A blast from the sordid past

Like a recurring nightmare, the press release sent shivers when first read.
The most frightening words: "Mansfield Hawks."
For many of you, that phrase may not mean anything. For those of us who, for whatever reason, can't escape the mental anguish, well, let's just say that couch space in the analyst's office is at a premium.
The original Mansfield Hawks beget the Youngstown Hawks, an ill-fated minor league (with emphasis on "minor"), semi-pro basketball team that set up shop in the renovated South Fieldhouse a few years ago.
On the heels of his successful venture to lure a minor league baseball franchise to the Valley, our former congressman forged an agreement with Ted Stepien, an otherwise successful ad man whose one attempt at running a major professional sports franchise turned the Cleveland Cavaliers into the laughingstock of the NBA.
The Music Man
Stepien owned the Hawks, a franchise in the International Basketball Association, but moved the team, lock, stock and barrel, to the Southside.
It was an ill-fated choice from the start.
He chose to play the games at South Fieldhouse, because he couldn't come to an agreement with Youngstown State University over the sale of beer at Beeghly Center. There was also a supposed agreement to play at Struthers High's fieldhouse -- except no one in the Struthers administration knew anything about it.
But the location of the fieldhouse -- despite an extensive overhaul of the facility -- did not make it an attractive destination for fans who lived in the suburbs. (One of the most memorable lines from the introductory press conference came from Stepien: "Why wouldn't people want to come here? It's only two blocks from Market Street.")
He was able to sell beer at the newly-christened Youngstown Sports Arena, he brought in entertainers and an experienced coach professional coach in Johnny Neumann, and decent ballplayers, but the one thing he couldn't control -- the attendance -- was his undoing.
Towards the end, Stepien even tried giving away tickets, to no avail; average attendance was about 300.
He tried to sell the franchise to local investors for one dollar. He had no takers.
Couldn't attract crowds
Simply put, Stepien miscalculated. He scheduled home games around Youngstown State's basketball schedule, but that strategy put him in direct conflict with area high school games, which usually draw more anyway.
The first home game should have tipped him off. Stepien's stated goal when he received permission to move the team was to attract 1,000 season ticket holders. In their first home game, the attendance was only about 900.
The end came in early January 2000, when Stepien moved the franchise to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
"Looking back, it was a mistake going to Youngstown," said Stepien at that time. "I made a big mistake going into a city without an arena."
Which brings us to the press release that came across the desk this week:
"The Mansfield Hawks Professional Basketball Organization announces an open tryout."
Naturally, our curiosity drove us to the website (www.mansfieldhawks.com). The new Mansfield Hawks will play in something called Pro Basketball USA and will be coached by Kevin Mackey, formerly the coach at Cleveland State and the original Mansfield Hawks.
Surprisingly enough, the owners of the new Hawks were fans of the old Hawks and relate several fond memories of that era, despite the fact Stepien took the franchise, which was close to viable, and left town.
All he left here was a trail of broken promises and lawsuits.
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.