ABL officials told members of the Richmond Rage that
the team "will be moved, probably to Philadelphia" for the
'97-98 season, according to Mel Greenberg of the PHILA.
INQUIRER. ABL CEO Gary Cavalli confirmed that Philadelphia
was the league's first option and said ABL execs will visit
Philadelphia Wednesday and Thursday, and "make a final
decision within a week." Both UPenn's Palestra and the
Apollo Arena at Temple, opening in December, are possible
venues. If the ABL has a team in Philadelphia, it would be
the fifth team in an NBA city, but none are "pitted directly
against a WNBA franchise" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/15).
TRAVELING CALLED? In Richmond, Vic Dorr writes the
league's decision "stunned" workers at the team's offices.
The league's move "appears to be tied exclusively to
economics," as the Rage lost $500,000-600,000 in '96-97 and
has sold only about 400 season tickets for '97-98. The
league has also "been negotiating since season's end with a
non-cable network, an ally it badly needs." Dorr: "Two Rage
sources said yesterday that the network, thought to be Fox,
is a pivotal player in this drama." Another source told
Dorr that two of the league's $3M investors, venture
capitalist Joseph Lacob and Phoenix Home Life Mutual
Insurance Co. "were unwilling to permit the local club to
prod through another year" (TIMES-DISPATCH, 7/15).