The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989. The team's name stemmed from the up-and-coming laser light show industry, which management believed would depict a perfect synergy of the lightning fast pace of indoor soccer. It became a pre-game ritual for every Lazers game to have a laser show displayed on the walls of the Forum.
The Denver Dynamite were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. The team began play in 1987 as a charter member of the Arena Football League. The team achieved success instantly, winning the first ever ArenaBowl. The Dynamite would return to the playoffs every season, but failed to return to the ArenaBowl.
The franchise was originally established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers based in Chicago, Illinois, and were renamed to Chicago Zephyrs the following season. In 1963, they relocated to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking the name from a previous team of the same name.
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america, basketball, chicago packers, classic, home
The Vermont Expos were the short-season Class A farm club of the Montreal Expos from 1993 to 2005. The team was purchased from the Jamestown Expos, the farm team for MLB's Montreal Expos in 1993. When the major league Expos moved to Washington DC and became the Nationals, the minor league Expos kept the name for a season before becoming the Vermont Lake Monsters
The Appleton Foxes played in the Midwest League for nearly three decades. The team used the Fox Cities Foxes moniker from 1958-1961, and again from 1963-1966. In 1995 the team changed its name to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional basketball team in the original American Basketball Association from 1971-72. Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team played their home games in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.
The Kansas City Katz were a baseball team in the Kansas City's Ban Johnson League from 1961 to 1971. They were sponsored by Katz Drug Stores. Katz Drug Stores became famous because they were allowed to stay open past 6 pm, despite wartime curfews on nonessential businesses. They also absorbed the new 10% tax on cigarettes instead of passing the cost to customers, which was incorporated into their new slogan “Katz pays the tax!” Katz also sold more than just drugs: each store had a small grocery store with a soda fountain and lunch counter and sold small home appliances, music records, Katz-branded beer, and even live animals
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america, baseball, classic, famous drug store, kansas city
The Salem Buccaneers was a minor league baseball team based in Salem, North Carloina, that played in the Carolina League from 1987 to 1994. The team was affillated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Prior Salem teams included the Redbirds, Rebels, and the Roxsox.
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80s, 90s, baseball, local, minor league baseball
The Tampa Bay Thrillers were a franchise in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1984–1987. They won back-to-back championships in 1984–85 and 1985–86. At the end of the 1986–87 CBA regular season the team relocated to Rapid City, South Dakota, and went on to win a third consecutive CBA title.
The Wausau Timbers were a minor league baseball team, located in Wausau, Wisconsin. The Timbers were members of the Class A Midwest League from 1975 to 1990. The franchise was sold in 1991 and moved to Geneva, Illinois, where it became the Kane County Cougars.
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america, baseball, baseball lovers, minor league baseball, mlb
The Syracuse Nationals were an NBA basketball team from 1946 - 1963.
They ruled the NBA as champions in 1955, winning the title in a comeback victory at Onondaga War Memorial. Many in Central New York lament the day, May 16, 1963, when the Nats departed Syracuse to become the Philadelphia 76ers. The playoff overtime loss on March 26, 1963, would prove to be the last game for the Syracuse Nationals, as investors Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman purchased the team from Danny Biasone and moved the team to Philadelphia, filling the void left by the Warriors, who had moved to San Francisco.
The Oklahoma minor league team was originally known as the Oklahoma City 89ers from 1962 to 1997. It first competed in the Triple-A American Association (AA) in 1962, moved to the PCL from 1963 to 1968, and returned to the AA from 1969 to 1997. The franchise's original name made reference to the Land Run of 1889, which led to the founding of Oklahoma City.
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89ers, baseball, major league baseball, mlb, oklahoma city
The Cleveland Stokers were a soccer team based out of Cleveland, Ohio that played in the United Soccer Association during 1967 and the North American Soccer League in 1968. Their home field was Cleveland Stadium.
The Philadelphia Blazers were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the 1972–73 WHA season based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In 1960, Portland was granted a franchise in the minor league Western Hockey League (WHL) for its newly built 10,500 seat Memorial Coliseum, and the Buckaroos name was reincarnated. The new Buckaroos were composed mostly of players and coaches from the New Westminster Royals, including its head coach Hal Laycoe. The Buckaroos went on to beat the Seattle Totems in the league championship and win the Lester Patrick Cup in its first season of existence. That 1960–61 Buckaroos team was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
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carrie brownstein, fred armisen, hockey, ice hockey, lester patrick cup
The Austin Texans were a minor league football team based in Austin, Texas from 1977 to 1982, playing in the American Football Association (AFA). The AFA was concentrated in the southern United States and served as the second tier of professional football between the World Football League, which folded in 1975, and the United States Football League, which began play in 1983. Unlike the WFL or USFL, the AFA always fashioned itself as a minor league, and never planned to rival the National Football League for "major league" status. The league played its games on Saturday nights in the summer. The AFA ended operations in 1983.
The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington from 1969 to 1970. During their single-season existence, the Pilots played their home games at Sick's Stadium and were a member of the West Division of Major League Baseball's American League.
On April 1, 1970, they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became the Brewers.
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baseball, baseball players, brewers, minor league baseball, mlb
The Hartford Hellions were a soccer team based out of Hartford, Connecticut that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League. They played from 1979 to 1981. The Hellions played their first season in the New Haven Coliseum before moving to the remodeled Hartford Civic Center. The two seasons in Hartford the Hellions averaged 4,361 fans per game.
