Big Zip

Inches is a QB sneak not a run -- WTF!

This game shouldn't be this close - BSU shouldn't be beating this team. Akron has been quite disappointing this year. If I here that damn insulting italian pepsi commercial again -- I might be sick.

maybewhat we really need is winters calling plays

Racer that is a piss poor excuse not to pull a guy not doing his job. It's like Crennel's non vote of confidence in Dilfer this week -- I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. What the hell does that mean.

The team you saw at the beginning of the season you saw was a mirage. Why Getsy continues to play for this team is beyond me. You can't possibly tell me you shouldn't give someone else a shot at this point. There is a reason why Getsy isn't at Pittsburgh and it wasn't because he was cheated out of a starting position.

For all the Owens bashing that went on here -- his teams were never shut out at home and I'd argue never shut out by a winless team I may be wrong. The real question is what is wrong with this team. Don't give me rebuilding either. It appears more and more -- others (except Can't) -- are moving forward and Akron has decided to turn around and head the other way.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to make it to a game this year as my wife an I welcomed our first child into the world a few weeks ago, but from listening to the game I would say JD was severly oucoached and Getsy played poorly. Mind you my view of the game is Frank Stams' view, but Frank seemed to think Getsy was pretty jittery in the back field and wasn't waiting long enough to get rid of the ball -- he was trying to avoid the sack and the expense of the play. Interesting that GP1 brings up the CMU coach being a winner -- Stams mentioned it about a 1,000 times last night. It's an interesting concept to hire a guy who has coached before instead of someone getting their first crack at it. Not to say hiring JD was a bad decision, but one thing about CMU that hasn't krept into a line of reasoning yet is -- where did this team come from? This team was far worse off than Akron prior to their coaches arrival -- yet he seems to have turned this team around overnight. This is something that seems to happen in the MAC more often than nought, but Akron never seems to get on that bus. What I'm afraid of? There appears to be another changing of the guard in the MAC and the Zips seem to be standing around with their thumbs up their proverbial asses watching others rise to the top -- forgetting their turn is up to them to take. Hope this game wasn't a precursor of things to come -- being a fan of NE Ohio sports sucks. Every team in this region hurts you -- year in and year out. You wonder why people root for the Buckeyes in NE Ohio -- because they win and are competitive annually --- people in this area only have one team that provides them with that. This is why the folks didn't want to go to Indians games this year and look what they've done -- proved everyone right.

Chase had an amazing hit on a kick off he absolutely planted a guy and they mentioned he was a rookie from Akron.

I think after two weeks of Pitt football we are finding out they were way overrated or Dave Wannestedt is that bad. As much as I hope the Zips can get their first big OOC today -- I can't see it happening. On the flip side September 8, 2007, at the shoe with all the freshman on the two deep getting playing team and another excellent recruiting class or two -- I wouldn't big angry if we got the first then. It'll most likely be a first time QB for the Bucks that day and an extremely experienced Zips team. It's way far down the line, but I'm already thinking about that game.

Chase wasn't good enough for my Browns -- what a mistake, but was one of three undrafted free agents to make the Giants. In fact, the Giants website has a poll asking which undrafted free agent have you been most impressed with this offseason -- Chase is second with 39% of the vote. www.giants.com I remember a few folks on her talking about how slow he was...he must have some amazing instincts to be a slow linebacker make an NFL team.

Even more interesting to me was last Saturday morning at the west side market -- I wore a Zips t-shirt to do some shopping and as I walked around the shops one guy walked past me a said Go Zips and then less than a minute later I saw another guy with an Akron Zips t-shirt with the kangaroo who gave me the head nod.

I think Parker already stayed too long in this job. I've said for years -- playing your home meets at Firestone should have been enough to attract top talent. Herb Page is successful and he doesn't have anything with reputation or prestige of Firestone....they have him. It sounded to me like Parker never coached a team prior to this....that seems like a bad move. I hope the new coach has some experience when he get here instead of learning on the job.

Harris had no. 7 until this morning -- I'm sure Charlie could have had 5 if he wanted, but if you watched his press conference at the Browns facility he was adamant about just give me a number and the ball -- the number doesn't mean anything to him.

