Its always wonderful when something thrives in a hostile environment -- thats why youre especially fond of that one cousin who turned out normal even though your aunt and uncle are both fat and weird. This is also why were watching the Arizona Rattlers regular-season finale against the Iowa Barnstormers. The Barnstormers defense has had every reason to be terrible this year; the squads offense has been proficient at nothing but putting the defense in bad field position. In spite of that, the scrappy Iowans have played better defense than any team in the AFL. The playoff-bound Rattlers, even with their explosive offense, should have their work cut out for them.
Fri., July 30, 7:30 p.m., 2010