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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 25, 2009 12:20:21 GMT -5
Mudbugs' opponent expelled from SIFL From staff reports • May 25, 2009
The Southern Indoor Football League has expelled the Florida Kings, league president Thom Hager announced Sunday.
The Kings were scheduled to play road games only against SIFL opponents during the 2009 season, in addition to their home games against non-league competition at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand, Fla. The franchise was to become a full-fledged SIFL member in 2010.
They played one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers on April 25, and were scheduled to face the Acadiana Mudbugs tonight at Blackham Coliseum. That game has been canceled. Mudbugs owner Bentley Turner said Sunday a rescheduled game with the Kings' replacement will take place on Saturday, June 20. Tickets for Monday's game will be honored.
"We apologize for any inconvenience," Turner said. "We're having a great inaugural season and look forward to the continued support. We also want to offer our support for the league - in this case, they're doing the right thing."
"There comes a time when you have to make very hard decisions, and this is one of them," Hager said. "The SIFL is not going to subjugate its staff and teams to unneeded financial and unprofessional burdens that do not have any long-term benefit for its teams or the league.
"I regret that we've caused the entire sport of indoor football to take yet another credibility hit, but rather than justify our first-year problems by comparing and contrasting the trials other entities are enduring, we vow to focus our energy on solving these problems expediantly and working to ensure the long-term success of the SIFL. We will complete our inaugural season schedule."
With the cancellation of tonight's game, the next scheduled date for the Mudbugs is June 1 in Lake Charles against the Louisiana Swashbucklers. In the current SIFL standings, the Swashbucklers and Austin Turfcats are tied for first place with 4-1 records. The Mudcats sit one-half game back at 3-1.
"I've seen stuff like this happen before - kudos to the league for getting rid of the riff-raff - and it could be a very good thing for us,'' said veteran Mudbugs coach John Fourcade. "I'm not bragging, but it would have been a blowout where we risked suffering an unnecessary injury with two games coming against the Louisiana Swashbucklers. It's a crazy sport we're in, but I know we're trying to do it right with the Mudbugs."
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cm916
Veteran
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks/Lakeland Raiders
Posts: 158
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Post by cm916 on May 26, 2009 1:09:14 GMT -5
So you should kick out any team that starts off with an ugly loss? The AF2 would lose half its teams every other week. Houma better watch their backs.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 26, 2009 6:42:57 GMT -5
The 81-0 score had nothing to do with it. There was a long list of obligations Florida dropped the ball on. that was the only game they had played.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 26, 2009 7:17:16 GMT -5
SIFL Day of Reckoning by Danny Burnham May 25, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)
On Sunday morning on Memorial Day weekend, the Acadiana Mudbugs and the SIFL got an e-mail from the Florida Kings. The Kings demanded that their travel expenses be picked up by the league or the Mudbugs and the demand came on a Sunday morning before a Monday night game on a holiday weekend.
Sounds like a last straw to me.
The SIFL press release Sunday really didn't get into specifics on why they kicked out the Kings, but that was because they don't want to get into match, but a couple of e-mails and IMs bring some additional light to the situation.
"I got sick to my stomach when I saw that e-mail and saw phone calls from the Mudbugs on my cell," said SIFL Director of Operations Robert Winfrey. "At that point, we were all at 'the hell with it' point."
Winfrey said that all season long Kings management was miffed at a misunderstanding by some media that the Kings were a travel team only and were not playing home games against non SIFL opposition at a fairgrounds arena near DeLand, Fla. So they played their travel team card and said if you're going to consider us a travel team, then you can foot the travel bill.
SIFL home teams arrange accommodations and meals for visiting teams, but the bill for the bus lies exclusively with the road team. The Mudbugs' response? Memorial day weekend, Monday game. Small crowd. Another 81-0 type game. Waste of money and potential injuries. Forget it.
Then the Kings wanted the same deal from Austin. Imagine what happened next.
At first, the SIFL was intrigued by having a Florida presence so early as well as the Kings' PR about community service and each player donating 100 hours of service. When one of the Houston teams dropped out, the temporary fix seemed to be good.
"Truthfully, there were some scheduling issues and I'll give the Kings credit for being accommodating," Winfrey said. "But at the same time, they also were rude and condescending to staff. Their approach was their deal was with [SIFL President] Thom Hager and not the staff. Well, we work for Thom."
Other fun stuff that led to Sunday.
The Kings travelled to Louisiana and got destroyed 81-0. Two first downs and no play longer than eight yards. But that was just for starters.