In May 1981, Athletes in Action purchased the Hellions and moved the team to Memphis, Tennessee. The new owners renamed them the Memphis Americans.
The St. Louis Stars, originally the St. Louis Giants, were a Negro league baseball team that competed independently from as early as 1906 to 1919, and then joined the Negro National League (NNL) for the duration of their existence. After the 1921 season, the Giants were sold by African-American promoter Charlie Mills to Dick Kent and Dr. Sam Sheppard, who built a new park and renamed the club the Stars. As the Stars, they eventually built one of the great dynasties in Negro league history, winning three pennants in four years from 1928 to 1931.
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baseball, black history, black pride, missouri, mlb
The Baltimore Metros were a basketball team based in Baltimore, Maryland that was a member of the Continental Basketball Association. The team was previously known as the Washington Metros. During the 1978/79 season, the team moved to Utica and became the Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds.
The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbach. The franchise played the 1951–52 season in the American Basketball League, but the team folded again in January, 1952. The teams wore green and white. The NBA returned to the Washington, D.C. area in 1973, when the Baltimore Bullets became the Capital Bullets, now known as the Washington Wizards.
The Mohawk Valley Comets are a former professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York. They were a member of the North American Hockey League from 1973 to 1977. Two other teams with the same name played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League from 1985 to 1987, and the North Eastern Hockey League from 2003 to 2005.
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comets, hockey, hockey player, ice hockey, mohawk valley
The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners inherited a home stadium, front office staff and much of the roster of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football. The team played its home games at Hornet Stadium. Because the stadium was inadequate and lacking any other nearby replacement, the owner moved the team to San Antonio as the Texans for the 1995 CFL season.
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california, canadian football, canadian football league, cfl, football
The Oklahoma minor league team was originally known as the Oklahoma City 89ers from 1962 to 1997. It first competed in the Triple-A American Association (AA) in 1962, moved to the PCL from 1963 to 1968, and returned to the AA from 1969 to 1997. The franchise's original name made reference to the Land Run of 1889, which led to the founding of Oklahoma City.
Tags:
89ers, baseball, major league baseball, mlb, oklahoma city
The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers based in Chicago, Illinois, and were renamed to Chicago Zephyrs the following season. In 1963, they relocated to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking the name from a previous team of the same name. The Bullets stayed in Baltimore until 1973 when the team moved to Washington DC. The Bullets name was revived in 1963, when the former Chicago Zephyrs relocated to Baltimore; even after these Bullets relocated to Washington in 1973, they kept their name for 24 more years until they were renamed the Wizards.
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america, baltimore, basketball, chicago zephyers, classic
The Rockets were founded in 1967 and played 4 seasons in San Diego until the franchise was bought and moved to Houston. On June 23, 1971, the San Diego Rockets were abruptly sold by Breitbard to a Houston-based investment group. The NBA hurriedly approved the sale, believing the franchise was on the verge of folding. The Rockets moved into the Toyota Center at the start of the 2003–2004 season. In the Rockets' debut season, they won 15 games.
The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association. The team was founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967. Known during their time in Memphis as the Memphis Pros, Memphis Tams and, finally, Sounds, they played their home games at the Mid-South Coliseum.
The Charlestown Chiefs are a fictitious team in the Federal League in the 1977 film Slap Shot, staring Paul Newman. The Chiefs are a losing team, and the citizens don't go to the games because the mill closed, putting many people out of work. Fearing the impact of the financial crisis, it's announced publicly that the team will be folding at the end of that season.
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70s, charleston, charlestown, federal league, hockey player
The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to 1968, and the American Association again from 1969 to 1992. They played their home games at Mile High Stadium. They played as the Zephyrs from 1984 to 1992.
The Scranton Apollos from 1970 to 1977, were a professional basketball team based in Scranton, Pennsylvania that was a member of the American Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association.
Minor league baseball began in Rockford, Illinois with the 1871 Rockford Forest Citys, who were one of the earliest professional teams. The team changed names many times, and in 1992 Rockford became a Kansas City Royals affiliate for the next two seasons. In 1995 the team changed again to the Rockford Cubbies.
The Detroit Driver was a a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1993. The club then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1994 and played in that city at the Massachusetts Marauders through the end of the 1994 season.
Before the Lakers, LA had the Stars. The Anaheim Amigos were a charter member American Basketball Association team based in Southern California. After their first season in Anaheim, the team moved to Los Angeles to become the Los Angeles Stars. In 1970, it moved to Salt Lake City and became the Utah Stars.
The El Paso Diablos of El Paso, Texas, was a team identity that existed in the Texas League for thirty-one seasons, from 1974 to 2013. Over that time period, they served as the Double-A affiliate of three MLB teams: the California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tags:
america, baseball, diablos, dont mess with texas, el paso
The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional basketball team in the original American Basketball Association from 1971-72. Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team played their home games in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.U.S. Condors" staggered to the end of the 1971-72 season with a 25-59 record, the league had finally seen enough. The ABA finally folded the franchise and held a special dispersal draft for those Condors players who were still under contract.
The Springfield Redbirds were a Class AAA farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals that played for four summers at Springfield, Illinois’ Lanphier Park, from 1987 to 1991.
Tags:
aaa, baseball, baseball fans, cardinals, city