It's something daring, the Continental League, a AAA league that crosses the Canadian/American border and defines itself by that difference. "The antagonisms are slight, the rivalry friendly," says league president Jill Sisler. "Differences are more likely to be ideological, defined by perspective, not geography." The Momos and the Independents play hard, for example. Likewise, Cheyenne and Spokane display a predator/prey dynamic from way back.
Flights are long and the grass fields spacious in the Continental League. But fans drive long distances to gather at league ballparks in a region that offers less culture than nature. Here in the park the constructions of civilization and the primordial pleasures of nature merge. "A Saturday afternoon at the park in Saskatoon with the breeze coming in off the wheat fields, it's something else," brags Sisler. "As long as it's July. It's April, it's just plain cold."
North | South |
Boise Independents | Regina Plainsmen |
Cheyenne Indians | Saskatoon Red Berries |
Salt Lake City Momos | Thunder Bay Silver |
Spokane Salmon | Winnipeg Pelters |