The Australian Baseball League (ABL) was founded after the 1988 Claxton Shield; in the summer of 1989/90 the new League took to the field, with the Waverley Reds being the dominant team of the season. The Waverley/Melbourne Reds (now defunct) were the only team to win the Australian Baseball League championship 3 times, the Reds played originally at the home of VFL/AFL Football Waverley Park from 1989/90 until the 1993/94 Championship when they moved to the former home ground of the... Heats Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 1st 1991-92 2nd 1992-93 2nd 1993-94 ? 1994-95 2nd 1995-96 ? 1996-97 1st 1997-98 ? 1998-99 ? The Perth Heat were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... The Daikyo Dolphins were formerly the Gold Coast Clippers a foundation team in the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... Monarchs Championships 1989-90 2nd 1992-93 1st 1993-94 ? 1994-95 ? 1995-96 ? 1996-97 ? 1997-98 ? 1998-99 ? The Melbourne Monarchs were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League, although being expelled after the first championship the Monarchs rejoined the league in... Banditss Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 ? 1991-92 ? 1992-93 ? 1993-94 1st 1994-95 ? 1995-96 4th 1996-97 2nd 1997-98 ? The Brisbane Bandits were a foundation team in the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... The Waverley/Melbourne Reds (now defunct) were the only team to win the Australian Baseball League championship 3 times, the Reds played originally at the home of VFL/AFL Football Waverley Park from 1989/90 until the 1993/94 Championship when they moved to the former home ground of the... The Sydney Blues entered the ABL Championship in 1992 after purchaseing the licence of foundation team the Parramatta Patriots, who after the 1992 championship disbanded due to heavy losses. ... Heats Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 1st 1991-92 2nd 1992-93 2nd 1993-94 ? 1994-95 2nd 1995-96 ? 1996-97 1st 1997-98 ? 1998-99 ? The Perth Heat were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... The Waverley/Melbourne Reds (now defunct) were the only team to win the Australian Baseball League championship 3 times, the Reds played originally at the home of VFL/AFL Football Waverley Park from 1989/90 until the 1993/94 Championship when they moved to the former home ground of the... The Gold Coast Cougars were the re-branded Daikyo Dolphins after major sponsor Daikyo had to end sponsorship of the team due to financial problems with the Australian arm of the company. ... The Claxton Shield is an annual event held by the Australian Baseball Federation and is competed for by South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Provincial. ...

The Claxton Shield

see main article Claxton Shield The Claxton Shield is an annual event held by the Australian Baseball Federation and is competed for by South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Provincial. ...

Before the establishment of the Australian Baseball League the Claxton Shield was Australia's premier Baseball tournament since its establishment in 1934.

In 1987 the idea was first conceived to create at Australian Baseball League, this was believed to be caused by the success of Australia's National Basketball League. The final Claxton Shield was held by the Auburn Baseball Club in New South Wales at their home ground of Oriole Park. Auburn funded all visiting teams’ fares and accommodation with the expectation of making the money back through gate takings and increased revenue at the Social Club located at the park. NBL may refer to: the Australian National Basketball League the New Zealand National Basketball League the defunct American National Basketball League the defunct Canadian National Basketball League the Australian student political grouping National Broad Left This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of an... Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland which was constructed to replace the aging Memorial Stadium. ...

After the 1988 Claxton Shield the ABL was formed, consisting of 8 teams from around Australia.

Australian Baseball League of the 1990s

The league consisted of between 6 and 9 teams over the 10 years, with its highest point in 1995 with 9 teams competing. Championships were decided by a top two 5 game play off series for the first 3 seasons before changing to a top 4 play off series with winners advancing to the championship series.

• 1989-90

The Australian Baseball League formally got underway in October 1989, representing Australia's first professional "major league". Officially, the first ABL game was contested between Perth Heat and Adelaide Giants at Parry Field in Perth on 27 October 1989, with the Giants winning 8-5. The inaugural season was dominated by the Waverley Reds a record of 34 wins and 6 losses, only losing 2 games at home from 19 starts, taking out the Championship series 3 games to 1 against cross town rivals the Melbourne Monarchs. Reds Championships 1989-90 1st 1990-91 4th 1991-92 3rd 1992-93 4th 1993-94 6th 1994-95 1st 1995-96 2nd 1996-97 8th 1997-98 1st 1998-99 5th The Melbourne Reds(previously Waverley Reds) (now defunct) were the only team to win the Australian Baseball... Monarchs Championships 1989-90 2nd 1992-93 1st 1993-94 ? 1994-95 ? 1995-96 ? 1996-97 ? 1997-98 ? 1998-99 ? The Melbourne Monarchs were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League, although being expelled after the first championship the Monarchs rejoined the league in...

• 1990-91

Won by the Perth Heat.

• 1991-92

Won by the Daikyo Dolphins.

