mrelegazna

Thanks for saving me the trouble of reading through the whole thing. P.S. Can I copy and paste your recap, and throw in a couple of hippie/marijuana references, for when a Can't fan wanders in here?

Another thread turned into a YSU flame war. Yay.While I don't think we can expect much better than the dregs of the SEC and Big Ten to visit the new stadium, I think (hope) we can get a more marquee team to OPEN UP the new stadium. Isn't Texas opening Central Florida's new stadium?

This is a good, reasonable analysis. I'm hopeful for the season. It's a tad on the glass-half full side - every team can say, "Unknown doesn't mean bad" and that there new starters are "practice seasoned," and every kid recruited into the MAC has a pretty good pedigree/resume. BUT, since we have been ranked #1 or #2 in recruiting in the MAC in a few publications the last couple years, maybe that those rankings will prove to be accurate and the new will be as good as/better than the old.

Well, the first thing that comes to mind for me is his leadership. He is the unquestioned leader of the offense out there on the field, even though a few other players have tried to steal the spotlight. He has great scrambling skills for an NFL QB, which I feel are underutilised. Hopefully the new OC will take advantage of his strengths and not rely on the same ineffective crap the Browns have been doing the last few seasons. The players all seem to love him as a QB. He has good chemistry with his teammates. He has a better arm than people give him credit for. He obviously isn't perfect, and is definetly not a top 10 QB, but he is not the worst in the league.If you want to bash him and pull up stats reflecting on the O-line more than what he brings to the table as a QB, then go do it on a website that isn't so closely affiliated with him. Complaining about him here is like if someone insulted a close friend of yours to your face. We know he's not perfect, but we still like him.You can't win here. This sounds dangerously close to "we shouldn't criticize Zips and former Zips here."Except for the occasional Can't, Y-town, and future opponent interloper, it goes without saying that we all want the Zips to kick ass, and all of their former players to kick ass too.But if we decide that criticizing certain players is out-of-bounds here, then you've taken away what makes this and any good message board great: objective analysis and uncensored opinions.

Sorry to say say something potentially inflammatory without any details, but I did want to throw this out there.I was a still a kid (born 1976) during the Faust reign, and my stepdad worked at the University of Akron in what was then known (and may be still known) asthe Physical Plant. Basically, he was something of a high-level custodian/handyman.So we would go to Akron football and basketball games, but one time, Faust was a part of some sort of meet-and-greet function that he was going to take me to. In the end, he decided not to, because he didn't think highly of Faust, and didn't feel right about taking his son to get an autograph of someone he does not respect.This is where my story gets frustrating, sorry...I don't know what his problem was with Faust, but it didn't have anything to do with football, it had something to do with (my stepdad's) work. My stepdad was a real stand-up guy, integrity up to here, so I trust he had a good reason to dislike Faust. Knowing my stepdad, Faust probably said or did something that he interpreted disrespectful/unappreciative of my stepdad's department's work. My stepdad was not ashamed of his blue-collar working class status and wouldn't let anyone look down on him. He was also, if I recall correctly (he passed away in 1991, which is why I can't just ask him), pretty active in his union, so I don't know if it was something political perhaps.

Several years ago, there was a Bowling Green billboard up on East Market for awhile (I don't remember the message, but it had a kid with a cap and gown riding a bike on it...not athletics related). I didn't really see it as a throwdown, however.

This is the bottom line. In order for a Big East to invite us, we have to not only get the attendance and budget figures in line, but we also have to do things that no other MAC team does. The only thing we can do at the expense of other MAC teams is win. Marshall would still be in the MAC if they didn't join the league and starting whipping on it. Win. Win. Win.We can blame the media, the students, the administration, Ohio State, and the Gods all we want, but even if we did things exactly the way you (any of you) think it should be done, and the ABJ put us on the front page every day, the people of NE Ohio aren't going to start selling out the stadium (whatever stadium that ends up being) to rally around a 6-6 team. That's just reality, as much as we want to blame outside (or inside) forces for our problems and tepid fan support. It isn't gonna change. There's only one way things are gonna change. Win.(Great post too, AK-Zips. Thank God we CAN fudge the numbers or we would be headed straight back to 1-AA. First team up, first team down.)

Why are you so negative? For real. It's one thing to be critical of the team you support, but you're downright ripping the Zips the way a rival would, while treating YSU as the greatest thing since sliced bread. I doubt you are truly a Zips fan in real life. A fan, even if he agreed with you 100%, wouldn't present the points in the manner and tone you do.Second, you said YSU was on national television four times last year? As in, on a TV station more available than ESPNU? I don't think so.Thirdly, if it's noteriety you're after, I believe it IS better to be a small fish in a big pond than a big fish in a small pond. Go across the country and have everyone tell you what they know about Akron and YSU. While I'm sure people won't be able to tell you much about the Zips, they'll be able to tell you less about YSU...sorry, I'm not buying that they'll tell us they are i-AA powerhouses and a previous stop of Tressel and Jaws. If they know that, they are serious fans who will know even more about the Zips.Fourth, ESPNU is at least available on Dish Network and Directv across the country and some cable stations (with more coming as noted in a previous thread). That, to me, counts as National Television and it's worth it to play those games, even on Wednesday and Thursday nights, for the exposure...but that has been debated endlessly here and I don't want to dredge it up again.I will say this in defense of YSU though...1) I don't know why people are glossing over it, but if playing Ohio State for more money or Akron for less money is an either/or choice, of course they're gonna take the former. So would we.2). I don't think it's quite as simple as they aren't "sacking up" to join 1-A. You have to apply to be accepted, and there's a LOOOOT of criteria to being accepted, and I'm not sure YSU meets it all. I could be dead wrong here - maybe the MAC or someone invited them to join and they declined, I'm sure I will be swiftly corrected if that's the case, but...even if they did decline, I'm willing to give them more credit than to say they didn't accept because they were a-skeered.

