Florida Sandpipers | 2008 OIFL Inaugural Season

SANDPIPERS ANNOUNCE THREE MAJOR TRADES

MIAMI - Florida Sandpipers owner Michael Burmeister announced via WEDR 99 Jamz Radio's "The Take Over" with K. Foxx & DJ Khaled that South Florida's home team, the Florida Sandpipers, had made three major trades.

The first was made with the Corpus Christi Riptide; where the Pipers got WRDBs Brandon Boyd and James Kelly in exchange for their 2008 E3 Comp pick. Kelly has played in the OIFL since the league's inception, having played for the Iowa City Blackhawks, the Lexington Knights, the Seattle Sonic Boom, and the Kansas City Thunderkats as well as Corpus Christi. He has played in the 2006 All-Star Classic in Houston, having caught one pass for nine yards.

Boyd provides seasoned, but relatively young talent, having played for the Connecticut Cresleys as well as the Corpus Christi Riptide.

"We are excited to have them on our team," Burmeister said. "They will provide us with valuable skills and leadership, which we hope will translate into an OIFLCup (Neither of them had ever won a title)."

However, the evening's big news was the multi-player, multi-faceted trades with the Vancouver Island Vengeance.

The Sandpipers picked up QB Herschel Watson, who was previously on the Vengeance's practice squad but will be on the Pipers' active roster for 2008. In addition, they acquired WRLB Rod "He Hate Me" Smart (formerly of the Portland Pioneers, St. Louis Rush, and Tampa Bay Marauders in addition) and WRDB Richard Little (formerly of the Detroit Gargoyles, Brinkhaven Bombers, and San Francisco ThunderSharks before that), providing major depth in the WR position.

In exchange, Vancouver Island acquired Florida's E3 and E5 picks, as well as WRLB Sven Villi (who was cut soon afterwards) and QB Bud Shaw, who soon afterwards announced his retirement to become the Vengeance's Co-Offensive Coordinator.

"Bill Bradford is a very good friend of mine, and knows how to make a deal," Burmeister continued. "Smart will no doubt be a fan favorite, and Watson will provide some youth for Rusty Walls (being an OIFL rookie himeslf) to show the ropes. Plus, I'm sure Villi will find a team to pick him up, and Bud Shaw was the Mobile Seamen's legendary quarterback, so we wish him the best as he assists the Vengeance to becoming OIFLCup contenders."

For the third and final trade (also with the Vengeance), the Sandpipers got sophomore WRDB Chauncey Hoxie and third-year WRDB Rickey Clinton (who had played for the Corpus Christi Riptide in his rookie season), and $100,000 cash, but the major highlight was OLDL Donald Seve, who is entering his fifth season and is the first Sandpiper with an OIFLCup ring (he got it with the Las Vegas Sting when they won OIFLCup V 75-68 against the Cleveland Thunderbolts in Brinkhaven's Bombing Square). In return, Vancouver Island gets Florida's E4 Comp. pick, and the Sandpipers 2009 E3 and E4 picks.

"Hoxie and Clinton provide incredible youthful skill to the Sandpipers," Burmeister continued, "and that purple-and-gold ring Steve has on his finger could be our primary motivator for our goal. All in all, it's a win-win situation."

While the Sandpipers do not cross paths with the Riptide for 2008, they will be traveling to Nainamo to battle the Vengeance in Week Six of the upcoming season.

ORANGE BASKET - Knights-Marauders-Sandpipers

11/21/07 - (MIAMI) - The Florida Sandpipers, proud members of the Online Indoor Football League, announce that, starting for the 2008 season, they will compete for the Orange Basket to determine the best of the Sunshine State. The Jacksonville Knights and Tampa Bay Marauders will compete with your Sandpipers, and the winner will get the big Orange Basket!

A strong rivalry this will be, as Jacksonville is preparing some tough comments, and Tampa Bay owner Brian Clothier has already said he would "personally date" our Diamond Hens, and make it so big "Congress will make an emergency motion to give Florida back to Spain."

Well, bring it on! First game will be when the Jacksonville Knights come to Slip-N-Slide Arena to play your Pipers in Week One.

GO PIPERS! WE THE BEST!

Sandpipers Swoop Into OIFL

11/21/07 (MIAMI) - At the 1st Annual "Pipers Turkey Bash," the Sandpipers online indoor ball team made some major announcements today.

First of all, upon the departure of the Rosemont Horizons, they were invited to the Online Indoor Football League, being the third OIF2 team to take the step up this season (after rivals College Station Wreckin' Crew and Venice Waveriders).

"We are extremely excited to be making the step up to the OIFL," an ultra-excited Michael Burmeister said. "Filling the Rosemont Horizons' gap in the OIFL is not an easy task. James Lysoby has been an excellent owner, so we wish him nothing but the best in all his future endeavors, and will do our very best undertaking this great task ahead of us."

The team also announced it was relocating to Miami, and would play as the Florida Sandpipers. Miami had not seen OIFL football since their charter franchise the Miami Maulers folded in 2003 after compiling a 30-18 record over their three seasons and winning the OIFLCup in 2002.

"Miami is an excellent sports city, and has been the state's oldest representative on the major-league level," Burmeister continued. "We are happy to be bringing OIFL football back to that city, and we want to give the city another Cup! However, we wanted the whole state to be our fans, and we also wanted to retain most of our Sanibel fan base, so we chose to have the whole state be our name, and have the Florida Sandpipers fly high for the state!"

While the team will continue to use the Shelley Center as their training camp and one-game-preseason home, the team will play their home games in the Maulers' old arena, which is under renovation and being renamed the Slip-N-Slide Arena.

"A very wise poster on the Arena Football messageboard once said that an indoor football arena on gamenight is a big party which happened to include a football game. Hoping to keep the entertainment aspect intact, we have once again teamed up with the gracious people at Slip-N-Slide Records (who earlier arranged the Plies playoff concert) to be the team's official sponsor. SNS will have a strong hand throughout the arena, as we have also acquired their sub-labels for entrance naming rights.

"The Southwest Entrance will be known as the Big Gates Entrance, and the Southeast will be the Poe Boy/Triple C Entrance. The Northeast is the Dunk Ryders Entrance, and the Northwest will be the Rebel Rock entrance. We also have the sounds of primarily local artists during the game, enjoyable Southeast Division rivalries (Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Memphis, Arkansas, New Orleans), and of course, the Diamond Hens dance team will keep the fellas happy at halftime."

Added Terror Squad/Koch's (and official team DJ) DJ Khaled "This is a movment here! Florida Sandpipers! Slip-N-Slide Arena! Championship Contenders! WE THE BEST! LISTENNNNNN!"