The End

Well, I just got the news yesterday that, "The CIFL is sad to announce that the operations of the Owensboro Rage, in Owensboro, KY have been suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season."

I don't know about you, but I felt stunned when I read this.

The Rage has been a great thing for Owensboro, and I truly hope we see professional sports in town again.  AND, I honestly feel that a lot of good came out of this team.

For one thing, there are a couple dozen guys out there that can add "professional football player" to their resume.  This was a good opportunity for them, and adding that to their list of accomplishments will always impress.

It was exciting getting the chance to see coaches Mike Goodpastor and Brian Schmidt doing what they do.  Those guys are obsessed with winning, and building quality teams.  I have described them as legends, and they are.

If you were ever around them after a loss, you know how much they hated that.  I know Brian especially was upset after the 78-0 WIN over the Bulldogs.  He was frustrated about the rule changes made by the refs in the game to compensate for what he felt was weak play by the other team.  I listened to the archived WVJS radio broadcast from the game, and it seemed that the team had eyes on breaking the CIFL scoring record on this night.

Also, I chatted with one of the coaches after a game at BW3 one night.  He mentioned that he had never been a part of a team doing so much with so little.

The Rage were, without a doubt, scrappy and hard working.  I personally love an underdog with a big heart, and that was the Rage.  You know that starting an independent minor league type team is a HUGE gamble, especially in a market like Owensboro.  The odds were against the Rage, but they still fought hard.

I love Owensboro, and I get very excited when I learn about someone trying to do something special and unique in the area.  I would like to see more distinctly Owensboro businesses and sites.  Sadly, it seems that a new Mc or Wal chain type place goes over huge in the area, while the independents are ignored.

There are many towns that have unique, established minor league teams that help define the city.  Just look at Florence KY, York PA, Jackson TN....  I could go on.  These are all towns with their own identity, but their well established minor league sports teams are a huge part of who they are.

When I tell people I am from Owensboro, they usually bring up regional food, defunct hotels, or the last public hanging.  Other than burgoo, it is hard to take pride in the other areas of notoriety.

We almost had a pro football team to brag about.

There are a lot of other great people involved with the Rage...  I loved watching Brent Clary do the onfield announcing at the Next Level.  The guy doing Twitter for the team was totally awesome.  Chris Cooke and Allen Buck of WVJS did an amazing job too, and I appreciated their roster updates and calls.

There was another part of the CIFL release that I feel is quote worthy.

"The CIFL is extremely proud of the efforts put forth by the owner of the Rage, Melissa Logsdon, who -- while working three jobs -- has been trying extremely hard to fulfill the dream and aspirations of her late fiancée and former GM of the Rage, Eddie Cronin."

Melissa's efforts were almost supernatural.  It is inspiring that a young person was able to bring professional football to the area.  It wasn't a group of business owners, or several investors, it was one very motivated person.

Melissa's family was incredible helping with the team too.  This is a solid, classy family in the area, and I am proud of the friendship I have with the Logsdon family.

Oh, I think it is important to still patronize the good people who sponsored the team.  It was very generous of those cool businesses.  Here are the sponsor links-
https://owensbororage.com/en/sponsors/sponsors.html

This weekend in Owensboro.....

There is ONLY one more regular season home game for the Rage this season, so you know that you have to be at the Next Level this Saturday!

Should be a good weekend for the Rage.  The team will be appearing at Towne Square Mall Friday night from 5-7, and they are playing the Detroit Thunder on Saturday night at the Next Level.

It is fan appreciation night too, so adult tickets are only $10!

Saturday's game against the Chicago Pythons has been cancelled

From the Rage's official site:

"Due to circumstances that are out of our control, the games vs chicago will not take place this Saturday. We apologize to our fans for this situation and want to extend our special fan appreciation night pricing to our next and final regular season home game, Sat April 20th. Thank you to all our fans for your unwavering support during our inaugural season. Spread the word about our final home game of the season as we welcome back Jared Lorenzen. Lets help cheer our team into the playoffs!"

The Pythons were a last minute change to replace the Kane County Dawgs, and I am guessing that the Pythons are unable to keep this obligation (I KNOW the Rage are available this weekend).

