Captain Kangaroo

It originally stood for ZipsFanForever. I think he really meant Zips Fan for a Fortnight. Honestly, I haven't seen the guy in a couple years.

If I was Danny Ainge, I'd trade Ryan Hollins for Zeke in a heartbeat.

Quit. Then let an AD with a clue step in and improve things. A guy like Terry Bowden arrives on campus, surveys the situation and knows what to do to improve things. Dambrot took over for Hipsher, surveyed the situation, and knew what to do to improve it. Caleb Porter stepped into a good situation, and knew what to do to make it even better. Our AD stepped on to campus... and had no clue what to do. I have no faith he can improve anything. Here's what Zips basketball needs to do - Win games, retain Dambrot, and pray that Tressel can expedite a new arena. 3,800 is the best they'll ever average at the JAR.

Unless we're in Athens Ohio.

I think the A-10 is now a major basketball conference.

What if the Zips didn't have David Harvey in 2006? That season would have been a complete disaster. What if Lee Owens didn't have Dwight Smith manning the corner for 4 seasons? Impact players like those can give you 3 - 4 wind in the MAC by themselves. I hope Bowden can uncover one or two of those guys. Or three.

If there's anything better than a salty potato chip dipped in Lawson's French Onion Chip Dip, I don't wanna know it.

Seen more in-depth profiles in my day... looks like we beat-out West Virginia for his services?

My best beer of the summer thus far -- $8.99/6-pack at Heinen's.

Next to Frenchy, Cosell's calls are the best.

He's grown from 6' 3" to 6' 9" in one thread. They grow up so fast, don't they?

Maybe they don't care about fan safety? Or they'll only open up the sides, and permanently close-off the endzone? It will be bizarre to see a Zips player go from college ball at InfoCision...to "pro" ball at the Rubber Bowl. It'll be like going from Oz to Kansas.

I think soccer is a good fit for Seattle, who is smaller-market, and hungry for professional sports entertainment. Especially since they lost the Sonics. Large Asian-American population is a big help too.

Millions of yen, maybe.

Whatever happened to ZipDude?:gun:

Commack is a HUGE pick up. We haven't had ANY serviceable CB since Reggie Corner.

The erosion of "northern" (not just Pittsburgh) talent is due to a lot of things. * The population has shifted south...there simply aren't as many kids * Kids don't play football in the north like they used to...when's the last time you saw a group of kids playing a pick up sandlot football game? * Kids specialize in sports today. It used to be that every kid played football. Now, a lot of the better athletes play basketball or baseball year-round and skip football. * Kids are "softer" today. Three decades of cable TV with 24/7 cartoons and cool video games has witnessed kids gravitating to the couch instead of the gridiron. Stick today's kids with 3 TV channels, no video games and cartoons only on Saturday mornings, and I guarantee youth sports would begin to rise again. * The steel mills and rubber factories have closed, and the toughness inherent to kids from these hardscrabble backgrounds is lost. * In Florida, you can play outdoor sports 24/7. Except in a hurricane. That's a huge training advantage. There are lots of other reasons too. Feel free to add a couple, or poke holes in mine. Obviously there is still a lot of good football talent in the north. But the above-listed reasons are why it's markedly less than it used to be.

Unless Worstell plays a position other than QB, or unless Bowden was pulling the wool over our eyes at the golf outing, Worstell should be making plans to attend a school other than Akron. 1 scholarship QB per class. That's all she wrote.

I would LOVE to tailgate in the Rubber Bowl grass lot again!

One of my favorite ZN.o quotes of 2012.

At the golf outing, Coach said the Zips will only scholarship 1 QB per season. If we sign another HS QB, look for him to move to another position when he joins the Zips.

"Stockett amassed a pair of offers" How does one amass a pair of anything?

The McKeesport Pipeline continues...

I don't know if I'll ever get the time to write a proper summary of our conversation with the coach, so I'll add short notes here as they come to mind -- Bowden said he has 5 "solid" offensive linemen, and two others that he feels will be at a serviceable level come Fall 2012. Bowden was as clueless as any of us regarding what he could or could not do regarding an association with Jim Tressel. As time has progressed, he's learned that he can do quite a bit... much more than he originally anticipated. Tressel can't play AD. That's clear. Tressel can't coach football, period. But he can meet with recruits. He can meet with the coaches. And Bowden has no ego...he wants to win, and if he can use Jim Tressel, legally, to help the Zips win, he's going to do it. He views Tressel as a great resource. One that other coaches in Ohio would kill to have. He said Jamel Turner is academically eligible, and his fingers are crossed that he is as-advertised. We probably won't know much more on Turner until August. Regarding the kicker (Fox) - Bowden, politely-as-he-could, simply stated kickers are a different breed than "position players", and he was as surprised as anyone that Fox departed. Perhaps Fox was miffed that Bowden put the kicking job up for grabs this summer. He is confident the kid from Cincinnati will be a solid replacement.

I think that should be on the back of your game day jersey...like "He Hate Me". Definitely needs to be your new ZN.o tag-line.