Archive for the ‘Football’ Category

Unfortunately in the world of sports, some athletes pass away before it is really time.  I was stunned to learn about the death of Steve McNair earlier today.  As I watched the ESPN coverage, I could not help to think back to a time when I got to see McNair play in person.

The year was 1994, and Alcorn State was visiting Youngstown State in the I-AA Playoffs.  The game was played on a frigid Friday at Stambaugh Stadium.  As a college student at YSU, I was assured admittance to a game that was sold out.  This was the time in YSU football history that a change for the better was taking place under new coach Jim Tressel.

YSU had a regular season record of 10-0-1 that year and Alcorn State, with McNair at QB was 8-2-1.  (I feel like I’m showing my age with each team having a tie in their record).  McNair was on the cover of Sports Illustrated about a month before the game and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.  The buzz around Youngstown was unbelievable going into that Friday playoff game.

As expected, the place was jammed at gametime.  Never one to really drink, I remember several tailgate parties and a new atmosphere for YSU football being taken to an extreme level on this day.  It marked the start of a YSU football game being a celebration of Youngstown.

Once the game started, it was over.  YSU completely pressured McNair throughout the game and never really let the Alcorn State offense get going.  YSU ended up winning by something like 40 points and that was Steve McNair’s last college game, a landmark date in YSU football.

Thank you Steve McNair, not for coming to Youngstown and losing a playoff game, but for being a fine NFL quarterback, and an ambassador of goodwill in your time spent here.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder have made several player moves in the past few weeks.  Obviously in arena football, versatility means something.  Jermaine Moye is a versatile athlete.  He is being used primarily as a wide receiver, but was listed as the teams backup quarterback last week.

Moye grew up in Rochester, Pennsylvania.  After a stellar high school career, he enrolled at West Virginia.  Moye later transferred from West Virginia to The University of California (PA) and enjoyed all the success he could at that level.  Cal (PA) made it to the semifinals competing for a national championship.

“Those years really helped turn Cal around.  That changed the whole program there”, said Moye. 

Jermaine is all about reality television.  He told me that he could watch Flava Flav on VH1 all day.  “Really, any reality show on VH1 is good to see.  If I get up early enough, I never miss Ellen DeGeneres.  I am an Ellen fan, her show is cool.”  Moye also watches Sportscenter and other ESPN programming such as PTI with Wilbon and Kornheiser.

Musically, Moye shows a very interesting variety in taste.  Right now he said Lil’ Wayne is ruling his MP3 player.  He expressed interest in just about any kind of music including Classical and Country.  The only kind of music Moye cannot tolerate is Heavy Metal.

Moye, like Jon Loyte, is misrepresented numerically in EA Sports NCAA Football’s video game.  As a result, Jermaine only uses the big boys and plays Madden ’08 on his PS2.  Madden 08?  PS2?  “I can’t afford to go out and buy one of those fancy new systems yet.  The PS2 is holding up just fine”, said Moye.

Being fairly new to this area, Moye cited Antone’s as his favorite place to grub.  “It’s like a little Olive Garden, but better.”  

Regarding the Thunder team that Moye is now a part of, he said that the record doesn’t come close in showing the talent level and potential this team has.  “With all of the changes happening here, everyone is making progress, it seems like we have the right people and we are gaining confidence each week.”

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is like Goliath in AF2.  They are 11-2 and are bringing their show to The Covelli Centre Saturday.  I asked Jermaine for a prediction, to which he declined.  He did however say that the Thunder were not just going to roll over and play dead and to expect a competitive game, not a blowout.   

Jon Loyte has only been a Mahoning Valley Thunder player for a few weeks.  He likes his team, he likes the coach, and he really thinks that things have gotten better since he got here.

Loyte was a standout tight end at Boston College.  He played a big role in as a “shorter” guy in the Eagles offense.  Against Georgia Tech, Loyte had 80 yards receiving sighting that game as his biggest individual moment in football.  He put the team ahead saying that the win at Virginia Tech when Matt Ryan went completely nuts in the second half was his greatest moment while playing college ball.

Loyte grew up in Boston and claims to be a huge Red Sox fan. 

Jon enjoys going to eat at Antone’s and Jeremiah Bullfrogs saying that the food here in the area is good and he can really struggle when trying to figure out what to order at either place.

