Monday, October 31, 2005

Semi-pro Football Scoreboard 10/29/2005 thru 10/30/2005

*** Ironman Football League ***
Madison (WI) Seminoles 22, Muskego (WI) Hitmen 0
Milwaukee (WI) Bulldogs 17, Waukesha County (WI) Soldiers 0

*** Mason-Dixon Football League ***
Virginia Ravens 13, Prince William (VA) Monarchs 7

*** Associates ***
Bluefield (WV) Barons 7, Knoxville (TN) Knights 6
California Dolphins 33, Santa Clarita (CA) Knights 0
Compton (CA) Jaguars 42, Long Beach (CA) Lions 28
Evansville (IN) Vipers 49, West Central (IN) Wildcats 6
Los Angeles (CA) Gunslingers 48, San Luis Obispo (CA) Panthers 28
North County (CA) Cobras 23, Antelope Valley (CA) DirtDevils 6
Oostburg (WI) Rebels 54, Milwaukee (WI) Warriors 0
Overbrook (PA) Chargers 15, Tabor (PA) Rams 0
Southern California Smash 12, California Raiders 0
Southern California Steelers 28, Inglewood (CA) Blackhawks 22
Tri-County (CA) Titans 33, Southern California Aztecs 0
Warminster (PA) Colts 27, Bensalem (PA) Packers 8
West Bend (WI) Junkyard Dogs 26, Green Bay Area (WI) Bobcats 19

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Empire Football League Press Release October 27, 2005

EFL PRESS RELEASE: (October 27, 2005)

Media - contact Dave Burch at (877) 624-4485 
(e-mail) empirefoot@aol.com 

website: www.empire-football-league.com

 

The Empire Football League is proud to announce the Albany Metro Mallers as its 2005 EFL Champions. Albany won their Empire Football League title Saturday with a 33-0 victory over the Orange County Bulldogs capping a undefeated EFL season. The Metro Mallers are now ranked #1 in the AFA’s Power Ratings.

 

This Championship Game between the Orange County Bulldogs and the Albany Metro Mallers was broadcast via the internet. Bill Callahan, Empire League Historian and AFA Hall of Fame Broadcaster, handled the announcing chores working with Teamline from Ohio. This game has been archived at http://mediamorphis.com/minorpro.ram

courtesy of MediaMorphis if you missed listening last weekend .
 

The EFL announced the following 2005 EFL Award recipients at its season ending league meeting on October 23rd:
- Sharon Barbagallo, Karol Cronin, Williams Family - Gary Shaver Team Administrator Award
- Mike Acquino & Fritz Brownell - Bill Higgins Officials Award

 

The EFL is also proud to announce their All Star Selections for 2005 as follows:

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Semi-pro Football Scoreboard 10/22/2005 thru 10/23/2005

************************************************
*         Semi-pro Football Scoreboard         *
*          10/22/2005 thru 10/23/2005
*                                              *
*         Provided as a service by the         *
*        American Football Association         *
*     http://www.AmericanFootballAssn.com/     *
*     http://www.AmericanFootballNews.org/     *
* http://www.eteamz.com/minorleaguehalloffame/ *
************************************************

*** Empire Football League ***
Albany (NY) Metro Mallers 33, Orange County (NY) Bulldogs 0

*** Ironman Football League ***
Madison (WI) Seminoles 20, Lake Country (WI) Cyclones 6
Waukesha County (WI) Soldiers 19, Milwaukee (WI) Cyclones 7

*** Mason-Dixon Football League ***
Virginia Ravens 38, Carolina (NC) Heat 21

*** Associates ***
California Outlawz 41, Inland Empire (CA) Blitz 12
Detroit (MI) Black Ravens 26, Michigan Renegades 12
Iredell (NC) Warriors 21, Catawba County (NC) Hornets 7
Knoxville (TN) Knights 22, Greeneville (TN) Raptors 15
North County (CA) Cobras 28, San Diego (CA) Warriors 15
San Diego (CA) Thunder 66, Long Beach (CA) All-Americans 0
San Luis Obispo (CA) Panthers 40, Southern California Aztecs 0
Virginia Thunder 26, Virginia Beach (VA) Rhinos 12

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Metro Mallers in the championship

10/21/2005 9:29 PM
By: Capital News 9 web staff

Head Coach Norman Mann

Head Coach Norman Mann

Albany's semi-pro football team, now known as the Metro Mallers, hasn't won an Empire Football League championship in 17 years. The Mallers will try to change that Saturday night at Bleeker Stadium when they host Orange County for the EFL Championship.

