http://www.yardbarker.com/content/sport/13 Recent Yardbarker articles: Arena Football en-us Gary Horton of ESPN/Scouts Inc. has released his 2008 All-Arena League team, highlighted by former Ohio State Buckeye QB Joe Germaine. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:10:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291762 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291762 So as is absolutely no surprise to anyone who reads this, I'm a Philly sports fan. As such, I'm pleased, essentially in a reflexive manner, that the Soul are headed to Arena Bowl XXII. Now, do I follow arena football? Not a lick. Do I even watch arena football? I may pause for a few minutes on my way to something else. But will i be riding hard with the Soul on their way to the championship? YOU'RE GOT DAMN RIGHT. And I sense--no, I KNOW--that I'm not alone. Such is in the DNA of a Philly Sports Fan. While primary allegiances are likely to any or all of the 4 major sports, if it's stamped Philly, it becomes something into which to pour your heart and, as it were, soul. It makes just some guy into a diehard Phantoms fan. It makes Joe Average a Barrage aficionado. (both of the previous have multiple championships in their respective sports, I'm required to mention) Hell, it turned some of us into rabid supporter of Smarty Jones, before he too fell shy of the glory as we've watched so many do before and since. It doesn't matter--sheer love of the city (or in of our cases, the Delaware Valley as a whole) puts these teams near and dear to the heart. So give 'em hell, Soul. Warm up the championship parade route for October. And February. And June. And... ah, hell, you get it. And if you don't, you never will. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:35:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290469 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290469 Being from New York, nothing would do me more pleasure than watching a team from the good ol' city of brotherly love fall flat on it''s face. But for some reason the Arena Football team aptly name the Philadelphia Soul is one of the more exciting teams to watch. If you don't know what I'm talking about, and based on recent Brett Farve polls, you don't, then you need to check out this small video about the National Conference Champions. Yea, I know. I didn't even know the AFL had conferences either. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:58:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290339 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290339 Goddamnit Yardbarker. You're big time now. I was really looking forward to using the 'Philadelphia Soul' tag and lo and behold, nothing. Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:53:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289712 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289712 Went over to ESPN to see who won the Gladiators/Soul game. This came up… saywhat.jpg Yeah, that's the correct game write-up, Philly won 70-35. But what's with the banner graphic? It's from week 6 of last year. Apparently the Gladiators, still in Vegas mind you, beat the Soul. Thank you WWL for that 3 minutes of confusion. Meanwhile, Bernie's boys are bounced. Sorry guys. We have a saying around these parts though. Wait…oh nevermind. Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:27:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289613 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289613 …Do we have to change our URL? How apropos would it be of Cleveland sports if Bernie Kosar moves a two-win Arena Football League team to Cleveland and it wins a championship? Alanis Morrisette would have to revise Ironic, as it would be simply mind-blowing. First the Cleveland Barons, then Force, and now an AFL team in its first year of existence? Count us in on ESPN's Titletown USA! As you may or may not know, the Gladiators are one win away from their first ever Arena Bowl. The only roadblock in their way are the wavy locks of Jon Bon Jovi and his franchise, the Philadelphia Soul. Terry Pluto wrote an all-encompasing piece on Raymond Philyaw in today's edition of the Plain Dealer, discussing the many attributes of a guy who takes hits that would make Tim Couch look unscathed. If he were just tall enough, we would likely see him at the next level. However, the vertically challenged quarterback (he's listedat 5?10?) has spent seven years on the short field, hitting receivers that get to start their routes pre-snap. Not to get ahead of myself, but by no stretch of the imagination would a Gladiator championship quench the thirst of Cleveland fans. Would it increase the popularity of the sport in this town? Sure. We would see a bump from the 10-14,000 people that witness the home games, perhaps a little more coverage, and even more promotions. But in no way would a title be sufficient enough for the fans of this championshipless city. A city that has witnessed John Elway pull the carpet out from underneith their collective feet. We have witnessed Jose Mesa blowing the Vegas odds out of the water. Dare I even mention Joel Skinner holding Kenny Lofton at third while Manny Ramirez was still bending down to pick up a soft grounder to left? And don't get me started on Jordan/Ehlo… It's unfortunate that a win that would be so important to an entire organization of people would be qualified as "nice, but…" by the town. But I guess that is just the way things are until the Browns, Cavaliers or Indians (ha!) take the next step in winning. Until then, Philyaw (as good as he is), will just be grouped in with Hector Marinaro, Zoran Karic, and Bill Needham. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:57:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289156 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289156 The Arena Football Conference Championship games are set and both are shaping up to have some great story lines. There are a few unlikely squads still in it so we have laid out the match ups and video highlights of how they got there..... Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:21:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287778 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287778 Now that the Arena Football playoffs are on, we thought it would be fitting to do a list of arena football players with dreads. Here is the list! Keron Henry WR Dragons Damen Wheeler DB Avengers Alonzo Ephraim OL Dragons Jason Harmon DB Crush Kimani Jones OL Gladiators Jerald Brown DB Brigade Donovan Morgan WR Rush Andrae Thurman WR Desperados Donvetis Franklin DB Desperados Hank Edwards WR Storm Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:48:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286192 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286192 Info, links and pics of Angie Reiman. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:05:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284721 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284721 The Wild Card Round of the Arena Football Playoffs are in the books, and there was some great action all weekend. We run down a quick recap of the weekend, and tell you where you can catch the round two match ups. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:04:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284504 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284504 The AFL recently released its All-Rookie team, headlined by a couple familiar names, including defensive back Ahmad "Batman" Carroll, who played in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, now a member of the Orlando Predators and Chad Owens, a former Hawaii standout who played with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL and is now with the Colorado Crush. BJ Pickard Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:31:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283789 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283789 Info, links and pics of Alexis Kofoed. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:53:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282409 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282409 An overlook at all the AFL playoff seeds... Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:39:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281718 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281718 The Cleveland Gladiators have finished their Inaugural season by clinching a berth in the 2008 AFL playoffs. Finishing with a 9-7 record in regular season play they have locked the 4th seed in the National Conference. The Gladiators started off strong going 3-0 to start the season with some good momentum. The great start is especially noteworthy considering the previous year..... Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:14:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281346 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281346 Reds versus Indians. Bengals versus Browns. Heck, even things get a bit fun when the Buckeyes play one of the not-so "The" state universities. But what about Destroyers versus Gladiators? Did I already lose you? If so, it's not completely your fault. Arena football is still looking for some mainstream traction, and this is only the first season of the Gladiators playing in Cleveland. But this weekend's game is likely the biggest for the arena franchise since opening day brought nearly 17,000 fans to Quicken Loans Arena. Not only is this game the season finale, but a win allows the Gladiators to make the AFL playoffs - something that they fell short of after winning only two games in their former city. A win takes the Cleveland franchise to 9-7, a record that beats what Columbus put up last season (7-9) before making it all the way to the title game. The Gladiators dropped last week's game to Jon Bon Jovi's Soul (Philadelphia), so this will be their last ditch efforts. When the two teams locked horns back in March, the Gladiators came out on top, 59-57. It isn't exactly the Subway series, but you can bet that the AFL has to be pretty excited that their "new" team is a game away from the post season, and is playing an intrastate rival. Kickoff is at 7pm. The first 10,000 can get themselves a Bernie Kosar bobblehead, donning the red and black #19. Without even looking, I can tell you that there are likely plenty of great seats still available, so if you have a few hours to kill, why not enjoy some fast-paced football? Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:45:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279510 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279510 So I think I made it to week three of AFL recaps before losing sight of my goal to become a legitimate Arena fan. That being said I am sure most of you skimmed over those articles anyways and forgot about it all together. That is why with about two weeks to go in the season I'll give you a quick update for Arizona's own Indoor football team. As you may recall the Rattlers organization made a guarantee to their fans that they would give a 100% refund to their season ticket holders if they didn't make the playoffs. Well they can breath a sigh of relief as they have clinched a berth with an 8-6 record with two left to play. They are currently sitting in 2nd place behind the defending arena bowl champion San Jose Sabrecats (10-5) in the American Conference's Western Division. Besides the pressure of the wager and the fact that it is Head Coach Kevin Guy's first season the Rattlers were sitting on a record of 4-6 with the playoffs seemingly out of reach. Then all of a sudden something sparked and the squad started closing out the close games they had been dropping all season. They were coming off back to back losses when they faced the Dallas Desperados (currently 12-3 and tied with Philadelphia Soul for best record in the AFL) where they came away with a 55-54 upset. Next up was a sub par Grand Rapids Rampage team who they also narrowly beat out 52-48, followed by a 60-53 win over a good Orlando Predators team. Then last Sunday (Jun 8th) the rattlers faced the Kansas City Brigade and a chance to clinch a playoff berth. Arizona showed up in a big way setting records for most point in a half (49) and most points in a quarter (36) giving them their biggest margin of victory all season with the 73-34 win. The Rattlers are heading in to the last two games of their season with some serious momentum and are facing match ups against Colorado Rush (4-10) and Utah Blaze (5-10). Arizona should be able to take both of these games if they keep on their game. If that is the case, and San Jose loses their final game to the Georgia Force (10-5) they will be tied for the top spot in the western division. Not too shabby for a team that had a long way to go to make a playoff spot. Later this week I will give a run down on the Cleveland Gladiators season and playoff chances before giving a playoff preview so check back. 4Real Out…. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:40:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278205 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278205 Defenseive End Mondre Dickerson was signed to the active roster Thu, 22 May 2008 13:37:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269737 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269737 Monday night's ESPN-2 coverage of the AFL featured "Open Mike Night." For every fan that wanted to know the gory behind-the-scenes details of life on the sidelines, the Philadelphia Soul's passionate offensive coordinator Connell Maynard gave them the big show. Should what happens on the sidelines stay on the sidelines? Senior editor Brian Ross gives us his shiny two. Wed, 14 May 2008 21:37:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267098 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267098 Hello, My name is Cristina Dumitru,we analysed your blog and we are interested to enter in contact with you and purpose to become an acredited BLOGGER of Publicationweb.com. Thank you! cristina.dumitru@publicationweb.com Wed, 07 May 2008 07:50:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264192 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264192 A preview of all the action of Week 7 in the Arena Football League Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:45:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/235519 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/235519 Recap of Week 6 in the Arena Football League Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:24:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232518 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232518 Each week, we talk to one of the Soulmates and find out what's going on with the Soul (6-0 in case you didn't notice). This week, co-captain Rachel talks embarrassing moments, Arena Bowl, and Dancing with the Stars. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:45:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232176 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232176 Week 6 preview in the Arena Football League. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:45:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/228860 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/228860 Join us today for a live chat of this afternoon's AFL game on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:18:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223207 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223207 A preview of Week 5 in the AFL Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:04:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222505 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222505 No, not Jon. The other guy. Sambuca. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:36:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218952 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218952 Backup QB Matt D'Orazio leads the undefeated Soul to a big win Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:34:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213173 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213173 With another Philadelphia Soul win last night, it's time once again to talk to one of the Soulmates. This week, it's Soulmate Kat. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:26:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213167 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213167 Sign up to compete against the net's best Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:23:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/210711 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/210711 Dallas takes the Monday Night Football matchup Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:13:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/208673 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/208673