• 1992-93

Won by the Melbourne Monarchs.

• 1993-94

Won by the Brisbane Bandits.

• 1994-95

Won by the Waverley Reds.

• 1995-96

Won by the Sydney Blues.

• 1996-97

Won by the Perth Heat.

• 1997-98

Won by the Melbourne Reds.

• 1998-99

The final ABL Championship was taken out by the Gold Coast Cougars, after the Adelaide Giants dominated the entire season to finish on top.

Decline and Sale

The ABL had a total running cost of AUS$6million by the later half of the 1990's, due to a lack of sponsorship and gate takings the league was only raising AUS$4million by the final season^[1], Due to these mounting debts the Australian Baseball Federation sold off the rights to the league and Claxton Shield to Australian Baseballer David Nilsson for a reported AUS$5million who had the vision of forming the International Baseball League of Australia.^[2] The Claxton Shield is an annual event held by the Australian Baseball Federation and is competed for by South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Provincial. ... David Wayne Nilsson (born December 14, 1969 in Brisbane, Australia) was an Australian baseball player who played as catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1992 to 1999. ... The International Baseball League of Australia was a baseball league which existed from 1999 to 2002. ...

Original Clubs

Over the 10 years of the Australian Baseball League there was a total of 12 franchise licences issued, most seasons the ABL had a total of 8 teams but had as many as 9 and for the final season 6. The founding 8 teams of the Australian Baseball League were;

• Adelaide Giants, The Giants competed in all 10 seasons of the ABL but did not make the championship playoffs once.

• Brisbane Bandits, The Bandits competed in the first 9 seasons but dropped out of the final season due to not having a suitable venue, The Bandits won 1 championship and finished runner up in another.

• Gold Coast Clippers, The Clippers had many different names over their 10 years in the ABL, The Daikyo Dolphins from 1990 to 1993 due to a sponsorship with Japanese company Daikyo, then the East Coast Cougars and finally Gold Coast Cougars, This franchise won 2 championships and were runner up in a further 2 times.

• Melbourne Monarchs, The Monarchs competed in 9 of the 10 seasons, they were expelled from the league for the 1991-92 season. The Monarchs won 1 ABL title and were runners up to the Reds 1990 victory.

• Parramatta Patriots, The Patriots competed in the first 3 season with their best result being 3rd in 1990, The Patriots disbanded after the 1991-92 season due to heavy financial losses, The Sydney Blues purchsed their licence.

• Sydney Metros, The Metros have the honour of being the least successful team in the ABL and also the shortest history after they folded shortly after the 1989-90 season. The Metros licence was purchased by the Sydney Wave.

• Perth Heat, The Heat were the second most successful team in the league winnin the title twice and finishing runner up a further 3 times.

• Waverley Reds, The Reds were the most successful team in the league they hold the record for most championships at 3 and finished runner up once, The Reds also hold the highest attendance record at 11,444. The Reds changed their name to the Melbourne Reds after the 1993-94 season in an attempt to broaden their supporter base.

Giantss Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 ? 1991-92 ? 1992-93 ? 1993-94 ? 1994-95 ? 1995-96 ? 1996-97 ? 1997-98 ? 1998-99 3rd The Adelaide Giants were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... Banditss Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 ? 1991-92 ? 1992-93 ? 1993-94 1st 1994-95 ? 1995-96 4th 1996-97 2nd 1997-98 ? The Brisbane Bandits were a foundation team in the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... The Gold Coast Clippers were a foundation team in the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... Monarchs Championships 1989-90 2nd 1992-93 1st 1993-94 ? 1994-95 ? 1995-96 ? 1996-97 ? 1997-98 ? 1998-99 ? The Melbourne Monarchs were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League, although being expelled after the first championship the Monarchs rejoined the league in... Patriots Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 ? 1991-92 ? The Parramatta Patriots were one of the eight foundation teams of the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... Metros Championships 1989-90 ? The Sydney Metros were one of the eight foundation teams of the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... Heats Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 1st 1991-92 2nd 1992-93 2nd 1993-94 ? 1994-95 2nd 1995-96 ? 1996-97 1st 1997-98 ? 1998-99 ? The Perth Heat were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... Reds Championships 1989-90 1st 1990-91 4th 1991-92 3rd 1992-93 4th 1993-94 6th 1994-95 1st 1995-96 2nd 1996-97 8th 1997-98 1st 1998-99 5th The Melbourne Reds(previously Waverley Reds) (now defunct) were the only team to win the Australian Baseball...

Later additions

Later additions to the league were;

• Melbourne Bushrangers, The Bushrangers were brought in to replace the Monarchs after they were expelled, the Bushrangers played 2 seasons in Melbourne before moving north to Canberra where they changed names to the Canberra Bushrangers and competed in a further 2 seasons before going broke.