Head Coach Norman Mann and the Mallers are in the title game for the second straight season. They lost last year's big game after going 10-1 during the regular season. But the Mallers enter this year's championship undefeated, a perfect 11-0.

In the 1970s and 80s, Albany's semi-pro team was considered one of the best in the country. It certainly looks like the Mallers are back.

Quarterback Scott Lawson said, "I think this is the first time in this league that anybody has had the opportunity to finish undefeated. In two years we have gotten to this point and I don't think we could be more pumped."

Mann said, "You know I have a saying, 'the only team that should beat us are our own selves.' And that's what happened in last year's game. We actually beat ourselves. To have the off season that we had – we've done a lot of recruiting, we've added ball players to certain spots that we were weak at last year. Because of that, we've taken right off."

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Mallers savor return to glory

Albany-based semipros are 11-0, playing for title

By PETE IORIZZO, Staff writer
First published: Thursday, October 20, 2005

Albany
Practice begins in 23 minutes. Players dress behind their cars in the Bleecker Stadium parking lot. Rap music blares from an SUV's speakers. The stadium lights flicker on as dusk sets in. 
 
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Akili Duncan, whose semiprofessional football career spans more than a decade, steps onto the grass field. Duncan is 33 years old. He works as a teaching assistant at Kipp Tech Valley Charter School in Albany. He has three children.

"Why do I do this?" he says. "A chance for one more down, man. One more down."

Duncan jogs toward midfield, where between 40 and 50 players dressed in tattered sweats and mismatched jerseys prepare to practice a brand of football that's anything but ragtag.

The Albany Metro Mallers, a semiprofessional team in the Empire Football League, finished an undefeated regular season (11-0) Sept. 24. On Saturday at Bleecker Stadium, they play the Orange County Bulldogs for a chance at their first championship since 1989.

For the organization, the game represents an opportunity to reclaim status as one of the country's best semipro teams. For the players, it's one more chance at fulfilling a dream.

"Maybe it's no big deal to the average person," quarterback Scott Lawson says. "Maybe they don't understand. But there's something about this that just makes us crazy."

Crazy? Just look at their routines.

Lawson, 36, wakes up by 5 a.m. every morning to report to work at Rifenburg Construction Inc., where he's a manager. He often heads directly from work to practice. Despite a height of, "Oh, say 6-foot," and a weight of "2 ... 15 ... about," he has played quarterback his entire career.

Mallers coach Norman Mann lives in Plainfield, N.J. For practices and games, he commutes 2 hours to Albany after leaving work at Newark Liberty International Airport. Mann shrugs off suggestions his routine is anything exceptional. One season he flew to Fairfax, Va., three times a week to coach the Virginia Storm.

"I love the sport," Mann says. "As long as I'm doing this, I don't care, I'll go to Canada."

For the first two decades after their 1971 inauguration, the Mallers embodied the blue-collar, hard-working characteristics of both their players and namesakes -- the laborers who constructed Albany's Empire State Plaza. The team played in the league title game seven times -- winning twice -- and became one of the EFL's flagship franchises.

But 13 years ago, a group of investors from Troy bought the Mallers and changed their name to the Collar City Chiefs and then Capitaland Thunder. The franchise lost games, players and its reputation.

"We were the bad boys of the league," Duncan says. "Back then, we'd be at a game, like in Watertown, and guys would be chasing the referees back to their cars. We had a black eye."

In 2004, the Mallers returned under their original name, with local businessman Frank Rogers as owner and former player Joe Barbagallo as general manager. Barbagallo brought 88 players to the team's first minicamp. He found players at the University at Albany, RPI, Union College and Hudson Valley Community College, among other places. Former players also returned.

"I knew we had something special going," Barbagallo said.