The Kings said the 81-0 loss was a result of "home cooking" from the Swashbucklers and accused Swashbuckler GM Richard Dow of cheating. There's also an accusation that a Swashbuckler exposed himself to Kings GM Natalie Coleman.
"If that did happen, we regret it," Winfrey said. "But we couldn't find any proof that it did happen. It wasn't cool what they said about Rich. You don't make those kind of statements after your first game and accusations on one of the best-ran teams in the sport."
The Kings overreacted to the now-famous leaked memo from IFL commissioner Tommy Benizio that trashed all the other leagues, including the SIFL. Since it mentioned the term "travel team," the Kings went postal and said that the information was leaked from within the SIFL. "The phone calls would also come late at night," Winfrey said.
Florida also accused SIFL Director of Communications Dan Ryan of posting on message boards using the "Caballo Diablo" screen name, one that is recognized as that of an avid Austin fan. "That was actually pretty funny," Winfrey said. "But it shows what we were having to deal with."
Then came Sunday morning. After everyone got home from church and Hager spent a hour or so on the phone, the SIFL had a conference call. Winfrey said it lasted less than 10 minutes. The longest discussion was whether or not to use the term "expel" or something not as strong such as "part ways."
Winfrey said that Commissioner Dan J. Blum said that "expel" was the perfect word choice. It was strong and made a statement. It was Memorial Day weekend and everyone was on a conference call rather than enjoying the holiday. It was the last straw.
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cm916
Veteran
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks/Lakeland Raiders
Posts: 158
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Post by cm916 on May 26, 2009 9:47:51 GMT -5
That was all I wanted to know and I'm glad someone thought people cared enough to find out and put it all in an article. I especialy love the bit about you, Caballo.
I wasn't pissed off by all this, just kind of annoyed but now that I know why, I understand the league's position. With what has happened to the AFL I've learned never to trust in anything related to indoor football.
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Post by Banana Cat on May 26, 2009 10:01:38 GMT -5
There's never been a road-only team that worked out well and flourished if they ever did become full time, so this shouldn't be a shock.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 26, 2009 10:49:04 GMT -5
From an official Florida Kings press release:
No Weapon Formed Against the Kings Shall Prosper
Volusia County, Florida- May 25, 2009- The PASM Florida Kings would like to take the time out to personally thank the SIFL for the slander and libel. Once again, this action supports the allegations that the league consists of a series of serious issues and discrepancies. Most importantly, it provides a collection of documentation for the Kings. Although, the articles written by the SIFL are unethical and conduct unbecoming professionals; the Kings refuse to deviate away from their primary mission.
The SIFL should keep in mind that inspiring owners, current owners, sponsors, and the media are observing their actions. People from all walks of life are most impressed by the mission of the SIFL, but their behaviors are conflicting. Current and inspiring owners may pretend as if this doesn't affect them but it really does. Eventually, people will get tired and pull out. Individuals are not crazy and are aware if it's done for one it's done for the other. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out. In addition, the SIFL should remember that there are also legal and moral consequences to their inappropriate behaviors.
League Owner, Thom Hager made a valid point. Hager, stated that his support staff has been in the business a while but they have never owned teams. Therefore, they are not as versed. This is true. In other words, the negative article SIFL Day of Reckoning quoting, Operations Director, Robert Winfrey supports Hager's comment. The Kings are humble and positive. The status quo is critical and people are wounded, vulnerable and unemployed. Therefore, we are here to build, lift, and heal. The SIFL doesn't realize that they have sabotaged themselves and slowly increasing the demise of their entity. No Weapons Formed Against Us Shall Prosper.... ------------------------------------------------------------------
WOW! Truly sad for a group trying to pretend they're taking the high road. This further validates what type of people the SIFL was trying to deal with. They get upset over a remark by the commish OF ANOTHER LEAGUE and try to renig on their contractual obligations over it?
Telling the league the day before a road trip (on a holiday weekend) they won't go to the game unless someone else covers the expense? Give me a break, even with the 81-0 Butt whoopin in their only game I think the team still produced above the ownership group. Kings - ?, lol - more like the Court Jesters
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 26, 2009 14:49:41 GMT -5
SIFL expels Florida Kings From Staff Reports @ houma.today Tuesday, May 26, 2009
LAKE CHARLES — The Southern Indoor Football League has expelled the PASM Florida Kings, President Thom Hager announced on Sunday.
The Kings were scheduled to play road games only against SIFL opponents in addition to their home games at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand, Fla., against non-league competition in 2009 before becoming a full-fledged SIFL member in 2010.
