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The aftermath from the dissolution of Major League Baseball following the assassination of "temporary" commissioner Bud Selig by a fan outraged by his proposed league-realignment plan continues. Several new, smaller leagues were formed across the country, and two came to northern Colorado: the Virtual Baseball League's Fort Collins Centennials and the TriBL's Loveland Eagles.
On Friday, a third league, the PVBL, awarded a franchise to northern Colorado. This franchise, to be called the Larimer Knights, will compete with the Centennials, Eagles, and Colorado State University sports teams for a regional fan base of 300,000, not including the fan base in nearby Wyoming. The franchise will be located in Laporte, Colorado, a suburb of Fort Collins, and will play in Larimer County Stadium, modeled after Fenway Park. Knights owner John Dybala is a native New Englander who grew up cheering for the Red Sox, and the stadium was so designed at his request.
Dybala stated in a telephone interview this morning that he is confident that the area can support three teams, and the Knights in particular. He already has the support of local football fans: the uniforms will be orange. "What happened to the Broncos' uniforms is a travesty. Unfortunately, Pat Bowlen -- and I say this will all due respect, from one team owner to another -- was too boneheaded to realize what a mistake he was making and is now too proud to acquiesce to the fans wishes to bring back the orange Bronco uniform. So we're using it instead."
Dybala provided this background information on himself: he is 23 years old and moved to Colorado from his native Rhode Island in January of 1994. He has expressed a commitment to making Larimer County Stadium as wheelchair-accessible as possible. Dybala suffers from a skeletal disease called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia and uses a wheelchair himself. He states that he has been a born-again Christian since 1990 and currently attends Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in Fort Collins, as does his girlfriend of two months, Allison Cashwell. He currently owns three baseball teams, and this is his eighth fantasy-baseball team overall. He will oversee operation of these three teams while pursuing his B.S. in mathematics at Colorado State University.
He ended the conversation with this comment: "I am ready, eager, and willing to trade and invite all owners to contact me with offers."
Written by John Dybala