Barbagallo then hired Mann, a coach with more than 25 years of semipro experience. At the first team meeting in the East Greenbush Community Library, Mann asked all the players to stand and introduce themselves. As each player spoke, others interrupted with wisecracks. Mann allowed the scene to play out, then told the team, "First of all, we need to learn to respect each other."

He changed codes of conduct and vowed more discipline. If a starter misses a practice, he plays second string during the next game. Any player who skips two practices risks not playing at all. Mann demanded players act like professional athletes off the field.

"Discipline was the biggest thing," Mann says. "We had to have the discipline. This is the first team I've coached in a long time that averages 40 to 45 players at every practice."

The Mallers reaped results immediately. They lost only twice last year, once during the regular season and then in the championship game. This year, the Mallers started their season by allowing only eight points over the first six games while averaging 34. They're led by Lawson's 1,510 yards passing, the rushing tandem of Jadel Whitfield (514 yards) and Sylvester Cooperwood (397), and middle linebacker Greg Woodward's 63 tackles.

"The talent here is top-notch," Woodward says. "We're going to bring this one home. I guarantee we're going to bring this one home."

Duncan stands near the sideline while the special teams practice on one side of the field and the offense and defense line up on the other. He plans to soon end his football career to concentrate on his professional one. He hopes to earn his master's degree in education administration and, someday, become a superintendent.

"This has been fun," he says, "but there are some other things I've got to take care of now."

He straps on his helmet and trots back onto the field. Before all that, Duncan has at least one more down to play.

Iorizzo can be reached at 454-5425 or by e-mail at piorizzo@timesunion.com.

All Times Union materials copyright 1996-2005, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.

Empire Football League Championship Game Webcast October 22, 2005

Empire Football League Press Release
October 21, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(877)624-4485
e-mail: empirefoot@aol.com
website: www.empire-football-league.com

The Empire Football League is proud to announce that this year’s Championship Game between the Orange County Bulldogs and the Albany Metro Mallers will be broadcast FREE coast to coast and around the world via the internet. Bill Callahan, Empire League Historian and AFA Hall of Fame Broadcaster, will be handling the announcing chores working with Teamline from Ohio.

"I have had the privilege of broadcasting the last five EFL Championship games on Television. The EFL Championship game is always very competitive and this year will be no exception. I am honored and thrilled to be in the booth for another EFL Classic!", Callahan stated.

When asked who he thought would win, Callahan said, " Really too close prognosticate...you'll have to tune in to your computer and find out....."

Callahan went on the say " The advantage of internet broadcasting is that it allows people ANYWHERE to access the game; you are not restricted by limited broadcast signals. I discovered this when I did internet broadcasts for the Albany Conquest of Arena2 in 2002. Relatives of the players and coaches from all around the United States were able to follow their loved ones play."

Game time is 7:30 p.m. Saturday October 22nd ...The Broadcast will start at 7:20. To access the game click:


Sponsors of this broadcast include:
·Empire Football League
·American Football Association
·Semi Pro Football Headquarters
·MediaMorphis
·VirtualHomeBiz
·EFL Logo Products and Cafe Press
·Webgame Stats
·Pre-Paid Legal Services
·Bonus Tree
·iGive
·Sports Supply Group

Sunday, October 16, 2005

AFA RESPONDS TO THE SEMI-PRO vs. MINOR LEAGUE TERMINOLOGY CONFUSION

http://amercianfootballassn.c.topica.com/maad6RaablfXcaaaaaacaehnZL/ AFA Press Release October 17, 2005
AFA RESPONDS TO THE SEMI-PRO vs. MINOR LEAGUE TERMINOLOGY CONFUSION RUNNING RAMPANT IN FOOTBALL CYBERSPACE
Media - contact Dave Burch at AFA National Office
(877)624-4485 or (941)388-3510
(e-mail) amerfoot@aol.com (or) usafoot@aol.com
(website) www.americanfootballassn.com

The American Football Association rules on the side of tradition rather then calling their football level something it's not. For more than 100 years the term "Semi-Pro-Football" has been an acronym for the "adult amateur community football level" with local teams providing venues for predominately homegrown players to continue being active in the sport they played locally as youth, high school and college athletes.

