Last December the Rio Grande Valley Dorados sent out a holiday greetings card to season ticket holders with a front cover that teased "Look what the Dorados got you for Christmas this year!"

Upon opening the card, fans were greeted by a picture of former Dallas Cowboys and then Dorados' quarterback Quincy Carter sporting an RGV uniform, a Santa Claus hat and a smile.

Carter would never be able to play a down for the Dorados due to arenafootball2 ineligibility rules. Add that to the club's effort to distance itself from Carter after a resurgence of his off-field legal troubles and season ticket holders who kept the greetings card own the af2 equivalent of a "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" newspaper.

The Dorados (1-1) host the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings (1-2) on Saturday at Dodge Arena in their 2009 home opener. Though little-known rookie Nick Hill is not the smiling face they were greeted with last Christmas, Dorados season ticket holders seem generally unbothered by Carter's unexpected removal from the team.

Some fans interviewed before the start of the regular season, like San Juan native Chris Rodriguez, were not particularly thrilled that Carter even had joined the team back in early December.

"I had a little mixed emotions (about RGV signing Carter)," said Rodriguez, 40, who is an assistant coach for the Hidalgo football and girls basketball teams. "But, I really like the organization and we're real big fans of the team and we decided to stay with them, even though Quincy was going to be there. We thought as season ticket holders, we had to give him a chance. So that was our attitude for him when he came in."

Other fans like Mission native Daniel Lauer, a parts and services director at Spikes Ford dealership in Mission, were also cautiously optimistic when Carter joined the team.

"We knew Quincy had some problems though too, obviously," Lauer said. "Otherwise he would still be with the Cowboys."

Lauer, 40, who tailgates and has crawfish boils at RGV home games, said that Carter's departure was a bit of a letdown, but his fan loyalty will continue.

"I guess if you were to ask me my interest level when (Carter) first signed, I probably would've given you closer to a 9 or 10," said Lauer. "Now I'm probably down to a 7 or 8, simply because I know we're still going to support them and we're still going to have a good team."

As a fan and an owner of one of the team's corporate sponsors, McAllen native Mary Moya holds multiple stakes of interest in the Dorados. Moya has 10 season tickets and is the owner of Taylor Home Health, which becane a Dorados corporate sponsor in January. She also has started a program that will allow some underprivileged kids to attend Dorados home games for free.

Moya said that Carter's departure and legal troubles have had no effect on her and her company's support for the team.

"No not at all because that's not what we were basing it on," Moya said. "We were basing it on the community and having some of these kids that have never been to games to have them attend also. So, no, not at all."

However Moya may be a bit more biased than other Dorados fans since she has been helping with Hill, Carter's replacement, become certified substitute teacher. Moya took Hill, who has a degree in special education, to Lamar Academy and sees promise in the rookie's effort to immerse himself in the community.

"He's going to be good positive role model for Lamar Academy," Moya said.

Stephen K. Lee covers the Rio Grande Valley Dorados for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4442.