American Association of Independent Professional Baseball

From BR Bullpen

American Association
Founded	2005
No. of teams	13
Country	United States  Canada
Current champions	Grand Prairie AirHogs
Official website	Official Site

The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, based in Durham, North Carolina, is a independent league located in the midwestern and the southeastern United States. The American Association operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball and is not affiliated with either organization. The circuit has thirteen clubs, split into three divisions. Miles Wolff is currently the league's commissioner.

In 2012, the American Association will pay a schedule of interleague games with teams in the Canadian-American Association.

The league's most notable alumni include Luke Hochevar, Max Scherzer, Chris Jakubauskas, and Brandon Kintzler.

[edit] 2006

The American Association was founded in October 2005 by four former Northern League teams (the Lincoln Saltdogs, St. Paul Saints, Sioux City Explorers, and Sioux Falls Canaries); these teams were joined by five teams from the Central Baseball League (the Coastal Bend Aviators, El Paso Diablos, Fort Worth Cats, Pensacola Pelicans, and Shreveport Sports) and by an expansion team (the St. Joe Blacksnakes).

The league began play in 2006, with a 96-game schedule. The first All-Star Game was played in El Paso, Texas on July 18th, with the American Association defeating the Can-Am League 5 to 3. At the end of that season, the Cats defeated the Saints three games to two to win the first league championship.

[edit] Playoffs

• Semifinals St. Paul defeated Lincoln 3 games to 1; Fort Worth defeated Shreveport 3 games to 2
• Finals Fort Worth defeated St. Paul 3 games to 2

[edit] 2007

All ten clubs returned for the American Association's second season in 2007, with teams once again playing a 96-game schedule. The All-Star Game was held on July 17th in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with the team representing the South Division defeating the North Division 6 to 4. The Cats and Saints faced off again to battle for the championship, with Fort Worth winning once again in five games.

[edit] Playoffs

• Semifinals St. Paul defeated Lincoln 3 games to 0; Fort Worth defeated El Paso 3 games to 2
• Finals Fort Worth defeated St. Paul 3 games to 2

[edit] 2008

Two new clubs, the Grand Prairie AirHogs and the Wichita Wingnuts, joined the American Association in 2008 while two others, the Coastal Bend Aviators and the St. Joe Blacksnakes, ceased operation. The league's All-Star Game was played on July 22nd at Midway Stadium, home of the St. Paul Saints. The Sioux Falls Canaries won the championship, beating the Grand Prairie Air Hogs in the finals.

[edit] Playoffs

• Semifinals Sioux Falls defeated Sioux Cities 3 games to 0; Grand Prairie defeated Fort Worth 3 games to 1
• Finals Sioux Falls defeated Grand Prairie 3 games to 1

[edit] 2009

[edit] Playoffs

• Semifinals Lincoln defeated Wichita 3 games to 2; Pensacola defeated Fort Worth 3 games to 1
• Finals Lincoln defeated Pensacola 3 games to 2

[edit] 2010

[edit] Playoffs

• Semifinals Sioux Falls defeated Lincoln 3 games to 0; Shreveport-Bossier defeated Pensacola 3 games to 2
• Finals Shreveport-Bossier defeated Sioux Falls 3 games to 2

[edit] 2011

Four clubs from the disbanded Northern League joined the Association in 2011 - the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, the Gary SouthShore RailCats, the Kansas City T-Bones and the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Another change was caused by the Pensacola Pelicans becoming the Amarillo Sox. As a result, the league now counted 14 teams and decided to split into three geographic divisions, ditching the split-season schedule. Instead, the three division winners and a wild card team took part in the playoffs.

[edit] Playoffs

• Semifinals Grand Prairie defeated Wichita 3 games to 1; St. Paul defeated Winnipeg 3 games to 2
• Finals Grand Prairie defeated St. Paul 3 games to 2

[edit] Cities Represented

• Amarillo, TX: Amarillo Sox 2011-Present
• El Paso, TX: El Paso Diablos (from Central Baseball League) 2006-present
• Fargo, ND: Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (from Northern League) 2011-Present
• Ft. Worth, TX: Fort Worth Cats (from Central Baseball League) 2006-2011
• Gary, IN: Gary SouthShore RailCats (from Northern League) 2011-Present
• Grand Prairie, TX: Grand Prairie AirHogs 2008-present
• Kansas City, KS: Kansas City T-Bones (from Northern League) 2011-Present
• Laredo, TX: Laredo Lemurs 2012-present
• Lincoln, NE: Lincoln Saltdogs (from Northern League) 2006-present
• Pensacola, FL: Pensacola Pelicans (from Central Baseball League) 2006-2010
• Robstown, TX: Coastal Bend Aviators (from Central Baseball League) 2006-2007
• St. Joseph, MO: St. Joe Blacksnakes 2006-2007
• St. Paul, MN: St. Paul Saints (from Northern League) 2006-present
• Shreveport, LA:
  • Shreveport Sports (from Central Baseball League) 2006-2008
  • Shreveport-Bossier Captains 2009-2011
• Sioux City, IA: Sioux City Explorers (from Northern League) 2006-present
• Sioux Falls, SD:
  • Sioux Falls Canaries (from Northern League) 2006-2009
  • Sioux Falls Pheasants 2010-present
• Wichita, KS: Wichita Wingnuts 2008-present
• Winnipeg, MB: Winnipeg Goldeyes(from Northern League) 2011-Present

[edit] External links

• American Association of Independent Professional Baseball
• American Association Baseball Fan's Guide