Mini camp starts today and according to the Browns website Charlie will be wearing number nine in the pros. I'll be sure to have my number nine jersey before the first preseason game -- sporting it in the pit tailgating section south of the stadium west of west third.

Akron's Frye on the front burner Charlie Frye The Packers have taken a liking to the third-best quarterback prospect in this year's draft By Todd McMahon News-Chronicle The needs are obviously greater on defense, yet the Green Bay Packers could find it tough resisting the want 18 days from now. University of Akron quarterback Charlie Frye is firmly entrenched on the team's draft radar. Frye's agent, Eric Metz, said Monday that Packers officials came away "very impressed" with his client's latest workout in front of NFL scouts. College scouting director John Dorsey and offensive coordinator Tom Rossley were among those keeping tabs on Frye at the Akron pro day Friday in Ohio. "They know him as well as they can anybody (in this year's draft class)," Metz said of the heavy interest the Packers seemingly have taken in Frye. After all, they first became acquainted with Frye in late January at the Senior Bowl, in which Frye earned MVP honors. Acquaintances were renewed with the rising prospect a month later at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Although the Packers haven't arranged for Frye to come to Green Bay for a pre-draft visit, there's a sentiment in league circles that they will use their first-round draft pick on him and, thus, anoint him Brett Favre's heir apparent. The 35-year-old Favre is returning for next season, but there's no commitment beyond that. The Packers have the 24th selection in the draft that starts April 23. Frye, regarded as the No. 3 quarterback in this year's class by most draft experts behind California's Aaron Rodgers and Utah's Alex Smith, should be available for the taking at that point. Metz reckons Frye will be grabbed in the latter part of the first round. If he were to last until the second round, it's iffy Frye would be on the board when the Packers make two picks at Nos. 51 and 58. Frye had an audience of 11 teams Friday. Metz said Cleveland and Miami are among a handful of teams that will be entertaining Frye for visits the next couple weeks. First-year Browns general manager Phil Savage has spoken glowingly of the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Frye, whose refined skills and innate durability remind some of Favre. To wit, Savage talked with Frye after watching game film of him Friday and extended this compliment: "He said, 'Of the big three (quarterbacks in the draft), you're the best one on tape,'" Metz related.

