The Black Hawks were one of the original teams in the CRBL. Founded by Nick Nahirniak, the team struggled in its early days. The team shut down operations on June 12, 1992, and their players were put in a lottery, with players not selected becoming free agents. On July 17, Pat Kiedaisch took over operations of the team and renamed it the Padres. The Padres made a huge improvement in 1993, going from last place up to fourth. The team was in last place when the CRBL folded on May 2, 1994. When the NRBL was organized a few weeks later, the Padres joined and finished 6th in a 10-team league. They finished last in 1995, the NRBL's last season. Among the players who starred for this team are Roberto Alomar, Wade Boggs, Ken Caminiti, Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, John Kruk, Ken Griffey Jr., and Randy Johnson.
Another original team, they made it through both leagues but folded in June 1995, the NRBL's final season. Founded by Jessica Karpuk, the team was turned over to Joe Jamison after the 1992 season and renamed the Giants. The team was constantly in the second-division, with their best finish 7th place in the shortened 1994 season. Star players for this team were Will Clark, Darren Daulton, Rickey Henderson, and Dennis Eckersley.
Another team that was never very successful, the Cubs usually finished at or near the bottom of the league, never finishing higher than third. Owner Chris Karpuk partnered up with Padres owner Pat Kiedaisch, but it did little to improve the Cubs. Bobby Bonilla, Ryne Sandberg, Jim Eisenreich, Mariano Duncan, and Bob Tewksbury were key players on the Cubs.
Quite simply, the most dominant team in baseball in the early-mid 1990's. After finishing only 23 points out of first in the short 1991 season, the Mavericks won four straight championships for owner Greg Karpuk. The Mavs dominated head-to-head play both years it was done, going 71-29 in 1992 and 64-36 in 1993, and going undefeated in 8 postseason games over those two seasons. The Mavericks were built around great players such as Fred McGriff, Craig Biggio, Chuck Knoblauch, Jay Bell, Brady Anderson, Len Dykstra, Ivan Rodriguez (currently with the team), and Travis Fryman. But the Mavs were best known for their dominant pitching staff, led by Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Jack McDowell, and later, John Smoltz. The Mavericks added a Yahoo! public league title in 2000, and won the championship in the first season of the Richie Ashburn League, bringing their total to 6.
The White Owls won the CRBL's first championship in 1991. After finishing second in 1992, the team changed hands during the 1993 season, with founding owner Dan Nahirniak turning it over to Kevin Karpuk. Kevin renamed the team the Bobcats when he took over, then changed their name to the Strikers for the 1994 season. Being used as a feeder team in the organization run by Joe Jamison and Kevin, the Strikers slowly slid to the bottom of the league. Starring for this team were Cecil Fielder, Ryne Sandberg, Ken Griffey Jr., Roger Clemens, Barry Larkin, and Greg Swindell.
Currently playing in the Richie Ashburn league as the Las Vegas Crappers, this team can trace its roots to one of the original 6 CRBL teams. Owner Kevin Karpuk founded the White Sox in 1991, changed their name to the Orioles in 1993, and then to the Cyclones in 1994. When the Ashburn League began in 2005, the team began play in Las Vegas as Logan's Loonies, but changed their name to the Crappers for the 2006 season. With the exception of last year, this has always been a competitive organization. They finished second behind the Mavericks in 1993, were actually in first place when the CRBL folded in 1994, and finished second in the NRBL in 1994. Being at the top of the Kevin Karpuk/Joe Jamison organization, they saw many players come through, including Frank Thomas, Roberto Alomar, Mike Mussina, Kenny Lofton, John Smoltz, and Roger Clemens.
When the CRBL expanded in 1993, a franchise went to Greg Karpuk. The team was very successful for an expansion team, finishing third in 1993 and 1994, and second in 1995. They also only finished 2 games out from winning the American League pennant in 1993, their only season of head-to-head play. The team had managed to put together a core of good young players, and seemed ready to challenge the Mavericks for supremacy when the league folded after the 1995 season. Among the players they brought in were Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Mark Grace, Carlos Baerga, Matt Williams, Tim Salmon, Andy Benes, David Cone, Curt Schilling, Jim Edmonds, Kirby Puckett, and Chipper Jones.
The second expansion team to begin play in 1993, this team never saw great success, being used as a feeder team in the Kevin Karpuk/Joe Jamison organization. The Expos changed their name to the Crimson Tide after their inaugural 1993 season. Some of the many players who went through this clubhouse were Mo Vaughan, Albert Belle, Larry Walker, and Aaron Sele.
When the NRBL began during the 1994 season, Greg Karpuk received 2 more expansion teams. The Black Sox finished in fourth place in 1994 and fifth in 1995. They shut down when the NRBL folded after the 1995 season. Stars included Jeff Kent, Paul Molitor, Moises Alou, Andy Van Slyke, Jeff Conine, and 1994 Rookie of the Year Bob "The Hammer" Hamelin.
The second expansion team to go to Greg Karpuk durig the CRBL/NRBL transition, the Mustangs lasted only one very short season, finishing fifth out of 10 teams before merging with the Knights during the players' strike in 1994. Players included B.J. Surhoff, Wally Joyner, Felix Jose, Mark Grace, Bret Boone, Kirby Puckett, and David Cone.