Going into the last week of play in the 2012 Arena Football League season, the common complaint is that the Spokane Shock and the Chicago Rush should both be in the playoffs. After all, they are both likely to finish with better records than all but one team in the American Conference playoffs. In the end this year though, those aren't the ones that really have the rights to complain. The ones that should be complaining are the fans of the Cleveland Gladiators and the Pittsburgh Power.
They didn't quite get this last year, but they are going to have a chance to do it this season. The Philadelphia Soul are on their way to ArenaBowl XXVI after knocking off the Jacksonville Sharks 75-59 in the American Conference Championship Game on Saturday night.
TAMPA BAY There may as well have been a complete power outage at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Saturday night. The Tampa Bay Storm were beaten 48-37 by the Pittsburgh Power on a night in which they backdoored their way into the playoffs. Tampa Bay is in the postseason courtesy of losses by both the Orlando Predators and the New Orleans VooDoo on Saturday.
Jacksonville Sharks' owner Jeff Bouchy once told me that he hoped he could play the Orlando Predators 18 times over the course of the season so it gave him 18 chances to beat up on the team he used to be a part-owner of.