from espn.com In an alternate universe, Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon returned to Connecticut for their senior years. In an alternate universe, Carmelo Anthony is a junior All-American at Syracuse. In an alternate universe, Amare Stoudemire and Dajuan Wagner are a lethal one-two scoring punch for Memphis. In an alternate universe, Luol Deng is still at Duke and he's been joined by freshmen Dwight Howard and Shaun Livingston. In an alternate universe, the NBA has an age restriction and all high school phenoms go to college – and stay for four years. In an alternate universe, this is what happens ... SWEET SIXTEEN CHICAGO REGIONAL No. 1 seed Syracuse vs. No. 5 seed Akron Syracuse lineup: Josh Pace (Sr.), Gerry McNamara (Jr.), Carmelo Anthony (Jr.), Hakim Warrick (Sr.), Craig Forth (Sr.) Akron lineup: LeBron James (So.) and four other guys LeBron's college eligibility was in question following his Hummer incident in high school, which scared off all the big schools. But he enrolled at hometown Akron and led the Zips to an undefeated season. Angry at getting a No. 5 seed, the Zips take it out on the Orange with a 76-71 upset, as LeBron scores 36 points, just below his season average, and holds Anthony to just 12. No. 2 seed Illinois vs. No. 3 seed Arizona Illinois lineup: Deron Williams (Jr.), Dee Brown (Jr.), Luther Head (Sr.), Roger Powell (Sr.), James Augustine (Jr.) Arizona lineup: Salim Stoudamire (Sr.), Hassan Adams (Jr.), Andre Iguodala (Jr.), Ivan Radenovic (So.), Channing Frye (Sr.) Despite playing before a raucous home crowd in Chicago, the Illini fall behind by 15 points with four minutes left. However, Arizona coach Lute Olson keeps a fatigued Salim Stoudamire on Deron Williams, who suddenly nails three 3-pointers as the Illini miraculously send the game into OT. With Illinois clinging to a 90-89 lead, Arizona gets the last possession. The Wildcats clear it out for Hassan Adams, but he can't find his way to the hoop, and throws up a desperation shot ... which is grabbed out of the air by a skywalking Andre Iguodala, who slams it home at the buzzer for the game-winner. ALBUQUERQUE REGIONAL No. 1 seed Connecticut vs. No. 4 seed UCLA UConn lineup: Ben Gordon (Sr.), Marcus Williams (So.), Charlie Villanueva (So.), Josh Boone (So.), Emeka Okafor (Sr.) UCLA lineup: Jordan Farmar (Fr.), Arron Afflalo (Fr.), Trevor Ariza (So.), Dijon Thompson (Sr.), Tyson Chandler (Sr.) Billed as a battle of UConn's big frontcourt vs. UCLA's 7-1 senior star Tyson Chandler, who led the Pac-10 in scoring, Ben Gordon steals the show, schooling the young UCLA backcourt for 32 points as UConn rolls 83-70. No. 2 seed Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 seed DePaul Georgia Tech lineup: Will Bynum (Sr.), BJ Elder (Sr.), Jarrett Jack (Jr.), Chris Bosh (Jr.), Luke Schenscher (So.) DePaul lineup: Sammy Mejia (So.), Drake Diener (Sr.), Dorell Wright (Fr.), Quemont Greer (Sr.), Eddy Curry (Sr.) DePaul's senior man-child, Eddy Curry, was unstoppable during the season, recording eight 20-20 games, and he and Tech's big guy, Chris Bosh, go at it in a memorable one-on-one scoring duel. Bosh is quicker and finishes with 41, while Curry bulls his way to 36. But it's not enough and when Curry fouls out, Tech's guard play proves the difference in an 83-79 victory. SYRACUSE REGIONAL No. 1 seed North Carolina vs. No. 4 seed Wisconsin North Carolina lineup: Raymond Felton (Jr.), Rashad McCants (Jr.), J.R. Smith (Fr.), Jawad Williams (Sr.), Sean May (Jr.) Wisconsin lineup: Devin Harris (Sr.), Sharif Chambliss (Sr.), Zach Morley (Sr.), Alando Tucker (So.), Mike Wilkinson (Sr.) The Tar Heels lost only three games all year – all to the mighty, undefeated Duke Blue Devils – and enter as 14-point favorites over the Badgers. Wisconsin slows the game down and neither team gets into an offensive rhythm, as it's tied 16-16 at halftime. Carolina scoots out to a second-half lead, but after Raymond Felton fouls out, Devin Harris starts heating up and the Badgers take a 39-38 lead. Sean May's last-second shot rims out and the Badgers head to the Elite Eight. After the game, Roy Williams resigns to take over the head coaching job at T.C. Robertson High School in Asheville, N.C., saying, "I've always wanted to coach at the school I graduated from." No. 2 seed Memphis vs. No. 3 seed Mississippi State Memphis lineup: Darius Washington (Fr.), Dajuan Wagner (Sr.), Rodney Carney (Jr.), Kendrick Perkins (So.), Amare Stoudemire (Jr.) Mississippi State lineup: Gary Ervin (So.), Winsome Frazier (Sr.), Travis Outlaw (So.), Lawrence Roberts (Sr.), Al Jefferson (Fr.) Led by Dajuan Wagner and Amare Stoudemire, who each averaged over 30 points per game, the high-flying Tigers led the nation in scoring. This game brings back memories of the infamous Houston-Louisville game from the 1983 Final Four, with huge dunks all over the place. Stoudemire goes for 47, including an alley-oop slam at the buzzer, his 15th dunk of the night, as Memphis advances 105-103. AUSTIN REGIONAL No. 1 seed Duke vs. No. 5 seed Michigan State Duke lineup: Shaun Livingston (Fr.), J.J. Redick (Jr.), Luol Deng (So.), Shelden Williams (Jr.), Dwight Howard (Fr.) Michigan State lineup: Maurice Ager (Jr.), Chris Hill (Sr.), Shannon Brown (So.), Alan Anderson (Sr.), Paul Davis (Jr.) Many college hoops experts are calling this Duke squad one of the greatest of all time, after the Blue Devils completed a perfect regular season and routed Carolina by 17 in the ACC Tournament title