Annually more than 50,000 adult players, coaches and team administrators participate in the semi-pro football levels from coast-to-coast. They play for the love of the game and whatever local recognition they can attain to prove to their families, friends and peers that they are (as the AFA motto implies) . . ."Semi-Pro and Proud" . . . to help continue a century old sports tradition.
By Ron Real - AFA President

If you need a dictionary to help you realize what level of the sport your team is playing at these days you probably are someone who surfs between websites of the self-professed experts on the subject and is influenced by confusing message board postings from those who seem to know all the answers regarding the current status of adult amateur football in the United States.

Forget what Mr. Webster has to say about the differences between the 'words' Amateur, Semi-pro, Minor League and Professional when related to the sport of football. He doesn't run a league, own a team or play the game (as far as I know) as a non-paid weekend warrior - so why then would we try to let him settle the minor league vs. semi-pro football dispute by thumbing through the pages of his big book of 'words' and their 'definitions'. . . . as they have nothing whatsoever to do with the sport of football.

If we were looking for a pecking order that makes sense with the rest of the sports world(s) then I would agree that the term minor league should be held in higher esteem than the term semi-pro, although Mr. Webster doesn't seem to agree. His term for semi-pro is that the participants on that level don't get paid as well as the pros and don't play the game as a full time way of making a living. Add to the confusion the word 'semi' (half) and relate it to a salary for performing ones talents on a football field - post college age - and every adult amateur (semi-pro) player in the country would be glad to try to get by on only half (or any of) the amount of the paychecks their NFL counterparts collect. Contrary to what some people are trying to confuse the issue with these days - players on AFA semi-pro teams are not allowed to be paid for their services and as such retain their 'amateur' status.

Whereas his (Webster and company) definition for minor league sports is 'one that is not a major league but may have an affiliation with one' - is more like it. With that said, I'd be more than happy to recognize any eleven-man football league in the country that can prove they have an official affiliation with a major professional football league - and if that isn't the case - those leagues claiming to be creditable minor leagues are simply trying to establish they are something . . . they really aren't.

If those leagues (and teams) promoting themselves as minor leagues were actually able to live up to the minor league sports moniker, they would be so busy right now sending 'their' players up to the NFL to replace those players who have gone down with season ending injuries that those leagues wouldn't have time to - forfeit league games or try to romance semi-pro teams away from other leagues. If they were actually 'football development' leagues, as some profess to be to their players - they would now be scurrying to find places on their rosters for those hundreds of players 'cut' by NFL teams after their final roster cuts took place. After all, isn't that what happens in other sports with actual 'minor league' systems.

"The term semi-pro football has a negative connotation to it", say many adult amateur team and league promoters. "We don't want to be saddled with carrying around that black eye created by semi-pro teams in our area in the past who left town owing money for football fields, equipment, printing, newspaper, radio/TV advertising and such. So, they think all they have to do is call themselves 'minor league' and that makes everything better - and more business like.

Wrong! The new wave of minor league promoters can fool the players because they want them to think they are on a par with their counterparts in other minor league sports like baseball, hockey, basketball and now even soccer and the players want to think the same. Many players are quick to swallow the bait because they think they're only inches away from being discovered by an NFL pro scout. While the movers and shakers of those new 'minor league(s)' have been able to use cyberspace technology to impress some post high school and post college players - they still haven't been able to convince the national or even their local medias that "minor league football" is any different than semi-pro football - only spelled differently.

No matter what you call it - semi-pro/minor league/adult amateur - our game doesn't attract many Division I players from college football factories that the pros may have some interest in. With that said, I certainly don't intend to discourage any young athletes who want to pursue their dream of 'turning-pro' with a stint in the lower levels of the game as a stepping stone. While our level does have a few success stories over the years of players making it to the big time (NFL) . . . those stories are few and far between - and have absolutely nothing to do with whether those players calling themselves minor league or semi-pro or even adult amateur for that matter. Not since the early 50's, 60's and late 70's has a successful minor league pipeline provided venues for undiscovered footballers to make it to the 'big show'. Not that it couldn't happen again - but it will take a lot more money to put together than the average non-professional team has access to - or the average football fan has an interest in.

