Big Zip

Would love to see a nation gathering for the Patriot Bowl. At the Zips games there is only one place to park and it makes the decision easier, but in Cleveland the choices multiply.I've spent a good deal of time tailgating in the Pit (just south of the tracks and west of West 3rd), but my crew recently left the Pit for the top level of the Parking Deck behind the Courthouse. The location should provide an excellent view of Air Show, is a short walk into the stadium and (the big plus for those of you bringing spouses and or girlfriends) flush toilets with sinks. If you haven't been downtown for awhile -- it's a mess. I'd recommend how ever you come in make sure you're careful not to leave to late -- even a small amount of people in Cleveland causes chaotic traffic. The lot is located essentially at the corner of West 3rd and off Lakeside. If you get off at East 9th Street take it North to Superior and turn left. The turn right on West Third (just through Public Square). Take this down to Lakeside and turn right and then an immediate left into the roof top parking. Don't go below. The corner of West 3rd and Lakeside is where the Jesse Owens memorial.I suspecting the muni-lot will be full with Air Show parking, but can almost guarantee this lot will be available for us to take over. Who wants to suggest a time -- would love to see everyone down there.

He predicted we'd be 9-3 last year before the team crapped down their leg.

Why does it have to be about professional sports -- it can be about individuals within professional sports. It actually can be about certain agents.Some folks on this board will be the first to tell you Frye is a stiff (GP1) and they'd better hurry up and sign Quinn, but I'd like to see what Frye can do with the added talent around him this year.

What makes anyone think Mack had anything to do with this stadium? You think this just started getting planned when he got here? Get real.

CK I always enjoy reading your posts, but you can't be serious that everything is going to go right. Your post presupposes all the dominoes fall the way of the Zips -- they rarely fall our way even once and now they are all going to come together?Here's to hoping your vision for the perfect storm comes to fruition. Do us all a favor and post this on the front page of the nation so we can keep score of your predictions through the season. It's about time that page was changed.

I'd love to believe this team is going to play great and contend for the conference championship. How about instead of blasting the pre-season publications, which I'm inclined to agree with, and put together some coherent argument for why I should think we got better than Can't by losing our offensive line, starting QB, and best WR. Not to mention the guts of our defensive line. Were you guys at the same Can't game I was at last year -- I was embarassed by how bad they looked. They were pathetic. They couldn't stop them and everyone in the building new the freaking play!

According to Wikipedia -- the Convocation Center Cleveland State plays in was built for $55 million in 1991. To think The University is spending that much on a football stadium 16 years later and then they would consider building a basketball stadium after that -- seems implausible. I dont' know whatever became of the plans from four or five years ago to blow out the wall facing Memorial Gym and retool the JAR. I had thought that plan would get us between 8-10,000 seats and round the arena out.

Am I missing something -- how is this team going to score? Aren't we missing almost the entire offense?

My guess is if you are invited to an NBA pre-draft camp -- the teams that play in the league (The Cavs) know who you are. do you recall a guy who played with Chicago when rodman played there --- he was rodman's caddie -- nothing more nothing less -- why can't romeo be that for the Cavs. David wesley was on the roster all year. He would have be just as helpful on the court as david wesley.

Penguins are so popular you are over hear on the Akron fan board. Go to the Penguins board -- I couldn't find it when I looked.

Indians you've missed the point of it all. This thread was started out of incessant bashing by YSU fans regarding Akron's unwillingness to play them. Their bitching about us not letting them in the MAC. This thread represents an answer to them to go away. Step up or step off and if you aren't going to play us when we offer then just shut up. Your points are valid, but I believe the value an even mediocre Div. 1 program brings to the table is bigger than a great Div. 1AA program. People know about YSU because of Ron Jaworski and Tressel more than their football program alone. If you don't win it all in Div. 1AA the chances of getting recognized are much slimmer.

Your missing the point eguins -- if all of your seats are on one side it looks great in pictures. If all of our seats were on one side our pictures would look much better too. If you are done whining about Akron blocking you from being in the MAC and us not playing you -- go back to the YSU board (do you have one?). If you want to sack up and join Div. 1 do it the hard way like Akron (independent) and sign on the dotted line to play us -- there are no excuses!

I think it's a great question. I'd love to have Andy as a coach on this team. I don't think it would be awkward either -- college coaching is what it is and if you got caught up what has happened in the past a lot of people would have trouble.I think there is another interesting question here too -- what former athletes would you like to see return to coach at Akron (assistant or other). I think it would be great to have Butchie here working with the QBs -- I know he's at Ashland, but he was fun to watch here and I think he made the most of his skills.

So he picked the same Can't team that thumped us last year. Guess what he was right last year and Can't was better than us and I'm guessing they'll thump us again this year. We lost the entire offensive line and quarterback, not to mention damn near all our receivers. This is going to be a pretty long season for us. I have no reason to believe his pick isn't legitimate and I'm sure Can't will contend for the MAC East this year. I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again. All I hear about is how great our recruiting classes are and this year will be the first real year they can prove it and I'm going with the Missouri philosophy of show me. Show me anything, but please show me a win at the Browns stadium in the opener.

eguins your stadium is nicer than ours -- I get it. Here is another thing you may want to look at the half the stadium in the picture is the stadium. When people come to Akron games if they were forced to crowd on one side of the field it would look better. When Akron made the jump to Div. 1 it was as an Independent -- don't come whining on this board about Akron keeping you out of the MAC tell your University to sack and make the jump conference affiliation or not. Quit your bitching.