So, the Rage's final regular season home game will be NEXT weekend (4/20).  Make sure you are there!

This weekend in Owensboro........

Another big weekend is about to go down in Owensboro!  AND, with only two home games left, all Rage fans should make the most of it!

Friday, the Rage will be at the mall from 5-7.

Saturday, they will be taking on Chicago Pythons, game starts at 7.

If you haven't been to a Rage game yet, get down there!  You definitely want to have bragging rights to seeing the Owensboro Rage during their first season!

Rage defeat the Bulldogs (again) 78-0!

I had a great time in Owensboro this weekend at the Rage game!

The Rage again beat up on the Cincinnati Bulldogs.  I don't know how else to put it exactly, but for the second time this season, the Rage defeated the team from up north not allowing them to score one time.  In fact, the combined score from the two games is 138-0.

The Bulldogs are a more loosely put together team of players ( I heard a rumor that they actually recruited some locals to play for them this weekend) but they sure played with a ton of heart.

Also, after what happened earlier in the season, it says a lot about them that they were willing to play in Owensboro again.  I tip my hat to them.

Check out their site at:

http://www.northernkybulldogs.com/

This was a cool game too because Jared Lorenzen made his home field debut! Man, is he fun to watch!

I overheard one person comment that it looked like his teammates were not used to catching a ball thrown so hard and accurate. They ARE obviously starting to get used to it now.

I really like the other new additions too.  Our new kicker, Dustin "Uno" Zink is extremely skilled and accurate.

Jared Lorenzen was his usually hammy self during and after the game.  He tossed the ball to kids during breaks in the game (there's a story for the grandkids!) and he signed autographs for everyone afterwards.

I talked with him briefly after the game and told him it was great seeing him playing in Owensboro.  He very humbly thanked me for saying that and said that he was happy to be doing it.

I think that says a ton about him.  Jared played in the NFL and has really done just about everything.  Its not like he needs to be playing in the CIFL right now, but he obviously still enjoys playing.  And, its a big deal (for Owensboro) that he is in town right now.

Jared Lorenzen's old teams

I was going through some of my old photos I took from indoor games long ago and I found a few that might be interesting for Rage fans!  Our favorite QB, Jared Lorenzen is shown in each picture.

 

The top two photos I took at Northern Kentucky River Monster games.

 

This was a fun team that played just south of Cincinnati.  They played their games in a spectacular newer stadium and the vibe there was exciting.  The fans were in to the game and they were getting good crowds.  The River Monsters logo was awesome, as it was a tough looking green fish with an under bite, and an old school leather football helmet on (check it out on wikipedia).

 

Jared played for them, as did our kicker Uno.  Rage coaches Mike Goodpaster and Brian Schmidt coached there too so you know this was a solid crew.

 

The last two photos I have scanned in are of Jared when he played for the Lexington Horsemen.  The Horsemen drew great crowds- probably a few thousand a game.  Still, a crowd of several thousand can look small in a place like Rupp Arena.

 

The Horsemen were a fun organization and I remember the team intros and the video they would show before games were a lot of fun.  I remember Jared throwing a lot of souvenir footballs in to the stands! 

 

This team had some other NFL alumni on it at various times (I remember Craig Yeast spending time with them).  Their logo was not as cool as the River Monsters logo, as the Horsemen's logo looked suspiciously like the logo for the Broncos.

Tomorrow Night at Towne Square Mall

This is going to be a great weekend for Rage fans!  Tomorrow night (Friday April 5th) make sure you stop by Town Square Mall to say hello to your favorite Rage players!  The team will be hanging out there between 5-7.

Then on Saturday night, catch the team in action at the Next Level!  The game starts at 7!

Bulldogs in Owensboro... again!

We do have a different opponent this week from the original schedule!

As you know, the Kane County Dawgs were dropped from the league some time ago- so the Rage again get to face the Cincinnati Bulldogs!

I have a lot of respect for this scrappy team with a lot of heart, and I am glad to see them coming back to Owensboro.

Rage vs Nashville Storm 2/1/13

I figured since the good guys have a couple of weeks off, and haven't been in town for a while, now would be a good time to put up my photos from the preseason game against the Nashville Storm!

We won that one, 34-29!

