Dave in Green

I was concerned that current Ohio AG Mike DeWine might be a tOSU grad, in which case he might not take well to questions about his alma mater. Turns out he's a Miami (Ohio) guy, so you may be safe.

You're still missing a few big ticket items. But the Zips parallel is similar in one respect. UA built and opened a brand new stadium just as Zips football started hitting a low point. UM spent a fortune redoing the Big House just as Wolverine football started hitting a low point. Those 3,200 club seats and 81 luxury boxes that looked at one time like big profit makers are getting harder and harder to sell in Ann Arbor.

Your point would be better made without exaggerating. The $227 million renovation that was approved in 2007 was for the entire stadium, not just the press box. It included widening of aisles and individual seats, installing hand rails, and the addition of club seating for 3,200 and 81 luxury boxes in place of old bleacher seats and the original 1950s-era press box.

As a matter of fact, as an American citizen the rising cost of education does matter to me. I believe a lot of America's greatness is based on a large percentage of the population being better educated. Rising costs lead to fewer citizens being able to afford higher education, which would ultimately lead to a general weakening of our country. From that perspective I support the concept of institutions of higher learning thinking outside the box in pursuing opportunities to generate additional income to offset reduced costs to students. However, it's important that these opportunities offer a solid return on investment and don't interfere with UA's primary obligation to its students. From that perspective I support UA submitting a preliminary, non-binding bid for the Browns training camp with the understanding that it was done with the obvious handicap of short notice and without the time required to complete due diligence. I have confidence that Dr. Scarborough's well-documented business acumen would cause him to demand a full accounting of all aspects of a business arrangement before signing his name on any contract. His stated lack of belief that UA will win the final bid suggests that he already understands that UA cannot do so with advantageous terms. So, to me, this is a dead issue. On the other hand, I expect in the future that Dr. Scarborough will consider many other potential business arrangements along similar lines. It's likely that none of these other potential income generators for UA will involve a threat to the Zips soccer field. So as time goes on we'll see if the same level of alarm is raised over future exploratory discussions.

After thoroughly vetting and dictating unquestionable solutions to the pressing issues of incompetence at UA's executive level and conceit in U.S. professional sports, may I humbly suggest that some of this boundless energy, laser-like focus and limitless supply of points and counterpoints be directed at the spreading Ebola epidemic, continuing conflict in the Mideast and global warming.

When world championships were first created in professional baseball, basketball and football, the rest of the world wasn't even playing these sports at a professional level. All the best teams in the world were in the U.S., so whoever won the championship in the U.S. was, by definition, world champion by virtue of being best in the world. Over the years other countries have begun taking up the challenge of fielding professional leagues in these sports, and when they're good enough they will earn a chance to challenge. Until then, the best U.S. professional team is world champion (best in the world) in each of those three sports.

Tidbits pulled from various sites around the internet: An undersized but strong PF with good fundamentals who (like Tree) goes after rebounds with ferocity. Grabbed 29 rebounds while scoring 24 points in one HS game last season. Has been working on improving his shooting and shot nearly 60% from the field this year in the Under Armour Grassroots Basketball Circuit. High quality video on Vimeo.

That's odd. I thought you approved earlier in the thread when I said I understand the concern of Zips soccer fans and that no one should want to compromise the potential of UA's only national championship-winning athletic team. Maybe you thought that was my Good Twin and I'm the Evil Twin. What I'm astonished and amused by is the continuing full-scale assault, to the point of engaging the ABJ editorial page editor, on something that's not going to happen. The President of the University of Akron told you so to your face. Open warfare between various UA factions is not productive and not necessary.

OMG, Michael Douglas, the ABJ editorial page editor actually wrote the following: I am in total awe of whoever sold this to the ABJ editorial page editor. A quarter of a million dollars and two to three years to restore a grass field in the first country to land men on the moon. Absolutely stunning.

I'd say that the odds of at least one local leader not getting bent out of shape over some element of a major proposal affecting the entire Akron area would be about the same as a post on ZN.o not getting at least one other forum member bent out of shape. I can't imagine UA or any other single entity putting together a major proposal on a tight deadline without some awkward wording slipping through and raising the hackles of someone. These things tend to blow over, so I don't think it's that big a deal in the overall scheme of things.

