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The CBL was based in Vancouver, British Columbia . The championship trophy was the Jenkins Cup, named after the commissioner of the league, Ferguson Jenkins . A CANADIAN PRO LEAGUE The CBL was the brainchild of Baseball Hall Of Fame r Ferguson Jenkins was brought in to act as the league's Commissioner. Riviera's vision had big goals, and he followed suit by making big promises. Riviera stated that the CBL would be "AAA quality", Ballparkwatch.com, September 5, 2002 He was rumored to have approached the Winnipeg Goldeyes about switching leagues, and even nominated Pete Rose for the Canadian Baseball Hall Of Fame . No Rose, but former Blue Jays slugger Carter voted in, ESPN.com, March 13, 2003 The big plans initially appeared to be possible. The league announced a national television deal with sports channel . enterstageright.com, Jackson Murphy, July 21, 2003 QUICK DEMISE However, despite early promises that the league could, and would, average over 2,000 fans per game, it was clear that the CBL was not remotely close to projections. Only two markets averaged over 1,000 fans per game: (271), Saskatoon (256), Welland (181) and Trois-Rivieres (163). enterstageright.com, Jackson Murphy, July 21, 2003 The national TV deal was cancelled after only six weeks after the CBL was unable to find enough sponsors to cover the production costs. Empty Field of Dreams, thetyee.ca, April 5, 2004 The Montreal franchise never played a game in Montreal due to a lack of a playing field. The CBL's swan song was the All-star game, held at Calgary. Unwilling to absorb any more losses, Mallett pulled the plug on the entire operation, suspending operations following the game. A crowd of over 5,700 watched the final game in CBL history end in a tie. Despite losing as much as $4 million on the CBL, Empty Field of Dreams, thetyee.ca, April 5, 2004 Mallett initially promised to bring the league back in 2004. However, the remaining assets of the league were quietly auctioned off on December 1 , 2003 in Vancouver and the league never returned. THE TEAMS The eight teams that played in the CBL, and their record at the time the league was suspended. The Calgary Outlaws were declared the Jenkins Cup champions on the basis of having the league's best record. West Division
East Division
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