Central League (baseball)

El Paso Diablos Join Central League

Spent the Last Six Seasons as the Double-A Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks

The El Paso Diablos, which had been a part of the Texas League since 1972, was officially welcomed in as the eighth team of the Central Baseball League on Tues., Nov. 9 at the Independent Baseball League Meetings in Atlantic City, N.J. They will replace the Amarillo Dillas in the upcoming season.

The Diablos will be owned by a group headed by David Pearlman of El Paso. A Director of Baseball Operations and a manager will be hired in the next few weeks for the CBL's newest expansion team.

The Diablos will play all its home games at Cohen Stadium, which seats 10,000 fans making it the largest stadium in all of independent baseball. Opened in 1990, the stadium features a 20-foot high outfield fence and it is 410 feet to straightaway centerfield.

The city of El Paso has a long history of baseball dating back to 1915 when it was part of the Rio Grande Association. For the past six years, it has served as the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"We are excited about the El Paso market," stated Commissioner Miles Wolff. "It's a great city and will make the Central Baseball League that much stronger."

The Central Baseball League is an eight-team independent league with teams in Pensacola, Fla.; Jackson, Miss.; Shreveport, La.; Ft. Worth, Texas; San Angelo, Texas; Edinburg, Texas; and Coastal Bend (Robstown), Texas. This is the 12th season for the league. It was originally formed as the Texas-Louisiana League in 1994 and became the Central Baseball League in 2002. The 2005 season gets underway on May 5.

This article was taken from www.centralleaguebaseball.com.  All rights reserved.