game. With Shaun Livingston running the point, J.J. Redick nailing long-range 3's, Shelden Williams and Dwight Howard dominating the paint and Luol Deng running the wing, the Devils rout the Spartans, 104-67. Duke is so dominant that Coach K leaves during halftime to film a Burger King commercial with Hootie and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. No. 2 seed Louisville vs. No. 3 seed Texas Louisville lineup: Sebastian Telfair (Fr.), Taquan Dean (Jr.), Francisco Garcia (Jr.), Ellis Myles (Sr.), Juan Palacios (Fr.) Texas lineup: T.J. Ford (Sr.), Daniel Gibson (Fr.), P.J. Tucker (So.), Brad Buckman (Jr.), Jason Klotz (Sr.) Before the game, Texas senior guard T.J. Ford claims he's "quicker and faster" than his freshman counterpart Sebastian Telfair, who laughs and says, "I play against quicker guys than Ford every day back at Coney Island." Ford schools the rookie for 27 points and 13 assists while Louisville hoists 52 3-pointers. The Longhorns hold on, 93-91, when Rick Pitino calls for the Cardinals to dump it inside on the final play and the Cardinals fail to get a shot off. "That play always worked when I was with the Celtics," Pitino claims afterwards. ELITE EIGHT No. 5 seed Akron vs. No. 3 seed Arizona The magical Akron ride continues to the Final Four as Arizona plays another OT thriller, but comes up on the short end this time. Lute Olson keeps the smaller Salim Stoudamire on LeBron the entire game and LeBron goes for 49 points and 16 rebounds. After LeBron drives the lane for a 85-84 lead, Arizona has a final possession and the Wildcats clear out for Adams, even though Channing Frye has dominated the paint all game. Adams seems surprised when LeBron shifts to him and can do nothing but throw up a desperation shot that falls short. No. 1 seed Connecticut vs. No. 2 seed Georgia Tech Okafor and Bosh duel in the paint to 29 points apiece, but the Huskies advance to the Final Four as Gordon drains seven 3-pointers, including two in the final minute as UConn survives 76-73. After the game, Jim Calhoun says his team was motivated after seeing the UConn women lose in their tournament. "We really wanted to stick it to Geno and rub it in his face by making the Final Four while his team choked." No. 4 seed Wisconsin vs. No. 2 seed Memphis Amare Stoudemire is unstoppable inside, going for 35 points and seven dunks. Dajuan Wagner is unstoppable on the break, scoring 26. Kendrick Perkins clogs up the middle on D. The Tigers cruise, 86-61, despite the Badgers' attempts to slow the game down. ESPN.com columnist Pat Forde writes, "Good thing Wisconsin lost. That would have been the worst thing for college basketball since they outlawed the dunk." No. 1 seed Duke vs. No. 3 seed Texas Coach K misses the game while filming another commercial (something about how "a coach is like a McGriddle," but he's not needed as the Devils roll, 98-75. Redick scores 30 points on 10 3-pointers while Howard scores 22 and grabs 19 boards. FINAL FOUR No. 5 seed Akron vs. No. 1 seed Connecticut The underdog Zips are the fan favorite, but UConn jumps to a 16-point halftime lead. But when Okafor picks up his fourth foul early in the second half, Calhoun sits him and Akron slowly claws back, behind LeBron, of course. By the time Okafor re-enters with four minutes left, Akron leads 76-68. The Zips hit their free throws, LeBron finishes with 52 points and Akron wins 86-83 when Gordon's 3-pointer falls short at the buzzer. No. 2 seed Memphis vs. No. 1 seed Duke In a battle of big men, Stoudemire goes for 43 points and 24 rebounds, while Howard scores 26 points and grabs 25 boards. Wagner drains eight 3-pointers, but Redick matches him. Luol Deng is the one guy Memphis can't match as he goes 12 for 12 from the floor, including a 15-footer at the buzzer as Duke wins 114-112. Coach K thanks Deng for his "senior leadership" after the game. When reminded that Deng is just a sophomore, Coach K admits, "Maybe I need to spend more time with the team." CHAMPIONSHIP No. 5 seed Akron vs. No. 1 seed Duke The country hasn't been this hyped for a title game since Larry Bird's Indiana State squad met Magic Johnson's Michigan State team in 1979. Both teams are undefeated. Duke is being billed as the greatest team of all time, while LeBron is drawing comparisons to Bird himself. The game doesn't disappoint. LeBron throws down four monster jams in the opening three minutes. Freshmen sensations Livingston and Howard match that with four alley-oop jams of their own. LeBron nails four 3-pointers early in the second half. Redick matches that with four of his own. The game goes back and forth, with neither team leading by more than four points. Deng hits a running jumper in the key with 14 seconds left to give Duke a 93-92 lead. Akron inbounds the ball to LeBron. The Zips clear out. Livingston and Deng double-team the sophomore. He spins away at the top of the key as the clock winds down. Howard and Shelden Williams converge, LeBron takes off from just inside the free-throw line, Howard goes up for the block ... and LeBron dishes an amazing behind-the-back pass to his old high school teammate, Romeo Travis, who lays it in at the buzzer. Akron wins! Mighty Duke goes down! LeBron finishes with 61 points. Dick Vitale calls it the greatest individual performance of all time. Yes, it was quite a tournament in the alternate universe. But you know what? The NBA can have LeBron and Amare and all the rest. I'll take the real universe. Because it's been something to watch.

