Watch out, NFL

Think you’re spoiled by watching the best 32 football teams in the world play this fall and winter?

Well, hang on to your helmets, my fellow gridiron geeks, because in 2024 that number will rise to 56.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

Yessir, the National Football League is in for some serious competition next year when Major League Football hits the gridiron with 24 franchises scattered across the fruited plain.

The MLF Eastern Conference is made up of the North Division (Connecticut, New York, Oklahoma and Rochester), Central Division (North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia), and South Division (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Orlando).

Over in the Western Conference we’ve got the North Division (Dakota, Nebraska, Portland and Salt Lake City), Central Division (Iowa, Oakland, Sacramento and St. Louis), and South Division (Arkansas, Memphis, San Antonio and San Diego).

Before I go any further with this game-changing news, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page.

This Major League Football (which was scheduled to launch in 2021, but postponed to 2022, then postponed again until 2023, and now plans to kick-off in 2024) is not to be confused with the other Major League Football, which goes by the initialism “MLFB.” If you follow alternative leagues, you know MLFB has been trying to get off the ground since 2014 but just can’t quite to seem to figure out how to make it happen.

When we last saw that hard-luck circuit in “action” in July, 2022, more than 250 players had been kicked out of their motels because MLFB ran out of money during training camp in Mobile, Alabama.

But this Major League Football – or MLF – has no such baggage.

And how do we know it’s going to be top-tier?

Because it says so right there on the website:

Major League Football (MLF) is a new professional football league that will consist of 24 teams, most of them in the top 50 television markets. The season will be played during the Fall starting in 2024. MLF is not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league, but instead, a professional football league consisting of the very best players, coaches and staff.

There will be few changes to the rules of MLF games as compared to other professional football leagues. One major difference will be more affordable tickets and concession prices. In addition, there will be less penalties in order to speed up the pace and increase the excitement of the game. We look forward to bringing the United States the most exciting and competitive game of professional football.

There you have it … “MLF is not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league.”

If that’s the case, the Kansas City Chiefs might need to sweeten the pot for Patrick Mahomes lest the quarterback and insurance spokesperson decides to become the Joe Namath of MLF.

And Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts?

I can only imagine the bidding war the Alabama and Oklahoma clubs will wage over his services.

OK … I’m being just a tad facetious.

The NFL will not have competition next year. I kinda doubt it’ll have any real competition ever again.

And I’m sorry … for an upstart like this to come along and suggest it’s not a “secondary” league sets itself up for ridicule.

The USFL and XFL (and whatever the combined circuit will call itself if and when their merger goes through) don’t pretend to stand as equals of the NFL because they aren’t. It would be ridiculous if they presented themselves as such.

Instead, they provide a showcase for their players in hopes of getting them into the NFL. When it happens promotions are celebrated, even if it’s a practice squad spot.

Oh, and they play in the spring, avoiding competition with the NFL, high school and college football.

MLF officials, however, apparently think they can carve out a niche in the traditional football season playing minor league football. I wish them luck – sincerely – but I see no scenario where this succeeds.

I get that the majority of the potential franchises are not in NFL cities. And maybe if Sacramento and Portland each had, say, $300 million payrolls and were stocked with NFL all-stars who jumped leagues, they might draw a crowd for their version of the Cascadia Cup.

But I think it’s a safe bet that there will be no $300 million payrolls.

Even if the player salaries are comparable to those of the USFL/XFL (ranging anywhere from $59,000 to $74,000 per season), you still aren’t going to have a product that’s “not a secondary or inferior league to any other professional football league.”

That’s not a criticism, just a statement of fact.

And what about “big league” stadiums?

The largest one in Rochester is the Rochester Community Sports Complex, which has room for just under 14,000 spectators.

Dakota would (I assume) play in the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University – which is a neat place, but has modest seating. The best they could hope for in a game between the Orlando Blooms and Dakota Fannings is 18,700. To help support a major league budget, ticket prices would have to be astronomical.

Yet the MLF mission statement plainly states there will be “more affordable” ticket and concessions prices, ruling out $10,000 box seats and $300 hot dogs.

So, when will we get more information?

Good question (even if I wrote it myself).

Other than what I’ve already included, there isn’t much more info, at least on the website. There’s a disclaimer that they aren’t associated with the MLFB (which, according to MLF, was illegally using its name and trademark), and that the schedule is coming next June.

