Post by Gene on Aug 10, 2008 19:06:14 GMT -5
www.observer-online.com/articles/2008/08/09/sports/doc489c78c675c98695125246.txt
Wildcats coaches say they're still owed money
By Gary Herron
sports editor
New Mexico Wildcats owner Steve Mascarenas was always easy to find on game days.
Two coaches for the New Mexico Wildcats says they’re still owed money by team management, even though the team’s last game was played more than a month ago.
They say they won’t be back unless that matter gets taken care of, even though they enjoyed the on-field experience.
The Wildcats, playing seven games at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, finished their inaugural campign with a record of 5-9.
The coaches may not be the only people still owed money, and team owner and general manager Steve Mascarenas is nowhere to be found.
The team’s fans seemingly loved the excitement provided by the team at the Star Center, and coaches Floyd Johnson and Anthony Parker agreed fan support was outstanding.
The list of people waiting to be paid includes Janis Fensterer of Freelance West Video Productions, who said Mascarenas owes her $6,000 for her video services and another smaller sum for the price she paid for mini-footballs used in a halftime promotion at the Star Center.
American Indoor Football Association co-owner Michael Mink said he wasn’t aware of any financial difficulties here.
“That’s news to me,” Mink said Wednesday, when contacted via cell phone in Florida. “The only person I’ve gotten a call from is the video production company. They told me they were working it out with Steve.
“They had a great season — they finished strong. They won four of their last five games,” Mink said. Actually, it was three of four after stumbling out of the gates with a 1-5 record.
“They had great attendance towards the end of the season, close to a sellout (for the finale on June 28). The product on the field improved rampantly, especially with the addition of quarterback B.J. Hall.”
Mink said the AIFA’s annual meetings will be held at the end of this month and early September, when “We’ll eval-uate all the teams in the league, discuss expansion.”
The Wildcats likely will have a new head coach and assistant coach, as Johnson and Parker, respectively, said they’re still awaiting payment from the team for some services.
Although Johnson said he was limited in his contract about what he could say without being sued by Mascarenas, Parker’s disgust was evident and first heard on a story aired by KOB-TV recently.
“The fans play a huge part — they don’t have to know everything but they should know what goes on with their team,” he said. “The players played for pennies — and I coached for less.”
Parker, the defensive coor-dinator and offensive line coach, said he wouldn’t divulge how much he is owed by Mascarenas, but seemed unhappier that “There was no respect from ownership toward me. I really felt like the ownership didn’t care. … Their responsibility is to take care of the needs of the coaches and players.”
“(Mascarenas) owes me money — I’m not going to disclose how much,” Parker continued. “I coached every game with everything that’s in me.
“He won’t return phone calls, he hasn’t spoken to me since that (final) game. He won’t even call me back. I’ve left some nasty messages, I’ll be honest.”
Parker said he tried calling Mascarenas, who also did not return a phone call or an e-mail sent him by The Observer. Parker said he called Mascarenas “twice a day for over two weeks. I just gave up on it. My family told me, ‘Just give up on it.’”
Parker said he appreciated all the support from the team’s fans and said he believed in karma.
“This will come back to get him,” he said. “This isn’t how you treat people. People in New Mexico didn’t know me from a fly on the wall and they gave me everything.
“If ownership changes, I would be happy to come back there,” Parker said. “And we would play for a championship. Wyoming got beat pretty bad (in the AIFA championship game) and we beat them. I would be more than willing to come back. There is a foundation back there.”
One former Wildcat, who wished to remain anonymous, said the team didn’t have an athletic trainer, did zero public appearances and little or no advertising and marketing, and players weren’t issued any team gear.
“It was a terrible experience for a lot of the players,” he added, saying the franchise did a “lackluster attempt owning and operating a professional football team.”
Star Center director Matt Burcham said the Wildcats are welcome to play at his facility again, but said he knew some rumblings were going around.
“I’ve gotten phone calls, too,” he said. “We’re still squaring up. Steve’s response time is a little slower than we would like.
“(The Wildcats are) a great product. We’d like to see the Wildcats back in there.”
Fensterer, who has done similar video work for the Scorpions, Isotopes and UNM Lobos, seemingly took the biggest hit.
“I haven’t been paid for the services,” she said. “I will always pay my guys, even if my client doesn’t pay me, because what’s right is right.”
Fensterer and Mascarenas had been exchanging e-mail messages in attempt to resolve their dispute.
Keith Abrahamson, a local businessman intrigued by the team, voluntarily took on the duties of the Wildcats’ public relations and media relations, but he’s disgusted with the recent events.
Abrahamson said he was a big fan of Johnson.
“I’m not (kidding you) when I say he showed up with his Bible and his playbook,” he said. “If you can resign from a voluntary position, that’s what I did. It took a lot of time away from my business and my family.
“‘Lack of communication, not responding to phone calls or e-mails has been an issue since I started helping out. I don’t understand it — I can’t do business like that,” Abrahamson said. “I worked hard to develop support here in the community on a grass-roots level with no budget and little time. The amount of people and level of excitement in the stands showed that it can work.