Zip_ME87, you've obviously put some time and effort into doing this the right way, and I commend you for the way you've gone about it with UA. I won't try to address all of your points and answer all of your questions, but I'll comment on a few of them. Most or all of the data in an active competitive bid process could be considered "trade secrets" based on the case laws cited in the response. Our uneducated opinions are pretty irrelevant on that. You'd need to consult an attorney with experience in that area for an educated opinion. It likely comes down to fine legal technicalities. The request from the Browns may have been for a preliminary bid that did not require all details to be provided in the initial bid. The Browns may have stipulated that once finalists were selected that details would be negotiated on an individual basis depending on final disposition of exactly what facilities and fields might be used. The above point is supported by UA's letter to entities requesting support for the concept of moving the Browns training camp to the Akron area. Specifically, the letter states that time is short because the Browns established an Aug. 15 deadline for submitting bids. Therefore, it's unrealistic to expect UA to produce more than 2 weeks of analysis when they were only given 2 weeks to submit an initial bid. It makes sense not to provide details that you haven't had time to thoroughly analyze due to the short deadline with the understanding that these would be negotiated to the satisfaction of both parties at a later date. Should both sides not be able to negotiate a mutually beneficial final agreement, UA would be free to withdraw its preliminary bid. You are correct not to name a private source without that source's express permission. It's a cardinal rule of professional journalism, and is a good ethical rule for all to follow. Violating the confidence of a private source results in loss of confidence and trust in one's character. The other side of the coin is that some people try to bluff that they have a solid source who they can't name. If you get caught in that, you also lose confidence and trust from others. I have no reason to doubt that you are being honest about having a good source. What neither you nor anyone else can really tell is if you are being fed only information that suits one agenda. That's why good journalists rely on multiple sources to get the whole story. I suspect the Browns have probably received more unsolicited offers than just the publicized one from Columbus. There may be a surprising number of both public and private entities who believe they can make a strong economic case for hosting Browns training camp. In that heated bidding atmosphere, it's likely that the Browns would be negotiating from a position of power and might make greater demands that would lessen the value that UA and Akron might otherwise get out of the deal. Reading between the lines from your discussion with Dr. Scarborough, he likely has access to more detailed feedback. His reputation for having a strong business acumen would lead him to the conclusion that UA should not and would not enter into a disadvantageous business arrangement with the Browns.

Dr. Scarborough seems like a solid source. For me that pretty much ends any relevancy to further discussion of the topic. Anyway I'm pretty sure Zips soccer fans would rather spend their time discussing the promise shown in the team's 3-0 shutout of Tulsa.

Marshall came well prepared, but they didn't have to based on the way the Zips are playing. Zips can still be a good MAC team with even a small improvement over today's play.

Zips seem determined to make me leave early.

Marshall may be good, but the Zips are making them look like national champs.

Really slow start. Hope the Zips haven't regressed.

They made the request to Can't on Sept. 10 and to UA on Sept. 12 after not receiving a response from Can't.

Only if you insert their names in place of Marshall's in the original statement in the story about the Marshall game, which neither GT nor anyone else of sane mind ever imagined doing.

Good investigative reporting.

Welcome to ZipsNation. Great to have another Zips basketball fan onboard. Coach Dambrot and his assistants are pretty open in discussing many subjects, but not recruiting because they're not allowed to talk about that. Most of the clues on future recruiting classes come from outside sources. I've found one of the best to be Verbal Commits. It's not always 100% accurate, but neither are any of the other sources. Verbal Commits currently lists 1 verbal commit (Josh Williams) and 8 other possible recruits for the 2 available scholarships under the 2015 recruiting class on their Zips page at this link.

GP1, are you speaking with the experience of having grown up as a white suburban kid in a higher than average socioeconomic class? Over the years I've known many who have and are not bad at handling adversity. You probably have, too. Under thoughtful consideration stereotyping tends to fall apart.

Thanks for taking my comment in the right spirit. A good sense of humor is important for getting through trying times. And thanks to fknbuflobo for the technical comparison of pristine football vs. futbol turf. It helps everyone understand that there is a legitimate concern to be considered when weighing the benefits of the total package.

I would expect a high-character college head coach to evaluate each instance as a separate, individual situation, each with at least slightly different circumstances, level of severity and likelihood of rehabilitation. Fairly, honestly and objectively evaluate each case and try to do the best thing for all parties involved. Don't just wink and nod and say the best thing is to excuse the inexcusable because it will help produce more wins. I think Coach Bowden passes that test.

Anyone else remember Kenneth van Kempen, the 6-10 Dutchman who played for OU from 2006-2010? He turned pro and has been playing in the Dutch Basketball League. This is his latest tweet:

Columbus will gladly take anything it can from any other area of Ohio where the citizens don't value something enough to fight for it. Perhaps there are agents representing Columbus right here on this forum trying to make the case that Akron and UA should give up on trying to attract the Browns and let them go to Columbus where their presence will be better appreciated. But seriously, if the Browns have a goal of attracting more fans throughout Ohio, their best course would be to move the training camp every few years to different regions of the state on a rotating basis. Even if they agreed to UA's offer and came to Akron next season, I suspect it would only be for a couple of years and then they'd move on as they have before.