They played one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers on April 25, and were scheduled to face the Acadiana Mudbugs on Monday.
“It’s regrettable that it has come to this,” Hager said. “I sincerely wish the Kings’ front office, coaches and players good fortune in their future endeavors. There comes a time when you have to make very hard decisions, and this is one of them. The SIFL is not going to subjugate its staff and teams to unneeded financial and unprofessional burdens that do not have any long-term benefit for its teams or the league.”
A replacement for the Kings’ remaining four games, including Monday’s game against Acadiana, is being finalized and will be announced this week. The Kings were scheduled to face the Houma Conquerors on June 27 in the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 26, 2009 15:50:00 GMT -5
Look for an OFFICIAL press release tomorrow naming the new replacement team. At that time this episode will be in the past and the SIFL will move forward.
Let's hope Mr PASM Coleman can do the same in a professional manner.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 26, 2009 19:00:09 GMT -5
From the SIFL: The Tuesday After - Balanced Scoring A Turfcat Blessing May 26, 2009 By Dan Ryan - SIFL Director of Communications Basketball coaches strive to have a balanced scoring attack. If that’s the case, Austin Turfcats coach Chris Duliban may be looking a career in hoops during the off-season. In five games so far this season, no Turfcat player has scored more than two touchdowns in a game. Quarterback Deron Ellis has a pair of two TD games, but remember, he gets the benefit of the quarterback keep when his team has the ball on the opponent’s goal line. Austin has benefited from the special teams play of Darrick Wallace and from generating points on returns and defense, but Duliban’s enjoying the balance in the first half of the season. ``We try to play as a team, and let personal achievement take care of itself,’’ Duliban said. ``Balance is good and necessary for long term success. We need that diversity. I am happy with the team chemistry, and the effort so far. This part of the season is when champions are made. ‘’ THE NEW CRIS CARTER?[/u] All Marcus Wilridge did was score touchdown passes Saturday night. All three of Wilridge’s catches went for scores in the Louisiana Swashbucklers’ 48-16 victory over the Houma Conquerors. The monster game moved Wilridge into a tie with teammate Sammy Knight for the SIFL touchdown lead with nine. ALWAYS A POSITIVE SIDE: [/u] Acadiana Mudbugs coach John Fourcade found the positive of not playing a game Monday night when his team’s game against the PASM Florida Kings didn’t take place. ``It would have been a blowout where we risked suffering an unnecessary injury with two games coming against the Louisiana Swashbucklers,’’ Fourcade said. ``It’s a crazy sport we’re in.’’ NOTES:[/u] Houma K Chris Stropolo matched the league’s best effort when he nailed three field goals Saturday against Louisiana … While Wilridge and Knight are tied for first and touchdowns, Houma WRs Gerald Landry and Clevan White are 1-2 in receptions with 34 and 27 … Texas found a little more offensive in its first game under interim head coach Troy Esprit, registering 20 after scoring 26 in its two previous games. GAME MVPs:[/u] GAME 11 – AUSTIN 38, TEXAS 20OFFENSE: Darrick Wallace (A); DEFENSE: Kevin Earvine (A); LINE: Barrett Dallmeyer (A); SPECIAL TEAMS: JR Turner (A) GAME 12—LOUISIANA 48, HOUMA 16OFFENSE: Alvin Bartie (L); DEFENSE: Brandon Thomas (L) ; LINE: SPECIAL TEAMS: Tommy Hebert (L) Wallace, Earvine, Bartie and Hebert are in the running for the VIDSWAP.com Player Of The Week award, which is determined by fan balloting on www.southernifl.com
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 27, 2009 9:02:08 GMT -5
North Texas Crunch Replaces Kings on Turfcats Schedule
Austin, TX – The Turfcats’ next home game will not be against the PASM Florida Kings but will instead be against the North Texas Crunch. This comes after the announcement from the Southern Indoor Football League that the Kings have been expelled from the league and the Crunch will play the rest of the Kings’ SIFL games.
The Crunch is part of the Independent Indoor Football Alliance. They completed their first season in the IIFA in 2008 with a record of eight wins and three losses. This led to their participation in the IIFA championship game where they defeated the Galveston Thunderstorm 52-50 in Galveston.
“The Crunch have proven themselves as the top team in their league and we are happy to compete against them in ours, they will be a more formidable foe than the Kings” said Turfcats Vice President/General Manager Ronald Oswalt. “We’re ready to give them a Turfcats style welcome to the SIFL.”
The Crunch began their 2009 season on April 11 and has won all four of their games this season. They have won their games by as little as two points and as many as 55.
