Dave in Green

You are interested in process. I and others are interested in results and I seek those results through legitimate paths and not the mental masturbation that you seem obsessed with.And your original objection was to my quality of persistence without your afterthought of its application to good or bad objectives. You claimed that my persistence somehow discredited my opinion. Persitence alone is not a bad thing and if you are going to turn it into a bad thing, then at least have the intestinal fortitude to back it up with some facts. It's obvious that my unwllingnness to back down is being redefined by you and those who would confuse backbone with arrogance.My original general statement on persistence was that people on this forum "are sophisticated enough not to confuse the validity of a position with the persistence of that position's advocates."Here's a general statement on process:Sometimes people are tempted to use tactics to achieve results that result in achieving the opposite results. An example would be advocating something on a forum by using the tactic of belittling and insulting anyone who doesn't agree with one's position. Would people be more or less likely to vote with a political activist who used the tactic of knocking on their door and yelling in their face, "You're a stupid idiot unless you vote for my position."

The what?Ken Pomeroy's basketball rating system is considered by many to be the most sophisticated and accurate. But if you want to rely on the more familiar AP ratings, they ranked the Zags 13th in their final poll. Every poll showed Gonzaga fairly well up in the top 25 at the end of last season.

Like so many others, I was under the illusion that the Zips problems were mainly the offensive and special teams, and that the defense was the strongest element of this team. But I realized today that the Zips defense always seems to crumble right after the offense or special teams make a play that begins to put the Zips in a good position. I'm no longer buying the excuse that the defense is good, but gets tired in the 4th quarter because the offense doesn't maintain possession for 20 or more minutes. The defense should have been fired up when the offense gave them the lead.The offense, special teams and defense are all in this mess together.

As in all types of politics, I'm open to good data presented in positive campaigning by all sides, and closed to all forms of negative campaigning by all sides, no matter how persistent, steadfast, passionate and assertive. Some of the most noble as well as some of the most despicable people and organizations in history have been persistent, steadfast, passionate and assertive in pursuit of their causes.

Most people would not admit this because they know it isn't true. Gonzaga was rated #7 in the final 2009 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings after being beaten in the NCAA tournament by the team that won the national championship and finished #1 in the Pomeroy Ratings, North Carolina.

Jake, first I want to say that I appreciate the point of view that it would be better to build a new facility on campus than off campus. I think this is a valid point of view, and I like hearing different people present different rationales for different opinions.A couple of points, though. Unless one subscribes to the black and white viewpoint that one inch off campus is purgatory and one inch on campus is heaven, no amount of arguing is going to convince more than a few people that the facility must be built on campus to be truly successful for UA. Quite the contrary, that will be interpreted by most open-minded people as an extremist position that will turn off those who are looking for the most rational position that benefits the most people. Proximity is important, and it's undeniable that there is a significant difference between the distant location of the Rubber Bowl and a block or two off campus. So if you want to be taken seriously, you need to seriously evaluate whether you are putting forth the best possible argument in favor of your postion.Secondly, if, as you say, UA will be the major if not only contributor to its arena, then, of course, there'd be no reason not to have it on campus. The whole concept of having it downtown is based on sharing costs with the city and perhaps also the county. Many people here might be more inclined to support your position if what you say is proven fact. But I haven't seen any hard evidence that what you are presenting is anything more than your opinion, even though you appear to state your opinion as hard fact. And since you are so vehemently against having the new facility anywhere but on campus under any conceivable circumstances, open-minded people like me are going to have a hard time not believing that you are only making these definitive statements to support your passionately held personal opinion.Again, I think the position you have taken is a good one to be made, and I hope that you and others will continue to try to make points for why it would be better for a new facility to be built on campus rather than off. But if the objective is to win people over to your point of view, I think you need to give consideration to the fact that the people who you are addressing on this forum are sophisticated enough not to confuse the validity of a position with the persistence of that position's advocates.Dave, I really think you are personifying the issue. You are placing too much weight on the sender of the message as opposed to the message. I would suggest that your preocupation with what you think is "having an open mind" is taking precedent over the need to do the right thing. Your type of thinking is not what got us an on-campus stadium. While it may serve the purposes of having a blog, it does very little for serving reality and progress. Your heaven/purgatory analogy is at best over the top. I'm surprised that you didn't use the worn out cliche', "think outside the box" on me along with the "have an open mind" ruse. There comes a time when an open mind is nothing more than riding the fence. I also think that people in general and not just on this nice little blog, are sophisticated enough to know that there is no hard proof that the city or county is going to assist UA in building an arena. Your condemnation of the quality, known as persistence is disturbing. For it was this quality along with steadfastness, passion and assertiveness that got us more green space on campus, the closing of Buchtel and Carroll Streets, the University Park Alliance, InfoCision Stadium and a more pedestrian friendly UA campus.One cannot come up against the powers that would emasculate UA and hi-jack its facilities with the type of wishy-washy postureing you advocate. The sender of the message in a discussion forum is irrelevant. The message is everything, and the message is in the words. For example, persistence, steadfastness, passion and assertiveness are all neutral qualities that can be associated with either good or bad outcomes. They do not in themselves make one side of an argument more valid or authoritative than another.I'll happily continue to ride the fence until I'm convinced by logical points of fact that one option clearly makes more sense than the others.

