Posts Tagged ‘Mahoning Valley Thunder’

I have been at this blogging stuff for almost a year and I have tried to get credentialed to as many things as possible.  I have had moderate success, but the rejection I have received is for what I think are the wrong reasons.  Most of the time when I am denied a credential to a concert or major sporting event, I am handed the line that the performing party will only credential major traditional media such as television or newspapers.  I understand that advertising is a reason why those outlets receive preferential treatment and I respect both the local newspaper and the local television stations.

My first break for a credential came with the now defunct Mahoning Valley Thunder arena football team.  I called and asked, explained that I get some hits and outlined what I could do to help promote their product.  The powers that be issued the credential and I was extensive in my coverage of a team that would pack it in at the end of the year.  When I look at my hits and where they are coming from today, people are still looking at player profile pieces I did on Quorey Payne, Larry Harrison, Blake Powers, and Tom Zetts.  I took about 95% of my own pictures, made sure to have a player profile up every week, did game previews and summaries, and received the respect of the people who took a chance on me.

My next big break was the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  The Scrappers are the short-season Single-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians with Travis Fryman as their manager.  I embraced the Scrappers project much the same way I did the Thunder.  Profiles, pictures, game summaries, and extensive coverage.  Overall, I feel the Scrappers also liked the efforts I put forth to cover their team. 

I consider Youngstown State to be a sports school.  With a national reputation as the school where Jim Tressel came from, I was so honored to gain access to YSU sporting events.  I am currently covering football, but mens and womens basketball are right around the corner and I will be as extensive as I ever have.  This was the biggest credential I have received to date and it really keeps me busy.  I know players see their profiles because I receive favorable feedback from them.  YSU has “traditional media” covering their games and I am thrilled that I am rubbing elbows with the best in the area.

The most recent credential came from the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.  Same deal as above in the sense that I am trying to cover this team to the best of my ability.  It is harder to take pictures at these games because of the glass, but I am doing my best to give the readers a good shot.  This season is young but I feel comfortable with the coaches, players, and front office people who have extended the olive branch to the blogger.

Toward the end of the 2009 baseball season, I decided to take a chance and call the Pirates and Indians to maybe get a credential to one game at each place and interview anyone I could.  Both markets refused to give me a credential stating non-traditional media with no affiliation could not be awarded credentials.  I didn’t argue because if it is their policy, then so be it.  The way I see it, baseball attendance in these two markets is not soaring and if they want to roil in disaster, it is obviously less pressure on me to find positive things to write about.  The 4500 people who went to a Pirates home game surely would have spotted me and filed some form of complaint with Bud Selig or Pirate Management.  That nearly empty press box would have needed a good cleaning after I got done with one game and I am well aware that cuts were made and it might be hard to send Ryan Doumit back up there with a broom with his shin hurting so badly.

My latest endeavor of credential seeking failure comes from the land of music.  Concert promoters carry the same belief as MLB, an unlikely Rock & Jock connection.  They too feel that traditional media is worthy of a credential.  Mind you, a credential at a concert means you have permission to take pictures for the first three songs, there are no interviews or backstage access.  To be denied the privelage to snap a few photos was upsetting.  Traditional media was allowed to do so.  This is brilliant for many reasons. 

Firstly,  I have no beefs with the local newspaper, I think they do tremendous work and the promotional articles are on time and to the point, they work.  However, when a guy in New York is looking for a review on Styx, Daughtry, or Kelly Clarkson (all denials for me ), I don’t think he is going to hop in the Jeep and drive to Youngstown to read the local newspaper for a review.  If these people were on the fence about buying a ticket, they would probably Google a specific band and maybe use a keyword of “review”.  I know that is the route I would take.  They find a website that reviewed the concert, they read the review, they are impressed that Styx played “I Am The Walrus” as their third song and want to hear it, so they buy tickets.

Will there be newspapers in 15 years?  No one can answer that.  I read mine every day and will continue to subscribe.  But is there anyone with a brain cell who doesn’t think that websites are turning into mainstream media?  There is an unlimited audience, it doesn’t cost a penny to visit most sites, and the coverage is adequate.  Writers like Jay Marriotti have blasted the internet contributions in the past, probably because they feel threatened.  Yeah, kudos to those who went to school for four years and got a journalism degree, they have my respect and write some intriguing pieces.  Should they be allowed to have websites?  Do they have programming certification and/or even know what a widget is? 

