More athletic player was goal

By John Bassetti

The spillover from pre-season camp gave coach Mike Hold reason for optimism.

YOUNGSTOWN — Was it by design or coincidence that Monday’s press conference had an alphabetic overtone: the MVT at the MVR?

That’s the Mahoning Valley Thunder at the Mahoning Valley Restaurant.

It really had no bearing on the purpose, which was to introduce the front office of the af2 team, the coach and a select group of Thunder players to the media during a luncheon at the popular eating establishment.

Coach Mike Hold uttered a “Tony The Tiger” great during remarks to kick off the first week of the regular season as the Thunder prepares for its 2009 opener, Friday at 7:05 p.m. at the Chevy Centre against American Conference East Division rival Albany Firebirds.

“We think we’ve got a grrrrrrreat group of guys,” Hold said of his roster of 23, which seems to be getting rave reviews for its quality.

In looking back to when the team first formed three years ago, Tim Chesney, one of the team’s three owners, said that he and his partners instructed Hold to acquire and put an emphasis on the quality aspect of its product.

“[Then] we made it known to everybody that we’d sacrifice quality on the field for quality of person. However, Coach has done a great job this year of bringing in high-quality on field and off the field players.”

Hold stressed what he believes distinguishes 2009 from the Thunder’s first two seasons.

“We’re so much more athletic than we have been in the past,” Hold said with an emphasis on ‘so much more’.

“We think we — the owners and coaches — have helped and the players themselves have helped in recruiting. We’ve got a great mixture of veterans and rookies who can play this game. We’re looking for good things out of them this year. Obviously, 10 days of camp isn’t a lot to get ready, but we worked hard through those 10 days and will continue to work hard the next three days to get ready for Friday.”

Even though coaches may overstate reality, the spillover from camp gave Hold reason for optimism.

“When you have players with a good attitude, it’s fun,” he said. “Getting up and being at the job at 5 a.m. is enjoyable because you know that those guys are coming to work to have fun. That’s the group that we’re putting on the field this year.”

If wins don’t materialize or are slow in accumulating, Hold said he’s not going to be discouraged easily.

“We’re going to fine-tune things until we reach the bottom line. I know it sounds cliche, but we’re going to do everything we can to get a ‘W’ every night, whether it’s scratching and clawing to figure out how to win those games.”

Accompanying Hold following the Thunder’s first day of practice at the Chevy Centre after their camp at the Infante Wellness Center in Niles were: DB Ray Williams (Purdue), QB Davon Vinson (Northwestern (La.) State), DB Clarence Curry (Villanova), LB Taz Wallace (Adrian College), DE Tim Cheatwood (Ohio State), WR Chris Schubert (Oberlin) and WR-DB Jamar Landrom (Tennessee State).

Friday’s game will mark the third straight season the Thunder have opened at home.

The Firebirds were formerly nicknamed the Conquest. Mahoning Valley is 5-1 vs. Albany.

“After coming off a disappointing season last year,” Hold said, “we’ve been looking forward to Friday and it’s here.”

bassetti@vindy.com