COACHES CORNER
CD: West Point? Do they still talk about Parcells there?
VT: Sorry Parcells has been forgotten. Bobby Ross is the new savior of Army Football.
CD: Your club's name Centurions...nice...I keep getting images of Russell Crowe wiping his hands off with dirt...but then I grew up in San Francisco in the 60's...war gaming...is that like War Hammer?
VT: Great comparison that’s the imagery I was going for when I named the team. War Hammer isn’t a wargame at least not the kind that I enjoy. Wargaming is part of my job as a simulations manager. I run “conflict” simulations for West Point and prior to that I ran them for the Army’s Command and General Staff College.
CD: Major...ahem...oversight on my part...Do you have any immediate plans to pummel the other poker-playing coaches in the IFL?
VT: In football or Hold’em? If I can draft “Big Slick” then I’ll have an awesome one, two punch. For the non holdem playing crowd big slick is the Ace and King (any suit). Big slick in my organization is a premiere QB and a premiere RB.
CD: Being a military man, what's the strategy for building your club?
VT: If I told you I’d have to kill you. Since I’m an army man I prefer a strong ground game with a possession style passing game.
CD: ::gulp:: Skipping the obvious military greats, Ike, MacArthur, Nimitz and the like, give us a historical military leader that is worthy of note, someone we may not know about.
VT: Not sure if you could consider him a leader but he is well known. I would have to say PVT Joe Snuffy. Private Joe Snuffy is your everyday garden variety soldier. You never hear of them because they are always in the background, after all who wants to talk to some private. But without him our army would be nothing but a bunch of officers arguing over who should be getting the general his coffee.
*****
Greg
Andrade, Green Bay
CD: What's the deal no team nickname...mine's lame, but Green Bay...Green
Bay what?
GA: Actually, our tentative team name is the Green Bay Guardians. We have
submitted our information to the league office, but I think that the
announcement has been slow to reach the football masses.
CD: They have to hire more staffers...No bio. Tell me you aren't another
government guy?
GA: No, I'm something far more insidious and potentially dangerous than
that: I'm a Buddhist. Actually, my bio should be forthcoming. The league
office has a
copy of it, but publicity campaigns are probably on the low end of the
priority list these days,
especially when administrators are busy with IFL constitutional amendements
and the pending release of APCFB 2005.
CD: Do you know anything about Mike Rodriguez, he was the subject of
several bios and I've since had a moment to 'sit down' with him...?
GA: All I can tell you about Mike Rodriguez is that there are quite a few of
them riding around on the planet these days. According to Google, one of
them is even a semi-pro softball player in Pensacola, Florida. But, as for
the IFL Mike Rodriguez, your guess is as
good as mine.
CD: Fighting Illini or no?
Dominion Stadium Ready for IFL Action
Disassociated Press
By William Blandford
Charlottesville – The air was crisp, and the sun was shining with only a few clouds above. It was a gorgeous day, fitting for the monumental day it was in the great state of Virginia. The newly formed Indiana Football League will have a franchise in Virginia, the Virginia Vipers.
Today officially marked the beginning of professional football in the state with the ribbon-cutting of Dominion Stadium. The Vipers will play their home games in this state-of-the-art stadium, which lies just outside the Charlottesville city limits. The stadium name comes from Virginia’s state nickname, The Old Dominion.
Those familiar with college sports should know that Charlottesville is a city rich in collegiate athletics, and part of the reason they were selected. Charlottesville is currently home to the University of Virginia, which has a history of strong community support. The decision to headquarter the organization was based on other factors as well.
“This is a prime location for a variety of reasons,” Vipers’ GM William Blandford shared at a conference following the ceremony. “Charlottesville is a fairly central location between Northern Virginia and Richmond, while not being too far from our football fans on the coast. I don’t foresee us having problems selling tickets.”
As a matter of fact, ticket sales have been brisk thus far; tough to fathom when this team doesn’t have one player on its roster yet. With successful college programs such UVA and Virginia Tech in the state, the residents of Virginia have finally had their thirst for professional football quenched.
As one spectator at the ceremony put it, “It’ll be great to have professional football here. This state has produced a lot of talented players, and perhaps our team will have some of them on their roster. Whether we have a good season or bad one, it’s going to be great to see the pros in action here. Go Vipers!”
Some general information about Dominion Stadium. It is an open-air stadium with a hybrid Bermuda grass field and state-of-the-art drainage/irrigation system. The seating capacity is approximately 73,000 with 158 luxury suites, including one private club that has a billiards room, full-service bar and has 124 seats. There are approximately 1,400 seats throughout the stadium for fans with disabilities.
William Blandford ended the press conference on this note: “Dominion Stadium is a stadium our fans will love to come to; the fans here deserve a great arena to watch their team. We want to generate as many sell-outs as possible, and the way to do that is to build a class organization in every facet. This stadium is a great foundation.”
How successful an inaugural season the Vipers have is unknown. What is known is they have a great place to call their home and fans ready for some football.
Friday, February 25, 2005 06:44:22