It seems that the AFL Players went on strike last week (somehow this story did not generate the news coverage that the NFL non-strike did last summer). At that point, the owner of the Power, some guy named Shaner, released every player on the roster a few hours before the team was to open it's season in Orlando on Friday night. Shaner then said he would resign any player who agreed NOT to go on strike. Those players who did not agree to do so, then had their airplane tickets taken from them, and were told that they were on their own in getting back to Pittsburgh. All the while, even as the game on Friday was being played, somehow, Shaner and his staff were trying to sign more scab players.
Thus, the Arena Football League now becomes the very epitome of a Bush League.
Two good lines have emerged from this. The first came from buddy Dan Bonk on Facebook last night when he proclaimed this to be "the biggest local non-story of the year."
The second came from Dejan Kovacevic who said that Lynn Swann (a Power team owner) doesn't deserve to have his name associated with something like this, unless, of course, he agreed to it with his partner, Shaner.
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For anyone who cares, I have completed my NCAA Tournament Bracket - for amusement purposes only - and have Ohio State, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State reaching the Final Four with the Wildcats defeating the Jayhawks for the title. Such a scenario would do wonders for me in the year long MOASP competition.
I did need to amend my original selections with the news today of Fab Melo's DQ from Syracuse. Tough break for the Orange. I had Syracuse in my original Final Four.
On a more wistful note, the fact that Opening Round sub-regionals are being held in Pittsburgh this year makes me think of attending those games back in 1997 at the Civic Arena. Seeing those three double-headers in one weekend with a bunch of my work buddies is one of my fondest sporting memories.
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Finally, a DVR Alert for tomorrow night, Wednesday, at 10:15 PM on Turner Classic Movies, one of the All-Time GREAT movies, from 1954, "On the Waterfront." This movie won eight Academy Awards that year, including Best Picture, Marlon Brando for Best Actor, Eva Marie Saint for Best Supporting Actress, Elia Kazan for Best Director, and Budd Schulberg for Best Screenplay. In addition, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, and Rod Steiger were all nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
This is a young Marlon Brando, and if you only know Brando as Vito Corleone of "The Godfather" in 1972, you really need to see him in this movie. He is absolutely fabulous in this.
The picture below is from the "I coulda been a contender" scene between Brando and Steiger. It is the scene that is always shown when this movie is discussed, and even if you've never seen the movie, you have probably seen this clip, but watch the movie, see this scene within the context of the entire movie, and it is really, really powerful.
Don't miss it!
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