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.