A new independent pro baseball league is considering seven Colorado cities for one or more of its franchises, which would add to the state’s recent minor-league boom.
But keeping the new league afloat could be tougher than hitting a Johan Santana fastball out of the ballpark.
Only two of the seven current independent pro baseball leagues have operated for more than five years, and several have folded in recent years, according to MLNSportsZone.com, an online publication that covers minor-league sports.
“It’s difficult to keep these things up and running because most of the owners don’t have the money to see it through,” said Brian Ross, senior editor for MLNSportsZone.com. “They are in a fairly tight market.”
Nevertheless, the Continental Baseball League on Monday announced plans to launch in May 2007, stating the need for more affordable baseball games with 50-cent hot dogs and tickets that cost $5 or less.
“I want to have a league where dads and moms can take their children out for an afternoon or evening and make it affordable,” said Ron Baron, the Dallas-based co-owner of the CBL. “There are a lot of communities out there that are not being served right now.”
The league hopes to have six to 10 teams signed up by this fall for the inaugural season. The teams will play in existing ballparks, with the long-term goal of having their own stadium built.
The CBL is targeting 42 cities in eight states – Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The seven Colorado cities are Longmont, Thornton, Aspen, Greeley, Fort Collins, Boulder and Pueblo.
League organizers said most of the cities under consideration have a population of 80,000 to 190,000 residents and are located at least 25 miles from a current major-league or minor-league franchise.
Baron said the startup cost will be $100,000 per team, far less than the costs of other leagues, which run in the range of $1 million. He said he hopes to lure owners who have strong local ties to the home city.
“They have to get the community involved,” Ross said. “If they can do that, they can really make it work.”
Among the independent pro leagues that have folded in recent years is the Central Baseball League, which would have housed two teams that are in the works in Aurora and Arvada.
Those teams are now scheduled to play in the American Association, which is relaunching this year after shuttering in the 1990s.
Both teams would play in new stadiums that are scheduled to break ground this summer, said Allen Fears, chief financial officer for Greenwood Village-based National Sports Services, which will own the teams.
The Aurora stadium has long been delayed as National Sports and the city of Aurora continue to wrangle over how much, if any, the city will pay. The stadium is expected to cost $8 million to $10 million and seat 6,500.
The Arvada stadium is estimated to cost $7 million and seat 3,500, Fears said. The teams are tentatively scheduled to begin play next year.
In addition to the minor-league baseball teams, a pair of minor-league hockey and basketball teams are set to launch later this year at the new Broomfield Event Center.
John Frew, co-owner of the Broomfield teams, said he considered launching a minor-league baseball franchise and stadium but eliminated the option because he wanted to have a facility that could operate year-round.
“It’s a business model that has extremely slim margins,” Frew said of baseball stadiums.
Staff writer Andy Vuong can be reached at 303-820-1209 or avuong@denverpost.com.
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Continental Baseball League
Cost: $100,000 per team
Payroll: Not to exceed $120,000 per season; $4,000 to $10,000 per player
Roster: 20 to 25 players
Season: 80 games, May through August
Tickets: $5 or less
New rule: During the seventh inning, the first home run hit by the trailing team is worth twice the runs scored (thus, a two-run homer counts as four runs)
Source: Continental Baseball League