Loyte revealed that growing up in Boston, he was a headbanger.  He liked the mainstream hard rock of the day.  He has since modernized and progressed musically to Kings of Leon and the modern alternative groove.

He also revealed that he only gets FOX in his room and watches the show Family Guy.  He also is catching up on the USA series Burn Notice that he has on DVD.  Since he can’t get ESPN, he watches Sportscenter when it is on anywhere else.

Loyte likes his video games.  He has an X-Box 360 and said he is totally and completely addicted to Halo.  “I usually don’t like shooting games, but Halo is just addicting – I can’t stop playing it.”  He also plays Madden and used to like EA Sports NCAA Football, but they screwed his number up on the game so he is on a mental boycott.  If you play NCAA ’08, Loyte is incorrectly labeled with #96 if you pick Boston College.

As far as being a member of the Thunder, Loyte told me that this team has the pieces to win, it just all needs to be put together.  The constant carousel of two or three new faces per week have been improvements to the team and that things are getting better every day for the Thunder.

Jon smiled when I asked him some of these questions and came off as a really good person.  He didn’t use and profanity or speak negatively about anyone or anything we discussed.  He is genuinely a positive person.

ESPN is reporting that Bernie Kosar has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Miami.  Kosar’s filing lists his assets between $1 million and $10 million and debts falling between $10 million and $50 million.

Kosar owes the Cleveland Browns almost $1.5 million in unsecured debt.  He also owes ex-wife Babette $3 million and the owner of the Cleveland Gladiators (Arena Football League) $725,000.  Kosar’s big hole is that he owes a bank about $9 million for bad real estate deals.

I knew the 45 year-old Boardman Spartans grad liked to invest and had a hand in ownership of some local Arby’s franchises.  Kosar also had ownership of a steakhouse which went out of business last year.

Kosar played his college ball at the University of Miami (FL) and was drafted by the Browns.  His 10 + year NFL stint also had stops in Dallas and Miami until he retired in 1996.  Kosar got divorced in 2007.

I can only hope Bernie can pull it together, he is a class act. 

The Mahoning Valley Thunder finally won the paying crowd a free crunchy taco by scoring 50 points.  However, the Thunders record continued to make its own run for the border with another nerveracking loss Friday night at The Covelli Centre.  The Manchester Wolves know they won one they didn’t deserve to win, finishing ahead of Mahoning Valley on the scoreboard, 59-53.

The game started out all Thunder as quarterback Brad Roach was impressive early on.  The Thunder hurried out to a 20-0 lead and really looked like a well-oiled machine in doing so.    Manchester outscored Mahoning Valley 59-33 the rest of the game.

In a weird fourth quarter, where both teams scored 37 points, turnovers proved to do the Thunder in yet again.  Tied 41-41, Roach found Mr. Thunder, Quorey Payne on a 15-yard TD to give the Thunder a 47-41 lead.  On the extra point, the snap went over the holder Jermaine Moye’s head and was caught by kicker Nathan Palkovic.  Palkovic found lineman Kenny Shayne who caught the ball on about the five but came up a half-yard short of getting the two-points. 

The Wolves answered quickly as Mike Potts found Steve Savoy who made a circus catch for a 28-yard TD.  The Wolves kicked the extra point to take a 48-47 lead with less than a minute left in the game.  Quorey Payne returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to put Mahoning Valley back on top.  The two-point conversion failed and the Thunder held a 53-48 lead with :45 left in the game.

Mahoning Valley then tried something people were confused about, an onside kick.  Coach MacKeown told me after the game, “In arena football, you want to have the ball last, I figured if we got the kickoff, we could run out the clock.  If the kick failed, we would get the ball back with enough time to mount a drive and score.  People were screaming at me from the audience, calling me an idiot, but with the speed of the game and scoring happening pretty frequently, you always want to have the ball for the winning drive.”

Manchester recovered the onside kick attempt and scored when Potts jogged around the right side for six, and a two-point conversion made it 56-53. 

The kickoff hit a bar and the screen before Quorey Payne could field it cleanly.  He struggled to get the ball out of the end zone and was tackled on the one.  After a seven-yard completion, Roach fumbled the snap from center and Manchester recovered.  Mahoning Valley’s defense, which played well most of the night, forced Manchester to kick a 35-yard field goal.  The Thunder got the ball back with 10.5 seconds left.

