THUNDERPLEX Indoor team is sent packing by complex

Mahoning Valley HitMen GM Jim Terry says he has more options for a home field.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- Thunderplex GM Dave Anderson was already thinking about cutting ties with the Mahoning Valley HitMen before he heard about Maurice Clarett's arrest Wednesday morning.
"What happened with Clarett was just one more thing added to it," said Anderson, whose facility is used primarily for youth sports. "Basically, we're just not convinced that this [league] will actually be pulled off. So we made the final move on it."
On Wednesday afternoon, Anderson sent an e-mail to HitMen GM Jim Terry, officially severing ties with the Eastern Indoor Football League team months before its first game.
"I wanted to make sure there was no misunderstanding and that it was in writing," said Anderson, who never signed a contract with the team. "I told him it wasn't in our best interest, and it wasn't in the best interest of the Thunderplex."
HitMen GM is confused
Terry, who had previously been rebuffed by the owners of the Ice Zone in Boardman, said he had fulfilled all of Anderson's requests and couldn't understand the reasoning behind the decision.
"There's no reason to back out now," Terry said. "Dave is already in this way too deep. He can't just sever ties with us; he's taken this way too far."
Anderson said he wasn't surprised by Terry's comments.
"Jim's M.O. is if someone does something he doesn't like, he's going to attack," Anderson said. "I expect that."
Terry sent Anderson a contract three weeks ago, but the Thunderplex GM said he held off on signing so he could concentrate on the PONY National softball tournament held at the facility in late July.
Some of Anderson's earlier doubts about the team were relieved when Clarett showed up at the facility in mid-July, assuring Anderson he would play for the team. But Anderson, who had been unhappy about the negative publicity generated by the HitMen, wanted to see more proof from Terry that the team and the first-year league were legitimate. Clarett's arrest, combined with a controversy between Anderson and Terry over the delivery of the team's artificial turf, proved to be too much.
'A good concept'
"I don't need this kind of stuff," Anderson said. "I lead a very quiet life, coaching teams, watching kids play ball and helping them learn. I don't need this over my shoulder all the time.
"It's a shame because I still think it's a very good concept."
Terry insists that he will find a local venue -- "We've gone through plans A and B, and we've still got Plans C, D and E," he said -- and that the team won't fold. He said the team has sold more than 300 season tickets, and about 40 players have pre-registered for the team's combine, which will be held this fall at Warren JFK High.
"The Mahoning Valley HitMen ain't going anywhere," he said. "This team will succeed."
scalzo@vindy.com