The Turfcats will host the Crunch first on April 6 at the Adfirmative.com field at the Travis County Expo Center. With the Crunch now participating in the SIFL, the Turfcats have two Texas teams to beat to be considered the best indoor football team in Texas.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 27, 2009 9:55:15 GMT -5
SIFL Welcomes Crunch To 2009 Schedule May 26, 2009 by Dan Ryan
LAKE CHARLES, La. (May 27,2009) – The Southern Indoor Football League welcomed the North Texas Crunch as a replacement for the PASM Florida Kings on the 2009 inaugural season schedule, President Thom Hager announced today, May 27, 2009.
The Crunch are the defending champions of the Independent Indoor Football Association, a second-year league based in the Dallas area. Playing out of The Colony, Tex., the Crunch will play four road games beginning June 6 against the Austin Turfcats. Results and statistics will count in the regular season standings, but the Crunch will not be eligible for the playoffs.
``We appreciate the Crunch’s excitement about joining us in this capacity,’’ Hager said. ``They know their football … a couple of our teams have former IIFA players on their roster. I’m hoping this partnership leads to bigger and better things.
``Our five charter teams will still have their six regular season home games,’’ Hager said. ``It has been a challenging weekend for us and we still have many challenges ahead in completing our inaugural season. We will endure and become a stronger league. In the meantime, we will be blessed by our association with the Crunch.’’
Larry Hendrix, Jr. is the coach of owner of the Crunch and has been actively involved in minor league football. Last year, Hendrix arranged for IIFA teams to play in Dallas’ American Airlines Arena on the morning of Dallas Desperado Arena Football League games and also arranged for IIFA teams to participate in pre-season scrimmages with Intense Football League teams.
North Texas will maintain its status in the IIFA, which is rearranging its schedule to accommodate the Crunch’s SIFL participation.
``It’s an excellent opportunity for us,’’ Hendrix said. ``My players are excited about facing a higher level of play and gaining valuable experience. As a coach, that’s what you want – a chance to help your players improve their skills and advance to the next level.’’
The Kings’ one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers, will remain in the SIFL’s official records.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 27, 2009 9:58:05 GMT -5
The Kings’ one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers, will remain in the SIFL’s official records. BOOOO - HISSSSSS - BOOOOOO The Swashsbucklers, the only team in the league with previous experience, coming off back to back Championsips in the Intense league, get to open with a bye, then play a road only team put together just weeks before and put a 81-0 WHOOPIN on them. These stats are definitely skewed and the rest of the league, all expansion teams have to play a defending champ? Admittedly from a lower league but I'll bet the Crunch could Whoop up on the Kings also. Is it that difficult to throw out this one game and have the `Bucs play the Crunch like everyone else? Yep, the `Buc would win this one too, but I doubt 81-0. Currently there's 3 one loss teams and two teams tied for first place in the SIFL, what happens if the season ends with tie breakers needed to seed the playoffs? will that 81 point differential come into play. Will the skewed stats edge out some other players for awards? Can someone give me the address of the league offices so I can take a van full of people over there with signs to march up and down in front of their door chanting silly slogans?
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 27, 2009 10:12:38 GMT -5
FSM Fan Blog: SIFL's Big Games Overshadowed by Kings issue May 26, 2009 by Scott Blanchard
Last week I wrote that I would keep this blog about players on the field. We had two really big ball games this week, but yet the biggest story is the removal of the PASM Florida Kings from the SIFL. That is extremely unfortunate that such good play has been overshadowed by a team that did not score a point in the league.
The 81-0 thrashing by the Swashbucklers in the first week of the season was the least of the team’s problems. I will leave the rest to those that like this sort of stuff and move on to the two games that were played this weekend and not worry about what didn’t happen on Monday Night. I will close the situation with this: Good for you Coach Bentley Turner and Coach John Fourcade for not patting the situation. It is good to see some people stand up for their team and themselves when others try to bully them around.
Texas @ Austin- [/u] Well what can I say? The Turfcats are 4-1. Yes, there were several controversial calls in this game that looked to taint the outcome. I got a lot of feedback from e-mails and executives that were there. At first I thought, ``wow how can someone pull a team off the field with forty seconds left in the game in their SIFL coaching Debut?''