I will continue to seek media credentials for any event I feel will generate this site more hits.  I will also be as diligent and prompt as I can be to ensure exposure of a positive nature to the group or organization who issued a credential to me.  Thanks to those who have said yes! 

To those who will only cater to traditional media:  Welcome to the future where typewriter ink rolls are going through the roof and black and white film is getting harder to come by.

Things do not look very promising for a 2010 Mahoning Valley Thunder season.  All office positions were laid off this past week and the word I have received is that the only way the Youngstown-based AF2 franchise will return is if they are sold.

I started questioning the future before the last game when I saw a 50% off of all Thunder merchandise.  I was told by everyone I asked that the 50% off merchandise was standard for the last home game every year since the team started.  Having attended last years final game, I distinctly remember only certain items being 50% off, whereas other items were either discounted less or even full price.  Foam fingers do not deteriorate in the offseason.

The ownership trio comprised of Dr. Michael Slyk, Tim Chesney, and Dr. Jon Saadey have yet to come forward and officially announce whether or not the team will be back or not.  These three guys are respectable Youngstown-area businessmen who were passionate about their product.  The product lacked several things over the past couple of seasons including two key ingredients – wins and profit.

The lack of wins were accounted to several factors including injuries, poor coaching, and the lack of one quarterback to lead the team.  Look at a successful program like Wilkes-Barre in AF2.  Ryan Vena has been there, they have chemistry without shuttling guys on and off the roster hoping to strike lightning in a bottle.  The combination of Chris MacKeown and Tom Zetts could work over time.  Mad respect for MacKeown, I never met a coach who was so hell-bent on winning.  Zetts is wrapped up in his real-life world of teaching and coaching to consider making AF2 money, and I can’t blame him.

The pay structure of AF2 is pretty bad.  A player can make $250 if their team wins or $200 if they lose.  No PERS, no cable at the apartment, and no cell phone allowance.  Don’t blame Thunder ownership, it’s not their scale, it is the league’s.

The lack of a profit can be attributed to a few obvious factors.  Winning creates a better opportunity to draw more fans.  I always felt that the early Thunder teams, which featured a local player or two, would draw you 1,000 more fans a game.  Mike Stanec, former Thunder linbacker and YSU alum,  had friends and family at every game that first season, I sat near them once.  Tom Zetts brought in at least 1,000 fans to the last game who probably would not have shown up had he not been suited up.  Coach MacKeown and I had the talk about local talent versus trying to win as to what would draw fans.  He seemed to think winning would be the better cure.  I think its an infusion of both.  Hell, let’s face it, I could have kicked better than Derek Shorejs did this season.  Why not sign a local kicker like Brian Palmer at the beginning of the season?

The other factor I thought that killed the Thunder was parking and concessions.  Granted, the Covelli Centre had the contract drawn up and management knew their hands were tied on promotions.  People paying $6 for a beer and $10 to park does not cut it.  A Scrappers Thursday game takes the same $16 and parks four cars and buys six beers.  Do the math.  It is not financially sound to have a sports team play at the Covelli Centre if they will not bend on parking and concessions.  I am curious to see if the Youngstown Phantoms will have the same problems with the “pricey” costs involved.

I’m not sure if, but rather when, the ownership group will announce the end of arena football in Youngstown.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder closed out their season Saturday night.  Unfortunately, the home team was unable to end on a high note losing 63-43 to the playoff-bound Green Bay Blizzard.  The 2-14 record posted by the Thunder does not even come close to the spirit and competitive fire I saw all year.  This team was in more than half of the games they lost.

Personnel changes make a difference whether dealing with a band, a sports franchise, or the office.  Team chemistry needs to develop, it can’t just be inserted and plugged in.  With a high number of coaching changes and team philosophies, the odds of success increase greatly.  The Thunder endured three coaching changes in 2009.  Mike Hold started the season as the head coach.  He was terminated and replaced by Brennan Booth.  Andy Kelly was brought in to run an offense struggling to score.  Eight weeks in, Booth gets knocked down to defensive coordinator, Andy Kelly goes away without ever seeing a steel mill, and Chris MacKeown, the Bill Parcells of arena ball  is hired to run things.  Mackeown has the reputation of making bad teams good, “We want to build on guys that have character like this and play hard every snap.  I have always had an offseason to work on things and this was a new challenge.  I have taken bad teams and turned them around, which I was unable to do here.  We have to get better on offense.  We have to stay healthy to put more points on the board, and we will.  We scored 50 points once while I was here, and that will not happen next year.”