This mornings Miami Herald......Rumor has it Miami may gobble him up before Cleveland in round two. DOLPHINS NOTEBOOK Akron QB auditions BY ARMANDO SALGUER0 asalguero@herald.com Dolphins coaches and scouts are making their rounds, interviewing and working out college talent. The team worked out Akron quarterback Charlie Frye on Thursday, a private session that included receiver Nick Sparks, according to Next Level Scouting. Sparks is a 6-3, 210-pounder who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.55.

I was at the U today and the team was practicing outside on the fields near shrank. So, perhaps they'll practice outside weather permitting. Saw a db wearing No. 5 -- that was odd to see.

NIT give a home game to San Francisco. A school that finished 16-13 with a losing record in their conference 6-8. What got them in you ask -- 2 big wins one against Gonzaga and one against Pacific. The same thing that got San Fran in kept us out -- games against Mount Union instead of someone who would look good on our record. We had this conversation earlier -- the OOC schedule this year was terrible. I hope it's better next year.

as I watch Ohio make it to the MAC Championship game why it couldn't have been Akron. It's kind of funny -- you read every year how this is this teams first shot at the post season and how we're just happy to be here, but some teams seem to come through in the clutch. Some teams, fans, sports writers etc. seem to like to use the excuse we're young. If you look at OU's top scorers top 5 ar 2 FR, 1 SO, 1 JR, and 1 SR. Akron has 1 FR, 2 SO (excluding Jeremiah), 1 Jr., and 1 SR. OU seems younger than us and they are still playing -- how disappointing. Thinking back to Thursday -- I still wonder what Daryl Peterson did to get in KD's dog house. How can your All-MAC Honorable Mention and leading score play 11 minutes in the most important game of the year? I know this board is a McFadden love fest, but if you are going to play the hot hand -- it wasn't him. Before he made that three pointer late in the game he couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. I truly believe 34 minutes to McFadden and 11 minutes to Peterson was the difference in this game. If you were Peterson would you return to Akron next year? I would imagine if he didn't have to sit out another year he might just leave. I know everyone wants to blame the rebounding, but the fact is this team was up and went in to OT getting beat to death on the boards. All they needed was 1 more point in regulation to advance. As has been noted here before their are no big men on their way next year and we can only hope Wood returns to his old form (a tough task indeed) Payne was never the same after his surgery. We need to hope the offense moves around drives to the basket to open the outside and stop people from playing us so tght outside -- otherwise it is going to be tough to get better. My final musing relates to Quade Milum....was 108 minutes worth giving up the guys redshirt season? 9.3% of the season he played 108 of a possible 1160 minutes. Does anyone else think this was a DH recruit -- KD doesn't want taking up a roster spot for longer than he has to? If you really wanted could you have split his 4.7 minutes between Futch, Preston, Myers and Peterson -- 1.2 minutes each? If you remove the Marshall, C. Michigan and OU games his minutes drop to 64. Just dumping my bucket......wondering if anyone agrees.

