Five months after playing in the league Championship
game and "six days before players were due to report for the
upcoming season," the ABL ceased operations of "the ailing
Long Beach StingRays' franchise" yesterday, according to
Pamela Lewis of the Long Beach PRESS-TELEGRAM. Lewis: "The
beleaguered league cited slow season-ticket sales and lack
of sponsorship as major reasons to fold the team." ABL CEO
Gary Cavalli: "They sold less than 300 season tickets. We
were facing another losing year (financially). We've been
charged by the Board of Directors ... to improve the bottom
line." StingRays GM Bill McGillis: "I am surprised, but ...
I knew that everything was being examined at the league
level." Last year, the team had a league-low attendance
average of 2,217. All 10 players, including league MVP
Natalie Williams, have "been assigned to the league's other
nine teams." McGillis and coach Maura McHugh have been
offered league positions. But while Williams has been
returned to the Portland Power, she said, "Right now, I'm
looking at all my options in regard to my contract. My
contract was for two years. The reason I signed a two-year
contract was because I wanted to play in Long Beach."
Sources said the ABL still owes Long Beach State, where the
team played, $40,000 from last year (PRESS-TELEGRAM, 8/27).
NEW INVESTOR OR NOT? The league plans to release its
schedule in the next two weeks, and Cavalli told Ryan White
of the Portland OREGONIAN on Tuesday night that it was "in
the midst of making some difficult decisions." Cavalli: "We
have a new investor in the league. We've been asked by the
board and the investor to take a hard look at the ABL as a
business." But he said there will be a season: "Absolutely.
Hopefully, we'll be making some announcements soon that will
make it more exciting" (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/26). Cavalli:
"The major bloodletting is over. I'm tired, this is enough
pain" (Earl Gustkey, L.A. TIMES, 8/27).