I have a lot of respect for Coach Troy Esprit but I was shocked when I read the twitter feed and wanted to know more. Then after hearing all of the different calls that changed plays -- all on fourth down -- I can see how upsetting it would have been. Now honestly, I can’t comment on the details and the referees of a game I did not watch, but there is some confusion on the part of the fans and the rules. The SIFL rules are a little different, including the one foot in the field of play before hitting the wall, which most fans thought was a blown call this weekend in Austin. Some rules of indoor football were changed to help with safety concerns and this one was one of them. Like the outdoor game, a receiver must make contact with the playing surface before hitting the wall or going over for it to be a completion. This had a huge say in the game in Austin as a Pirates receiver hit the wall before the ground and the pass was called incomplete. This was one instance of the chaos that was the Austin-Pirates game.
Now let us look at the positives: Overnight the Texas Pirates because a competitive force and I believe they will win more ball games this year. Right now they are the front runner to take the fourth playoff spot ahead of the Conquerors. Coach Esprit did his job almost instantly and I expect many more competitive ball games from Texas. The Turfcats are 4-1 and tied with the Swashbucklers atop the league, making the date in Louisiana even more distinct.
Houma @ Louisiana- [/u] If you did not see this game you would never have known that the Conquerors were standing toe to toe with the Swashbucklers in the first half. The Conquerors reached the Bucs two yard line before a sack dropped Houma QB Omar Hougabook to the seven. The next play changed the course of the game. Instead of Houma taking a 21-17 lead with a touchdown, Brandon Thomas intercepted his first of two interceptions on the night and returned it 42 yards for a score, putting the Bucs up 24-13. The Swashbucklers tacked on another touchdown and lead 31`-13 at half, the Conquerors never recovered from that turnover and the Swashbucklers’ defense only allowed a field goal the entire second half in route to a 48-16 win. Fans saw a good game and the “experts” saw what they kind of expected. A Houma team that plays much better than their record, but mistakes cost them a chance to upset what I believe is still the team to beat in the SIFL. I said this before though, the gap is closing much more quickly than most had expected.
SIFL MVP Part 2-[/u]
Alvin Bartie- Bartie has 21 touchdowns and would lead every category for quarterbacks if he was not injured the first quarter of the first game with the Kings. Bartie still has thrown more touchdown passes than anyone even missing most of the home opener and the game vs the Pirates. He also missed the first half of the Turfcats game. Bartie, the IFL’s League MVP a year ago is on pace to set all passing records as steep as he can in the SIFL’s inaugural year. He threw 62 touchdowns a year ago missing some time due to injury as well.
Roland Hayes- Hayes has been the offense in Texas over the first quarter of the season. The Pirates running back has 146 yards rushing and five touchdowns. He could not be stopped in the game against the Conquerors I saw on opening weekend. His production has tapered as of late, but Roland is one of the main reasons the Pirates have a chance at rebounding from their 1- 3 start.
Gerald Landry- Landry was the go to guy this past weekend in Louisiana, catching 11 passes for 87 yards. He has 34 catches for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns to date. He has 7 more catches than his partner in crime Clevan White, which in indoor is an entire games worth and is only second in yards and touchdowns to Sammy Knight. Landry is the premiere weapon Omar Hougabook will have to take advantage of if Houma wants to contend for a playoff spot.
There are several other stars that could be added to this list, such as Turfcats QB Deron Ellis, who are the top two pass defenders in the league. That is the main reason I am saying it is way too early to tell. We will revisit this list in three weeks after the Swashbucklers and Turfcats square off.
The True Interception Battle- [/u] This is going to be a fun race, but because of the mishaps in a missing stats machine from the Swashbucklers- Mudbugs first meeting, the stats aren’t true, especially in this category. As of now, Kemmie Lewis has 7 Ints and Damien Huren has 6. Damon Richards of the Pirates has 5. Huren and Lewis combined for three interceptions in their teams’ first meeting. They meet again this Monday Night June 1st for another page in their epic battle. Richards quietly is keeping pace and a big game could capture some attention from the others.
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Post by Caballo Diablo on May 27, 2009 12:34:27 GMT -5
Hooters To Sponsor Player Of The Quarter May 27, 2009 by Dan Ryan
Hooters is on board as the official sponsor for the Southern Indoor Football League’s ``Player Of The Quarter’ awards, it was announced today, May 27, 2009.
Winners of the SIFL’s version of the player of the month award will receive gift cards for the famed restaurant chain. This includes the first set of winners that were announced last month.
Every three weeks, league staff and coaches vote for the offensive, defensive, lineman and special teams players. The second quarter accolades will be announced Thursday, June 4.
``We’re appreciative of Hooters’ participation in our inaugural season,’’ said SIFL President Thom Hager. ``This definitely adds an incentive for our plays to perform at the highest level.’’
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