Fever's fans behind team

Nearly 1,000 season ticket holders showed up to support the first-year team.
By BEN REYNOLDS
TRI-CITY HERALD
KENNEWICK, Wash. -- Tony Wells has not been bashful about his expectations this season.
Despite being a first-year coach for the expansion Tri-Cities Fever, Wells expects to put a competitive product on the field and be right in the thick of the playoff race.
He learned Sunday that he shared the same expectations as the Fever fans.
Nearly 1,000 season ticket holders showed up at the Clover Island Inn to meet the players and the coaches as they set to embark on their first season in the arenafootball2 league.
"They were buzzing man," Wells said. "These fans are pretty serious about wanting to win."
Sunday's meet-and-greet allowed the fans to connect with the new coaching staff as well as an almost entirely different roster from last year's National Indoor Football League's team.
The event also reminded Wells that he was down to six days to prepare for the season opener. Tri-Cities flew out of Spokane at 2:30 a.m. Friday to take on the Thunder Saturday for its inaugural game in the arenafootball2 league.
"I can feel it now," Wells said.
The sense of urgency to get things ready goes beyond Wells and his staff. General manager Randy Schillinger is also feeling the grind.
Season tickets at 2,800
His staff is still working on getting the game-day operations in order for the season opener on April 14, selling season tickets -- which are at about 2,800 right now -- and getting that pesky Web site updated.
"It's like 'Oh my gosh, it's really here,' " Schillinger said.
Wells expected to make some tough decisions this past weekend when he was forced to whittle his roster to 22 players.
Some of those decisions were made a little easier, but that was not necessarily a good thing.
The day before Wells was expected to make his final cuts, he got some surprising news. One player decided to retire while two others asked for their release.
Linebacker Ron Childs, who has been the Fever's defensive leader the past two seasons, said he could not juggle work and playing football and decided to step away from the team.
Quarterback Tali Ena, who was slated to be a backup behind Brian Baker, asked for his release, telling Wells that he wanted to go to a place where he could be a starter.
Third player to ask for out
Mike Rigell was the third player to ask for his release. The wide receiver, who played a large part in the Fever's run to the National Indoor Football League title in 2005, was in a battle for one of the last receiver spots on the roster.
"Things happen and you just have to move on," Wells said.
But moving on without Childs, 35, is going to be difficult.
Childs' departure leaves a big void in the Fever defense, both in leadership and experience. Wells said he plans on bringing in some more players this week to try and will what he calls an unfillable void.
"You don't replace players like that," Wells said.
But with a new construction project set to get under way shortly in Victor, Idaho, and Childs decided it was time to step away from the game he has played for over 20 years.
"It's hard," he said. "But if I was [going to play] I have to be there to give it my all. That's just the way I am, and with this [new project] I didn't think I could do it."
Roster overhauled
The Fever roster has undergone almost a complete overhaul. As of Monday, it consists of just six players that played for the franchise during its two-year run in the NIFL -- Michael Hodges, George Carter, Emery Beckles, Elton Seals, Matt Walters and Muhammad Shamsid-Deen. And only two of those players finished last season with the Fever -- Carter and Hodges.
Carter, who led the Fever in receiving last season, will start the season on the injured reserve list after suffering a high ankle sprain in practice this week. Due to league rules he has to miss a minimum of four weeks.
Ben Reynolds covers the Tri-Cities Fever for the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash. This story was reprinted with permission of the Tri-City Herald.