UA Fan

Don't know if this was mentioned on here before...I've been majorly distracted from UA & Zips news for quite a while now, but... I did make it back to campus recently and was amazed to see the new McDonalds on Exchange across from LJF already finished and open for business, and with some anticipated Zips decor, such as: 1) A very cool, large mosaic Zippy mural right inside the door. Very well done, I wonder who created it. 2) Large planters outside along Exch. St. with campus scenes painted on them. Also well done. 3) A stainless steel, slightly abstract kangaroo statue on a pedastal, also outside facing LJF. This had been projected a while back, but isn't quite what I had imagined. I highly recomment you stop by and check it out when you get a chance. The old McD's has been razed and it appears the University has acquired the site as evidenced by a U of A sign there. Can't wait till they start the new townhomes and dorms along Exchange. They will really bring a much needed change of scenery there. In other campus construction news, I see the Guzetta project is underway. A large area on the east side is fenced off. I was surprised how much space is there for expansion. I still don't have much of a feel for what it's going to look like but will be fun to watch it take shape over the next year. Has anyone been by the new Medina campus site? Anything going on there yet?

http://www.collegesports.com/sports/m-foot.../031405aam.html as well as all 15 spring practices. makes sense, i suppose...spring drills are for refining the system and fundamental skills development without dealing with inclement weather. I hadn't thought about the fieldhouse being a big asset for spring ball but yeah, why not? I seem to remember a pretty good crowd at the bowl for last years spring game. Would they have all fit inside the fieldhouse? It could be a tough ticket this year.

http://www.vindy.com/basic/sports/347241035382560.php

According to the Sporting News NFL Draft issue (mock draft) on newstands now. Works for me. It would make a lot of Clevelanders take note and appreciate Akron Zips football if #5 becomes their starter. Nobody's giving CF much chance of being selected in Round 1 and I don't think the Brownies would pass him over in the 2nd round. Green Bay may have to look elsewhere for their next Brett Favre.

We have progressed to the very fringe of postseason play in football and basketball. The name Akron is now being bandied about by the selection committees. Our conference rivals are making it in largely by virtue of their hard-fought wins over us and when they lose to us it doesn't count heavily against them. When we narrow the rushing yardage and rebounding deficits a little more it will be us instead of them. We have the right people in place and if we just keep working hard UA Athletics will soon be transformed, in my humble opinion. 5 months til football season, and time does fly.

I'm gonna guess sofa infernos will be frowned upon at the new residence hall This is the way to get rid of the dumpy old Spicertown houses. Build a better alternative, close to campus so the students move away from the junk houses which then lose their value and get bought up by the U. Voila, less eyesores and more space for new stadium & parking/tailgating.

Check it out...sounds nice. http://www.buchtelite.com/2005/0310/news_01.shtml

DTMZF: I had seen your earlier post including this link but maybe hadn't taken time to check it out and in any case forgot about it. Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder & I appreciate everyone's efforts in posting news as they find it. These message boards are a great information clearinghouse. Go Zips!

Good catch CK. I wonder who the other "heavy courtships" were with. He did alright but it's hard to get too excited about the Aints. From Fox: Smith had tremendous interest as free agency began to approach but an incident two weeks ago in which Smith was arrested for brandishing a pellet gun severely hurt his stock. However, despite the trouble Smith is an extremely valuable defensive back who can play safety or cornerback effectively. In addition, he brings a tough attitude that others on the Bucs respected. Smith has played in all but one game during his four-year career and has picked off 12 passes over the previous three seasons. During his rookie year he even returned 16 kicks for a 22-yard average. Last season according to NFL.com stats he had an impressive 83 tackles. Smith had interest from several teams but his recent arrest curtailed heavy courtships. However, the Saints investigated the incident and showed enough faith in Smith to bring him into the fold.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/TSXCharlieFrye.PDF (you may need to scroll up to top of page after you click the link) Competitiveness 1.1 He is the classic fan favorite with Brett Favre toughness and mentality. He is the type that will initiate contact on defenders and will not hesitate to get into the face of an opponent. He is an aggressive playmaker who will sacrifice his body and play with reckless abandon (much like Favre in the early years) to make the play. Frye proved in 2002 that he could play with pain (broken thumb) and just keeps attacking the defenses, even when he knows he is drastically outnumbered.

