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Eugene Church · 01-11-2009, 03:20 PM

The Islandian Times

Thursday, November 1, 2001

Pressure Put On Banford To Slow Down The IPA Expansionists
Unofficial sources close to the IPA Commissioner's Office told The Islandian Times that a group of owners instructed Commissioner John Banford to meet with Gates Billingham and his expansion group, but not to make any concrete decisions on the matter. The commissioner was advised to proceed slowly.

Some IPA owners, headed by Jock Ewing and Jorge Trujillo, are opposed to expansion of the Islandian Pro Alliance at this time. They are concerned with the availability of the player pool to support more teams. They are in favor of progressing slowly with the addition of two teams each year. Ewing and his group want to wait at least five years before considering expansion. They told BNN it would severely water down the caliber of play if it was done any sooner. Ewing said expansion should take place only after several seasons had been played and expansion had been thoroughly researched and studied.

In response, Billingham replied that his group of 35-40 potential owners had already done their home work. Billingham said there is an abundance of industrial league players that could complete quite well with the established IPA clubs. His expansionists did not see any problems in fielding quality teams. Billingham told The Times, "We have the owners, the players and the wholehearted backing of each community. There is no legitimate reason for not expanding the IPA. The towns without a franchise are ready, willing and able to support a team."

When told that 90% of the people polled by The Islandian Times strongly favored immediate IPA expansion, Ewing told the reporter, "It is easy to vote in a poll. It doesn't cost you any money to do that. However, to invest in a professional baseball team is an entirely different matter. Investors want to make sure their investments are wise and prudent. It is the responsibility of the current owners and the IPA commissioner to protect the league and not hastily respond to public pressure. The voters in this poll are not risking any money."

01-11-2009, 03:20 PM	#657
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,874	The Islandian Times Thursday, November 1, 2001 Pressure Put On Banford To Slow Down The IPA Expansionists Unofficial sources close to the IPA Commissioner's Office told The Islandian Times that a group of owners instructed Commissioner John Banford to meet with Gates Billingham and his expansion group, but not to make any concrete decisions on the matter. The commissioner was advised to proceed slowly. Some IPA owners, headed by Jock Ewing and Jorge Trujillo, are opposed to expansion of the Islandian Pro Alliance at this time. They are concerned with the availability of the player pool to support more teams. They are in favor of progressing slowly with the addition of two teams each year. Ewing and his group want to wait at least five years before considering expansion. They told BNN it would severely water down the caliber of play if it was done any sooner. Ewing said expansion should take place only after several seasons had been played and expansion had been thoroughly researched and studied. In response, Billingham replied that his group of 35-40 potential owners had already done their home work. Billingham said there is an abundance of industrial league players that could complete quite well with the established IPA clubs. His expansionists did not see any problems in fielding quality teams. Billingham told The Times, "We have the owners, the players and the wholehearted backing of each community. There is no legitimate reason for not expanding the IPA. The towns without a franchise are ready, willing and able to support a team." When told that 90% of the people polled by The Islandian Times strongly favored immediate IPA expansion, Ewing told the reporter, "It is easy to vote in a poll. It doesn't cost you any money to do that. However, to invest in a professional baseball team is an entirely different matter. Investors want to make sure their investments are wise and prudent. It is the responsibility of the current owners and the IPA commissioner to protect the league and not hastily respond to public pressure. The voters in this poll are not risking any money." Last edited by Eugene Church; 01-11-2009 at 03:36 PM.