Game over, Cavs won but Romeo did not play. Unless he was hurt, it truly appears he was only even invited as a favor to LeBron and is not gonna get a real shot.

Anyone else watching? Romeo is not starting, FYI.

For what it's worth, Dials is still listed as a center on the Cavs site.As far as whether Travis is "wasting" a summer league roster spot, I think we are selling him a bit short here. He was, after all, POY in a D1 conference. That alone makes a summer league look justifiable. Certainly, players have come from less auspicious backgrounds/resumes and gone on to succeed in the NBA (And NFL. And MLB.). I hope the Cavs give him every chance to make this team. Not for LeBron, but for themselves.

Hope he kicks @ss and earns a roster spot..Other notable names playing for the Cavs are Terrence Dials (hard to believe he was the Big Ten POY just two years ago) and Kevin Pittsnogle. Seems like Daniel Gibson has already proven himself and is not a cut risk, but he's on the roster too:http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/summer_l...ter_070704.html

actually it IS enforcable... Its just of matter of whether the NCAA WANTS to enforce it or not. Exactly. I'm afraid they could start playing hardball at any time, especially if the BCS conferences that hold all the sway in the NCAA decide they want it to be more strictly enforced.Back to Cleveland, I think whatever conditions exist in the Rubber Bowl that helps the Zips when (ie., home field advantage) will be in play at Cleveland stadium too. In fact, I'll come right out and say: Zips will beat Army!

I think one angle being missed is the need to continue to maintain at least 15,000 per home game every two years. Yeah, we hit it last year, but we can continue to buy more time for us until the new stadium by continuing to hit that mark.The Cleveland game should help immensely in that regard. Of COURSE it's a home game. It's 30 minutes from Akron and over 7 hours from West Point per Yahoo maps. They'll probably paint the Roo on the 50 yard line like the did for BG last year and we will earn more money and asses in the seats than we would have at the rubber bowl, and that's the important thing.Some of you guys just demand everything to be perfect, and think that there's some Santa Claus out there we can hire to make everything Right and Just, who can get blood from a stone, and derive influence out of thin air. Your pissy attitudes do not help things.

I'm not sure but since there are several teams in the NIT with a lower RPI and SOS than the Zips. And there are definitely a whole bunch of teams with worse records. I'm just wondering of all those teams that did not get in by winning their conference during the season, just how many had gyms SMALLER than the JAR? Could it be that Akron's Seating Capacity was not up to the committee's standards? I suspect the same. I don't think anyone had a worse SOS in the NIT field (not counting the Automatic Bids), But, that's the ONLY thing going against us, and these guys are supposed to be looking at myriad stuff.Actually, the NIT is selected by guys like Dean Smith, Gene Keady, and other coaching luminaries. You think they are swayed by any of the phone calls from everywhere? You think they are really doing much research and sizing these up the way they should rather then discussing their golf games and deciding who they would "fear most" to play?I don't. And that's why I don't blame Rhoades, Chryst, or any of those guys. The fault of this injustice lies squarely on the shoulders of the NIT selection committee and the NCAA for installing retired coaches rather than guys who actually have the inclination to get things right.

So you're saying that he knew he hadn't done enough for Akron and wasn't really surprised. And the mission to scapegoat everyone on the planet continues....

http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2007/03/n...s_toledo_t.html

Someoe said this already, but someone please take mental notes and reiterate for those of us outside the Cleveland market. Thanks!

You forgot about how they lead off the show with us saying we are in, and that 26 wins is apparently a new record for a team to go to neither tournament, and that the seven losses were all by six or less, and that all the teams with higher RPI's got in as well as the next eleven with lower RPI's.

Do you have a cite for this, I'd love to be able to use it.

I don't think that's right, because the team they went to after leading off with Akron was Clemson, and they are in.

Here's a fun fact...We have the highest RPI of any team not playing in either tournament....AND the ELEVEN teams just below us are all still playing:http://realtimerpi.com/rpi_Men.html

I thought the guy was saying that Akron should have gotten into the NCAA -- what possible explanation is there for the Zips not getting into the NIT??? The NIT Commish, C.M. Newton, said, "We asked ourselves, who would you be more reluctant to play? Then who? Then who?"Translation: I'd be scared to play big conference teams. We don't know anything about Akron and we didn't research. We only included mid-majors that have been on the National radar all year.

WHAT?!?!?!?! Please tell me I just missed it. Please tell me. Mike Hall said, "All these teams are in" after talking about Akron and I DID NOT SEE AKRON!

Well, that was nice, Akron was the very, very first team they mentioned, with props. I was a little afraid we wouldn't get in at all when I saw how many high major teams on the "bubble" of that link above.