Zipsrifle

I've seen the UA commercial that I believe aired during the Super Bowl a lot lately. I have to say, I think it is terrible. It is too busy, doesn't say or show anything. I think there are a LOT of amazing things going on at UA and the word JUST ISN'T GETTING OUT! I admit I am an NPR junkie, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of hearing about Can't State and Cleveland State. W.K.S.U. carries NPR and has many affiliate stations, so I can't really complain about this. I actually stopped listening to W.K.S.U. in favor of WCPN because, well, it's W.K.S.U. So as I listen to WCPN, all I hear about is CSU. Even when UA Professor John Green speaks at the Cleveland City Club, it isn't mentioned that he is a Professor at The University of Akron, or that the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics is an adjunct of the University of Akron Political Science Dept. Nope, he is just the Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute. I see BGSU billboards all over the place in NE Ohio and IMO, CSU really is starting to get pushed by the powers that be in Cleveland. UA needs to do a better job of promoting itself.Lets face it, UA is on it's own. The City has a love-hate relationship with UA, and it seems to me they won't go out of their way to promote UA unless it helps them in some direct way. Proenza, IMO, has done a power grab in the city and pissed a lot of people off, so UA won't get any favors. The people in Akron don't seem to care about UA and just bash it as a 2nd rate school, which I don't feel it is and we all know how hard it is to get anyone in Cleveland to recognize anything in Akron. UA has been spending money to promote itself, but I think a better job could be done.To start, the TV commercials are just too busy. They try to cram too much into the commercials and the result is that nothing gets driven home. I think they should put something together that focuses on UA strengths, even if it is only in the region. For example, Science and Technology. Obviously, UA is world leader in polymers, but who outside of those at UA know this? They are doing some cool stuff in that giant mirror in the center of campus, let others know about it! The Student Engineering Organizations are some of the best in the country! Who outiide of UA knows this? Show a video of a Race Car doing a burnout or the baja car tearing through the mud! That will get a kid's attention! I know there are other great departments at UA, but even I don't know what they are!Can we try some cheaper ways to raise UA's profile? Put up a few billboards. No, not "Detroit Roo City" billboards in DETROIT, but billboards advertising UofA as a University in the major cities throughout Ohio! Lets put a few ads on the radio, and market to HS students in Ohio on the internet. As for athletics, what's the deal with the giant banner on the side of the field house that faces a road nobody drives down? Shell out the cash to get some billboards in Cleveland, Akron, and Canton advertising the Zips. We obviously can buy a couple billboards in Detroit for the MACC and MCB, but trust me, nobody in Detroit had the slightest clue what they were for.Finally, word of mouth. Everyone that knows me knows about UA. As with all of our sports, we are the best envoys for UA in general. This is just something that has been getting under my skin since I've moved back to the area. We want UA to continue growing but we aren't doing a very good job of promoting UA.

I agree that we need to sell out the JAR. I agree the LeBron Connection is HUGE. I agree that we need to pay KD more money. These are all good points, but lets face the facts:1) We don't sell out the JAR. Winning games will continue to increase attendance. Winning a MAC Championship and going to the NCAA Tourney will do this. Unfortunately, this success will also garner offers for KD to go elsewhere.2) We already try to get money out of alumni. Why are they going to give more money? We are building a 50+ million dollar stadium and selling bricks to raise money. Are our Alumni just supposed to donate thousands of dollars a year for our athletic programs? 3) A new arena would be nice, but we don't NEED a new arena. I think the RB was a different scenario than the JAR. Either the RB was going to need 50+ million in renovation, we were going to build a new stadium, or we weren't going to play FB in Akron. Those were our choices. UofA's bond rating went down (I'm not saying it is bad, but it did go down) because of our debt. I do not think it is a wise move to borrow more money for an athletic facility that isn't urgently needed. I love the talk here about how we need to pay our coaches more money and build new facilities. I am as impressed with anyone with the changes that have happened on campus, but lets put some thought behind this folks. We've put a LOT of money into this campus in the past decade, and we need to get our house in order. Personally, I think the contract that KD got last year was sufficient, and I would only add to that if he gets us to the NCAA tourney and we win a game or two there. At this point, I think UA should focus on getting rid of some of that debt, and if it is going to add to campus, do it by improving academic facilities.