Problems at QB have been there all year.  Davon Vinson was pegged to start but  was replaced, Blake Powers took over for the Thunder and played respectably until breaking his collar bone and landing on IR.  When Powers couldn’t play, Vinson was rewarded the starting job back and was yanked after being ineffective.  Brad Roach was brought in to learn fast and thrown into the fire even faster.  Tom Zetts was a season-ending addition who took over for the injured Roach.  Three coaches + four quarterbacks = mess.

Quorey Payne should add the words “instant offense” to his name.  Payne was exciting to watch all season catching passes and returning kickoffs.  He made it through most of the year until knee problems ended his season.  Payne told me his agent is working on a highlight film to send out to UFL teams.  CJ Brewer missed the last couple of games with a broken hand.  Brewer had the best end zone celebrations I have ever seen with the exception of Jermaine Moye’s display Saturday.  On a Moye from Zetts TD reception, Jermaine mocked The Rock and gave the ball “the people’s elbow“.  I asked Moye about the celebration, “I’m not really a celebration type dude, but I am a fan of The Rock.”  Moye said he is looking forward to playing football and thinks Ohio is the advertised hotbed it has come to be known as.  He also said, as did Quorey Payne, they would love to play here again if there is a team and they don’t end up playing on Sundays.

Tom Zetts enjoyed his brief stint with the Thunder.  “We had a good crowd.  I was happy to see family, friends, teachers basketball players [that he coached],  it was great to see everybody.  I wish we would have pulled that win out for these fans.  We put on a little show for the hometown crowd.”  When asked about his future, Zetts simply said, “You never know, I never thought I would play these three games so you just never know.”

Frashon McGee showed his adaptability by switching to receiver for the last game and had a couple of big catches.  McGee had a tryout with the Buffalo Bills a few weeks back and has the size that Quorey Payne lacks to be a Sunday guy.

I will miss looking forward to Thunder games.  The question has been kicked around locally of whether this team will return to play in Youngstown next year.  I asked one of the owners, Tim Chesney, what the future prospectus of the team were.  ” We [the three owners] will sit down next week and evaluate everything.  I cannot say whether next year will happen yet or not until everything is assessed and looked over.”  I also asked Chesney what he thought of the crowd, “It was encouraging to have a good sized crowd and we thank the fans for their support”  The crowd of almost 4,000 proved that arena football in Youngstown is marketable.

So, before closing the book on 2009, and hopefully looking forward to 2010, there are some thanks to be given.  Thank you to Anthony Farris for always being accomodating and positive.  (The Farris – Aleshere broadcast team feature piece will be up in the next week).  Thanks to coaches Chris MacKeown and Brennan Booth.  They were also very generous with their time and deserve praise for their efforts.  Thanks to Blake Powers, Brad Roach, Davon Vinson, and Tom Zetts, for the constant effort at quarterback.  Thanks to Larry Harrison, the Reggie White of arena ball, for always having a smile and caring about the game results with all of his heart.  Quorey Payne and Jermaine Moye are two very special guys.  They were always polite, always had a smile on their faces, were thankful and praiseworthy of their profiles, and earned my respect as people.  Thank you to the girl who would burn 1,000 calories a night running scoring summaries all over the press area.  Thanks to the stats guys, the television broadcast team, and Scott Jones.  Carlos Spinner, put that camera down and heal up. 

I really hope this team comes back next season because these games are an event and those who attended appreciated the promos and dancers and watching a guy pick his nose on a big screen for a whole minute.  There were memories attached to anyone who attended.  Owners, if you are reading this, the demand is there, the right people are in place, and next year will be a playoff year. 

June 2, 2007 was the last time the Mahoning Valley Thunder won a road game.  July 17, 2009  will go down as the beginning of a new streak, a road winning streak as the Thunder upset the Manchester Wolves, 41-39 in front of nearly 5,000 fans hoping to see their Wolves clinch a playoff spot.  The Thunder also canned a 13-game losing streak to pick up their second win of the season.

