The Central Baseball League , formerly the Texas–Louisiana League , was an independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises.
15-611: In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron Pierce and U. S. Congressman John Bryant , became frustrated that the Texas League had no plans to expand into other Texas locations, and formed The Texas–Louisiana League. The league began play in 1994. After further expansion into Missouri and Mississippi , the Texas–Louisiana League changed its name to the Central Baseball League. In 12 seasons,
30-879: The Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs of the Northeast League "from Worcester of the United Baseball League".) In late January 1996, Casey identified the UL's eight teams as Washington, Orlando, Bridgeport, Connecticut and his Worcester club in the Northern Division, with Los Angeles, San Juan, New Orleans and Austin, Texas in the Southern Division. Finally, on April 12, 1996, the league ceased operations, citing stadium problems. Also, Liberty Sports had merged with
45-592: The Texas House of Representatives from the 114th district. Bryant was born in Lake Jackson , Brazoria County, Texas. Following a B.A. at Southern Methodist University , Dallas , Texas in 1969 Bryant studied law at Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he graduated in 1972. He was also admitted to the Texas bar in 1972. Bryant served as counsel to a committee of the Texas senate in 1973. Bryant
60-503: The United League ( UL ), was a planned third major league that was formed in 1994, but folded in 1996 without playing a game. First announced on November 1, 1994, the UL founders were Bob Mrazek , a former five-term Congressman from Long Island ; John Bryant , a Congressman from Dallas ; Richard Moss, a player agent, and Andrew Zimbalist , an economist at Smith College . The UL originally planned to have ten teams, eight in
75-458: The U.S. and one each in Canada and Mexico. By August 1995, the league introduced former Texas Rangers president Mike Stone as its CEO , and former star Curt Flood as its commissioner. "We need an alternative league," Flood said. "America deserves an alternative league. I wish there was one when I played. Baseball's owners have shut me out for 25 years." Eight franchises were announced, seven in
90-624: The U.S. and one in Canada. The league also announced a twenty-year TV contract with Liberty Sports and a 154-game schedule to begin March 28, 1996. Co-founder Richard Moss said the plan was for the UL to expand to 16 teams, including Japan and Korea, within three years. Mike Casey, identified as the owner of the New Orleans franchise, announced former big-leaguer Paul Blair would be the club's assistant general manager. Casey's son-in-law, former Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Ed Riley, became
105-501: The first signing for the proposed club; later, reports indicated the team had offered the disgraced Pete Rose $ 500,000 a year to serve as its manager. By December 1995, Dick Moss announced that the league had been put off until 1997. (By January 1996, Casey's franchise was apparently located not in New Orleans but in Worcester, Massachusetts ; Riley turned up in the "transactions" column of sports pages nationwide as being acquired by
120-497: The league produced 10 different champions; Alexandria and Edinburg were the only teams to win a title twice. After the 2005 season, the eight-team Central Baseball League disbanded. Five teams joined the American Association : Pensacola , Shreveport , Fort Worth , Coastal Bend and El Paso ; and one joined the United League , San Angelo . Edinburg also received a franchise in the United League , unrelated to
135-479: The now-defunct Roadrunners of the Central League. The following teams were, at one time, either a member of the Central Baseball League or the Texas–Louisiana League. John Wiley Bryant John Wiley Bryant (born February 22, 1947) is an American politician who represented Texas's 5th congressional district in the 98th to 104th U.S. Congress and is a current member of
150-453: The personal rank of Ambassador. In 2021, John Bryant filed to run for state representative in Texas's 114th district, after being out of politics for 24 years. Bryant declared, “I am so alarmed at the continued extremes to which the Trump forces have gone in trying to take our country over and now this has arrived in Texas. I want to get off the sidelines and get back into the fight.” He won
165-586: The primary in May 2022. He won the general election in November 2022. In 2023, Bryant spearheaded opposition to a bill in the Texas legislature that would have permitted accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in areas with single-family zoning . The bill was intended to increase housing supply and alleviate the housing crisis in urban areas in Texas. Bryant said that allowing ADUs would "make a commercial, uncontrollable, really unforeseeable mess out of every neighborhood in
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#1732780961873180-481: The state." In 2024, Bryant expressed opposition to legislative proposals to permit greater residential density in single-family neighborhoods. Bryant argued, "we have plenty of land for [housing] and plenty of places to put it. You don’t need to bust up single-family neighborhoods to get affordable housing." In the mid-1990s he was one of the co-founders of the United Baseball League (UBL) which
195-494: Was a planned third major league . As of 2023, Bryant is a student at Southern Methodist University 's Perkins School of Theology and taking a prayer and spirituality course as he pursues a degree in Spiritual Discipline. This article about a Texas politician is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . United Baseball League (proposed) The United Baseball League , also known simply as
210-553: Was elected to Texas house of representatives in a special election in 1974 and was reelected from 1974 to 1982. He was elected as a Democrat to the 98th Congress in 1982 and to the six succeeding Congresses, serving from 1983 to 1997. While in the United States House of Representatives Bryant was one of the House impeachment managers who prosecuted the case in the impeachment trial of Judge Alcee Hastings . Hastings
225-764: Was found guilty by the United States Senate and removed from his federal judgeship. In 1996, Bryant was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate . In October 1997, President Clinton appointed Bryant to head the United States' delegation to the 1997 World Radiocommunication Conference, organized by the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva , and accorded him
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