While we are quick to point out some of our level's success stories like Eric Swann, first round NFL draft choice of the Arizona Cardinals in 1991, those tales are rare also. True, Swann never played a down of college football and was 'discovered' while playing for the Bay State Titans on the east coast. Truth to be known, Eric's agent placed him with the Titans to establish some defensive 'stats' and a game film 'profile' beyond his high school career. Swann would have been discovered by the NFL scouting system just walking out of some Gold's Gym - somewhere. So, in essence, semi-pro football can't really claim Swann as one of our development prodigies - but we certainly can take credit for providing him a place to record on film his post high school football talents - making it possible for his agent to build a case for the NFL to draft him and make him a professional football super star (and instant millionaire) - without first making a name for himself playing college ball.

Why is it over the years those leagues across the country calling themselves 'minor league' seem to have such a high mortality rate while those not afraid to call themselves semi-pro have stood the test of time? The American Football Association has semi-pro teams as members that are more than a hundred years old; complete leagues that have been around for twenty, thirty and forty years. It's called 'tradition'. And what is it those semi-pro teams coast-to-coast have over those pretending to be something they are not (minor league)? It's tradition and they're proud of their semi-pro heritage and what it means to their respective football communities.

A few years back the AFA anticipated the misunderstanding between those promoting their leagues as minor league and those not afraid to continue the semi-pro football tradition. So much so that the AFA adopted our national association slogan as "Semi-Pro and Proud" and encouraged our member teams to use it in promoting their football organizations to their local press.

In my 25 years as president of the American Football Association I have seen more than a handful of 'professional' and 'minor professional' football leagues come and go leaving in their wake millions of dollars in debts to local (and national) sporting goods companies, community businesses and the newspaper industries as well. Not to mention the number of players whose lives were turned upside down by those start-up pro leagues with their promises of big time money contracts . . . that never materialized, or in some cases took legal action to satisfy. If this is true, and we all know it is, why then isn't professional football saddled with the fear of the carrying around the same black eye syndrome that semi-pro football is made to wear every time something goes a little out of whack on our level?

Why is it that if a fight breaks out on the field during a semi-pro game it's considered "another black-eye" for the lower level of the sport (not that we condone that type of unsportsmanlike behavior)? But, if a fight breaks out during a professional sports event it's considered 'national news' and the incident highlight tapes are run and re-run over and over again on every TV network and front page sports section in the country - until a war or another natural disaster comes along to captures the nation's interest - and knocks the fight footage off the air. Good thing sports 'black-eyes' aren't handed out for substance abuse, steroid consumption, driving under the influence convictions, spousal abuse and/or the variety of other things professional athletes tend to bring attention to themselves with. I could be wrong but I don't think the media hands out 'national black-eye' awards to professional athletes . . . until after they have 'whiffed' (and appealed) on a pro league’s "3 strikes and you’re out" ruling. Semi-Pro people don't get the opportunity to appeal their problems in the press - they just get a "race track" around their eye and a bad name in the sports industry.

Why is it then everyone is so quick to lay the sports 'black-eye' albatross around the neck of semi-pro teams, players, coaches and administrators when things don't go the way they're planned for the local semi-pro'ers?

It has been brought to my attention that some internet message board postings say that the National Football League does not like the term semi-pro football (although I've never heard that from them) because of the negative vibes it normally carries with it and that the concept of promoting a true development league would be something they could warm up to if it was structured properly. Structured by whom? Believe me, when (and if) the NFL wants a minor league development system for football it will have one. And, you can bet they won't ask the permission of any of our current day 'minor league football promoters' first either. For the time being the NFL will just have to struggle along with beating the bushes of those leagues they already have a financial interest in - like NFL Europe, the Canadian League and of course the Arena 1 & 2 leagues (which they own) to find their future hopefuls. Oh, did I forget the college draft? Silly of me not to mention that annual windfall of potential professional gridiron stars that the NFL spends millions of dollars researching each year - called college football. Many insiders consider it a 'free' development league. Nothing free about it - and it's the NFL's prime talent pool.

