Firebirds Open House a Rousing Success
Joe Thoms
Sunday April 1, 2001
Players and team officials went out of their way to accommodate autograph and picture requests, especially if the requesting party was a child. This kind of fan-friendly attitude is a refreshing change from the selfishness that pervades so many other sports. Fans were allowed onto the new artificial-turf surface to experience first-hand what an Arena Football League field is like.
I, like many others who went onto the field, was impressed by how springy and forgiving the new field actually is. The artificial turf sits on approximately ¾” of padding and this makes the field much softer than the one used at the nearby RCA Dome by the Indianapolis Colts.
Local television stations WISH-TV 8 (CBS) and WRTV 6 (ABC) broadcasted live reports from the open house and were enthusiastic in their support for the Firebirds. Director of Media Relations Justin Campbell and Media Intern Wes Reynolds did a fine job in making sure that all media requests were handled in a smooth, efficient manner.
On the media front, radio stations WNDE (1260 AM) and WKLU (101.9 FM) have been announced as carrying the Firebirds games this year. Albany holdover Ari Wolfe will handle play by play, and former Colt linebacker Barry Krauss will be the color commentator. The television coverage will be shared by WTTV-4 (WB), Fox Sports Midwest, and TNN. Local radio talk show host Mark Patrick and former Colt tight end Charles Arbuckle will be the broadcasting team for the Channel 4 and Fox Sports Midwest games.
Joe Thoms was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2001 season.
