Pirates 2004 Schedule Arrives
Steve Robinson
Friday February 6, 2004
This year’s Peoria Pirates voyage includes stops in the usual Midwest Division ports – Louisville, Green Bay, and dreaded archrival Quad City, as well as visits to and from foes head coach Bruce Cowdrey’s team has not faced in the team’s four-year af2 life.
The only city the Pirates will not dock at from last season’s schedule is Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Swarm went 8-8 last season and was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Peoria split with Cincinnati, each side winning an away game, last season.
But that isn’t the reason why Cincinnati is not returning. Problems trying to find accommodating dates with their home arena, U. S. Bank Arena, headed a list of reasons why the team called the league Chicago office late in the scheduling process to say they would be folding before the new season even began.
Cincinnati’s late decision, coming just days before the schedule was to be released at its anticipated time in mid-January, forced af2 to shuffle and find alternative dates for some teams a second time.
Division Dates: The Pirates’ first Midwest Division game is against Quad City on Friday, May 7 at 7p.m. Peoria visits Quad City Friday, July 2 at 7:30p.m. They visit Green Bay on Friday, June 4 and the Blizzard arrives in Peoria for the league regular-season finale on Saturday, July 31 at 7p.m. The Louisville Fire will play Peoria in back-to-back tilts, with the Fire visiting Carver Arena Saturday, June 12, and again in Louisville on Saturday, June 19.
Other Key Dates: In addition to the usual culprits, Peoria take on some teams at home they have yet to battle with, including Albany (May 29), and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (May 15).
The Columbus WarDogs will try to avenge the 53-9 drubbing Peoria gave them at Carver Arena last year by making a second straight visiting appearance on Saturday, July 17, and the Birmingham Steeldogs will also be looking vengeful when Peoria revisits them on July 24.
The only genuinely new team entering the league this year that the Pirates will face is the Central Valley Coyotes, based in Fresno, Calif., on May 1. That city’s previous af2 entry, the Fresno Frenzy, wasn’t as frenzied as owners had hoped and folded after the 2002 season. The league has four brand new teams in its ranks this year in Oklahoma, Texas, and California.
The league has an 18-week schedule, giving each team two bye weeks, making a 16-week season. Peoria’s byes are scheduled for the weekends of May 21-22 and June 25-26.
Cowdrey Gets Reprieve: Cowdrey drew a one-game suspension from the league at the close of last season for comments he made concerning officiating during the game between the Pirates and Quad City at Carver Arena, in which the Steamwheelers won, 65-42, in what turned out to be the Pirates’ season finale last July.
Cowdrey was to serve the suspension on April 9, when Peoria hosted its first home game against Arkansas.
Pat Ward, President of South Side Bank in Peoria, who, as an individual, is the Pirates’ new owner, negotiated with the league for Cowdrey’s suspension to be lifted as part of the purchase deal, according to Ron Deuter, af2’s public relations director.
“As part of the deal for purchase of the team, there was a discussion with the league about lifting (Cowdrey’s) suspension,” team general manager Tom Tomaszewski said. “That suspension has been lifted and Coach Cowdrey will be there right from the very first game.”
Steve Robinson, a freelance writer since 1984, has written about the Peoria Pirates since the Pirates were members of Indoor Football League, beginning in 1999. He covers the Pirates currently for the Bloomington IL Pantagraph.