Tom Zetts, making his first start,  was voted the Russell Offensive Player of the game on 12-24 passing for 236 yards with five TD’s and just one INT.  Manchester QB Mike Potts had better numbers on 31-48 for 337 yardswith four TD’s and one pick.  Zetts, however, continually made the big play when he had to in leading the Thunder upset of the Wolves.

Remember four short weeks ago when the Thunder had a 20-0 lead on the Wolves at the Covelli Centre?  They had a 19-0 lead in this contest, and actually trailed 39-35 with :53 left in the game.  Zetts found Pat Clark for a 34-yard TD lifting the Thunder to a 41-39 lead with ten seconds left.  Mahoning Valley unsuccessfully attempted a two-point conversion.  Mike Alston blocked a 27-yard game-winning field goal attempt to secure the victory for the Thunder.  Alston finished the game with that blocked kick, four tackles, a sack, and a broken-up pass.

Jermaine Moye caught 5 passes for 93 yards and two TD’s.  CJ Brewer injured himself (dislocated finger) on the opening kickoff and never returned.  The Thunder were already playing the game without their biggest weapon, Quorey Payne, who was placed on IR earlier in the week. 

The Thunder close out the year against Green Bay at home this weekend.  Can Zetts lead the team to a two-game season-ending winning streak?  Should be a good week to catch the game.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder traveled West in hopes of ending their losing streak to take on the Peoria Pirates.  The team was optimistic about their chances in Illinois, but the way this year has gone, optimism is a tough sell.  Mahoning Valley trailed 49-7 at halftime and ended up losing 76-34.  Two offensive mistakes in the first quarter, a fumble in the end zone recovered for a touchdown, and a 31-yard interception return created a hole too big for the Thunder to pull out of.

The Thunder played a much more respectable second half, as each team scored 27 points.  For Peoria, Brando scored three defensive touchdowns in the game on interception returns of 31 and 45 yards and recovered the fumble in the end zone for another.

For Mahoning Valley, Brad Roach started the game and went 4-7 with 2 INT’s.  Tom Zetts was inserted for the Thunder and went 19-36 for 256 yards and two TD’s.  Zetts also was picked off three times. 

I am sure the abscence of Quorey Payne in this game hurt Mahoning Valley’s chances.  CJ Brewer did his absolute best to pick up the slack finishing the game with 10 catches for 187 yards and a TD.  Brewer also added three rushing touchdowns for the Thunder.

New kicker, YSU’s Brian Palmer, was 5-6 in PAT’s, a glaring improvement over the shoddy kicking the Thunder had become accustomed to in games past. 

For the Thunder it is the 13th consecutive loss this season.

Patrick Wells is one of the newest members of the Mahoning Valley Thunder.  He has led the team in tackles the past couple of games, and has been a difference maker on a defense that seems to be improving every week.

Wells grew up in Dayton and played his high school football in the Cincy hotbed.  Wells played his college ball in Michigan at Ferris State.  He was recruited to go to camp with the Cleveland Browns after Ferris State.  ” I got calls to go to many camps as the most-recruited guy at Ferris State.”

Wells said he likes the area and really likes eating at Antone’s.  He told me that the fried cheese and chicken parm are out of this world.

Patrick likes to play Call To Duty with QB Brad Roach.  “We got here about the same time and we have gotten to be pretty good friends.”

Wells said he does not have the time to watch too much television.  He will watch Sportscenter when it comes on, but other than that he would rather spend his spare time lifting weights and working out.

Wells is in a retro music mode right now.  He is on a Bone, Thugs, & Harmony kick.  However, with the fast-paced practices and workouts, he said he has been listening to slower and calmer music to unwind.

We briefly discussed the deaths of stars like Steve McNair and Michael Jackson.  I asked Wells who might be next.  “If Eminem died, it would shock people.  He mistreated his body early in his career.  That would be a real suprise.”  Granted, Wells is not wishing death on anyone, just merely doing his best Nostre Damas at my request.

Wells was well-spoken and seemed focused throughout the practice I attended.  He will be around for awhile if the opportunity does not present itself at the higher levels.

