The Northern League of Professional Baseball

rmed as an independent league, the Northern League operated as an affiliated league from 1933-1971 before switching back to the independent format in 1992. Independent baseball teams are unaffiliated with major league clubs and operate as their own entities with the responsibility to procure their own players and fill out their rosters, whereas affiliated clubs operate as farm systems for their major league parents as the players are promoted and demoted between levels. Affiliated minor league teams have levels Single-A through Triple- A, with Triple-A being the level just before the majors. The Northern League boasts impressive alumni of players who eventually starred in the majors. Recently, Brad Zeigler , Northern League alumni, set the Major League record for scoreless innings to start a career at 39 1/3 for the Oakland Athletics. Historically, the roster of alumni includes such all-time greats as Hank Aaron , Roger Maris , Lou Brock , Joe Torre , Jim Palmer , Willie Stargell , Steve Carlton , and Orlando Cepeda . Former Team owners in the Northern League over the past 20 years included actors Bill Murray and Kevin Costner, NY Yankees minority partner Marv Goldklang , minor league impresario Mike Veeck , minor league pioneer Miles Wolff , and Winnipeg Manitoba Mayor Sam Katz . Over the past fifteen years, over 600 Northern League players have been sold to Major League Baseball organizations, with thirty-two of those players advancing all the way to the Major League.