CJ Brewer caught a Roach pass to get the ball near midfield with :03 left in the game.  On the last play, Roach lobbed a pass into the end zone, but it was knocked away and the Thunder came out a day late and a dollar short losing 59-53.

Mike Potts led the Wolves offense on 32-47 for 273 yards with 5 TD’s and 4 INT’s.  Of the 4 interceptions Potts threw, Mahoning Valley’s Brandon Taylor collected a franchise record three picks for the Thunder.  Manchester receiver Steve Savoy caught 12 balls for 120 yards and 4 TD’s.

Brad Roach was 16-32 with four interceptions.  Roach played much better than last week saying, “I am still learning the speed of arena football, everything is happening fast on the field.  I feel more comfortable and like this team, we can win once we eliminate turnovers and mistakes.”  Roach was given a vote of confidence by Coach MacKeown, “Brad is only in his second week, and really his first to prepare.  He is learning fast and if this were the eighth week of a new season, people would be Brad Roach fanatics, he is going to be great.”

Next week, Goliath returns to Youngstown as the 9-2 Wilkes Barre team revisits The Covelli Centre.  Coach MacKeown was adamant that this loss and last weeks were very different, but both still losses.  “I won’t rest until we win.  It’s going to be a tough week against Wilkes Barre, but if we play like we did most of tonight, we have a chance.”

Things can’t get much worse for the Mahoning Valley Thunder.  Struggles on the road continued as the Thunder dropped to 1-10 losing 62-28 at Albany.  This loss extends the teams losing streak to ten straight and 18th straight road loss. 

The Thunder started new acquisition Brad Roach at quarterback.  Roach was rushed into action because Davon Vinson was banged up but could play if needed.  Roach threw interceptions on his first two drives.  Roach was pulled and Vinson was inserted only to set a franchise record by throwing seven interceptions.  Vinson did manage to find CJ Brewer twice for Thunder scores.

Albany player Alvin Ray Jackson had five interceptions in the game to set a new AF2 record.  Albany recorded 11 interceptions in the game.  He also caught two touchdown passes on offense.  Firebird QB Stephen Wasil threw for six touchdowns.

The Thunder go back to the board this week hosting Manchester.  Kelly Pavlik will be doing a book signing from 6-8 at The Covelli Centre, so get there early, meet the champ and enjoy some football.  See you there! 

New Thunder Head Coach Chris MacKeown is without a doubt obsessed with turning Mahoning Valley’s turbulent season into a smoother ride.  MacKeown has eleven years of arena coaching experience and a great track record to behold, a good sign for Thunder fans.  He kind of reminds me of a young Bill Parcells in the sense that he is called upon to turn bad into good, much like Parcells has done for a few NFL teams.

MacKeown grew up in Dayton, Ohio but now calls Amarillo, Texas his home.  When I asked him what he though of Youngstown so far, MacKeown said, ” In my short time here, I am shocked that people will come up to me in a restaurant to encourage me to win.  It says a lot about this area and its love for football and this team“.

When I asked MacKeown what his realistic goals are while he is in charge to which he replied, ” Realistically, the goal is to win a championship.  I want to win, make no mistake about it.  What I have to work with here is a good bunch of guys who will fight to the finish, the attitude and morale is still pretty high despite the 1-9 record“.  MacKeown also was very clear to point out that those who do not want to win will not be wearing a Thunder uniform for long.

In his free time, Coach MacKeown said he likes to get in a good workout.  He was quick to point out that his free time is scarce.  He spends time in his office creating ways for this Thunder team to do better.  In fact, Coach MacKeown said he doesn’t have hardly any free time.  He makes his job as head coach a daily and nightly task.

When I asked Coach MacKeown what he watches on TV, he chuckled and informed me that he doesn’t even have cable. 

With the recent loss of Blake Powers with a broken collarbone, MacKeown reflected on the progress Powers made in the Kentucky game.  He has no problems turning to Davon Vinson saying his biggest problem as a quarterback is that he sometimes calls the wrong play in the huddle.  He smiled again, as Vinson was within earshot and probably heard the comment, and picked up his new starter by saying, he is having a great week of practice and I like the pure athletic ability he brings to the table, he is going to have a good week.