To me this seems like he just wanted to get out of Can't. This happened pretty quick, and I don't know how much money is involved, but TCU has been mediocre in recent history. 2007 - 2008 - 14 - 162006 - 2007 - 13 - 172005 - 2006 - 6 - 252004 - 2005 - 21 - 14 If there isn't a ton of money involved, then he was probably willing to take almost anything to get out of Can't. As someone mentioned on here earlier, he was looking to get out and move up. He probably felt he had peaked at Can't and they weren't going to get any better in the future. I have to say I take great joy in Can't's misery right now. Hopefully Ford runs them into the gutter.

HA! HA!

Uhhh. I think this year will probably be the LEAST excited I get about FB in about 10 years. Bain getting in the backfield simply means that whoever is the QB is going to get crushed again this year and though we've got a stable of RB, there won't be any holes for them to run through. We don't have a known quantity at WR so who knows what is going to happen there. Sounds like our secondary is suspect as well. So, it looks like we'll be good at defending the run, and everything else is an unknown. What's the deal with special teams???Time for JD to earn his cash! This is his 4th season, and he's got all of his guys and his system is established. I really hope that good things happen, but to be honest with you, I don't have high hopes.

I was hoping that there would be a store right there that you could walk into and buy zips gear, not just a counter. It looks like the counters where the food will be served are rather small and it looks like there are only 2. Have one that serves hotdogs and burgers, another that serves maybe pizza and tacos, yet another that serves maybe subs and gyros, etc. I guess I imagned maybe an area where people might sit down near the food in the hour or so before the game. I really was impressed with Ford Field, and I was hoping that it would look something like that. CBS and Jacobs Field aren't quite as inviting as Ford field. As for enclosing the visitors stands in brick,

For anyone who is interested, I dug up the design drawings on the new stadium. I didn't get through all of them, but I guess I'm just a little disappointed with what I saw. There are going to be a TON of bathrooms.....probably too many. All of that stuff about being the most fan friendly Stadium just means we'll have one crapper per person. I hope that underneath the stands, it looks nice, like Ford Field, and not like Cleveland Browns Stadium. I don't think that will be the case though. It looks like it won't have many frills. One thing that I did like, that is smart, is how on the visitors side, they will have banners that will enclose the backside of the stands, making it look a lot nicer. Enjoy!http://www3.uakron.edu/bids/conbidresults.htm

I'm as excited about the new stadium as everyone else, but in general, it seems that most Stadiums are underutilized. Infocision won't be an exception. I don't think it will have the economic impact in Akron that everyone thinks it will either. There are so many stadiums in the area that a new one won't really draw a whole lot of additional usage. It will sit empty most of the year and we'll only have FB games there what, 6 times a year (hopefully). Sure HS games will be played there, but I think it's safe to say nobody will be paying to go through the gates 90% of the time. Though the soccer team is very, very successful, I think they should use the stadium as well. It does greatly improve the campus, remove some of the slums around campus and give a boost to that area. I don't see how it will cause a bunch of new restaurants and bars to pop up. In my mind, there are a finite number of people who will regularly make the trip into Akron for food and drink. That number may incrementally increase because of the stadium, but Akron isn't going to grow with jobs from Cooks and Waitresses. One thing I would really like to see is a business incubator as part of the University. When I went to the WMU FB game earlier this year, I was shocked to see a very impressive Technology park associated with WMU. UA should work with the Federal Gov't, State and the City to build a Business Incubator or Technology Park. Build a new building Downtown or get rid of some additional slums around campus. Technically, I think there is something down by the RR tracks off of Wolf Ledges, but who wants to build a building next to railroad tracks.

Keep it if only for in game discussions. Worked great!

I would again like to thank the folks running the board for doing an outstanding job. I applaud you guys for not relying on some other group to be the home of the Zips. I have to say that this is come a long way from the dreamwater board I stumbled upon what, 5 years ago? I logged on tonight just to see if there was anything new and there were 26 people nosing around. Lots of new posts everyday, and lots of discussion going on. I think it's safe to say that this is the place to be if you want to get info of anykind on UA! I also think that you've helped to increase the number of Zips fans out there as we are few and far between. Thanks for your efforts!

Thanks to all the seniors! We've had some great players over the past 2 years and hopefully these guys are the beginning of a dynasty! 2 years ago, I didn't give a hoot about Zips BB, and now I'm considering Season Tickets.

I now open the meeting of the HeManKentHaters Club!

g-mann. I'm not suprised that Cleveland was brought into the equation. Cleveland is a city that is really betting the farm that the success of the Cleveland Clinic will make it a center for medical research worldwide. They are going to try to grab ANYTHING related to medicine! This is purely speculation, but I would imagne that there was some rather influential people in Cleveland weighed in on this one when the found out about it. That's why CSU will now START participating in the program AND get it's own training facility. I wouldn't be suprised if the merger between UA and CSU was part of the equation too! In the end, I like our chances with Proenza. He's the top dawg in Akron, and now he might as well start throwing his weight around in NE Ohio as well! UA is a stronger Univeristy that CSU and has a lot going for it right now. If it stays on a roll, Akron will be the home for NEOCOM.