Oh, and MLF is also hiring general managers and coaches, and candidates are asked to email their resume to [email protected].

Again, I wish it nothing but the best, but my expectations are so low they’re non-existent. I doubt it will get off the ground at all.

Still, I hope MLF proves me wrong.

And if Mahomes takes the opening snap for the San Antonio Banderas next September, I’ll cheerfully apologize for underestimating the league that brought the United States “ … the most exciting and competitive game of professional football.”

Lunch break

The big glass door at the Meadowdale Diner slowly opened, giving way to the pressure of Henry Brady’s right shoulder push. Once inside, he gave the place a quick once-over.

It was already filling up with the lunch crowd; many of the patrons were dressed in their business attire, having ducked in for a quick bite before heading back to the office.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

But Henry?

He was wearing what appeared to be a mylar emergency blanket (with holes for his arms to go through) and light blue slippers.

Patrons began stepping away as he shuffled toward the counter.

“Can I get a cup of Joe?” he asked the young man working the register. “I don’t have any money on me but my co-workers will pay for it. They should be here in another 10 minutes or so.”

There was one small, open table in the corner of the restaurant, and Henry made his way over to it, easing into the hard, plastic chair and letting out a long sigh.

While most of the customers had already stopped staring – if you look hard enough you can see just about anything in the downtown of a big city – the manager kept his eye on the man, who had settled into his spot and had his arms crossed and propped on the table.

“Sir, are you OK?” said the manager after nervously walking toward Henry.

Henry looked up at him, saw that his name tag read “Jim,” and smiled.

“I’m fine, Jim … and I’ll be even better after I get that coffee,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

The manager leaned down on one knee.

“You just look – I don’t know – like maybe you wandered out of a doctor’s office or a hospital or something,” Jim said. “I just want to make sure no one is looking for you.”

Henry laughed.

“Ah, you just want to make sure I didn’t escape,” he said. “Trust me … I couldn’t even I wanted to. And really, I don’t want to … I’m just on my lunchbreak – like a lot of the other people in here.”

He then looked past the manager and out the window facing the busy side street outside the diner.

“That thing across the way … how long has that been here?” he asked while pointing.

“You mean the public parking deck?” Jim said. “I really couldn’t say. It’s been here as long as I can remember … 10, 20 years at least, I guess.”

Henry squinted to get a better look.

“Hmmm,” Henry said. “About 100 years from now … maybe not even quite that long … there’s gonna be what’s called a hover station. It’ll be a place where people can store their gliders. There won’t be any more cars, at least not how you think of cars now.

“But this place will still be here. Well, I don’t think it’s called the Meadowdale Diner anymore and everything is automated, but I can still come here and get coffee.”

Jim knew there was something amiss with Henry the moment he walked in, and his nonsensical rambling confirmed his suspicion. Perhaps he had wandered off from a mental health clinic down the block. Or, maybe he had undergone an outpatient procedure and had yet to fully shake off the anesthesia. There was a hospital satellite office less than a mile away.

“Sir, do you remember where you were just before you came in here?” Jim asked.

Henry nodded.

“Absolutely … I was across the street,” he said. “In fact, I was right in the middle of where that parking deck is – or was. After they started that energy pattern transmission company there wasn’t much need for gliders anymore. And then when scientists decided to mess around with time jumps, these quantum shops – the place where I work – began popping up all over the place.

“It’s been fun for me. Been with  the same shop for about half a century now. As a tester I don’t go to a lot of different places, but I get to go to a lot of different times, which I like better. I get to see how the climate has changed, how people have changed, changes in infrastructure … then I file a report.”

Henry got up, stretched, and waved at the two men who had just materialized near the diner’s exit.

“Well, Jim” he said. “There’s my ride. If you can just give me my coffee to go, one of them will settle up with you. I don’t miss much about the 21st century but man, you guys did coffee right.”

Hoops in the Ham

With the NBA preseason now under way, New Orleans Pelicans fans are wondering how the “Big Three” of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum can help the club go from a play-in team to one capable of making a deep postseason run.

Birmingham Squadron fans, however, are more concerned with the players who’ll be spending much of their court time in the Magic City.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960 and Adamsonmedia on Facebook.

So is the coach of the Pelicans’ G League affiliate.

