Captain Kangaroo

Lot 34 is where the real party is at, that's for sure. You're a history guy, right? Did the Russians stop at Czechoslovakia?

If I were to pick apart the release, this is the line I'd have the most trouble digesting. If he'd have stopped at "donors," it would have been better.

Ahem -- There were stripper poles.

I received a phone call last week from a University employee notifying me that I probably wasn't going to be on the list to return to Lot #9 this upcoming football season. Apparently Lot #9 (lot behind the scoreboard, paralleling Exchange street) will be designated for "major donors," in the $5k to $20k range. I was told that perhaps Lot #13 (corner of Carroll and Spicer) would be available as our new "refugee camp" lot. This brings up several questions -- What is best for Lot #9? Last season, our groups really made that lot a party. Tents, flags, grills, music...when people drove past, the people in Lot #9...the most visible tailgate lot on the campus...made it look like a real College Game Day environment. It was the lot that the local news media would film and photograph on game day as a representative of what cool things were going on at UA. The hard-core Lot #9'ers stuck with the program as the team's performance spiraled down the toilet. After mid-season, the "hard cores" remained, although least half of Lot #9 was empty. They were a hearty bunch... Now why do you displace your "hardest-core" followers? The University knows who made that lot rock in the Fall of '09 (obviously, since I got the phone call)...so why give the boot to those 200-or-so folks who take up maybe only 60 of the 300 available Lot #9 spots? There would still be 200+ spots available for everyone else? An obvious answer would be - "Hey...money talks. If you want to park there, pay up! Donate!" I get that. Any idiot gets that. But does it need to be that Black-and-White? Look at the lower-JAR seating. Those seats are paid for by the "major donors." How many of those people show up for games on any given day? I'll round up and say "half." Going a step further - How many 20k...10k...donors are going to party in Lot #9 on game day? How about zero? And why would you if you're paying for a loge loaded with food and drinks? It turns Lot #9 from a Tailgate Lot, to a Parking Lot. Is that the right move? If handled differently, could it have been both? And how many $xxk donors are there anyhow? And how many will show up in 2010...especially after the 3-9 season? I can't imagine season ticket holder numbers will skyrocket after last year's train wreck? Going another step further...Today's $250 or $500 donor is tomorrow's $1k or $5k donor. If you are YouTube Tom, why don't you walk down to Lot #9 and shake hands and meet with the future "major donors," rather that boot them across campus? Is there ever a point where you invest in the future? And keep in mind...those 2009 Lot 9'ers aren't freeloaders. They pay $450 for their reserved season tickets and parking. The do donate to the Z-Fund. They donate to their respective UA colleges. They also purchase basketball and soccer tickets. They spend money to follow the Zips to places like Happy Valley...Madison...West Point...Syracuse...Buffalo...Toledo...Raleigh...and just about anywhere in-between. Some followed the basketball team to Alaska, for Christ's sake! When the PD and Beacon ignored Zips athletics, they blogged about the Zips and created ZipsNation. These are essentially The Best of the Best Zips fans. And they are getting the boot? The good news is - the "Major Donors" probably won't materialize. If the lot was 1/2 full at year's end last season, it will be even less full with a smaller sampling of the public having access. Lot 9'ers will probably get a phone call in August letting them know their cherished Lot #9 wants them back. But at that point the damage may be done. I recall when Parking Genius Pat Kreiger designated the Rubber Bowl "Paved Lot" for $5k donors. The lot was empty on game days...save for some coaches wives and a UA administrator or two. The lot did eventually fill up...once the parking attendants left and the general public pulled in. And I do want to be clear on one thing -- The UA official that called me was very courteous. And the fact that I received a personal phone call rather than be ambushed with a "Dear Valued Season Ticket Holder...you're getting the boot" email/letter is greatly appreciated. I have no real issue with the change...UA has a very expensive stadium to pay off...but it does merit discussion You opinion on The New Lot #9 is...?

Pat "Parking Genius" Kreiger says: "Just make all the parking spots $5,000"

Oh well...he would have flunked out of our Titanium Bridge Building Program regardless.

K.e.n.t. is always the trendy pick. Look for Phil Steele to pick K.e.n.t. to win the MAC East again...for the umpteenth consecutive year. And...be wrong again. K.e.n.t. Football is a blend of poor talent & choke artists who are guided by a clown coach. I will go out on a limb and say: They suck in 2010. Spencer Keith is a very good QB. So was Josh Cribbs...so was Jose Davis...so was Julie Anne Edelmann...so what? Their teams all sucked. K.e.n.t. Football sucks.

Add another "It Could Only Happen to The Zips" to our long, long list...

The day I walk away from ZipsNation.org, I'll probably say the same thing. All the best to Steve. What a great kid!

Thank you for taking the time to post.

What makes you so sure they can beat Morgan State?

4-26! We probably found out about this guy as we were trying to schedule them. :lol:

Oscar doesn't like his size or skills: Blog Link If he had grade issues in Engineering, welcome to the club! It's happened to many a smart student

I went to Buc night the year after they played in the NLCS. They have been doing it successfully for years. You're only saying that because it was their idea, and they've been doing it successfully for years.