Not to mention that the timing of this incident couldn't be worse...he is about to go on the free agent market having had success at TB. Now he's giving himself off the field character issues and downgrading his own value to other teams. However this will be more of a self defense excuse since some strangers were approaching him late at night (shouldn't he be home with his family at 4am?). Perhaps after the previous road rage gun incident he got the BB gun to show in self defense if needed thinking it wouldn't get him in as much trouble as a "real" gun. I don't think packing a BB gun is illegal but of course you're not allowed to threaten someone with it.

The actual rebounding differential was 37 (Can't State) (wow, even k*s*u gets translated ) to 21 (zips). I agree it says a lot for our team to nearly win on the road with 16 fewer possessions than the opponent. But it puts too much pressure on all the other offensive and defensive aspects of the game trying to overcome that disadvantage. The pattern is established and word is out on the street on how to beat Akron. But on the bright side we're definitely headed in the right direction, we're adding some fun to the league this year and have overachieved what anyone expected in KD's first year. And we still have a decent chance to win at least a first round MAC tournament game to set the tone for next season.

We will not win the MAC tourney giving up a difference of 18 rebounds per game. That stat makes us a poor defensive team, contrary to popular opinion. There will be no at-large bid to the NCAA this year. Now we need to focus on conference and hopefully NIT tourney experience for next year. And find some rebounders in the off-season. It's becoming a fun ride and KD will bring us back stronger next year. Congrats to Can't for now, but look out for the future.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/scouting_combine_2005 NFL Network...is that a satellite-only channel? (which I don't have) QB's will be featured this Sunday. Well, at least we can read some reports online. Good Luck CF !

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mmpoll/

Nope, no new information on the stadium. No information on whether Temple will join the MAC or what they'll do with their football program. No information on whether the MAC will expand or what schools if any are being considered. No information on what the new MAC membership criteria will be. We're currently in an information vacuum. Still 5 weeks of cold weather to go. With each passing day the sun gets a little closer to burning itself out. Patience is a virtue.

Hmm. By that statement, I can only take that to mean you don't know anything about Ohio. Just like you, we're young. Just like you, our top scorer is a junior, and the best overall player is a sophomore. We've also got two freshman that have been playing very well this year. We're also "poised to take off," and I expect Akron and Ohio to be the class of the MAC East for the next couple years. Like you said, you're injured and we're hot and incredibly hard to beat at home. You guys just lost to Can't- we beat Miami. You're coming off one day of rest after a tough overtime game while we have three days. It's going to be you that's going to need to work your butts off, because we're going to make sure you're sucking wind early and often. That said, you guys always play us tough. I know it isn't easy, but I'm fulling expecting a W. You ain't seen nothin yet. This is only the beginning.

You have hot players and a home winning streak, we have a combination of injured players and young talent that plays together as a team. You will have your hands full at home in the Convo. Get ready to work your butts off if you want to win. But mostly just be sure you get to this game because the Zips program is poised to take off and this season may be your last decent chance to see the Bobcats win against Akron. Good luck.

http://www.uakron.edu/news/articles/uamain_1164.php And a winning Respiratory Care Team http://www.uakron.edu/news/articles/uamain_1156.php But mostly what I wanted to say is Go Zips !

There were upper chairback seats added some years ago, I don't remember exactly when but they weren't all there from the beginning. It probably reduced capacity a little. The JAR has also been packed for King James and HS tourney games and we hosted the girls state finals (mighta been Regionals but I think it was State, mid-90's?). Honestly, the JAR is not even big enough for big H.S. games...building something bigger helps pay for itself by hosting more big events & concerts.

They seem to always be ready and play well against the Zips...credit that to good coaching. Danny Horace played the full 40 minutes and had 10 rebounds out of a team total of 33 compared to the Zips 18...there's your ballgame. RedHawks also shot a little better at their place which you would expect but still we got within 6 late in the game. It will be a good rematch in Akron Feb. 23.

Its kinda hard to believe the JAR is over 20 years old already. When I started at Akron there was a small fire station on that site. They wanted to build something a little bigger and nicer at the time but didn't have the funds, however, playing in Memorial Hall in the (early) 80's was the true embarrassment...its not even nice for a high school gym. Somewhere I read that Memorial and Carroll Halls are slated for replacement but that probably wouldn't be the right spot for an arena. I know they have wanted a facility big enough for commencement exercises. Figure a few thousand grads in the spring, times 3-4 guests per grad and you're at 10-12K seats, probably like a CSU Convocation Center. We really need the new football stadium first though.

Pass.

Attendance: 4,844 according to the box score. That would be a pretty full house. Was it a boisterous crowd?

http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3336522