To say that Coach MacKeown is all business is an understatement in so many ways.  Thunder fans, know that you have a general in the trenches, the guy is a proven winner and will not put up with anything less than success while he is here.  Coach Brennan Booth and MacKeown will make a great tandem and I hope these two gentlemen stay for awhile.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder trailed Milwaukee 28-7 in the second quarter of their AF2 game Friday.  The Thunder rallied back to tie the game at 34 apiece, but eventually ended up losing the contest, 58-47.  The Milwaukee offense scored 41 of their 58 points in the first and third quarter.  The Thunder failed to score in the final quarter to extend their road losing streak to 17 straight and their 2009 campaigns ninth straight loss. 

Milwaukee QB Todd Hammel threw for 337 yards and seven touchdowns without a fumble or an interception.  Hammel’s main target of the night was Antoine Burns who caught eight passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns.  Burns also added a rushing touchdown for the Iron.  WR Bryan Pray also did damage catching seven Hammel passes for 79 yards and a TD.

Quorey Payne was nothing short of sensational in the loss for Mahoning Valley.  Payne had two special teams touchdowns for the Thunder.  A 50-yard kickoff return and a 50-yard missed field goal attempt yielded big in Mahoning Valleys rally.  Starting QB Davon Vinson played well in defeat throwing for 222 yards on 20-34 passes.Vinson finished the game with five TD’s and one pick.  CJ Brewer stepped up and had twelve receptions for 107 yards and three TD’s.  Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Mahoning Valley offensively.  Brewer catching that many balls will force opposing defenses to better defend him leaving Payne a little operating space.  If a defense chooses not to worry as much about Brewer, than Vinson -to- Brewer will be a resounding tandem the rest of the season.

The Thunder get back on the bus Friday and head to Albany for their third meeting with the Firebirds on Saturday night.

Larry Harrison is one of those guys who can talk about anything.  I have seen him talk to management, coaches, fans, kids, media, and members of his Mahoning Valley Thunder team.  The fact that he can adapt his conversation level to suit who it is he is talking to makes him one of the most charismatic members of the 2009 Mahoning Valley Thunder team.  Larry is one of those people who has the gift of communication piped into his blood.

Harrison is enjoying his time spent in the greater Youngstown area, “I love it here, Youngstown is a football town and the people have been supportive.  I wish we were winning and this place would be full for home games“.  The Thunder are not winning, but Harrison is buying into the “never quit” attitude being pushed by new coach Chris MacKeown.  He has had an impact as a defensive lineman for Mahoning Valley.  I now expect to see him hurry quarterbacks the rest of this season the way he has in the last couple of weeks.

Interestingly, Harrison says his football role model is Reggie White, another charismatic guy that the fans liked.  Larry said he could only hope to be the kind of person Reggie White was both on and off the field.  I see the Reggie in Larry.

Larry watches Sportscenter and CNN.  He has a PS3 and is currently playing the newest Grand Theft Auto game and says he is addicted to first person shooter games.  Harrison admitted to me that his favorite thing to do to relax is sleep.  “I don’t watch that much TV, the best thing to me is a nice nap and a good night of sleep”.

Because Harrison grew up in Detroit, he has to have some Motown in his diverse musical preferences.  “When you grow up in Detroit, you gotta have Motown on at some point”.  Larry also likes Gospel, Blues, Hip Hop, and Rhythm & Blues.

Harrison said he likes to eat at Jeremiah Bullfrogs.  “We have meal card allowances, so the food is free, but it is delicious“.  Larry liked Bullfrogs so much that he said if family or friends came in to visit, he would take them there because it is a nice crowd and they would like the food too.

Hopefully Larry Harrison is a Mahoning Valley Thunder player for a long time.  He, like Quorey Payne, is one of those guys who politely leads by example and smiles when he gets it right.  He is polite and well-spoken and the kids love getting his autograph at the home games.

• Blake Powers broke his left collarbone and is out indefinitely.  In AF2, a player put on the disabled list must be inactive for at least four weeks.  Unfortunately for Powers, collarbones usually take six to eight weeks to mend.
• Davon Vinson has been named the starting quarterback.  “I have all the faith in the world in Davon, he is having a great week of practice “, said new Coach Chris MacKeown.
• Chris Schubert, Joe Kleinsmith, and Derrell Carlton were released by the Thunder.
• Jermaine Moye and Jon Loyte have been brought in.  Loyte is a lineman who played at Boston College, and Moye is a DB from U of Cal. in PA.  Loye will double up as the teams backup quarterback for now.