Hot topic, as it rightfully should be for all of us who love Zips basketball. I wonder if anyone on here really disagrees with KD's goals? If Zeke continues to develop in college as he did in HS, and if KD keeps restocking with other quality players as he has in recent years, it's not unrealistic to achieve all those goals and more. But it's not a slam dunk, and it certainly may not be evident in the first few games of this season. Right now it's still nothing but potential. The full success formula is potential + execution = results.We should all be disappointed if the Zips, both as individuals and as a team, do not fully develop their potential and prove it on the court. But the cold reality of sports is that many fans start each season with optimism, and most end the season disappointed because their expectations were not fully met.

Just noticed that the UA-NIU game is being carried on ESPN 360, which in my experience offers some of the best quality streaming video. Now if UA can only generate a game worth watching .....ESPN 360 Link

I absolutely agree on the Horizon League. I signed up for the Valpo game last year, and it was a good webcast. Benchmarking the competition is a great way to improve your own product. Webcasts are a really cost-effective way to develop a larger fan base for a team that has few of its games televised.

I don't think I'm the only one on these boards who has been cautiously optimistic about both Zeke and this season's team both before and after all the media stories. I think there are quite a few of us who try to keep our expectations consistently realistic through the good times and bad.Last year's team was somewhat of a disappointment during the regular season, but really rose to the occasion in the MAC tournament and the first 75% of the NCAA tournament game against Gonzaga. After living through decades of sports disappointments, both here and in other areas of the country, I've really come to appreciate the concept of not having unrealistic expectations. It makes life a lot more pleasant when a team rewards cautious optimism with even better than expected results than when a team fails to live up to unrealistic expectations.Bottom line for me is that I do believe this year's Zips have the potential to be better than last year's team. But that will require a lot of things to go right. Zeke's sprained ankle slowing his early development and Steward's scheduled compartment syndrome procedure on his other leg are early reminders of things that can and do go wrong for sports teams throughout the course of a season.

I don't assume that everything is personal. I evaluate each post and each poster on an individual basis, and some of the critical posts have contained downright hateful language. Not all of them, but some of them. Excusing this is not any more defensible than dreaming up excuses for poor performance on the football field. And if being a football coach is not a high calling, what does that say about those fans who can't contain themselves when the trivial pursuit of football results in more losses than wins? One of life's conundrums, to be sure.

There are 32 NFL teams, and so only 32 starting QB opportunities at any given time. Most teams have 2 or 3 QBs on their rosters, so there are fewer than 100 QBs being paid at any given time at the highest level of professional football. They are constantly being challenged by an influx of promising new graduates from college teams, the CFL, etc. So it's a pretty elite club, even for those who are not starters.Against those odds, CF produced decent stats as an inexperienced starter with one of the weakest organizations in the NFL. As Skip-Zip points out, CF had to endure the chaos of three different offensive coordinators in a little over two seasons with the Browns. The turmoil in that organization was the worst possible environment for a young, rookie QB from a minor D1 program.We'll never know how CF might have developed in a strong organization with good coaches able to develop him at a slower pace, and with an offensive line that could have given him more time in the pocket when he eventually did play. Maybe he still wouldn't have made it as a longtime starter, and maybe he would have slowly evolved into a respectable leader with a winning record. No one really knows, though that won't stop some from implying they do.Even though it's especially disappointing to Zips fans that CF is on the sidelines instead of on the field, he is now in his 5th year in that small, elite group of QBs who merit 7-figure salaries. Maybe he won't rise any higher, or maybe better opportunities will come his way and he will rise to the occasion.But if he doesn't last another year, he's still accomplished a lot, and deserves all the credit in the world for it.

Don't wish for anyone you care for to play with the Browns until the organization turns the corner. Poor organizations grind up and spit out good individuals.

I suspect that CF spent too many years with losing football organizations to fairly judge how much of what he is today is based on his innate abilities and how much is based on the loser mentality those organizations drilled into him. I'm curious how the Zips would have fared without CF in the years he was here, and how this year's Zips would have done with CF at QB. I have no illusions that he could have made a big winner out of this year's Zips. But I don't think another 7-5 record would have been out of the question. The 2005 Senior Bowl was significant because it was the only game CF played in since HS where he was not with a losing organization, which made his MVP-winning performance all the more telling.I'd love to see the Akron Zips, Cleveland Browns and Charlie Frye all be successful. But there are many lost years to be overcome.

