No Guarantee for Next Year

By: Jerome Cusson

Yes, there will be a next year, but this year will be hard to forget.

The Rush will be back next year, and one’s still not enough.

These are the words Adam Rosen and I used to describe the end of the Chicago Rush season. It was almost one year ago that the Grand Rapids Rampage stormed into the Allstate Arena and shocked the arena football world by defeating the Chicago Rush 58-41. I will always remember talking to Russ Michna after that game and his reaction. It was like talking to a zombie. But there was no doubt in my mind. The Rush would be back “next year.”

Next year is here. Where are the Rush? Nowhere to be found. The Arena Football League shut the door on the 2009 season over six months ago. There wasn’t going to be a chance to avenge the Rampage loss, no chance to see James McPherson again. No opportunity to extend this rivalry even further.

Little did I know back in December that the team I’d be covering would be wearing the same colors as the Rampage, and that the arena would look awfully familiar to the one in Grand Rapids. I honestly didn’t believe I would cover indoor football in 2009. To think of watching any other team besides the Rush was inconceivable to me.

Then Russ Michna signed. Then I found out about Bob McMillen moving on to coach the Slaugher. Then DeJuan Alfonzo signed. Then Khreem Smith signed. Then Dennison Robinson signed. When I arrived for the first game, who should I see but Donovan Morgan. The Slush nickname was born.

It’s been a long, wild, and crazy ride. The CIFL is not the AFL, not even close. I’ve witnessed games with 800 people in the stands. There were no New York Dragons to be found, but instead some team called the Miami Valley Silverbacks. And after all the preseason chatter about the AFL guys being on par with the CIFL guys and questions about how they could adapt, the Slaughter have put together staggering numbers.

The Slaughter won by double digits in every game except one. They set a league scoring record in their first game. Russ Michna threw 78 touchdown passes in 12 games. They’ve seen players go down, but other former Rush players have joined the party. Robert Boss clearly enjoys parties since he signed with the team just in time for the last game of the season. Bobby Sippio, someone who once played for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, joined the team after an unfortunate injury to Donovan Morgan.

It is with all this in mind that the Slaughter take on the Wisconsin Wolfpack for the fourth time. The last two games were won by the Slaughter by double digits. On paper, this should be another easy win.

Yet games are not won on paper. Just ask the Slush players about Grand Rapids. Yes, the Rampage went on an unbelievable hot streak, but I assure you no one in their right mind thought the Rampage could go into Allstate on a short week and win. Not Coach Ho.  Not toothpick guy. Not Adam. Not even yours truly.

For all the Slaughter players, there can be no doubt that a loss here would be one of the biggest choke jobs in Chicago sports history. There is no excuse for a loss after the kind of season they’ve had. Worst of all, there may not be a next year based on the numerous factors I’ve already mentioned.

The 1985 Chicago Bears, a team that is talked about to death in Chicago still, never got to see 13-0. For the Slaughter to win championship, 13-0 must be in their rearview mirror.

With the financial troubles of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers and Fort Wayne Freedom, who knows if the CIFL will be around next year? Based off this year’s success and past history, will the Slaughter even remain in the CIFL? Will the former AFL guys be willing to stick around another year? Bobby Sippio and Donovan Morgan tried out for UFL teams over the bye weeks. Russ Michna has an M.A. and DeJuan Alfonxo is no spring chicken. For this group and the city, this could be the last chance for an indoor football championship.

Share This

Jerome Cusson is a proud graduate of Columbia College Chicago. Currently, he is a freelance writer and contributor to such websites as The Cool Kids' Table and giveawaytheending.com. Check out his NSR blog as well.

Share This Article

No Comments

No comments yet.

Comment On This Article