The Mexican League will play the 2011 schedule with 14 teams after both the Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes and Chihuahua Dorados have suspended operations for a season. The announcement was made at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Florida.In the case of the Tecos, it was a case of the Liga finally saying “enough” to a continued lack of response to the question of who was controlling the team finances in Nuevo Laredo, an enquiry first made in last winter’s offseason. A final order to supply that information was given to the Tecos at the LMB Assembly in Mazatlan earlier this fall, but after it was apparent that none was forthcoming, the Nuevo Laredo franchise was suspended for next year (although rights to the team still remain in the border city).
Chihuahua management then asked for a one-year hiatus while the team seeks a new home. The request was granted. The Dorados entered last winter surrounded by questions about the team’s future in Chihuahua, but enough local investors in Chihuahua were rounded up to keep the team in town for a season. This time, Dorados proprietor Jose Maiz (who also owns the Monterrey Sultanes) asked for a year off to move the team, likely to the city of Leon, where Estadio Domingo Santana is in need of upgrades to make it compliant with ballpark requirements.
With the elimination of the two teams, the Liga will move the Puebla Pericos to the Northern Zone to create two seven-team divisions.
4 comments:
Ah, the Mexican League. Never a dull moment.
I guess they'll need "interzonal" play every day if they're going with 7-team divisions.
I was wondering about that, too. It was a lot more cut and dried when both Zones had an even number of teams, but you're probably right...there'll need to be a consistent cross-over series to keep two teams from sitting idle for three days.
Any idea when the 2011 schedule may be available?
I don't think it's usually released until after the first of the year, and it may take a little longer than usual to work out the logistics with two seven-team divisions. The first comment about having an interzonal series every day still makes the most sense, but it's going to be a nightmare to figure out no matter what's decided upon.
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