::: SOUTHWESTERN LEAGUE :::

Professional & Semi-Pro - USA & Mexico - League & Team Infomation

Lipp

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January 31, 2010

Now that the Southwestern League has announced its beginning, and nears its opening day, the questions have been flooding in via “Facebook” and regular email.
Due to this high volume of questions, it is time for the league to give you, the interested party, some answers.

Question…..How did the Southwestern League come about?

Answer….. (Bob Lipp, League Creator) – I had been researching old ballparks in the Southwest and came across the Warren Ball Park in Bisbee, Arizona.

While in Bisbee, the city tourist coordinator asked me "why don't you bring us pro ball?"

Since I had worked every position in pro ball it didn't take long for me to talk myself into visiting every surrounding community that had a viable ballpark suitable for a professional baseball team.

Within a year the Arizona-Mexico League was born.

That league, unfortunately, closed early due to several factors including teams being unable to pull in the required revenue and over spending of funds that were available.

Since the closure of the Arizona-Mexico League, T.K. Karabatos took a big interest in the plan that was the basis for the previous league. T.K. and I have slowly been working the last five years re-tooling that plan.

Question…..What makes you think this new league will succeed where the previous league failed?

Answer….. A call from former Tecate player Luke Powell helped rekindle the flame. Luke and I, along with T.K. and the other members of our staff, have been working together to see if there is enough interest to support a professional league.

With our new financial plan in place and a longer planning period, we are sure that this new league will be viable and financially stable.

Not to mention, the influx of interest created by our websites as well as on facebook. We have been receiving hits to our site from as far away as New York State., China, Philippines and Japan.

Question…..(to Luke Powell)…What made you take interest in a fledgling league considering your previous pro baseball experience?

Answer…..When I got out of pro-ball, I went into the car business. While the car business has been good to me, not a day goes bye that I don’t think about baseball and the great memories I have from it.

When Bob started the Arizona Mexico league, he gave me a chance when nobody else would and I ended up playing another 3 years of professional ball.

Now I have a chance to give back and I hope I can help some young players extend their careers too.

Question…..How many teams will you have in this new league?

Answer…..The league is designed to begin with at least six teams. We are willing to go with eight, but we must have an even number to fit our current design. Thus far, it appears that the six will be easily reached but are always willing to listen to others.

Question…..What does it take from a community to have a team?

Answer…..The obvious answer is support. While each team is open to an individual owner or a group of owners, the community itself will be expected to assist in sponsorship via advertising and attending the games.

This is not an easy thing to guarantee, but the league is designed for three things in reality.

One is for the players to have an opportunity to keep playing baseball in a professional league.

Two is for the children and members of these communities to have an opportunity to watch the game being played by professional athletes and hopefully further their skills as well.

Third, and foremost in the minds of the league, is to provide a wholesome family entertainment for an affordable price that members of the community can rally around in these hard economic times.

Question…..How many players will be on each team, and where will they come from?

Answer…..Each team is allowed to procure their players from wherever they have the ability. No area is exclusive, or nationality. The league budget is designed for a maximum of 22 players at this time.

Some owners, such as Powell, Lipp, and Karabatos, have been around pro ball and have extensive contacts throughout the country. While others may have to rely on the area colleges and junior colleges to get their players.

The league does have contacts available in the Midwest, being handled by Doug Bender. Bender has been involved in baseball throughout Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.

Question…..How much will each player make?

Answer…..Again, we are back to the designed budget.

In order to keep the playing field level, each team is allowed to pay a set amount of $600.00 per month. Room and board is hopefully available thru sponsorships in order to make this a workable amount for the players.

Question…..How many games will each team play in the season?

Answer…..While there are no guarantees of whom will schedule outside the league, the desired amount will be similar to that of a short A or rookie league club with openings for up to 90 games.

Each team will be required to play those within the league, but will not be restricted to playing only those members. Depending on the teams fundraising abilities, there is no limit to the travels that they may make.

Question…..I want to play….How can I get on a team? Will there be any tryouts?

Answer…..Among potential players, this has been the most frequently asked question.

There are actually several ways that you can get an opportunity to play in this league. The first thing that needs to be done it so establish contact with the league itself.

This can be done via the website at www.southwesternleague.com , you can address to any member of the staff and it will be directed for you. Once that contact is made, be prepared for follow up emails as well as have your references and statistics available if any.

Second, the league is attempting to put together some try-out camps possibly beginning over Christmas Break of 2010 in order to catch those college players whom are on break.

Third, send your current playing schedules to the league site, and where available, we will attempt to have someone come and watch you and evaluate accordingly.

With every day comes new questions. We hope that these questions and answers we have posted will assist you in some of your thoughts.

Should you have any other questions, please feel free to address them to us.

Thanks and not long before we yell. “Play Ball”.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS