By KEVIN JAKAHI By KEVIN JAKAHI ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald sports writer The Hawaii Stars could be part of something big — an ambitious enterprise called the World Independent Baseball League — or maybe left out in the cold due to the
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
The Hawaii Stars could be part of something big — an ambitious enterprise called the World Independent Baseball League — or maybe left out in the cold due to the local community’s collective yawn and lukewarm interest in attending games.
Last week, the North American Baseball League’s Na Koa Ikaika Maui hosted the Ishikawa Million Stars, a semipro team from the Japanese Baseball League, for a two-game exhibition series. By all accounts, attendance was good — over 2,000 fans for the exhibitions — and the series was called a hit in both languages.
Then the owners from Ishikawa and Maui/Hawaii ironed out a plan to have the leagues play each other and have the games count in their respective standings, leading to a World Independent Baseball Championship.
The WIBL would involve four teams from Japan, and there is interest from organizations in Korea and Canada, according to league corporate officer Chris Osgood, who added that Maui and Hawaii, and NABL teams from the mainland in the South Division would also participate.
“A key is a third team on Oahu,” he said.
An Oahu team would give the NABL several options, such as the added attraction to lengthen a visiting team’s stay, essentially picking up games, especially if there are rainouts in Hilo. (Due to good fortune, the Hawaii Stars have had just one rainout and that game was made up as a doubleheader the next day.)
There is also a bigger population base on Oahu, where the rental fees at Les Murakami Stadium and Aloha Stadium remain major stumbling blocks. However, there’s a far more likelihood of turning an attendance profit or breaking even, despite all the add-on costs in Honolulu compared to Hilo.
Only twice has attendance at Wong Stadium surpassed the 700-fan range, in the season-opener and Little League night. Otherwise, the gate numbers, which are not announced, have hovered anywhere from 150 fans or fewer, adding to the Stars’ financial strain.
The Hawaii Stars have not attracted their desired core base: Little Leaguers and senior citizens. The Stars decided to start games at 5:35 p.m., intending to get youngsters in bed at a decent hour. They also offered $10 season packages for them as well.
So far, the Stars have struck out as far as trying to get fans in the seats at Wong Stadium.
The team has attracted corporate support: Minit Stop sells tickets and Don’s Grill and Hilo Hawaiian Hotel provide food items. But the Wong Stadium fences remain bare of corporate banners.
With a 23-member traveling squad, the Hawaii Stars or Na Koa Ikaika Maui would require a serious budget for airfare, which would run roughly $20,000 for a trip and that’s not counting hotel, transportation and other item costs that stick to one’s shoe.
Still, Hawaii/Maui owner Bob Young is enthusiastic.
“Independent professional baseball is exploding throughout the world as more and more talented players seek to make it to the major leagues in many countries,” he said. “Hatoshi Tambo (Ishikawa owner) and I share the same vision: We offer affordable family-friendly professional baseball to fans from Beijing to New York.
“Fans around the world are being priced out of all professional sports as their target market shifted from people to corporations. We are proposing an international alternative. Starting with Japan’s Baseball Challenge League and our North American League, the Ishikawa Million Stars and Na Koa Ikaika Maui have just shown us the way with our historic exhibition series. The future of our association is off to a terrific start.”
