Sources close to the team are confirming that the Armada will not be at Blair next season due to the city's transfer of the facility's lease to Long Beach State.  We are still waiting on official confirmation from the league, and more information will be coming as we get it.

UPDATE 1: Just got off the phone with Vic Cegles who said the city and the university aren't quite done with negotiations on transferring Blair, and that he hadn't heart anything about the Armada.  "We haven't finalized the deal yet, but we're close."

UPDATE 2: Kevin Outcalt, commissioner of the Golden Baseball League (which the Armada are a part of) says the league is not ready to confirm the Armada are folding.  "The city is trying to pull off a deal with Long Beach State," he says, referring to the deal to transfer Blair Field.  "As part of that there is the issue of the current tenants of the field, including the Armada, and there have been a lot of discussions about that, including with lawyers."  But, he says, nothing at their office is final yet.  "As far as we know, the Armada are still on the schedule."

UPDATE 3: Just got off the phone with Dave Kaval, CEO of the Golden Baseball League.  He says the idea that the team is definitely folding is false, but acknowledges that the future is in question due to the city trying to force the Armada out of Blair.  "We have a deal to play for three more years," he says.  "We have a staff...and a schedule in place....the problem is the city is hellbent on selling the stadium to Long Beach State and they don't want us there."

Kaval says the team is intent on doing whatever it can to remain in Long Beach, because the team was "built for the long haul; that's why we signed for another three years."  He also says the idea that the Armada are behind on bills isn't true.  "We pay all our bills, we pay our rent, every year--frankly, they won't even take our money."

Despite Kaval's statements, the team does not have a current agreement to play at Blair next season, and with the deal to lease Blair to Long Beach State "close," it's unlikely a new one will be penned. "The problem is we're running out of time," he says, citing a need to have a deal in place by the end of the year so the team knows whether they can play there or not.  If a deal doesn't come through--which, barring legal intervention, seems likely--Kaval says the team will "look at all options" for the future, including relocation within the area, suspension of the season, or moving to another market entirely.  More on the story as we get it.

UPDATE 4: We spoke with J.C. Squires, Long Beach's Manager of Parks Department Business Operations, who disagrees with Kaval's assertion that the team was financially squared with the city.  They have been "delinquent in terms of permit," he says, specifically referencing security deposits and letters of credit.  "They failed to maintain their responsibilities under the permit, so their permit was cancelled."  Squires estimates the permit was pulled about a month ago, under the advice of legal counsel.

Squires says "the most egregious [offense] was their $25,000 letter of credit against future payments."  He also states that the Armada had been "delinquent on payments for a long time," and while acknowledging most of the payments had been since paid up, says "there is still an outstanding payment as of this moment."

In other words, sports fans?  This isn't a simple misunderstanding that is likely to be cleared up soon.  Both sides seem so far apart on what has and hasn't been fulfilled that it's hard to imagine the city--or Long Beach State, once the city finalizes the lease of Blair Field to the university--changing their tune.  Taking into account Kaval's statement about a short time frame for resolving the issue, we would at this point be very surprised if the Armada played another season in Long Beach at Blair Field.  Regardless of how this all shakes down with the lawyers, it appears likely right now that you can add another team to the long list of minor league professional sports teams that have failed to last in Long Beach.

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