T.J. Saint, who is heading into his second season at the helm of the Squadron, was a highly interested observer of Thursday night’s clash between the Pelicans and Rockets at Legacy Arena.

The final score (Houston won big, 120-87) was secondary to what Saint hoped to learn about some of the players who’ll be on the Birmingham roster in 2023-24. The Squadron open against the Austin Spurs here on Friday, November 10, as part of the Showcase Cup portion of the schedule.

“I thought it was good tonight for fans to see our team the last five minutes,” Saint said. “Although the game was decided, getting a chance to play in an NBA game for the first time on our home floor will make our opener feel more familiar.”

Starting this season, teams are allowed three two-way players, but so far only Dereon Seabron and Kaiser Gates have inked those contracts with New Orleans.

Seabron entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter and logged 7:12 minutes. He failed to score, but snagged a rebound.

With just under five minutes to go, Gates found his way to the court. He played 4:48 and nailed a 3-pointer.

UAB product Trey Jemison put in 9:52 and contributed a field goal, three rebounds and an assist. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract (one-year deal for league minimum with a two-way contract option) in September.

“It’s just a blessing to be back home,” Jemison said. “I’ve played state championships here, I’ve played college here and to play professionally here is just amazing. I prayed for nights like this.”

All three players should call Birmingham home during a good portion of the fall and winter.

As for the exhibition game itself, the Rockets took control early and rolled to a 33-point victory in front of 11,589 fans.

Jabari Smith Jr. led the winners and all scorers with 22 points despite playing just 23:50. The former Auburn star (third overall pick in the 2022 draft) is in his second year with the Rockets and averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the team last season.

Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green and Amen Thompson each scored 12 points to aid the cause.

“Yeah, I think we played some different lineups and units – small-ball units that really got after it,” Houston boss Ime Udoka said. “But even when we had our bigs in, guys were extremely active. Great physicality across the board, but, when things broke down, we talked about playing through that possession, and guys were scrambling great, obviously got a lot of steals, and when that happens obviously you transfer that into fast-break points and we had 28 for the night.”

Williamson, Ingram and McCollum combined for 31 New Orleans points, with McCollum netting 17 of them.

Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins scored 13 points apiece.

“It’s demoralizing when you turn the ball over as many times as we did tonight … 27 (turnovers) for 30 points,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “When we were out there, we were sloppy, and we’ve got to get better and clean it up.”

HOME COOKING

Kira Lewis Jr. (No. 13 pick in 2020 NBA Draft) and Herbert Jones (No. 35 pick in 2021) are products of the Alabama Crimson Tide, so Thursday night was something of a homecoming for the New Orleans players.

“There’s a lot of friends and family here tonight, and just to be back in Alabama playing professionally means a lot to me,” Jones said.

Jones scored four points in 23:09, while Lewis chipped in eight points over 16:27.

COMINGS AND GOINGS

Center Liam Robbins figured to be a part of the Pelicans’ future (and Squadron’s immediate) plans in 2023-24, but the big center out of Vanderbilt was waived earlier on Thursday.

Robbins suffered a stress reaction to his right fibula earlier in the month.

In another move, New Orleans signed guard Jalen Crutcher, who played 57 games over the last two seasons with the Greensboro Storm, the Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate.

Crutcher averaged 15.8 points per game for the Swarm.

PRESEASON VISITS

There have been 12 NBA exhibition games contested in Birmingham over the years, all in October.

The first came on October 16, 1976, when the Cleveland Cavaliers  defeated the Detroit Pistons, 120-109, in front of 8,551 fans at the new Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Coliseum.

It was the first basketball game played at the facility.

The Pelicans’ stop in Birmingham on Thursday was their second overall (and second in a row), but they have some work to do to catch up with the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA team nearest to the Ham has played here six times, while the Rockets and Pistons have three appearances each at what is now known as Legacy Arena.

FLIRTING WITH THE ASSOCIATION

Birmingham attorney Ed Meyerson started a push to help Birmingham get an NBA franchise back in 1977, hoping to convince an existing club to relocate and call the Civic Center home.

By 1978 the focus has shifted to Buffalo, where the Braves were planning on moving to Dallas. However, news that the Texas city would get an expansion team when its new sports complex was completed in 1980 or 1981 put that deal on hold – and put Birmingham back in the conversation.

Alas, the Braves relocated to San Diego and the quest to lure an NBA team to Alabama was abandoned in early 1979.