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June 7, 2005 Those of you out there who thought football season was over are literally out in right field. (For those of you who might be reading this from locales other than the United States, I mean the type of football that involves tackles, touchdowns and Gatorade showers—you know, the good stuff.) Yes, believe it or not, after the NFL’s last hurrah with the Pro Bowl, more football broke out right under our noses. And this weekend, two different leagues will crown their champions. On Saturday afternoon, the Amsterdam Admirals will take on the Berlin Thunder in World Bowl XIII, NFL Europe League’s championship game, in Dusseldorf, Germany. This will be Amsterdam’s second trip to the World Bowl. Its first visit, way back in 1995, ended in a 26-22 loss to the Frankfurt Galaxy in a torrential rainstorm. This time, the Admirals are led by Jarret Payton, the son of the late all-world running back Walter Payton, whose was among the league leaders in rushing yards (578), yards from scrimmage (738), and touchdowns (7). Berlin, meanwhile, is no stranger to the World Bowl, having won three of the last four championships, including a 30-24 win last year against Frankfurt. Leading the Thunder is southpaw quarterback Dave Rangone, whose 97.5 passer rating and 1,746 passing yards led NFL Europe this season. Like many of NFL Europe’s stars, Payton and Rangone are under contract to NFL teams—Payton with the Tennessee Titans and Rangone with the Houston Texans. The league has been a breeding ground for stars like Brad Johnson, Kurt Warner and Adam Vinateri, so don’t be surprised if new NFL stars don’t emerge from this year’s European crop. World Bowl XIII comes on at 12 Noon Eastern Time on Fox, with Curt Menefee and Brian Baldinger calling the action. On Sunday afternoon, the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas will shine over ArenaBowl XIX, the championship game of the Arena Football League. The Georgia Force will represent the National Conference, after a heart-stopping 60-58 win over the Orlando Predators this past Saturday night in Atlanta. The Colorado Crush, the American Conference champion, had to go to overtime to fight off the feisty Chicago Rush 49-43 in Denver. Both the Crush and the Force have ties to the NFL. The legendary John Elway serves as Colorado’s CEO and is a co-owner along with Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and Colorado Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke. The Force is owned by Arthur M. Blank, the co-founder of The Home Depot and current owner of the Atlanta Falcons. Despite Vegas’s reputation for discretion—one of the city’s marketing slogans is “What Happens Here, Stays Here”—it’s not likely that a national viewing audience will be left out of the action. ArenaBowl XIX will be telecast on NBC, beginning at 3 PM Eastern Time. Tom Hammond and Pat Haden will call the game. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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