Big Kenny Shane credits his father with all of the success he has achieved throughout his life of playing football.  Shane said his dad got him into it and just kept on him all of the time to make him a better player.  He played on a traveling team as a kid, and would blossom into a complete player while attending his high school in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Shane progressed all the way up to the Big-10 level, where he played at Michigan State during the Drew Stanton era.  He said he is really having fun playing for the Mahoning Valley Thunder and sees it as an opportunity to stay in shape in hopes of moving to the next level.  The next level in this case would be the UFL, or AF1 if it starts back up.

Kenny likes to take in Sportscenter on ESPN when he has the chance.  Other than that he will watch a movie when time permits.

Shane, like many other Thunder players, likes Jeremiah Bullfrogs.  He told me that he likes to get the different burgers that Bullfrogs offers and will change it up from time-to-time in search of that perfect burger.

Kenny has an X-Box 360 and is currently playing Rainbow 6: Vegas 2.  He listens to Rap and R & B and told me if he could only take one CD with him somewhere it would be T.I.

A few weeks back, an errant snap gave Shane a chance to prove that big guys can handle the ball.  The errant snap was never touched by the holder, Jermain Moye, and ended up in then-Thunder kicker Nathan Palkovic‘s hands.  Shane scrambled around and was the open guy in the middle.  He caught the ball on about the five and dragged a pile of bodies inside the one, but came up just short.  “I played some tight end.  There were a couple of times against Albany where passes came my way, but they were intercepted.”

Kenny likes the area, seems to be enjoying his time with the Thunder and hopes the team can string together some wins to end the season.

My heart goes out to Coach Chris MacKeown, his staff, and the players for Mahoning Valley.  If there were a betting line on this game in Vegas, Wilkes-Barre would have probably been 30 point favorites.  Mahoning Valley played a great game against a great team and came up short in the end, losing 62-47.

In a familiar scene, Quorey Payne returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown only to be called back for an illegal block.  That has to be the third or fourth time that has happened this season to Payne.  The Thunder took the ball and drove to a score when Brad Roach found CJ Brewer.  Nathan Palkovic missed the extra point, and the Thunder lead the game 6-0.

Wilkes-Barre returned the kickoff to the Thunder 8-yard line and scored on a Ryan Vena to JJ Outlaw pass on the first offensive play to give the Pioneers a 7-6 lead.  On the next drive, Roach was picked off on fourth down by Micheaux Robinson who returned it 15 yards for the Pioneer TD, and with the extra point kick the score was Wilkes-Barre 14, Mahoning Valley 6.

The Thunder responded on their next drive, cashing in on a CJ Brewer 1 yard run, and another Palkovic miss made it 14-12 in favor of the Pioneers. 

The two teams would exchange touchdowns several times as Ryan Vena was deadly accurate in the first half.  The Thunder kept responding behind Roach to Brewer and Payne scores all night.  At half, the Pioneers took a 35-28 lead to the locker room.

The Pioneers, who scored on 9 of 11 offensive possessions, took the second half kickoff and marched the length of the field capped off by a Vena to Outlaw strike putting the Pioneers up 42-28.  On the next possession, the Thunder again responded when Roach hit Quorey Payne in stride for a 45-yard bomb pulling the Thunder back to 42-34 as Palkovic missed another extra point.

After the teams exchanged TD’s, the Pioneers lead was 49-41 after 3 quarters. 

Vena hit Outlaw again at 9:39 in the fourth quarter to push the lead back to 56-41.  As things began to look gloomy for Mahoning Valley, CJ Brewer turned a modest gain into a monster play as Brewer sprinted up the field and got one of the best blocks I have ever seen by Jermaine Moye.  Moye’s clean hit knocked the helmet off of the Pioneer defender and when the block was shown on the replay, it was a better hit than I originally thought.

However, Vena hit Larry Kendrick in the end zone  for a 62-47 Wilkes-Barre lead.  Mahoning Valley got the ball back and drove to a first and goal, but Kendrick picked off a pass that was tipped to end the scoring.  The Pioneers ran the clock out to seal the victory. 

Coach MacKeown saw his team fight until the end, “We need to learn faster.  It’s a loss against a great team but it is still a loss.  This proves to everyone that we can play with anyone in the league.  I have a good feeling we can win our last three games.” 

Ryan Vena was 23-28 for 274 yards and 8 TD’s.  JJ Outlaw caught 6 Pioneer TD’s and ended up catching 8 balls for 126 yards.