One problem I see with that rotation is that it has 5 frontcourt and 5 backcourt players rather than 2 x 3 frontcourt and 2 backcourt players (6 and 4). That would result in a 3-guard lineup about half of the time. Maybe that will work, maybe not. But it does leave two true centers buried deep on the bench. I think we need to see who has made progress between seasons and not just base it on where things ended last season.

It's not just that the Zips are losing, it's the way they're losing. I watched a little of the webcast yesterday, and saw just enough to tell me that nothing had changed. So I just turned it off and walked away.Mediocrity is a terrible thing to watch.

More bad news about Ronnie Steward and some good news about Alex Sullivan and Jimmy Conyers. EA reports that Steward is going to have surgery on his other leg for compartment syndrome, and that Sullivan and Conyers both looked good in practice.EA Story Link

Adding to what Zip Watcher just posted, the team aspect is incredibly important here. The Zips should be significantly improved in the backcourt. Not only is everyone back, a year older and more experienced, but adding Steward to the mix is an intangible that could potentially produce unexpectedly positive results.Similarly, all but one of the frontcourt players are back, and it would be a big surprise if any of them have not improved over last season.All of the above may not make up for the loss of a key player like Linhart. But the point is that this season's team, even not counting Zeke, should at least be close in overall performance to what they were last season, though perhaps in a different way.This is all to say that the Zips should be capable of at least matching last season's performance even if Zeke isn't a dominant player from his first game. That takes a lot of pressure off of Zeke from having to carry the team. It might even be a psychological boost to everyone if Zeke does not start from the first game, but slowly builds into a starter. That tells the rest of the team that they have a big responsibility in what the team achieves, and it tells Zeke that the weight of the world is not on his shoulders.The important thing is not how Zeke starts the season, but how he finishes. We all know how the MAC works. If you want to go to the NCAA tournament, the season record is not that important. You just have to peak at MAC tournament time.So Zeke has the entire season to grow into the kind of player who can make the Zips even better this season, and perhaps a lot better. No one really knows yet. But it's going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Well, I don't think I misinterpreted EA's remarks on Zeke. Let's take them one by one:Yet based on the first weekend of his Division I basketball education, Marshall is not even close to being a starter. That's typical for almost any freshman, and by itself not alarming.I have no problem at all with that.The key will be how much Marshall assimilates over the next few weeks, learning plays both offensively and defensively. That will be paramount because he is not physically ready to display all of his talents. That is the curse Akron gets for landing the coveted center.I can't argue with that, other than the fact that if getting Zeke is a curse, I hope the Zips are similarly cursed every year. Had Marshall opted for a major college hoops program in the Big East or the Big Ten, he most assuredly would redshirt his first season.There's some truth in this, though it depends on the current competitiveness of the team, who they currently have playing at center and how the coaching staff evaluated the player's performance up to the season's first game.In reality, Marshall should do the same at Akron, although external pressures are already high to play him now.That's the statement that I questioned when I said I was surprised that EA recommended redshirting him in the MAC so quickly. Fact is, most college freshmen could develop more weight, muscle, coordination, experience and maturity by redshirting. On the other hand, a top 100 HS basketball recruit should be able to contribute immediately to a college team, especially a team that is not already a powerhouse loaded with all-star talent at all positions and/or a team playing in a weaker conference.So I can understand how someone might recommend the Zips redshirt a player like Zeke. But I also think that KD is the best positioned person in the world to make that call, and I don't think he will see redshirting as the best strategy for either Zeke or the team by the time the first game rolls around. I just have a hunch from all I've seen and heard about Zeke that he will adapt more quickly than some observers might think.

One of the advantages of carrying less weight is that it places less stress on the feet and ankles, not to mention the knees, etc.

Only thing broken is someone's credibility.

I'm surprised that EA would recommend redshirting the highest-ranked HS basketball recruit ever in the MAC at this early stage. Now if KD decides Zeke could benefit from redshirting, that would be something entirely different. I don't think it will happen, but it's remotely possible. Then again, Zeke selected UA primarily for an education. So he may have no interest in spending five years at any university.I have no doubt that the heavyweights of the MAC will try to use their bulk to advantage against a leaner opponent. But someone with height, speed and jumping ability advantages has the potential to more than neutralize a bulkier opponent.I really, really like the idea of Swiech and Zeke going after each other in practice. This will make them both better players. I expect both Swiech and Bardo to be improved this year, and hopefully all three centers will be able to contribute.

A 6-4 brother is always a good sign. Honestly, I'm much more interested in a PG's skills than his height. All other things being equal, you'd always prefer taller than shorter when it comes to basketball players. But a 6-0 PG is perfectly fine even at some of the top college programs as long as he's a quality PG who can do it all. If he's 6-1 and still growing, that would be cool.

I think if they had a freshman of the year prediction that Zeke would win hands down. But newcomer of the year opens it up to transfers, and an accomplished junior transfer is going to have a big advantage in experience over a true freshman

I must admit it's beyond my ability to predict whether or not a high school player has stopped growing. But I'm always entertained to see how far others will stick their necks out on this subject.