Some firsts, A one last

  One constant across the sports world, especially on the minor league level is that leagues come and go and playing facilities come and go. As we look into the sports history of January 4, like any other day, we will find that to be true.
   We start on January 4, 1883 when the Ontario Rugby Union was formed. You may not reconize the organization but, the league that came forth from this organization many years later. It was the Canadian Football League and its very humble beginnings.
  Speaking of humble beginnings in the first daily blog last May, we wrote about the first league games being played by the baseball league that later became the International League in 1884. Today we mark the anniversary of the leagues founding.
   Just one year later they witnessed what was supposed to be opening day for Baseballs' California League. The league scheduled one game to be played every Sunday as a part of its 52 game league schedule. The first three games of the season were rained out. No word if they scheduled makeup games later, before they season closed at the end of December.
   We skip ahead to 1962 when the International Hockey League held its first All-Star Game. The Saint Paul Saints hosted the game at the Saint Paul Auditorium  and beat the All-Star team by a score of 6-5
   On January 4, 1968 The North American Soccer League was formed by a merger between the National Professional Soccer League and the United Soccer Association.
   Two years later the Kansas Chiefs won the last American Football League championship game when the beat the Oakland Raiders 17-7 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
   On January 4, 1997 the Buffalo Bandits of the Major Indoor LaCrosse League held its first league game at the brand new Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York, after four seasons at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
     Finally on January 4, 2001 the National  Basketball Development League named Fayetteville, North Carolina as its first league city. Although the team folde after the 2005-06 season the league marchs on strongly.
   Tomorrow we go play baseball south of the border.