Why am I always the last one to know about these things? It appears that the All American Football League, an upstart league wishing to capitalize on the football void left for those people for whom the Arena League just isn't enough, has signed an agreement to put one of their franchises in Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN.

According to the site, "the League will employ all players and coaches and will establish a system of allocating talent among the Teams, striving to match players with their alma mater."

Does this mean we could see Billy Dicken or Rick Trefzger throwing short-hops again, or Travis Dorsch booming punts and wickedly shanking field goal attempts? Only time will tell.

The AAFL is also holding national tryouts at Ford Field in Detroit on September 13 -- no word yet on how many of the Lions have already been cut.

Myles Brand thinks the AAFL is a "fascinating idea." Brand also thinks his belly button is "fascinating," though.

An interesting thing about this league is that each team needs an "Advisory Board" and, apparently, anybody can apply to sit on such a board. The site says that the league "will consider all qualified individuals." What qualifies someone to sit on an Advisory Board for a semi-professional football team? I don't know but I'll do my best to keep you posted. I've submitted my application to be on the Board for the franchise currently labeled "Purdue" (one assumes a team name will eventually be attached to this franchise should the league actually get off the ground). The photo they show in the above link just makes it look like such a happy bunch. Maybe it's the old-school football lithograph in the background. Who knows?