My friend Casandra took these photos!

 

Nashville Storm

http://www.nashvillestormonline.com/

Check out the Nashville Storm's site!  They have a nice description of the exhibition game from earlier this year.

I am not sure if I agree with their assessment of the teams and all (sure, it was a pro vs. amateur game, but the Nashville Storm are a tough and very established amateur team).

Still, it was cool that they took the time to travel to Owensboro to play the very young Rage team, and the game was a heck of a lot closer than I would have preferred!

This was the only home game this season that I was unable to take pictures at, but a friend gave me some photos they took!  I will try to get those up in the next few days!

Rage defeat the Marion Blue Racers 39-38!

Did you make the trip to Marion to catch the Rage this weekend?  I do know of some people in Owensboro who did, and I know they had a good time!

The Blue Racers were desperate for a win, and those guys made some changes to their team as well (most notably several coaches).  They actually played a lot better than I expected for a 1-4 team.

Still, I do consider this a big win for the Rage.  After those 3 losses in a row we had, this win felt great.

I was a bit nervous early in the game but after our new guys started feeling more comfortable things went a lot better.

Lorenzen started out a little shakier than I expected, but he quickly came back and reminded us of why he is such a legend.  The guy plays with no fear.

Two of the other new guys really impressed me too.  Bernard Luster proved to be just as impressive of an addition to the team as Lorenzen.  The guy caught everything.

Our kicker Dustin Zink looked great!  He is another guy on this team with a link to the old Northern Kentucky River Monsters. 

And...  I am very proud of the whole team.  Ryan Wheat has looked tough even during our losses, and he came up big again this week.  Dray Mason has not let up at all.

Anyway, I think the Rage are definitely back on track.

Jared Lorenzen is now with the Rage!!!

https://owensbororage.com/en/team-news/199-jared_lorenzen.html

I am super excited to hear that eveyone's favorite QB in the state is now with the Rage!

Make sure you read the announcement at the team's official site for more details!

I was personally able to catch him play with the old Lexington team, and the defunct Northern Kentucky River Monsters, so I am very excited about seeing him play in Owensboro!

Former Rage Cheerleader-Jessica

I thought I should repost this from the Rage FB page. 

"Please, Vote for one of your former Rage Cheerleader, if you have the time! Jessica S. (Red Head)! You can vote everyday if you would like/be too kind! :D"

https://www.coltscheer.com/ListOut.aspx


I really love seeing people who have been a part of this team in the past going on to bigger things!

Jessica, good luck on your try out with the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders!

The team plays in Marion Ohio this Saturday

The Rage will be in Marion Ohio this week to play the Blue Racers.  I think Owensboro should do good against this team, though the Blue Racers are going to be hungry for a legitimate win (their only win so far this season was over the forfeiting Dawgs).

You can catch the game this week on 102.7 FM.

Rage at Kentucky Xtreme 3/15/13

I was able to make it to Louisville to catch the Rage get their rematch against the Kentucky Xtreme, the same team that roughed them up in Owensboro the week before.

This was my first time at Freedom Hall for a sporting event.  Even with the new bigger venue across town popping up, I thought Freedom Hall was still well maintained.  Obviously, the place has a very retro feel now.

Parking was $8 (thats $8 more than what they charge at the Next Level).  Plus, the facility does have a LOT of staff and security that seemed a bit unnecessary for a CIFL game.  Still, all of the staff and security we encountered were friendly and helpful.

Before the game, we did stop by the very cool little coffee shop,  Sunergos.  It was very close to Freedom Hall, and they had great coffee!  They are a micro roaster place, and it had a great, local community type feel.  Check out their site:
https://sunergoscoffee.com/

The Xtreme looked good, and for a second week in a row, played good too.  This is a tough, fun team to watch, and as I said before, I hope this team does well (except for when they are playing the Rage).

Unfortunately, they were playing the Rage.  Also factoring against the Rage this week was the fact that the Rage have recently released several players including QB Bill Ashburn.  In fact, they really weren't playing with a QB in Louisville.

Actually, playing so unconventionally worked well for the Rage during the first half.  Owensboro was up 20-19 at the half!  The Xtreme absolutely dominated after that though, and the Rage scored one single TD towards the end of the game, which could not match the endless parade of touchdowns their opponents scored.

