Southern League Franchise News

[NCCubFan]

The Carolina Mudcats are reportedly being sold to a Florida businessman and expected to move to Pensacola, Florida for the 2012 season. In related news, the current Mudcats owner will reportedly buy the Kinston Indians (high-A team of the Cleveland Indians, in the Carolina League) and move them to Zebulon in 2012.

 

Me no likey. There goes my chance to see the Tennessee Smokies come to Carolina each year. :cry:

[NCCubFan]

The moves were formally announced today. I hate it for selfish reasons, but apparently the motivation was tightening of league travel rules. Teams must get exceptions from the league to travel more than 500 miles by bus, and it sounds like the league is getting stricter in granting the exceptions. That means the Mudcats likely would have to start flying to cities more than 500 miles away, and that includes all but three league opponents. Basically, they're just not really in the Southern League geographic region.