“I hope this hasn’t ruined the possibility of arena football here in town. ... Perhaps local ownership would work better here in Rio Rancho, certainly an ownership that is open and communicates well,” he said.
Shawn Gale, general manager of Defined Fitness, said he was sorry to hear Abrahamson was saying goodbye to the team — and more surprised that the man had been doing work for nothing.
“This is my take on the whole thing and I’m going to be as honest as I can,” Gale said. “The coaching staff: great. The players were great to work with. It began as basically a trade-out, so no money was transferred, and it allowed Wildcats and coaches to work out. I think we gave their wives some discounts.
“Keith was a great guy, the Santa Ana Star guys were great to work with,” Gale continued. “Our challenge was the ownership which, in my observations, in the beginning gave coach Floyd a lot of flexibility. … I don’t think it was until the last two games we were able to get our logo up.”
Still, Gale said, “For the most part, it was a pretty good experience. (But) it took a lot of effort on our part because we wanted this to be successful in New Mexico — and especially in Rio Rancho.
“I think maybe some of the details were overlooked. (You need to) take care of your people. We put up banners but we had to do it ourselves,” he said. “It was like he was a bit overwhelmed — he obviously had the people. I really wish Steve would have stepped up and taken care of the people.”
Still, Gale said, “We would work with them again, make an effort to make the thing go because it was a great product.”
The Wildcats aren’t the only team in the AIFA facing postseason struggles.
“The team in Huntington, W. Va., “had a lot of problems during the year,” said Herald-Dispatch sports editor Dave Walsh. “Players weren’t getting paid, coaches weren’t getting pad. They refused to get on the bus for one game. One owner quit, the coach quit and on and on. They finished the season — I don’t know how. They could have folded.”
The Wildcats’ struggles began before the team’s first kickoff, on March 30 in Prescott Valley, Ariz.
According to a story in the Denver Business Journal in February, Colorado’s securities commissioner ordered Masca-renas to stop selling ownership interests in the team.
“Commissioner Fred Joseph said a final cease and desist order has been entered against the New Mexico Wildcats and its general manager, Steven J. Mascarenas, an attorney who lives in Thornton, Colo.,” the DBJ reported.
“Joseph said the team and its GM violated Colorado law by offering securities for sale in and from Colorado. The commission said newspaper ads touted a 4 percent stake in the Wildcats for an investment of $100,000. The securities weren’t registered for sale in Colorado, which is a violation of the Colorado Securities Act.”
Wildcats coaches say they're still owed money
By Gary Herron
sports editor
New Mexico Wildcats owner Steve Mascarenas was always easy to find on game days.
Two coaches for the New Mexico Wildcats says they’re still owed money by team management, even though the team’s last game was played more than a month ago.
They say they won’t be back unless that matter gets taken care of, even though they enjoyed the on-field experience.
The Wildcats, playing seven games at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, finished their inaugural campign with a record of 5-9.
The coaches may not be the only people still owed money, and team owner and general manager Steve Mascarenas is nowhere to be found.
The team’s fans seemingly loved the excitement provided by the team at the Star Center, and coaches Floyd Johnson and Anthony Parker agreed fan support was outstanding.
The list of people waiting to be paid includes Janis Fensterer of Freelance West Video Productions, who said Mascarenas owes her $6,000 for her video services and another smaller sum for the price she paid for mini-footballs used in a halftime promotion at the Star Center.
American Indoor Football Association co-owner Michael Mink said he wasn’t aware of any financial difficulties here.
“That’s news to me,” Mink said Wednesday, when contacted via cell phone in Florida. “The only person I’ve gotten a call from is the video production company. They told me they were working it out with Steve.
“They had a great season — they finished strong. They won four of their last five games,” Mink said. Actually, it was three of four after stumbling out of the gates with a 1-5 record.
“They had great attendance towards the end of the season, close to a sellout (for the finale on June 28). The product on the field improved rampantly, especially with the addition of quarterback B.J. Hall.”
Mink said the AIFA’s annual meetings will be held at the end of this month and early September, when “We’ll eval-uate all the teams in the league, discuss expansion.”
The Wildcats likely will have a new head coach and assistant coach, as Johnson and Parker, respectively, said they’re still awaiting payment from the team for some services.
Although Johnson said he was limited in his contract about what he could say without being sued by Mascarenas, Parker’s disgust was evident and first heard on a story aired by KOB-TV recently.
“The fans play a huge part — they don’t have to know everything but they should know what goes on with their team,” he said. “The players played for pennies — and I coached for less.”
Parker, the defensive coor-dinator and offensive line coach, said he wouldn’t divulge how much he is owed by Mascarenas, but seemed unhappier that “There was no respect from ownership toward me. I really felt like the ownership didn’t care. … Their responsibility is to take care of the needs of the coaches and players.”