After the game, both teams hung out on the field and were available for pictures and autographs.  I think this is really cool in the CIFL.  The players are accessible and friendly. 

After we left Freedom Hall, we hit Wick's Pizza on Baxter Ave.  This place is great too, check them out!
http://www.wickspizza.com/index.stm

Louisville is an easy road trip to make from Owensboro.  We had some friends who made the journey who decided to drive back after the game.  I am hoping that I will have the opportunity to see these teams play each other again in Owensboro AND Louisville next season!



Tonight in Louisville.....

Alright!  Tonight the Owensboro Rage travel to Louisville to try and avenge their loss from last week.

I am really looking forward to this one.  I have never been to an event at Freedom Hall! 

Also, we talked to several fans from Louisville who came to see their Xtreme play in Owensboro last week.  The team and their fans had a great attitude.  Just like the Owensboro Rage, I am pulling for this team and hoping that they are successful for years to come too.  This is another team that values the support of CIFL fans.

If you are driving there from Owensboro don't forget that Louisville is in the Eastern Time Zone.

Boom Squad Inc

Here are a few photos I took of Boom Squad Inc at the Rage game this past weekend!

I was told that this was far from being their only performance on the 9th, so these guys get around a lot!  Check out their resume on their web site!

http://www.boomsquadinc.com/

I think I speak for everyone at the Next Level on Saturday when I say that this group of kids is fun to watch!  Lots of energy, good rhythm, enthusiasm, etc.  I really hope to see Boom Squad at another event soon.



The Kane County Dawgs

I just checked out the Kane County Dawgs site and I see that it looks like their season is already over.  Here is the statement, "The CIFL regrets to announce the official indefinite suspension of the Kane County Dawgs operations".

I checked wikipedia and the entry already says they "were" a team in the CIFL.

I know they had some issues a couple of weeks ago, but I hoped that they would be able to bounce back.  Now I am hoping those released players can catch on with another team.

The statement from the league goes on to say that the rest of their home games are cancelled for this season, and that opponents for the impacted teams have been contacted and confirmed by the league.

So, I am guessing that on April 6th the Rage will have another opponent instead of the Dawgs.

Owensboro Rage vs. Kentucky Xtreme 3/9/13

I hope you were at the Next Level this past Saturday night for the first of two games this season between the Owensboro Rage and the Kentucky Xtreme!

The contest was rough for Owensboro but I am certain the crowd still had a good time!  The Kentucky Xtreme brought a lot of their fans with them, and I know they had fun.  Their team scored a huge win.

Even with my favorite team taking the loss I still had a a good time.

The fans are becoming familiar with each other and with the team.  The Rage are very cool about fans mingling with the players on the field after the game is over.  There is a very friendly vibe going on at the Next Level.

Also, I see many kids running around and having a lot of fun at the Rage games.  With the way the bleachers and playing field are set up, it would be easy for someone to watch the game from the bleachers, and have an eye on their child even if their kid were at the other end of the field.

I know this is going to sound bad, and I almost hate to admit it, but it was fun having the Kentucky Xtreme fans around!  It is obvious that the Xtreme fans love their team and they are vocal.  They cheered when their guys were announced, and they yelled at the refs when they didn't agree with the calls.

BUT they were pleasant.  We were setting next to a group of them and we really enjoyed talking to them.  They were good people. 

We bumped in to a couple of guys wearing Xtreme shirts after the game.  Out of a need to be polite (and seeing our Rage shirts), they said "good game" to us.  We thanked them for their kind lie.

Still, I am sure coach Mike was fired up in the locker room after the game.  The team has a lot to work on before they play this same team next week- WITHOUT the benefit of home field advantage.

The Owensboro Rage are a very young team, and I am still extremely proud of them, even after this ROUGH loss.

It will be exciting to see how they do on the road this coming Friday in Louisville.


Here are some links with articles about the game:

https://owensbororage.com/en/team-news/195-week_5.html

https://owensbororage.com/en/week-5.html

http://www.kentuckyxtreme.com/news-updates/66-kentucky-xtreme-tops-the-rage-70-14/

Today in Owensboro....