Dambrodt beaten out by Charlie Coles -- man is that terrible. Akron finishes one game behind Miami when they were picked to be bad and Coles gets the award? Congratulations to Romeo (All-MAC Second Team) -- only underclassman to be selected to the first or second team All-MAC. Peterson names honorable mention -- would be nice for them both to get the nod as First Teams in 2006. If they take another step forward and Wood bounces back -- could you see three first Team all MAC players at Akron in 2006?

They have plenty of meeting facilities within the GUND that wouldn't have required a trip outside the building. I thought Can't's place was Flannery's.

I would say my dad uses the word subjective more in the sense that -- there is absolutely no consistency in basketball from one possesion to the next or one game to the next. The rule book is pretty definitive (I think) that this is not a contact sport, but sometimes there is more contact than basketball. I heard Jim Boeheim on PTI last week talk about he believes there is more contact allowed in the NCAA than in the NBA. To the extent I agree with my dad - my biggest problem comes when a player like Futch stands in the middle straight up and down -- a player jumps into him and Futch gets called for a foul. This whether it is Akron or the Utah Jazz happens every game dozens of times and it makes not sense to me. Not to mention the walking with the ball, the carrying of the ball etc. As I mentioned in a previous post -- when a person says he's never going to get that call he's a rookie or he's a freshman -- there is something inherently wrong there. NO, if it is a foul you shouldn't have to be a veteran or senior to get the call. As far as comparing it to football or baseball -- baseball strike zones are just stupid. Football the penalties are often harder to see with 22 men on the field than 10 on the court. With being so close and so few players -- it might just make them that much more visible. Got my tickets for tomorrow night - looking forward to a great game. Go Zips! Hey mods what is the chance we can get a smiley face with a stick for every MAC team so we can use the appropriate one week in and week out?

Don't be an asshole -- Mr. calling people out before the last home game and saying we weren't real fans because we weren't responding to your junk - then you sit at home and watch it on TV. I tried to point out to you it wasn't this game in general -- but officiating ruins basketball. If you are going to tell me you enjoy the officiating in the MAC - then apparently you don't watch any games. I said it was poor shooting that lost the game and throwing the ball away. Read the hole post before you blast other people with your ignorant dribble. Why else would you watch a game and an announcer say things like he's a rookie he's never going to get that call? Get that call -- a foul is a foul -- there is no this guy gets these fouls and these guys don't.

and why I'm giving his view more and more thought. I'm not going to blame this game on anyone -- the Zips shot horribly and nothing seem to go down. Not to mention they threw the ball away throughout the second half. My dad on the other hand can't stand basketball because it is such a subjective game. The referees call the game so incredibly subjectively they make the game nearly unwatchable. My dad likens it to ice skating and consistently says its no different than ice skating -- three guys on the court decide the game nearly every night. At one point today the refs actually told Cedric Middleton not to cover Turner Battle to close -- what the hell was that? It's really quite disgusting. The call what they want -- a guy jumps into another guy and the guy jumping into the guy gets the foul. A guy stands flat footed hands straight in the air -- the guy with the ball bounces into him and they call the foul against the guy standing there. My dad wonders at what point will they have judges on the sidelines to judge the shot -- giving the people different numbers of point for different shots -- depending on skill and other subjective things. It really is a terrible game when the officials are involved. I know a lot of people will say this is the result of today's game -- this has been my dad's opinion for years and can hardly watch the game. My dad has been right about a lot of things all my life and I'm afraid this may be another one I'll have to chalk up to his wisdom. I can only hope things get better someday and the basketball is actually decided on the floor. What a painful game to watch. Can't still sucks!