Travel plans a hassle after failed merger

Victoria Sun

Friday, Dec. 8, 2000 | 10:42 a.m.

The failed merger between the International Basketball League and ABA 2000 produced a very busy week for Bandits trainer and equipment manager Patrick Ballinger.

On Monday, Ballinger was supposed to approve a purchase of 15 round-trip tickets on National Airlines for the Bandits' season opener at Trenton, N.J., on Saturday.

At about 5 p.m., he was told that the merger between the second-year IBL and first-year ABA 2000 was off, and that the Bandits would now be playing at defending IBL champion St. Louis.

"Yes I was scrambling," Ballinger said. "We were supposed to fly to Trenton, and within a day's notice I had to switch the flight to St. Louis.

"It was quite complicated to find flights for 15 people to fly out. I could have put two people on one flight and two people on a different flight, but we wanted to travel as a team with everyone on the same flight."

Without a seven-day advance purchase, Ballinger began calling airlines to find the lowest rate.

The team flew into St. Louis on Thursday at a fare of $500 -- an increase of $221 per person compared to the Trenton ticket. Multiply $221 by 15 to include 10 players, coaches and Ballinger, and it adds up to a $3,315 loss for the Bandits.

Travel plans aren't the only thing Ballinger has had to fix.

A box of 12 ABA 2000 red, white and blue balls arrived at the Bandits' office on Monday.

Those were the balls that the team was supposed to use under the conditions of the merger.

"Now we can't use them," Ballinger said. "We're going to NBA Spalding balls so that had to get switched. Now I'm scrambling to get new balls."