9/20/2012-The Pecos League received calls on Wednesday with confusion of how the AAA team in El Paso effects the league. It is beginning to look like the Tucson Padres are moving to El Paso for sure. Whether they actually tear down city hall to build a new ballpark within one mile of the Juarez Border is yet to be know. Let's assume that the Tucson Padres are moving to the Sun City in 2014.

The major aspect that will hurt the Pecos League is the fact the El Paso Diablos will no longer be in existance. The Diablos have been the biggest supporters of the Pecos League and the Las Cruces Vaqueros from day one. The Diablos and their staff have used the Pecos League to their advantage with free opponents during Spring Training. The first ever Pecos League game was played between Roswell and El Paso. Las Cruces, Trinidad and White Sands have all played the Diablos in preseason exhibtions. Every year the Pecos League has sent the Diablos at least 10 players and when visiting teams from the American Association are leaking and need players the Pecos League has been a convenient source for them to get players. The Diablos even hired a coach out of the Pecos League in 2012. At least four times the Diablos have called for emergency pitchers or players to fill injury spots. It has been good experience for the players to get to go and play with Diablos for one or two games and see American Association action first hand. This will no longer be viable. The Pecos League just became a bit more isolated from other higher level independent leagues which could mean less exposure for players trying to get picked up. The annual Vaqueros/Alpine Cowboys doubleheader in Cohen Stadium will likely cease after the 2013 season. The game was very popular with players and saved both teams on travel.

According to all sources there will no Independent Baseball in El Paso when the Padres move in. There had been talk of the Diablos joining the Pecos League in 2014-2015 as their lease in Cohen Stadium ends in 2015. The City of El Paso is unlikely to allow that to happen with the huge financial committment they are making and the fact that they are getting AAA Baseball.

It is very possible that there will be an attendence reduction in Las Cruces for Vaqueros Fans. Las Cruces has some true blue die hard baseball fans that would love to get behind a AAA team. The drive to Cruces is very easy and those fans used to flock to Cohen Stadium regularly before the Vaqueros were around.

Alpine/Roswell/Alamogordo will unlikely feel the effects of attendence reduction and could attempt to give away promotional tickets for the team.

The Pecos Soccer League is on hold until the Diablos figure out exactly what is going to happen over the next few weeks, It was scheduled to start back in late October but might be pushed back into December Affliated Baseball in a brand new state of the art stadium is going to be a huge attraction in their first year. We hope fans will continue to support the Vaqueros and Pupfish as well as the Padres similar to the way fans support the Isotopes/Fuego and Sky Sox/Triggers in the Northern Region of our league. The Isotopes have been very supportive to the Fuego because their staff realizes the Pecos League isn't competition at all. It is two totally different brands of baseball. You are dealing with guys in AAA that have major league service time that are bouncing back and forth. In the Pecos League you are dealing with guys that are rookies trying to get into low A affliated baseball.

A goal for the Pecos League would be to get one of its players in AAA on one of the rosters by the 2014 season and play a game in El Paso in the Pacific Coast League against the Padres. Then it would give the fans another reason to go and see the new ballpark. 2014 might be a long shot but 2015 could be a reality. Brandon Sisk from the Omaha Storm Chasers pitched in the Continental Baseball League for the Bay Area Toros in 2007-2008 and has made a AAA roster for two years in a row.

The Pecos League will support whatever baseball is played in El Paso.