Northern League commissioner Clark Griffith is pleased with the addition of two expansion clubs, but says there are more to come.
“I’m hoping for two more next year and then two more the year after,” Griffith said, as he watched the Minnesota Twins play host to the Cleveland Indians on Friday night. “I believe that very soon, this will be a 10-or-12-team league.”
Earlier this month, the NL added the Rockford RiverHawks, who had been playing in the Frontier League but elected to move to the Northern League. Rockford was added as the eighth team after league governors announced that an expansion team in Lake County, Illinois (owned by actor Kevin Costner) would begin play in 2010.
Earlier this summer, Goldeyes owner Sam Katz said he hoped Burnsville, Minnesota was still being considered for expansion. On Friday, Griffith acknowledged that he was still talking to the business community in Burnsville, a city located just south of Minneapolis.
“The politicians in Burnsville are still enthusiastic. But I have to find some owners,” said the commissioner. “The original owners just couldn’t get their financing together, but we’re still working hard to get Burnsville into the league.
Griffith was asked if he was also trying to find a site near Kansas City in which to add a team. In 2010, the Northern League will have two teams in the north (Winnipeg and Fargo), one team in the west (Kansas City) and five teams in the Chicagoland area (Gary, Joliet, Lake County, Rockford and Schaumburg).
“I’m looking at St. Louis,” Griffth said. “It’s near Kansas City and not far from Joliet. I’m looking at communities on the interstate highway system. I-29 from K.C. to Fargo and Winnipeg, I-55 from St. Louis to Joliet, I-70 from St. Louis to Kansas City.
“I’m confident we’ll get to 10 or 12 teams. Real soon.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment