans to see the best players of two of the oldest and most established independent leagues in the country showcase their talents. We also believe it is great for the entire independent professional baseball industry that leagues can work together.”

The Frontier League consists of 10 teams from cities in Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Formed in 1993, the circuit had 23 player contracts purchased by Major League Baseball organizations last season. Its list of players to appear in the majors includes former Boulder Stephen Cardullo, who was with the Florence Freedom in 2012 before spending three seasons in Rockland en route to a stint with the Colorado Rockies.

“The Can-Am League is pleased to take on the Frontier League in the 2019 All Star Game. For 25 years, the Frontier League has consistently been a formidable force on the independent baseball scene,” added Can-Am League Managing Director Kevin Winn. “I want to thank Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee and Rockland Boulders president Shawn Reilly for putting this event together. I can think of no better venue than Palisades Credit Union Ballpark to host this historic event.”

Now entering its 15th season, the Can-Am League features six clubs in the Northeast U.S. and Canada and plays a 95-game regular season between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 17 league alumni have reached the majors, 15 as players and two as umpires.

The Boulders partnered with Skye Design Studios to develop the 2019 All-Star identity. Based in the greater New York City area, SDS is a national leader in sport branding and identity design, with experience at all levels of collegiate, professional, and minor league sectors within the industry.

Independent Ball

New Southwest Baseball League(s)

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Two new independent baseball leagues are popping up and getting some involved in indy ball talking…

And both just so happen to have basically the same name.

Here’s a quick rundown of what they’re all about…

The Southwest Professional Baseball League is located in Yuma, AZ. Players pay $750 for a training camp (March 11-13th) where they will be evaluated and then placed onto four teams that will play from March 15th to April 15th… all to “chase their dreams in the desert.”

Let me stop you there for a second. If it sounds familiar, that’s because it is. It’s basically a copycat of the folded Desert League. The listed owner of this Southwest Professional Baseball League, John Guy, was also a partner in the Desert League and had ties to the failed National Urban Pro Baseball League. The majority of the staff have also been around the lower independent levels for the last few years.

You can check out their official website HERE and see all of the other information for yourself. I do not have any other further insight to provide other than what is listed and available for the public, and honestly… I don’t want to get into it any further.

The other league is the Southwest League of Professional Baseball located in Texas and Missouri. This league, which was originally slated to start in 2018 but is now supposed to run in 2019, has four teams listed (Waco, Royse City, Joplin and an unnamed Dallas team). The league had previously stated that there would be six teams, but it seems a little late in the game for two more teams to be added. The four confirmed teams are all said to have stadiums, but some of the pictures under their stadium information section are just computer generated.  But don’t worry, you can buy merchandise for the teams!

There has also been no updated information on the website since a post in July that mentioned a tryout that was taking place in Plano, Texas earlier this month.

I had many players message me asking about this league, so I contacted the owner, Mark Schuster, to ask if he would do a Q & A through email as I have done in the past with every start up. At first, he seemed very eager to answer all of my questions. That was until I sent him the email with the questions. He ignored that email and the multiple follow-up emails I have sent.

You can check out their official website HERE, but there really isn’t any more information than what I have briefly posted here.

Same stuff. Different season.

There have been enough of these exact same leagues over the last few years. You all can form your own opinions, but I’m sure my readers know mine at this point…