rams80

It's really hard to believe that they're actually gonna let teams in the West play fewer games. I'm mostly OK with the "leagues within a league" thing, but I'd like some token acknowledgment that they are all in the same organization. Say you have an East, a Central and a West... is it too much to ask that teams take a five game road trip through one of the other conferences each season? Five games out of 75ish?

Well see, the Sharks might have an urgent need for one of their AHL players on the eastern road trip.

That said, getting an equal schedule requires the AHL to have a commissioner who isn't a lapdog. That ain't happening.

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Another thought:

Honestly for all we crack on Calgary for being a ty parent to their AHL affiliate(s), Edmonton and San Jose are scarcely any better. The demise of the Pacific pod may come because of this.

...Yeah but how long is it before all the other Western teams say no to Alaska travel. Poor team is getting axed sooner or later.

Alaska pays for teams to fly out there and play series. The logistics will work.

Actually, how are the Avs going to get their hands on an AHL team too, because the Cavs aren't selling.

Apparently, the owner of the Norfolk Admirals was told in no uncertain terms that if he didn't sell his franchise to the Ducks, they'd terminate their affiliation, and no one else would come to replace them. So, that's how.

Norfolk was unwilling to pay the full salary and benefits of an entire AHL team, especially because it needs to draw for meal ticket purposes, the Cavs may be, as all they need is a date filler. There's nothing in the AHL bylaws forbidding existing teams from going independent.

Sports reporter in Rockford asked someone with the IceHogs on how the Pacific movement would impact them, and the spokesperson basically said they'd replace some eastern-ish road games with some western ones. So it looks like the Pacific 5 may not be completely insular. Maybe each of the other 10 West teams takes a swing through California with a game or two at each stop.

May only be a one year thing too if the rumors of the Coyotes, Canucks and Avs bringing their teams west come to fruition next year. The West could survive as a pretty insular division in that case.

Where are the Coyotes going to get the money to buy an AHL team, let alone subsidize travel to said team's new locale?

Actually, how are the Avs going to get their hands on an AHL team too, because the Cavs aren't selling.

I'm also guessing that the center ice logo at SAP Center will still be the NHL Sharks. Would they switch out the logo for the AHL team? Or is the AHL team going to be shark-based too?

They'll be the D-Fenders in tribute of the Lakers' D-League team which has a similarly stupid arena setup.

Yeah, the talk all has been that the AHL West would basically function as its own league until the playoffs, as the ECHL West does now. So in a 5-team league, that means playing each opponent 18 times in a season, and always one team unable to play, which probably leads to a lot of scheduling of games on less desirable nights. It also probably bones alignments in the Midwest and Texas, though to what extent, I'm not certain. There's still a lot to shake out here.

One unrelated thing that has to happen - I mean has to - is that Peoria either goes back up to the ECHL or drops to juniors like Bloomington did. The SPHL is running a 9-team league with 8 southern teams and Peoria. Take the hint, Rivs.

It would be weird having a 5-team pseudo-league; is there any chance there are some games played against central teams (Iowa, Texas, Milwaukee, etc.)--or less likely--are there going to be more than 5 teams on the West Coast?

What should happen is for Vancouver to move their AHL franchise out of Utica, NY and out to the west. This would create a six-team Western Division for the AHL. Making a schedule would be a piece of cake. Surprised all of the cheap suits in Springfield and NHL HQ didn't think of it. Utica would be more suited to the ECHL and would have closer in-state rivals like Elmira and it looks like Glens Falls.

When Vancouver and the Blues conspired to murder the AHL Rivermen the purported plan was move the team to Seattle (which the NHL discouraged) or Abbotsford under similarly generous terms to what the Flames got (which Abbotsford isn't stupid/desperate enough to offer.) So yeah, they stuck the team in a dying upstate New York city because the road trips would be cheap.

the vocal minority

We don't know that.

No, we don't know that as fact. But...

I was basing my post on this quote, from the Sounds owner himself, Frank Ward, in the story that ran on MiLB.com when the balance of the brand identity system was unveiled earlier this week:

"We heard loud and clear the strong feedback of our fans after our new logo was unveiled last fall. We have made the decision to return to our traditional red-and-black color scheme to accompany the new Nashville-styled logos."

True, that statement does not quantify how many fans weighed in. But human nature is such that naysayers are more prone to speak out negatively than supporters are to sing praises. So I'm going to stand by my assertion.

Were they taking pre-orders for merchandise? Maybe those were disappointing as well.

It still looks good, but they ruined the neon sign vibe that the original updated logo had. I preferred the orange as well. Disappointing.

Being that they're now the A's AAA affiliate can't say I'm worry to see the orange and black go. It didn't feel right having their top minor league team wearing their cross town on and off field nemesis' colors.

Georgia is also one of Vanderbilt's nemeses. Yet...

I wouldn't describe Georgia as a nemesis so much as "it's hilarious when they lose to Vandy".

Saskatoon is hard to get to by plane outside of coming from the major Canadian markets.

And also islanded from....everywhere in the league, really.

Granted Lord Thomson can afford the subsidy and airfare, but some teams may just have to settle for flying their prospects back home.

Am I the only one who would kinda like to see the San Diego Mariners come back? WHA history aside, it'd make sense and would subtly recall the franchise's prior history as the Norfolk Admirals.

Being in SD I get the sense the Gulls name coming back is a must. The old Gulls didn't close down for lack of local support but rather owner indifference. That and it makes sense having one water foul as the minor league team of another.

Hopefully they can get the OK from the junior hockey Gulls...then again, they're the Ducks, so they can throw some good money towards them to get that going.