Today would be a great day to take a road trip to Owensboro!  My favorite coffee shop downtown, The Creme, is having live local music all day!

AND the Rage are playing the Kentucky Xtreme tonight at the Next Level!

Boom Squad Inc.

Check out Boom Squad Inc!  They are performing at halftime during this Saturdays game at the Next Level!

http://www.boomsquadinc.com/

Next Game

This Saturday, the Rage play the Kentucky Xtreme (from Louisville).  There is a little part of me that totally wants to trash talk this team.  Personally, I spend most of my time in Lexington, and it is usually very hard for me to say something good about a team from Louisville.

There is a little mischievous voice deep inside of me that wants to talk some serious smack.  I want to say that the only good thing that has ever come out of Louisville is a guy named Bill Ashburn.

But I would not be telling the truth.  I love Louisville.  The place rocks.  I have spent many days there watching AAA baseball games, eating at Lynn's and sipping Heine Bros. coffee.  Its a cool town.

And, in general, I like their sports teams too, as long as they aren't playing another team from Kentucky.

The Xtreme have had some cool beginnings- here is a great article about how the team came to be:

http://kentuckyguard.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/air-guardsmen-bring-xtreme-football-to-louisville/

This is definitely a team I would cheer for any other day, but not this Saturday.

Owensboro Rage vs. Dayton Sharks 2/22/13

Here are some photos I took at the February 22nd game at the Next Level.  Week 3 was a tough one for the Rage as the Dayton Sharks handed the team their first loss.

The team looked good in general, though playing in their second game in 5 days may have affected their play some.  If you listened to the radio broadcast of the game that topic was discussed.

There was some trash talk going on at this game.  I like to see the emotions going and all, but there were some moments that reminded me more of a pro wrestling event than a football game.  I heard one Sharks player thank the Owensboro fans for coming out to see the Sharks play.

Thats all part of the game though.  If the players didn't care about winning, the game wouldn't be fun to watch.

Even with a Rage loss, a good time was had by all.  The Next Level is a nice venue, and the atmosphere is very family friendly (even the above mentioned trash talk was tame by most standards).  I have noticed kids at the games having fun, throwing footballs around, and just enjoying themselves a lot.  With the way the playing area is at the Next Level, it is pretty easy to keep an eye on your kid from almost any point in the venue. 

Players mingle with fans after the game too which is nice.  I was able to chat with a couple of coaches after the game (who were still friendly even though they were frustrated about the loss).

Here are the stats from the game with a link to the radio broadcast:
https://owensbororage.com/en/week-3.html

Intro

Owensboro is a great town with everything a humble person might want.  There's plenty of good sites for hunting and fishing near by.  One small mall is plenty for any town.  It has a great downtown coffee shop in The Creme.

It is surrounded by a ton of other great towns too (I'm talking to you Utica, Calhoun, Maceo, Stanley, West Louisville, Saint Joseph, and even you Rockport, though you are in the wrong state).  These are all great areas, with friendly old timers in cozy small general stores who all have big hearts.

I can get a mutton sandwich and burgoo any day of the week.  I don't care if it is from Moonlite or Old Hickory as long as it is from Owensboro (I can't explain it, but both actually taste better when eaten in Owensboro).

Enough with the sentimentality.  Owensboro is good place.  Sweet old folks live there.  Its a good place to raise kids.  The pace is slow and relaxed.

But, Owensboro gets its backside kicked at times.  It has missed out on some opportunities, it has dropped from the 3rd largest city in Kentucky to the 4th.  Once great hotels and convention centers have been demolished (or that unfortunately need to be demolished)... etc. etc.

Which is why I feel so excited about Owensboro getting something cool, like a professional football team!

The Owensboro Rage have now played a few games this season, and they are doing great!  I am impressed enough with this team that I felt the need to start a fan blog devoted to them.  I will try to post photos from games, links, and any other info I can relating to the team.  PLEASE feel free to drop me a line.  I would love to post any contributions from players, coaches, family, or other fans of the team.

PLEASE visit the teams official site- owensbororage.com.  More importantly, please make it to some of their home games and do what you can to support them!  They have a small operation and anything you can do to support them will help keep them in the area.