For Mahoning Valley, Brad Roach had his best showing completing 21 passes in 41 attempts for 309 yards and 5 TD’s. Quorey Payne and CJ Brewer caught 15 of Roach’s 21 completions for a total of 240 yards.  They each ended up with three TD’s.

The Thunder head into the bye week at 1-12 with a 12 game losing streak.  They play next on July 11 in Peoria.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder have made several player moves in the past few weeks.  Obviously in arena football, versatility means something.  Jermaine Moye is a versatile athlete.  He is being used primarily as a wide receiver, but was listed as the teams backup quarterback last week.

Moye grew up in Rochester, Pennsylvania.  After a stellar high school career, he enrolled at West Virginia.  Moye later transferred from West Virginia to The University of California (PA) and enjoyed all the success he could at that level.  Cal (PA) made it to the semifinals competing for a national championship.

“Those years really helped turn Cal around.  That changed the whole program there”, said Moye. 

Jermaine is all about reality television.  He told me that he could watch Flava Flav on VH1 all day.  “Really, any reality show on VH1 is good to see.  If I get up early enough, I never miss Ellen DeGeneres.  I am an Ellen fan, her show is cool.”  Moye also watches Sportscenter and other ESPN programming such as PTI with Wilbon and Kornheiser.

Musically, Moye shows a very interesting variety in taste.  Right now he said Lil’ Wayne is ruling his MP3 player.  He expressed interest in just about any kind of music including Classical and Country.  The only kind of music Moye cannot tolerate is Heavy Metal.

Moye, like Jon Loyte, is misrepresented numerically in EA Sports NCAA Football’s video game.  As a result, Jermaine only uses the big boys and plays Madden ’08 on his PS2.  Madden 08?  PS2?  “I can’t afford to go out and buy one of those fancy new systems yet.  The PS2 is holding up just fine”, said Moye.

Being fairly new to this area, Moye cited Antone’s as his favorite place to grub.  “It’s like a little Olive Garden, but better.”  

Regarding the Thunder team that Moye is now a part of, he said that the record doesn’t come close in showing the talent level and potential this team has.  “With all of the changes happening here, everyone is making progress, it seems like we have the right people and we are gaining confidence each week.”

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is like Goliath in AF2.  They are 11-2 and are bringing their show to The Covelli Centre Saturday.  I asked Jermaine for a prediction, to which he declined.  He did however say that the Thunder were not just going to roll over and play dead and to expect a competitive game, not a blowout.   

Jon Loyte has only been a Mahoning Valley Thunder player for a few weeks.  He likes his team, he likes the coach, and he really thinks that things have gotten better since he got here.

Loyte was a standout tight end at Boston College.  He played a big role in as a “shorter” guy in the Eagles offense.  Against Georgia Tech, Loyte had 80 yards receiving sighting that game as his biggest individual moment in football.  He put the team ahead saying that the win at Virginia Tech when Matt Ryan went completely nuts in the second half was his greatest moment while playing college ball.

Loyte grew up in Boston and claims to be a huge Red Sox fan. 

Jon enjoys going to eat at Antone’s and Jeremiah Bullfrogs saying that the food here in the area is good and he can really struggle when trying to figure out what to order at either place.

Loyte revealed that growing up in Boston, he was a headbanger.  He liked the mainstream hard rock of the day.  He has since modernized and progressed musically to Kings of Leon and the modern alternative groove.

He also revealed that he only gets FOX in his room and watches the show Family Guy.  He also is catching up on the USA series Burn Notice that he has on DVD.  Since he can’t get ESPN, he watches Sportscenter when it is on anywhere else.

Loyte likes his video games.  He has an X-Box 360 and said he is totally and completely addicted to Halo.  “I usually don’t like shooting games, but Halo is just addicting – I can’t stop playing it.”  He also plays Madden and used to like EA Sports NCAA Football, but they screwed his number up on the game so he is on a mental boycott.  If you play NCAA ’08, Loyte is incorrectly labeled with #96 if you pick Boston College.

As far as being a member of the Thunder, Loyte told me that this team has the pieces to win, it just all needs to be put together.  The constant carousel of two or three new faces per week have been improvements to the team and that things are getting better every day for the Thunder.

Jon smiled when I asked him some of these questions and came off as a really good person.  He didn’t use and profanity or speak negatively about anyone or anything we discussed.  He is genuinely a positive person.