Louis is an amazing person. If he gets as much crap as the article says he gets, then the next time I see him, I need to tell him what an outstanding job he's doing. The big question is, how do you hold onto such a dynamic person, especially in Akron. I don't think money will do it. At some point, someone is going to ask him to take on a bigger challenge. He is a perfect example of how some people can move mountains! I'm very proud his name is on my diploma!

Good luck to you as well! I'm not the expert on the team around here, so I'll leave the details to the others. I just cheer every time we make a basket and yell at the refs! This is one of the few times someone from the opposing team shows up and doesn't start flaming about how we're going to get pounded. Kudos to a classy post. What I can say is that we seem to be a team that lives and dies by the 3. We play pretty good D and I wouldn't say we are a running team. If our guys come out hot, we've got a chance to win or even pull away quickly. If we come out cold, like we did a week ago, it could get ugly. Looking forward to a good game!

You know, I can't catch you on the radio now that I've moved back to Ohio from Michigan. Being about 3 hours closer to Akron makes up for it though.

I have to say, the ABJ seems to have a lot more UA coverage lately.Found this article on keeping Science and Technology Students in State:http://www.ohio.com/news/16887796.htmlI have to think that UA will take the majority of these scholarships. Seriously, LCCC and Stark State (Is this Can't State?) are not going to be big draws for those seriously interested in Science. I know little to nothing about BW, so I can't comment there. I would not be suprised if UA got 1/2 of the students involved in this thing, so it's a good win. So, for all those who put UA down, how about bringing an additional 200 students into Akron who are focused on Science and Technology. A few of those who would have never stepped foot in Akron will keep coming back (I'm a great example). Maybe one or two will stay and start a new company in Akron. This is why UA is the best asset the city of Akron has!

Did anyone notice last night, on the 11:00 Channel 5 news how he mentioned something to the effect:"OK Zipsnation, here's your media coverage"?I think someone is lurking.

Well, I guess I fit into the "Gray Hair" category, even if I only have a few of them.

After last Saturday, I thought I would root for them. I've since come to my senses.1) I would rather see the Can't get waxed just to bring misery to their fans than have them do good "For the MAC". 2) Can't making a run into the tourney will help their recuriting, making it harder on us in the future.3) It wouldn't matter if Can't won the NCAA Title, the MAC would still get one bid next season.

While we're on the topic, the Cleveland TV Media is REALLY pissing me off right now. First, Channel 19 news falls all over Can't State when they get their seeding to the NCAA tourney. I'm sure 2 days earlier they couldn't even tell you where Can't was. Then they go on and on about OSU in the NIT. Finally, the mention that Cleveland State is also in the NIT..............Last night, Channel 8 news has some coverage on Can't, and also goes on about how OSU had won their NIT game..................................To date, Channel 5 is the only station that seems to mention the Zips in passing. Apparently SVSM is more worthy of news than the Zips upsetting FSU for the PD. I understand wanting to cover Can't, they won the MAC and deserve the attention. But again, as ususal, we are getting ignored by our local media.

If I could, I would start shoveling dirt myself. I can't help it!

I don't think the diagrams on the lright side of the camera pictures are correct. They show that both cameras 1 and 2 are essentially looking at the same areas at the far end. If you notice, on the left side of the 1st camera, there is a white container that would fit on the back of a semi. This is NOT on the right side of the 2nd camera, as you would expect. Maybe the cameras are just farther apart than I expect. I'm a little confused as to their actual orientation.

They took down that house/dorm in the NW corner of the first camera. One day it's there, the next day it's gone. It looks like they are pouring concrete on the Left side of the 2nd camera. Seems like things are creeping along but what do I know about constructing a stadium?? I'm just excited.

I'm sorry, but I find it funny that we are justifying why our Arch Rival's fans are Jerks. They are always jerks, because it's a rivalry! IMO, I think a MOB mentality takes over in the student sections. A few bad seeds and everyone else just follows suit. Didn't the Rowdies chant something during the National Anthem at Miami? This entire discussion just seems like sour grapes to me. They kicked our butts and let us know it. Did it get under my skin? Yes, but the next time we hand it to them, I'm gonna let them have it.....that's why its a good rivalry!