One of the last things I had heard from the League was that they were going to promote Mr. Boro Sucevic to an office position (Probably something like "Dir. of Player Personnel".). I was given some leeway to interview people for the soon-to-be vacant position of head coach. Here were the people I had in mind:
Art Kramer had been soliciting for the head coaching job all
during the 1994-95 season. When he would see me at post-games, he
would ask me; "When was it going to happen? When would we get the
team?" I told him that our catastrophic performance in those two
games versus the WAVE in January had soured our investors on the season.
But as for next year, I would contact him. Art was the first person
I called. I was on schedule. I needed to collect 16 people to try and
make the match at Detroit on 1 July. I wanted a coach in position by
then.
I contacted Art and interviewed him for the job at the
POWER office on N. Lincoln Ave. on 6 June 1995. I still have the
original notes from that interview. (I still have just about
everything, period.) Art said some keen things. He set a tough standard
for each future candidate. He was the man whom I was the most inclined
to hire.
But, as you have likely seen from my main page, I have other interests. I had made plans to attend the American Homebrewers' Association's National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland in mid-June. I would drive there. So I would be out of the area for about nine days. However, the headquarters of the Conference were but three blocks away from the offices of the Baltimore SPIRIT (now the BLAST, again), so I left word with the League that they could reach me there. I again believed that we were going to get the franchise, but at a key moment in the negotiations, Mr. Al Kaczmarek could not be located.
All this time, I was receiving calls at home from people at other
NPSL franchises. The St. Louis AMBUSH were inquiring every three weeks.
They were full of rumors which they were seeking to confirm. Were we
going to sign Frank Klopas & Preki? Where were we going to play our
home games? Who was going to be our head coach?
The
Milwaukee WAVE called
infrequently, checking to see if we got a side together to play outdoor
games. The WAVE would have wanted to play us home & away.
As the summer continued to proceed, I heard nothing from the League headquarters. I was out and about at STINGERS, RAPTORS, & MK RAMPAGE matches, and still fielded the occasional question about what was going to happen. I answered with as much detail as I could. But I always had to conclude with "All this is ultimately up to the Commissioner".
I feel this is the appropriate point to discuss the rumors
which were floating about then. I've already mentioned the one
about the new players we were supposedly thisclose to
signing. The more important ones concerned the potential reasons
why our group {i.e. Louis Palivos, Al Kaczmarek, & myself}
had not yet received the franchise.
Was the League trying to
find one person to completely buy the franchise? If so, who
was it?
Was it Mr. Jim Hoch, a co-owner of the Milwaukee
MK RAMPAGE?
Was it Mr. Milan Mandarich, who had sold his share
of the CISL's San Jose GRIZZLIES, and was now supposedly back in
St. Louis, but wanted to own an NPSL franchise? (Was this the root
of the rumor about the POWER getting Preki? He had last played
indoor soccer in the CISL in 1994 for the GRIZZLIES.) Would we have
any say as to who would be our new head coach?
What were the
answers? This is what I believe.
The League was discussing with
Jim Hoch the possibility of buying the POWER. Jim Hoch supposedly
inquired about placing an NPSL team in Madison, WI., but WAVE
management felt that was cutting into their area of influence. I had
been in Kansas City for the WAVE's playoff matches versus the ATTACK
the week after our season ended. I spoke with Mr. Michael Bazelon of
the WAVE and mentioned that after our last meeting with the
Commissioner, we had lost $400,000 worth of investors. Did he know
of anyone who might wish to join our group? So the League put him
onto our trail.
As for the other rumors, the most movement was on the one about
who would be our head coach. I heard a rumor that the League wanted
to hire a World Cup Coach for us. I went into Louis Palivos'
office when I heard this one, and asked directly, "Who,
Louis? Dick Advocaat? Alkis Panagoulias? You & I know more
about indoor soccer than either of them."
I was beginning
to sense that Boro Sucevic was not going to be able to escape
from the bench.
Do you really wish to continue? If so, you should click here.