Daniel Youngblood

No place like home

• By Daniel Youngblood
• Posted June 21, 2009 6:21 AM
• 0 Comments

Well we're finally back in Abilene, and I'm not sure I've ever been happier to see this place. Trying to sleep in a bus, with your head against a window without a pillow is no easy task. My neck may be sore for awhile. Tommy Metthe, our photographer, didn't seem to have as much trouble sleeping, although his snoring may have slightly hindered others' ability to do so.

While I was very glad to get home, I have to say that this trip has been a lot of fun and a learning experience. I definitely appreciate the team's front office, coaches and players letting us tag along and to get a glimpse at what they do on a weekly basis as part of the Indoor Football League.

It is a shame, though, that the game got as out of control as it did. I have to agree with Riders coach Gerald Dockery that the refs let that one get away from them. I've commented several times to different people that they let guys get away with way too much jawing and shoving after plays in this league and for the first time in the four games I've covered, that stuff escalated into something much bigger. When you have 11 personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, six ejections (including two for one person, oddly enough) and a player punching an official, you've got a major problem.

During the Riders' team meetings on Friday, Dockery talked to his players about keeping their cool and not allowing themselves to be provoked by the Hammerheads' extracurricular activity. I think both teams would say they would have preferred to do a better job in that area. Randy Hymes, a former NFL receiver who caught a pair of touchdown passes for Abilene Saturday, gave a great speech to his teammates on that subject after the game in the locker room. I thought that showed great leadership, especially for a guy that's only been with the team a few weeks.

I'll close with a little clarification from Sunday morning's game story about the Corpus Christi player that punched the referee. I didn't get a great look at it. In fact no one really seemed to see the whole thing unfold, but after talking to several of the players on the bus after the game, I have a much better idea of what happened. After being ejected for a post-play cheap shot on the Ruff Riders second drive, Corpus Christi's 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive lineman Eli Abraham came back onto the field after a Hammerhead field goal was blocked on their next possession. He floored the umpire with a shot to the face and shoved another official before being ejected for a second time. After spending a couple of minutes on the ground, the umpire seemed to be OK and he finished the game. But just a play or two after the incident, he was called off the field to talk to police officers before returning shortly thereafter. I think Abraham may have bigger problems than IFL ejections in his future. 

Well I need to wrap this up because it's almost seven and I'm really tired. I'm back in my own bed, and I may stay there awhile. I hope you all enjoyed this account of our trip as much as I enjoyed getting to spend some time with Coach Dockery, his staff and all the Ruff Riders players.