While it is unlikely that the American Football Association's level of the game (semi-pro) will ever mean anything to the NFL other than a place where football 'history' traces the NFL's early roots back to more than three/quarters of a century ago - it is likely that you will see the AFA working hard in the near future to bring more meaning to the term "Semi-Pro and Proud" . . . to the teams and leagues in the local football communities it serves.

Whether or not a true minor league football development system will ever become a reality in this country - remains to be seen. The one thing that does remain constant in the wonderful world of American rules football is - there will always be Pro-Football, thanks to the NFL . . . and there will always be Semi-Pro Football, thanks to the AFA and the thousands of dedicated volunteers across the country that continue to keep the tradition alive.

NEXT MONTH’S FEATURE STORY: IF YOU WERE SUDDENLY CONVICTED OF PROMOTING
SEMI-PRO FOOTBALL IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY . . .Would There Be Enough Evidence?
American Football Association

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Semi-pro Football Scoreboard 10/7/2005 thru 10/9/2005

************************************************
*         Semi-pro Football Scoreboard         *
*          10/7/2005 thru 10/9/2005
*                                              *
*         Provided as a service by the         *
*        American Football Association         *
*     http://www.AmericanFootballAssn.com/     *
*     http://www.AmericanFootballNews.org/     *
* http://www.eteamz.com/minorleaguehalloffame/ *
************************************************

*** Empire Football League ***
Albany (NY) Metro Mallers 23, Lake City (NY) Stars 0

*** Ironman Football League ***
Fond du Lac (WI) Crusaders 24, Milwaukee (WI) Venom 15
Lake Country (WI) Cyclones 14, West Allis (WI) Predators 6
Madison (WI) Seminoles 50, Milwaukee (WI) Maniacs 6
Milwaukee (WI) Bulldogs 27, Milwaukee (WI) Cyclones 0
Muskego (WI) Hitmen 37, West Milwaukee (WI) Gladiators 0

*** Mason-Dixon Football League ***
Cumberland (MD) Cougars 22, Arbutus (MD) Big Red 9

*** Mid-Continental Football League ***
Cleveland (OH) Lions 38, Central Ohio Lions 6
Detroit (MI) Seminoles 33, Kings (OH) Comets 0

*** Associates ***
Baltimore (MD) Warriors 33, Virginia Thunder 13
Bensalem (PA) Packers 14, North Philly (PA) Cowboys 6
California Raiders 35, Yucca Valley (CA) Spartans 0
Hudson County (NJ) Stars 21, New Jersey Longhorns 6
Inglewood (CA) Blackhawks 41, North County (CA) Cobras 0
Irvington (NJ) Knights 14, Long Island (NY) Ravens 8
Kane County (IL) Eagles 39, Racine (WI) Raiders 26
Leyden (IL) Lions 45, Chicago (IL) Wolverines 12
Long Island (NY) Panthers 6, Claymont (PA) Buccaneers 0 (OT)
Los Angeles (CA) Gunslingers 42, Long Beach (CA) All-Americans 0
Los Angeles (CA) Scorpions 18, Inland Empire (CA) Blitz 14
Mid-State (IL) Steel 28, Lafayette (IN) Lions 14
Milwaukee (WI) Fury 37, Milwaukee (WI) Warriors 16
Moreno Valley (CA) Mercury 15, California Dolphins 7
Orangeburg (SC) Ruff Riders 22, Carolina (SC) Titans 14
San Diego (CA) Thunder 28, San Luis Obispo (CA) Panthers 7
Southern California Smash 38, San Diego (CA) Warriors 13
Southern California Steelers 41, Long Beach (CA) Lions 7
Vermont Ice Storm 35, Woonsocket (RI) Sentinels 6
Virginia Hurricanes 40, Philadelphia (PA) Scorpions 10
West Bend (WI) Junkyard Dogs 59, Green Bay (WI) Eagles 0
West Coast (CA) Sharks 13, Compton (CA) Jaguars 12
Wisconsin Predators 38, Washington County (WI) Patriots 14

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Semi-pro Football Scoreboard 9/30/2005 thru 10/2/2005