Elton reported this morning that Humpty is officially out, and Chauncey Gilliam is officially in. Gilliam will be eligible in 2011-12.

You'll be even more shocked to find out that they are having a dollar beer night tomorrow. Dollar. Beer. Night. The Info would be full from the time the gates open until the end of the game. Who needs a game? Just open the Info for Dollar Beer Nights every Friday and Saturday? Put some sports event on the Jumbotron...blast some tunes...we could create The World's Biggest College Bar?!

Giving away free tickets is bad. Discounting GA ducats on games that typically draw flies, and promoting event, is smart. If the Zips are playing Malone in basketball, I would rather have a 3/4 full house than tumbleweeds. And - "Band Day" is still a staple of filling the seats @ UA. Sad to say...

I think with the #20-something scholarship to give, you take the best available remaining player.

Addressing your points individually - 1.) I never said discounted tickets are a cure-all. Nor did I say they can fill Can't's football stadium. Nothing will save K.e.n.t. football. They have been in the bottom 10 of D-1 for 25 years. Saying "<Insert Idea Here> didn't work for K.e.n.t. football" is not a valid argument. It is like saying "Lipstick and perfume will not work for a pig." Sure it won't, but it will work wonders for any decent-looking girl. K.e.n.t. football is a hopeless pig. 2.) Important: Our product is NOT reasonably priced. $20 is too much money to get GA seats to watch Akron football. $80.00 for a family of four to watch Zips football is too much. One could argue "Season tickets for a family are MUCH cheaper than $20 per person." And, one would be stupid to argue that point. The fact is - most people don't buy season tickets. You want to get families to InfoCision. Then you can set the hook for season tix. And educate them on the value of the season tix. 3.) People should expect $1.00 entry for their kids...once or twice per year. Look at the history - Zips football draws flies at season's end. If the team is terrible, even the flies stay home. Giving a 45% discount on GA seats at year's end loses no money, and cheapens no product. Any butts in the seats are butts that would have stayed home otherwise. 4.) You confuse a 45% discount with free tickets. I am not saying "free tickets." 5.) The Aeros don't cheapen their product with BOGO tix...MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates don't cheapen their product with $1.00 kids tix (they've done it since I was a kid)...but the Zips would somehow take a financial bath if they let some families in for 45% off? Not true. 6.) Handing our free tickets at the last minute (EMU game) is NOT Marketing. Handing out schedules in July, highlighting your Fall 2010 "Buck-a-Roo Kids Night" and promoting it at Zips home games and at InfoCision high school games...will pack the stadium. THAT is Marketing. Summary - Do you want to Market the Zips and try to pack the stadium? Or keep your profit margin, but with a 2/3rd's empty stadium? The same can be applied to basketball at the JAR. Do you want 3k? Or do you want a couple early-season games, typically against "dog" opponents, to draw 4k...or 5k? Funny to see people so negative about a damn good idea that's easily within our budget.

Whoops. You are correct.

Have the Aeros ever offered discounted tickets? Something like BOGO? Just curious. If so, someone told me they are undervaluing their product. Obviously the Aeros must NOT know what they are doing.

Pre-season accolades and ranking are essentially worthless. If they were a slam-dunk, Brookhart would have won a National Championship. And Bobby Hendry would have toted nothing but a water bucket.

Re-fixed. Do you really think that, if "Buck-a-Roo" nights appear next season, it's because some UA person took in a Pittsburgh Pirates' game? No kidding - Everyone does "Dollar Night." YSU does it. The Aeros do it. I'm sure the Milwaukee Bucks do it too. The overall idea is hardly original. But - How many times has it been done at UA? Zero. How many times has ANYTHING of substance or success, Marketing-wise been done at Akron in the last 5 years? How many 3rd grade baton twirlers did you seen at the JAR this season? Hundreds. How many team jersey's were on sale at the team shop? Zero. What was your favorite promotion to fill the JAR this past season? For lack of any other choice, could it have been the "White Out?" How original was that one? How original was "Fear the Roo"? How successful were those two? People grouse about UA Marketing. But who offers a solution that would get thousands of fans to a game that would otherwise stay home? I did it. And not with a simple link to YSU's promotion. Or simply saying "Dollar Night." I laid it all out. Tied into the "Roo" thing and ready to go. For free in 20 minutes of my lunch time, with my hacker Photoshop skills. The idea costs almost nothing to execute, and can be used annually, easily becoming a tradition that people will place on their calendar. If 3k @ the JAR, or 5k @ InfoCision is cool with UA, they are free to ignore the idea. Band nights and baton twirlers always get Joe Akron off the couch, right?

The MAC is a Quarterback's conference. Look at Davis @ Ball State...he elevated an entire team to a top 20 ranking...and when he left...the next season they lost double-digit games. Dan LeFevor was a 6th round NFL draft QB, and he tore the MAC up. PN7 needs to kick some butt in 2010 and we'll be fine. If we want to compete beyond the MAC, we need a solid defense. Sewell and Wagner are all MAC, but we need others to step up and generate more than 11 sacks on the season (that was our total last season, right?). A kicker that can make 7-out-of-10 from inside 40 yards would be worth a couple wins in itself. The list goes on...but the Zips go as Nicely goes in 2010. If he has a great season, we'll go to a bowl.