United Baseball League (proposed)
Encyclopedia
The United Baseball League was a planned third major league
that was formed in 1994, but folded in 1996 without playing a game.
First announced on November 1, 1994, the UL founders were Bob Mrazek, a former five-term Congressman from Long Island; John Bryant
, a Congressman from Dallas; Richard Moss, a player agent, and Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College
.http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F1EF6355B0C728CDDA80994DC494D81
By August 1995, the league introduced former Texas Rangers
president Mike Stone as its CEO, Curt Flood
as its commissioner and eight franchises:
By 1998, the UL planned to expand to the Far East, with two teams in Japan
, one in South Korea
and one in Taiwan
.
The league also announced a twenty-year TV contract with Liberty Sports and a 154-game schedule to begin in 1996.http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60612FA39590C7B8DDDA10894DD494D81
On April 12, 1996, just before its scheduled debut, the UL ceased operations, citing stadium problems. Also, Liberty Sports had merged with the Fox Television Network, who promptly announced a deal with Major League Baseball
starting in 1997.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l9QnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lOoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1370,2374996&dq=baseball+united-league&hl=en
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
that was formed in 1994, but folded in 1996 without playing a game.
First announced on November 1, 1994, the UL founders were Bob Mrazek, a former five-term Congressman from Long Island; John Bryant
John Bryant
John Bryant may refer to:*John Bryant , American basketball player*John Bryant , English cricketer*John Delavau Bryant , American physician and poet...
, a Congressman from Dallas; Richard Moss, a player agent, and Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
.http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F1EF6355B0C728CDDA80994DC494D81
By August 1995, the league introduced former Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
president Mike Stone as its CEO, Curt Flood
Curt Flood
Curtis Charles Flood was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons...
as its commissioner and eight franchises:
- Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
(possibly named the New York Kongs and using a proposed stadium at Suffolk County Community CollegeSuffolk County Community CollegeSuffolk County Community College is a two-year public college on Long Island, NY sponsored by SUNY and Suffolk County, New York in the USA....
); - Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(possibly named the Blaze and using the Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumThe Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
); - WashingtonWashington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(projected to play at RFK Stadium); - New Orleans (projected to play in the SuperdomeLouisiana SuperdomeThe Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
); - Central FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
(possibly OrlandoOrlandoOrlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida.Orlando may also refer to-Places:* in Florida** Orlando, a major city** Greater Orlando, the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
or KissimmeeKissimmeeKissimmee is the name of several things in the U.S. state of Florida:*Kissimmee, Florida *Kissimmee City Street Railway*Kissimmee Kreatures *Kissimmee Utility Authority...
); - Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
(presumably to play at Hiram Bithorn StadiumHiram Bithorn StadiumHiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name honors the first Puerto Rican to play in the major leagues, Hiram Bithorn, who first played with the Chicago Cubs in 1942...
); - Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
; - VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(possibly using B.C. Place as a home field)
By 1998, the UL planned to expand to the Far East, with two teams in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, one in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and one in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
The league also announced a twenty-year TV contract with Liberty Sports and a 154-game schedule to begin in 1996.http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60612FA39590C7B8DDDA10894DD494D81
On April 12, 1996, just before its scheduled debut, the UL ceased operations, citing stadium problems. Also, Liberty Sports had merged with the Fox Television Network, who promptly announced a deal with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
starting in 1997.http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l9QnAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lOoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1370,2374996&dq=baseball+united-league&hl=en