Jonathan Bane News Today

After a five-year hiatus, the Arena Football is back for season number 33. Some familiar franchise names are back, along with a few expansion teams and some that played in other indoor and arena leagues last season. Below is a capsule of the 16-team league with early preseason roster analysis.

Prior to Saturday night's game between the Cleveland Gladiators and Tampa Bay Storm, Gladiators coach Steve Thonn was sent to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat. Sources have confirmed to ArenaFan that Thonn is out of the hospital and has recovered.

When Credibility Matters

TAMPA -- Rob Keefe pumped his fist in the air, and his defense went running off the field after its first stop of the Tampa Bay Storm offense. Keefe knew heading into the 2016 season that the Orlando Predators had a defense capable of being one of the best in the AFL. Now, he's proven it.

The Tampa Bay Storm celebrated 25 years of Arena Football Friday night as it played host to the rival Orlando Predators in the AFL's 3,000th game. Unfortunately for the Storm, the only history on display Friday night was that of the 2015 season. The Storm picked up right where they left off, by losing ugly to the Predators.

For the third time this season, I've got a new team sitting atop my Power Rankings. Even though the Soul struggled more down the stretch with the Predators than they probably should have, they were dominant for large stretches last week, and they've earned their right to be called the best team in the league for the time being.

Welcome to the ArenaBowl before the ArenaBowl. Sure, it isn't a foregone conclusion at this point that the Predators and Rattlers will meet each other in the title game this year, but at least if the first five weeks are any indication, there's a good chance that's how this is going to play out. That's why, in a year where the regular season means virtually bupkis, this game is the most meaningful of them all, as the winner will have a tremendous inside track to the No. 1 ove...

Can you believe that we're already almost a quarter of the way through the regular season? Some teams still feel like they're still trying to find their identities, while others are in midseason form and ready for the playoff push. Check out our debut AFL Power Rankings and see how they compare to the Power Poll as voted on by you, the fans of ArenaFan.

Many Hudson Valley professional wrestlers will battle it out in a live show to help out a church in the region.

Many Hudson Valley professional wrestlers will battle it out in a live show to help out a church in the region.