“(Mascarenas) owes me money — I’m not going to disclose how much,” Parker continued. “I coached every game with everything that’s in me.
“He won’t return phone calls, he hasn’t spoken to me since that (final) game. He won’t even call me back. I’ve left some nasty messages, I’ll be honest.”
Parker said he tried calling Mascarenas, who also did not return a phone call or an e-mail sent him by The Observer. Parker said he called Mascarenas “twice a day for over two weeks. I just gave up on it. My family told me, ‘Just give up on it.’”
Parker said he appreciated all the support from the team’s fans and said he believed in karma.
“This will come back to get him,” he said. “This isn’t how you treat people. People in New Mexico didn’t know me from a fly on the wall and they gave me everything.
“If ownership changes, I would be happy to come back there,” Parker said. “And we would play for a championship. Wyoming got beat pretty bad (in the AIFA championship game) and we beat them. I would be more than willing to come back. There is a foundation back there.”
One former Wildcat, who wished to remain anonymous, said the team didn’t have an athletic trainer, did zero public appearances and little or no advertising and marketing, and players weren’t issued any team gear.
“It was a terrible experience for a lot of the players,” he added, saying the franchise did a “lackluster attempt owning and operating a professional football team.”
Star Center director Matt Burcham said the Wildcats are welcome to play at his facility again, but said he knew some rumblings were going around.
“I’ve gotten phone calls, too,” he said. “We’re still squaring up. Steve’s response time is a little slower than we would like.
“(The Wildcats are) a great product. We’d like to see the Wildcats back in there.”
Fensterer, who has done similar video work for the Scorpions, Isotopes and UNM Lobos, seemingly took the biggest hit.
“I haven’t been paid for the services,” she said. “I will always pay my guys, even if my client doesn’t pay me, because what’s right is right.”
Fensterer and Mascarenas had been exchanging e-mail messages in attempt to resolve their dispute.
Keith Abrahamson, a local businessman intrigued by the team, voluntarily took on the duties of the Wildcats’ public relations and media relations, but he’s disgusted with the recent events.
Abrahamson said he was a big fan of Johnson.
“I’m not (kidding you) when I say he showed up with his Bible and his playbook,” he said. “If you can resign from a voluntary position, that’s what I did. It took a lot of time away from my business and my family.
“‘Lack of communication, not responding to phone calls or e-mails has been an issue since I started helping out. I don’t understand it — I can’t do business like that,” Abrahamson said. “I worked hard to develop support here in the community on a grass-roots level with no budget and little time. The amount of people and level of excitement in the stands showed that it can work.
“I hope this hasn’t ruined the possibility of arena football here in town. ... Perhaps local ownership would work better here in Rio Rancho, certainly an ownership that is open and communicates well,” he said.
Shawn Gale, general manager of Defined Fitness, said he was sorry to hear Abrahamson was saying goodbye to the team — and more surprised that the man had been doing work for nothing.
“This is my take on the whole thing and I’m going to be as honest as I can,” Gale said. “The coaching staff: great. The players were great to work with. It began as basically a trade-out, so no money was transferred, and it allowed Wildcats and coaches to work out. I think we gave their wives some discounts.
“Keith was a great guy, the Santa Ana Star guys were great to work with,” Gale continued. “Our challenge was the ownership which, in my observations, in the beginning gave coach Floyd a lot of flexibility. … I don’t think it was until the last two games we were able to get our logo up.”
Still, Gale said, “For the most part, it was a pretty good experience. (But) it took a lot of effort on our part because we wanted this to be successful in New Mexico — and especially in Rio Rancho.
“I think maybe some of the details were overlooked. (You need to) take care of your people. We put up banners but we had to do it ourselves,” he said. “It was like he was a bit overwhelmed — he obviously had the people. I really wish Steve would have stepped up and taken care of the people.”
Still, Gale said, “We would work with them again, make an effort to make the thing go because it was a great product.”
The Wildcats aren’t the only team in the AIFA facing postseason struggles.
“The team in Huntington, W. Va., “had a lot of problems during the year,” said Herald-Dispatch sports editor Dave Walsh. “Players weren’t getting paid, coaches weren’t getting pad. They refused to get on the bus for one game. One owner quit, the coach quit and on and on. They finished the season — I don’t know how. They could have folded.”
The Wildcats’ struggles began before the team’s first kickoff, on March 30 in Prescott Valley, Ariz.
According to a story in the Denver Business Journal in February, Colorado’s securities commissioner ordered Masca-renas to stop selling ownership interests in the team.
“Commissioner Fred Joseph said a final cease and desist order has been entered against the New Mexico Wildcats and its general manager, Steven J. Mascarenas, an attorney who lives in Thornton, Colo.,” the DBJ reported.
“Joseph said the team and its GM violated Colorado law by offering securities for sale in and from Colorado. The commission said newspaper ads touted a 4 percent stake in the Wildcats for an investment of $100,000. The securities weren’t registered for sale in Colorado, which is a violation of the Colorado Securities Act.”
