Northwoods League to expand

The N-C-A-A sanctioned summer baseball development league that includes the Waterloo Bucks is expanding. The Northwoods League will be adding a franchise in Eau Claire, Wisconsin next season. On Tuesday, the Eau Caire city council approved a five-year lease agreement with the league that will allow an expansion team to use Carson Park — the former Northern League stadium where Hank Aaron played his first professional game. The Northwoods League currently has 10 teams in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Canada that play a 64-game schedule from early June to Mid August. The Eau Claire deal opens the door for the league to add at least one more team for the 2005 season, but further expansion plans have not been announced.