*** Empire Football League ***
Lake City (NY) Stars 28, Broome County (NY) Dragons 26
Watertown (NY) Red & Black 28, St. Lawrence Valley (NY) Trailblazers 0

*** Ironman Football League ***
Lake Country (WI) Cyclones 42, Milwaukee (WI) Venom 6
Milwaukee (WI) Bulldogs 7, Madison (WI) Seminoles 0
Milwaukee (WI) Maniacs 8, West Allis (WI) Predators 0
Muskego (WI) Hitmen 35, Milwaukee (WI) Cyclones 0
Waukesha County (WI) Soldiers 15, West Milwaukee (WI) Gladiators 6

*** Mid-Continental Football League ***
Central Ohio Lions 27, Indiana Mustangs 24
Kings (OH) Comets 39, Southern Michigan Timberwolves 16

*** Associates ***
Augusta (GA) Super C Seminoles 12, Carolina (SC) Titans 6
California Outlawz 23, San Luis Obispo (CA) Panthers 6
California Predators 45, Long Beach (CA) All-Americans 7
California Raiders 36, Inglewood (CA) Blackhawks 13
Compton (CA) Jaguars 34, Antelope Valley (CA) DirtDevils 8
Hoosier (IN) Hurricanes 21, Hardin County (KY) Wolverines 3
Irvington (NJ) Knights 28, New York Bandits 7
Kenosha (WI) Vikings 42, Chicago (IL) Dolphins 0
Lafayette (IN) Lions 27, Belleville (IL) Justice 14
Long Island (NY) Panthers 19, Frankford (PA) Chiefs 14
Mid-State (IL) Steel 27, Twin City (IL) Storm 13
Milwaukee (WI) Rattlers 41, Washington County (WI) Patriots 18
Milwaukee (WI) Warriors 48, Green Bay (WI) Eagles 0
Moreno Valley (CA) Mercury 40, High Desert (CA) 49ers 8
New England (CT) Knights 14, New York Rebels 14 (tie) (OT)
Northwest (PA) Giants 9, Bensalem (PA) Packers 0
Overbrook (PA) Chargers 25, North Philly (PA) Cowboys 0
Philadelphia (PA) Scorpions 34, Maryland Marauders 26
Racine (WI) Raiders 19, Milwaukee (WI) Marauders 6
Santa Clarita (CA) Knights 34, Southern California Cobras 0
Southern California Steelers 33, Southern California Smash 22
Twin Cities (MN) Titans 28, Central Minnesota Thunderbirds 23
Virginia Hornets 21, Virginia Thunder 18
Warminster (PA) Colts 28, Olney (PA) Blaze 6
West Bend (WI) Junkyard Dogs 43, Caledonia (WI) Horsemen 23
West Coast (CA) Sharks 17, North County (CA) Cobras 14
Wilmington (NC) Tigers 32, Carolina (NC) Stallions 18

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Injured Red & Black players find ailments hurt day job, too

By Matt Cordova
Times Sportswriter
Sunday, October 02, 2005

When Rodney Harrison blew out his knee last weekend, the New England Patriots' chances to win a record third straight Super Bowl were dealt a major blow.

When Kyle Roshia suffered a broken left hand during the Watertown Red and Black's Empire Football League game against the Albany Metro Mallers on July 30, he didn't just hurt the team. He put his ability to make a living in jeopardy.

While Harrison undoubtedly faces a long road of rehabilitation and hard work to return to NFL play, his paycheck surely is sufficient enough to get his family through his time off the field.

But in the world of semipro football, the game is "professional" only in name. Semipro players don't receive any type of financial compensation. They are rewarded only in that, if they're lucky, they make it to play another game. Or, more importantly, they are able to return to work on Monday in one piece.

Several current members of the Red and Black have suffered serious injuries during their football careers. With every snap, they are risking much more than just the possibility of missing a game or a season.

Calling in hurt

Jon Fisher feels fortunate that his employer is so understanding. Fisher, who has been in the military for 16 years, broke his left fibula and tibia in the Red and Black's game against Broome County in August.