• Sydney Blues, The Blues purchsed their licence off the Parramatta Patriots, The Blues encounted a legal battle with New South Wales Cricket Association over the use of the nickname "Blues" after this point the team was known as the Sydney Storm. The team won 1 championship and finish runner up under the Blues name, they finished runner up once more under the Storm name.

• Sydney Wave, The Wave were formed after purchasing the licence of the Sydney Metros, The Wave had no real impact on the league lasting only 2 seasons before folding with heavy financial losses their licence was sold to the Hunter Eagles.

• Hunter Eagles, The Eagles had slight more succes in the ABL then their previous two licence owners lasting for a total of 4 seasons, The Eagles were excluded from the 1998-99 season after not being able to supply enough funds to run the team for the upcoming season.

Bushrangers Championships 1990-91 ? 1991-92 ? 1992-93 ? 1993-94 ? 1994-95 ? The Canberra Bushranges were originaly created as the Melbourne Bushrangers, To replace the Melbourne Monarchs in the 1990-91 ABL championship after the Monarchs were expelled from the competition. ... The Sydney Blues entered the ABL Championship in 1992 after purchaseing the licence of foundation team the Parramatta Patriots, who after the 1992 championship disbanded due to heavy losses. ... The New South Wales Cricket Association (NSWCA) is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales and particularly the Sydney Cricket Ground. ... Wavess Championships 1990-91 ? 1991-92 ? The Sydney Wave were formed after the first ABL championship purchasing the Sydney Metros licence. ... Eagless Championships 1994-95 ? 1995-96 ? 1996-97 ? 1997-98 8th The Hunter Eagles were formed for the ABL 1994-95 season after purchasing the Sydney Waves licence, who had left the league two seasons earlier. ...

New Australian Baseball League for 2008?

While no confirmation has been forthcoming from either source, plans remain in place between the Australian Baseball Federation and Major League Baseball to re-establish an Australian National league in November 2008.^[3][4] The new national league is expected to run for 10 weeks from November 2008 to February 2009 and to be partly funded by Major League Baseball.^[5] MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ...

On 10 August 2007 it was announced the 2008 Claxton Shield will be run as a "home and away" series. The revamped series will be made up of 2 pools of 3 teams, each team playing 3 home and 3 away games against the other 2 teams in their pool. Pool A will be made up of the Victoria Aces, Perth Heat and South Australia, and Pool B will be made up of New South Wales Patriots, Queensland Rams and Australia Provincial. The revamped series will run from mid January to early February 2008.^[6][7] is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Aces Championships 1999-00 3rd 2002 1st 2003 2nd 2004 6th 2005 2nd 2006 2nd 2007 1st Victoria Aces compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. ... Heats Championships 1989-90 ? 1990-91 1st 1991-92 2nd 1992-93 2nd 1993-94 ? 1994-95 2nd 1995-96 ? 1996-97 1st 1997-98 ? 1998-99 ? The Perth Heat were one of the foundation members of the now defunct Australian Baseball League. ... SAs Championships 1999-00 5th 2002 4th 2003 5th 2004 3rd 2005 3rd 2006 6th 2007 3rd South Australia compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. ... Patriotss Championships 1999-00 6th 2002 5th 2003 3rd 2004 1st 2005 1st 2006 3rd 2007 2nd New South Wales Patriots compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. ... Ramss Championships 1999-00 2nd 2002 3rd 2003 1st 2004 2nd 2005 5th 2006 1st 2007 4th Queensland Rams compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. ... Provincials Championships 2002 6th 2003 6th 2004 5th 2005 5th 2006 5th 2007 5th Australian Provincial compete in the Claxton Shield Baseball Championship in Australia. ...

References

1. ^ Gene Stephan. "Americans back new Aussie baseball league", http://www.thewest.com.au, 30 November 2006. 
2. ^ Austrlaia Broadcast Corperation. "David Nilsson", www.abc.net.au, 2000. 
3. ^ "Claxton Shield "home and away" series a dress rehearsal", http://www.geelongbaseball.com.au, 10 August 2007. 
4. ^ Chris Egan. "Geelong or Melbourne for Baseball team", http://www.austadiums.com, 27 July 2007. 
5. ^ Michael Gleeson. "Punt Road baseball pitch interests Tigers", http://www.theage.com.au/, 5 July 2007. 
6. ^ "Claxton Shield "home and away" series a dress rehearsal", http://www.geelongbaseball.com.au, 10 August 2007. 
7. ^ Ben Foster. "BASEBALL IS BACK…AND IT’S COMING YOUR WAY!", http://www.baseball.com.au/, 22 August 2007. 

Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

External links

• The Australian Baseball League: 1989-1999
• Australian National Baseball after the ABL
• Australian Baseball Links
• Background of Australian Baseball
• AMLB