Call me skeptical, but I can't imagine there isn't more to this story then we are getting. What do you say when you make a move like this -- the people at Akron shafted me? No you try not to burn any bridges. This guy was the men's coach at CSU for 14 years and one year at Akron. His aspiration was not to be an Associate to Herb Page -- something else happened here.I want an explanation -- I'm sure we won't get one.

This needs to be the end of the road for Mack! How do you let a golf coach who actually accomplished something leave to be an ASSOCIATE coach at your arch rival? Why couldn't you have put him in charge of the women's team too. What made this guy want to leave? I've been critical of Mack from time to time and he obviously overseas probably the worst marketing department in the MAC maybe school history -- now this. I've had enough -- I've been less than impressed with Mack and I'd like him to catch the Dennis Helsel shuttle to Syracuse or wherever he ended up. WTF?!

I think the key to it all is marketing the game to the alumni in the area. This can and should be an opportunity to get those folks living in and around Cleveland to a game --those that never attend in Akron.The better question is can the marketing department handle it and can they make it happen. I'm guessing they fail miserably and nothing happens to them at all.

It's simple he plays for the enemy as far as GP1 is concerned he plays for the Browns. That is what he did to GP1 -- he was drafted by the Browns.GP1 is simply a Browns hater. I've mentioned it before, a person with absolute hatred for team has credibility problems when trying to discuss objectively. On the other hand those that root for that team have the same problem. My guess is the answer regarding Charlie's ability lies some where in the middle -- closer to the his career is in his own hands and we'll see what he's made of this year. This can be a make or break year for Charlie. It will go a long way to determining if he starts in this league or is a career back-up.To your point though -- I think it would be helpful to discontinue the Charlie stories until after this year. We can then surmise about him. I don't think there is any reason to bash him in any regard. Especially to the extent GP1 does relative to his play at Akron. That I thought was something beyond question, but maybe his black and gold colored lenses have poisoned him retroactively.

I find it quite ironic that those with in the University use the same excuse for why students don't attend basketball games (commuter school) when class is in session as they do when they school is out of session. Listen if it's why they don't attend when school is in session you can't say they are too far away (essentially) to come when they are out of session for a marquee game especially.With the family pack being $120 and including tickets to the Patriot Bowl -- I can't even imagine why the University wouldn't market this as the right way to buy tickets to the Patriot Bowl. Get all the games for the price of three to the Patriot Bowl. I told this to a friend of mine at work and he asked me if it was $120 a ticket. I said "NO, for your family" he about fell off his chair. There should be signs all over town and marketing out the ass on this, but the University is shitting down their leg as usual on this.

Don't forget they also got Marcus Johnson and we lost out. I'm guessing our team can be fantastic, but as long as they are playing in the overgrown HS gym it just doesn't have the same draw of a Dayton. At Dayton you're the only game in town, the arena is nicer and the conference doesn't get screwed year in and year out. I'm guessing the arena and the fans put Dayton over the edge for both players. Since it's not technically my money -- now they we have the football stadium announcement -- when is the basketball stadium announcement. Will it be soon enough to keep KD. I know it's different, but the announcement of the new stadium and the field house -- feels a lot like when the University committed to football before and it cost them Huggins. I hope they don't forget the teams that actually win at this school.Finally, a new conference has to be the ultimate goal -- the MAC is worthless at this point. I know we haven't won anything, but I don't think Central Florida won anything before or after they got into C-USA. Which like it or not gets much more respect than the MAC in all things not just basketball

All I'm going to say about addressing the offensive line is I've stated to others numerous times that I don't think the problems with the Browns line are as bad as others have made them out to be from a talent perspective in the past. Browns offensive lineman have gone on to be solid o-lineman elsewhere. Three off the top fo my head Sean O'Hare (just signed a big free-agent contract with the Giant), Jeff Faine (alternate to the Pro-Bowl last year), and Rueben Brown left Cleveland and was the LT anchor the following year a playoff SD Charger team. The other offensive lineman in Cleveland will prove to be better than advertised when the have an o-line coach that can get them working together (my belief). Seth McKinney has the potential to be a better than average RG and Kevin Shaffer (if he can make the shift to RT) won't be protecting the blind side any longer (like he did in Atlanta and was successful -- in the ATL it was LT for the left-handed Vick). Hank Fraley is a pretty good Center too -- played many years for playoff and Super Bowl Eagles teams. I wish Bentley the best and with any luck he'll be back. On a side note if Gary Baxter is playing in the home opener (as he predicts) he maybe the toughest man on the planet.

GoZips I appreciate your enthusiasm for Charlie and feel he'll start, but to say they haven't addressed the porous offensive line puts you in the absolutely no credibility side of this argument you should have stopped while you were ahead. If you think getting the top LT in the draft and the top LG in free agency isn't addressing they porous offensive line --your high!

I often don't understand how football is even counted in the Title IX conversations. I know women don't typically play it, but they have every opportunity to if they could hold their own. Jacksonville State (I think) had a female kicker a few years back. I heard Nick Mangold talking on the radio a few weeks back and he was talking about his sister who plays o-line for his high school. She's like 5'9 310 -- that's one big girl.

Cap'n you are usually the first one to talk about the apathetic fans and the lack of vision in the fan base. You've got issues with all the folks that don't want to dream big and the people on this string are merely pointing out a big issue with JD. They are dreaming big they are dreaming of bigger schools success rates of keeping these kids active. Quit comparing JD to Owens. We discussed in another thread that we shouldn't compare him to poor coaches from the past. It's like saying I just bought a sweet Toyota Yaris and then saying well it's better than the Chevy Aveo. No more Owens comparissons that's all I ask. Tell me about Tressel or some coach we should aspire to and their track record of keeping talent.