Surgery followed and a metal rod the length of Fisher's lower leg was inserted to stabilize it. For Fisher, going to work wasn't an option right away and he was placed on 30-day leave.

"I'm lucky that I work with some good people," Fisher said. "I can't complain. They are working with me."

Al Countryman was in a similar situation in 2000. When the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in his knee were torn, he was forced out of work for four months.

Countryman, who works for the New York State Department of Corrections, was able to subsidize the time he needed to heal by trading shifts with his colleagues. His fellow Correctional Officers were willing to help, but that help came with a price.

"Luckily I was able to swap shifts. If I wouldn't have been able to swap, I would have been in a bind," Countryman said. "I ended up with a lot of time off but eventually it had to be paid back."

Time is a valuable commodity. Many employers allow for accumulated sick or vacation time to be used if needed. But who wants to spend their vacation with a cast on?

Roshia, a manager in the lumber department at Lowe's, wasn't able to work for a month. The 160 hours of sick time he had saved up virtually evaporated when his hand was broken. Even when he returned to Lowe's, he wasn't at full capacity.

"I went back on light duty. It's pretty crappy because you really can't do what you want," he said.

It turns out Roshia's honesty prevented his injury from causing him more than just physical pain. "I guess it's good I only called in sick one time in three years," Roshia said.

Give it up already?

Lynn Patrick said relatives have asked him, "Are you stupid?" when he says he's going to play football another year. Patrick, who suffered fractures to his left leg in 1989 and '98, doesn't feel stupid for playing a game he loves. He thinks "stubborn" fits better.

"I didn't want to quit because of injury. I want to go out on my own terms," he said.

Players have different reasons for staying with the Red and Black, but only a true passion for football can drive a man to risk his body and get nothing tangible in return.

Roshia said that he wants to get the most out of his youth, while he still has it, no matter what family and friends tell him.

NIKO J. KALLIANIOTIS / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

Injured Red and Black player Jon Fisher stands on the sidelines prior to a game. Injuries often affect Red and Black players in their regular jobs.

Usually, the fact that they get no money is first on the list of criticisms.

"People ask, 'what do you get out of it? You don't get paid,'" Roshia said.

Patrick's answer to such a question: "Hey, I get the satisfaction out of it. There's not a lot of guys who play professional football until they're 42."

Patrick has indicated 2005 will most likely be his last season with the Red and Black.

But when does the risk become too much? When is enough, enough? Eventually, the time comes when the risk far outweighs the reward. After undergoing knee surgery just a couple of years ago, suffering a major shoulder injury last season that had him sidelined for several months, and the busted leg, that time appears to be now for Fisher. His love and concern for his wife and children trumps even the feelings he has for the game of football, which he has played since he was 8 years old.

"My wife and mainly my family would be the biggest factor if I was able to come back," Fisher said. "To be honest, I'd come back in a heartbeat if it looked like I could."

Said Countryman, "family is forever, football is not."

Head coach George Ashcraft lived the experience of being forced off the field by an injury when he suffered a broken leg as a Red and Black player in 1975. The sudden loss, he said, is difficult for a player to handle.

"It sets you back when you know you can't play but want to," Ashcraft said. "It makes you really appreciate being able to play the game when you could."

As head coach for 15 seasons, Ashcraft has known plenty of injured players. If a guy is ready to work to get back on the field, he has the coach's support. Ashcraft understands the bond a player can feel with the game of football and the Watertown organization.

"If a guy wants to play, I let him," Ashcraft said. "If he can't play, I tell him to be around (the game), come support it."

Players know their bodies will someday pay for the pounding they endure every summer and fall. For an injured player, the helplessness of knowing there is nothing he can do to help is unbearable.

"You are still part of the team and want to help any way you can," Countryman said. "It was frustrating for me because I am not a big rah, rah type guy. But that was about all that was left for me to do."

Countryman said his knee is completely healed now and he no longer even wears a brace on it while playing.

The knowledge that each play could be a player's last is definitely understood. But it is seldom acknowledged.

"The thought is always there, and you think 'Is this worth it? Do I want to risk my career?'" he said. "But if you go into a season thinking you will get hurt, maybe you should have hung it up a long time ago."

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