Yuma Scorpions: Another Casualty of Independent Baseball

Baseball is a funny game.

If you fail seven out of ten times, you are an All-star.

If you hold a team to three runs or less, you are an All-star.

Does the second-best record in the league ultimately lead to success? Not always.

Does having the tenth-largest city in the state ultimately lead to sellouts of home games? Not always.

These are two of many factors that led to a string of unfortunate events affecting the Golden Baseball League’s Yuma Scorpions.

According to Yumasun.com, “The Golden Baseball League announced on Wednesday that it had dissolved its affiliation agreement with the U.S. subsidiary of Golden Gloves Professional Baseball, the company that had been handling baseball operations for the Yuma Scorpions.”

Stepping in for GGPB will be Diamond Sports, who according to the Golden Baseball League’s website is the official owner of the Scorpions franchise.

To be more specific, Diamond Sports & Entertainment, (which had an agreement to let GGPB run the baseball side of the operation) will begin to take control of all the financials and management support, while trying to keep the team on the field for the remainder of the season.

Obviously disappointed, League CEO David Kaval will commence legal actions against GGPB’s President, Ricky Smith, and co-owner, his wife, Romy Acevedo Smith.

“We are taking control of the baseball operations immediately to provide ongoing resources and support for the team. We will be working through legal processes to pursue GGPB and Mr. Smith to hold them accountable for their actions and obligations to our company, the Golden Baseball League, players, vendors, and all other entities that they have damaged.”

How in this day and age can a situation turn so badly?  Everyone involved has the same common goal in mind.

Honestly, I cannot comment on the specifics, just the facts that were laid out, but apparently, it got so bad that during the Scorpions road trip to play the Edmonton Capitals, the Capitals were paying the Scorpions hotel bill.

If that was not bad enough, four trades have been completed since the All-Star break.  Each trade was completed for cash considerations.

Kaval stated that had the league been controlling the team, those trades would never have been attempted or approved.

Unsure of what will happen, the league is obviously trying to keep this situation from getting worse, trying to keep its image, all while trying to keep a competitive team on the field amidst all the turmoil.

This article can also be found on The GM's Perspective.