March 3, 2006
The Rhinos took one step forward with the news last week that veteran defender Tenywa "T-Bone" Bonseu was expected back with the club for the 2006 season. But, this week comes news that former captain and team MVP Craig Demmin will likely not be back with the Rhinos. That would be the classic example of taking two steps backwards.
Craig Demmin is the type of player that the club shouldn't even have to think twice about bringing back. Not only has the guy proven his value on the field, but he has been a solid leader in the locker room and a fan favorite as well.
Sure, there are injury questions with regards to his knee and who knows if he would be as effective on the larger playing surface at PaeTec Park. But, I believe that given all that Craig Demmin has provided this club over the years, he deserves a chance to be in the starting 11 on June 3, 2006 when the Rhinos play their first game at the new stadium.
What's in a name?
In other somewhat head scratching news, the Rhinos organization has announced the new name of the W-League franchise formerly known as the Rochester Ravens. And that name would be the Rochester Rhinos.
I guess the dropping of "Raging" from the name is supposed to help people know the difference between the men's team and the women's team.
I know that's the way they do things in Europe and in Canada (see the Vancouver Whitecaps), but I believe it would be much better if the women's team had their own identity. Kind of like how the WNBA teams get names that many times tie in with the NBA team in their town, but aren't exactly the same.
Now, I do have to admit that my suggestion was the Lady Lancers. But, after talking about it and hearing debate about how throwing the term "Lady" onto a name doesn't appeal to a lot of people, I got back to thinking "What's wrong with the name of Ravens?".
But what do I know. I'm just a fan with a computer...........
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.
