SaberCats Face Georgia and Rumors in Quarterfinals
Tim Ball
Saturday May 31, 2003
And, you can bet the SaberCats don’t either. They’ve already suffered a loss to Georgia in week three and many of the faces on the Force look plenty familiar, as in, the 2000 and 2001 playoffs. The renamed and relocated Nashville Kats may have moved to Georgia, but history stayed in place. Two out of the last three ArenaBowl’s had many Force/Kats players involved.
 Darren Arbet ignores the innuendo and rumor. "You prepare only for the next team." Image courtesy of Ken LaRue |
“You prepare only for the next team,” says SaberCats head coach Darren Arbet. “What happened previously can only give you a guideline to go by but every game brings with it different situations.”
Peaks and valleys present different situations as well. It’s been that kind of journey this season for the SaberCats. A team they met on one of those downhill trails is now another cliff in the way to the top. San Jose has blown out some teams to be sure, but they have also had to battle down to the end many, many times this year.
Reputation, “Rumors,” and Reality
The SaberCats face another “must win” situation to be sure, but it’s just another game like so many others. Opponents seem motivated to beat the SaberCats for reasons unclear to most onlookers and it appears the SaberCats face other issues.
Al Trautwig started a conversation on the AFL on NBC post game wrap up this weekend with guest coach Ray Bentley (Buffalo Destroyers). It centered on the SaberCats’ unbeatable image and the rumors that the team plays with more resources than other teams. Bentley said he wouldn’t touch the issue with a 10-foot pole and then proceeded with both feet in his mouth to state that there are rumors that San Jose does things differently. He stated that they do [do things differently], and they’ve benefited from that and they (San Jose) win.
Michael Irvin admonished Trautwig and Glenn Parker with very good advice, that the things talked about in male bonding times off the air shouldn’t be mentioned on the air. Parker then mentioned that San Jose has a rebel image and other things that won’t be brought up.
A segment centered on rumors and Bentley’s asserting or inferring something to base it on. Bentley of all people knows that the league has a salary cap. Post game shows should mention players and match-ups and not proliferate fruitless innuendo and rumor.
Last time the record books were updated, San Jose has only won a single ArenaBowl and their record this season is the same as Orlando and Tampa Bay who have six ArenaBowls between them. In fact, once again Tampa Bay, Orlando and Arizona are in the playoffs. Where’s the rumor there?
Trautwig and staff didn’t start the rumors about San Jose and it’s unfortunate that time was afforded to the issue. The league needs to dedicate time on the show to build up this league.
The SaberCats excellence is a matter of hard work and dedication not their private jet. The same jet that flew them to three of their four losses this season. Get the point.
Envy and jealousy are going to exist but remember they are listed as deadly sins for a reason. The Arena Football League is eager to reach the level of excellence that other sports possess now and the game can only rise to the top by teams like San Jose reaching out and grasping it.
 Ray Bentley in his coaching days, before he worked for NBC. Image courtesy of Tom Ando |
---The SaberCats office refused to comment on the AFL on NBC post game segment, except to say they were “well aware of its content”---
COMMENTARY: If treating the players and coaches to excellent surroundings and facilities makes for an unfair advantage on the football field, one only needs to look at Carolina to see that there is no difference in this league than any other. You get what you pay for… More on that some other day. Last time I looked, teams are able to beat the SaberCats and there are many teams with far more championship banners than San Jose.
San Jose is the reigning Champions, went almost undefeated in the process and you don’t see as much as a glimpse of the SaberCats on TV.
Isn’t excellence and highest quality what this league is striving to achieve? Then why fault the San Jose franchise for treating Arena Football players to the very best in training facilities, surroundings and a truly professional environment. That the players respond to being treated as true professionals is evident in consistency. Owners and organizations owe it to the game, the players and most importantly the fans, to bring the Arena Football League to the level it so richly deserves.
As the ArenaFan correspondent for San Jose, there is no difference in the heart of the players I have seen play for and against the SaberCats. That all of them deserve to be treated to the best in everything should be the goal of every single person involved in this wonderful brand of football. That’s why we all buy tickets and that is why they sell tickets.
And Glenn, America loves a rebel. If that rumor were true, I’d like merchandising rights to SJS T-shirts!
No tomorrow
Rumors abound in this society and fuel the conversations of many, but Saturday, stark reality comes to San Jose and what happens on the field will decide the only important issue of who plays next week.
The legendary Barry Wagner and Darryl Hammond in their 12th and 13th seasons respectively, make the price of a ticket well worth buying for this game. Wagner and Hammond have been to the ArenaBowl and play this game as much for pride as they do the staggering records they are compiling. They are what this league is all about.
Last time they met in Georgia, QB James Brown found Hammond in the back of the endzone for the game winner. Wagner missed knocking away the pass and claiming victory for San Jose by only inches. The drama of this play was all the more impressive when you consider the two players involved. There will be many more opportunities for these two in the quarterfinal game.
Georgia held San Jose to under fifty points in their first meeting and that will be the mission again. The SaberCats have the league’s all-time best rushing game with 47 TD’s. And they’re just waiting for a shot at the league’s best defense.
Number one verses number 12? Not in the playoffs. The slate is wiped clean and right now there is only first place in one game to be decided. Then it’s on to next week.
The number one defense against the top scoring team in the league. Facts are better than fiction.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