As I mentioned on some thread, $100,000 would be more than enough to buy back the rights to the moniker.

Scumbag Sharks take a minor-league city's team away, don't even give team to another minor-league city.

*post deleted by LadyStanley*

*poster "the admiral" has been banned for life*

Just for the record there is an active WHL (I think) team in San Diego named the Gulls....

They're a Jr. A team. $100,000 in "go away or add a Jr. to your nickname" money will be more money than they've ever seen at once.

Springfield and Portland can get away with low attendance because they have such low travel costs. Also, it's always a quick drive to Boston, and you can fly to anywhere of NHL relevance direct from Boston.

Also the AHL is headquartered in Springfield. Springfield's had bad attendance forever and could go down to an attendance of "friends and family" and even noted NHL lickspittle David Andrews would still say "now wait a second..." to a proposed move.

EDIT, also Lake Erie is owned by Dan Gilbert, who basically uses the team as a loss leader to fill arena dates. You're going to have difficulty prying that franchise loose.

Having just 5 teams playing amongst each other is stupid. If it were up to me, I'd bring back the IHL and have all of the Western Conference teams put their affiliates there.

Also, I'd be in favor of Peoria dropping to juniors. The USHL needs more teams in "hockey states". 4 teams in Iowa, 3 in Nebraska, South Dakota? It's a joke.

The Junior Rivermen would die a quick and ugly death. ECHL or bust.

I don't see why the Coyotes need a West Coast team when they won't be in Arizona in a few years.

Turns out the Pelini to Youngstown State reports I mentioned earlier are true.

Again, things that make you go hmmmm...I still would't be surprised to see the Penguins go to the MAC in about 5-10 years.

Huge mistake if they do. All of their success at the FCS level has to do with their ability to recruit guys who'd rather start for YSU than sit on the bench for a Akron or Kent State. That's gone if they become just another Ohio MAC program.

Always found it odd how many Ohio schools have football programs. I know it was once a recruiting hotbed and perhaps closer to the geographic center of the game, but it's still odd to me. You don't see nearly the same density in Illinois or Indiana, for example, despite them having pretty much the same attributes as Ohio does (region, population, big cities/small cities, etc)

Illinois and Indiana do have some FCS-level programs too. The difference is that the MAC (uniquely) fought back against the NCAA's 1982 purge of the small conference teams from then Division I-A

Turns out the Pelini to Youngstown State reports I mentioned earlier are true.

Again, things that make you go hmmmm...I still would't be surprised to see the Penguins go to the MAC in about 5-10 years.

I would. Youngstown going I-A would be too high of a profile for the Mahoning mafia.

Pelini would park himself in I-AA because it's home and a good way to both head coach and still pocket some money from Nebraska.

what about Boise st & air force?? or BYU?

Reportedly West Virginia's Athletic Department is sucking wind now to pay for sending non-revenue sports around the Big XII's existing footprint. Stretching it further west is apparently a non-starter.

well that's the price you pay when you sign your soul to the devil.....

Look Benji, leaving the Big East is what we in the business call a "No Brainer".

what about Boise st & air force?? or BYU?

Reportedly West Virginia's Athletic Department is sucking wind now to pay for sending non-revenue sports around the Big XII's existing footprint. Stretching it further west is apparently a non-starter.

Sadly I think it's time for the Big 12 to go back to 12 teams. It was nice getting tons of money due to splitting the revenue only 10 ways but it came back to bite us.

No need for 12 teams. You can get a waiver to host a conference championship game with 10 teams... the SWAC does a CCG with 10 teams. Why can't the Big 12?

Believe me if we can I would love that. There are no two teams that we can add that will bring in enough revenue to keep us getting the money we do now. That money really helps.

Teams that are paying Charlie Weis a multi-million dollar buyout don't get to complain about hits to revenue.

Sadly I think it's time for the Big 12 to go back to 12 teams. It was nice getting tons of money due to splitting the revenue only 10 ways but it came back to bite us.

No need for 12 teams. You can get a waiver to host a conference championship game with 10 teams... the SWAC does a CCG with 10 teams. Why can't the Big 12?

The SWAC gets to have their precious little championship game because they traded playoff participation for it.

Less successful, at least to my mind, is the alternate logo featuring the single sock with the polar bear paw ripping through the toe. Given that the top of the sock appears to be empty, I can't help but envision a sock containing a severed polar bear paw.

That was my thought too. It's red with the polar bear's blood. Or your own, because the now-crippled polar bear is really pissed and just slashed you in two with his other paw.

On the plus size, it's just the right size for club to beat whoever thought that element up.

Umm...

...via Benjamin Hill on Twitter. I'm not liking the sound of this. The Storm have one of my favorite single-A identities. They could stand for some minor uniform set tweaks, but with Brandiose coming along, one of the fiercest clubs out there is about to get cute and cuddly.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Brandiose comes up with. Thursday will have South Bend Cubs, Daytona Cubs, and the Lake Elsinore Storm revealings.

South Bend: Cute anthropomorphic shamrock swinging bat.

Daytona: Cute anthropomorphic race car swinging bat.

I'm not sure C-USA needs Alabama for recruits when it has a presence in south Florida and Texas.

Personally, I think it's more about location then recruits. C-USA has had UAB in the fold since the league's beginning, so losing a in Alabama creates a gap in the footprint. Adding South Alabama gives them another school in that state, not to mention that it's location (Mobile) can be quite a gem for the conference.

You may literally be the first person in history to use Mobile and gem in the same sentence.