SLUG SAUCE ON THE MOVE?

 

            Fort Smith, AR (AP)—According to league sources, the most successful Friends League Baseball franchise may be pulling up roots and moving to greener pastures.

            If rumors are correct, Slug Sauce, owned by two-time FLB winner Andy Stroud, may be moving out of Fort Smith, heading to more lucrative places such as St. Louis or Dallas.

            Stroud refused to confirm these reports, but did state he thought the Ft. Smith market “wasn’t large enough” to keep him competitive.

            “I’m not saying I’m moving,” said Stroud, “but when you look at the population numbers, you can’t compare either Dallas or St. Louis to Ft. Smith.  Both of those cities are huge.  I have had some civic leaders call on me from both cities, and I’m fairly sure we could get a new ballpark in either place.  I repeat, though, I have not agreed to move.”

            If the move takes him to Dallas, Stroud would have to share Texas with the Texas Twisters, owned by Robert Arnwine.  The Twisters are based in Austin, but have had the whole Texas market to themselves over recent years.

            “I welcome Andy down here,” stated Arnwine.  “I’m not thrilled with the idea of splitting up the vast Texas market, but I believe our fans are loyal enough to stay with us.  Besides, if [Chad] Skelton and [Mark] Shively can share one town [Memphis], I’m sure that Andy and I can share a state.”

            A St. Louis move would put Slug Sauce right on the outskirts of the aforementioned Memphis market.

            “We’ve been pulling some fans from St. Louis,” said Shively, owner of The World Is Not Enough.  “However, I don’t think that a team moving in there, even one of the caliber of Slug Sauce, will really affect our bottom line that much.  We wouldn’t oppose such a move.”

            The commissioner also weighed in on a possible relocation.

            “We never want to see teams pull up roots, disenfranchising the local fan base.  However, when a Dallas or a St. Louis comes available, we would be foolish not to investigate the possibility.” commissioner Daniel Shoptaw stated.  “Besides, there are three teams (Mark Scott’s Courthouse Junkies, Matt Scott’s Barney’s Bad Boys, and Shoptaw’s Padawan Learners) left in the Arkansas market who would compete heavily for the Ft. Smith fan base.”

            A decision on the move is rumored to occur within the next couple of weeks.