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Captain Kangaroo

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Everything posted by Captain Kangaroo

  1. Nope. Sorry. Kreiger was a retard - The epitome of a University-world, lifer, ladder-climber who was 100% out of touch with the real world. To blame Kreiger's inept decisions on Waddell is laughable.All I have to say regarding this topic.
  2. Gary is a great guy. I'm glad he stayed with U of A.
  3. Ok - you guys forced me...Last year I sent Mack and Hunter a suggestion to change the "ZASF" to the "Z-Fund." No reply.A couple weeks later I get a University donation request in the mail with the "Z-Fund" name front-and-center!A week or so later I spoke to Gary Bogue on an unrelated topic and he thanked me for the idea. But I never got an acknoledgement from Mack or Hunter.I've sent the University other stuff too. Helpful heads-up to University Athletic Marketing when local radio stations are playing the wrong promos, etc. Never a response.The previous administration always gave a "thanks." Subsequently our board always had a great, mutually benificial relationship with the University. I've quit sending the University anything. I don't think thay care, so why should I.BTW: Mack shouldn't waste his time with me. Thomas never did. But anyone else "below" Mack should learn the merits of the Outlook "REPLY" icon.
  4. No way any reserved seats go the students:1.) The Zips are a hot ticket now, and they University needs the ensuing money from those ducats.2.) With rare exception, the students have not filled their existing seats.There should be more lower-arena seats available for students...but the JAR seating is woefully inadequate and it just isn't possible.Hey, back in the mid-80's the University kicked ALL students to the upper level and sold the lower end seats as "reserved" to the general public. It could be, and has been worse.
  5. Seems like it may be a challenge, but we'll figure it our somehow. I'm sure the MAC will make certain to take care of its fans by negotiating with the city to reserve a sizeable section of the muni lot for "Patriot Bowl Fans Only"
  6. In my first Engineering Design class, Dr. Thorn subtracted 10 points from one of my homework assignments because I used the phrase "Akron U" in the top right corner of the paper. I never used "Akron U" again. His method was very effective. Bastard.
  7. I don't think the University is planning on giving away anything associated with the new stadium. It is tough to pay off a 54 million dollar investment if you give away premium perks.The Zipsfest Lot created two years ago failed for several reasons. It was too cheap...so cheap it was essentially "disposable" ...the party along the fence was bigger and more fun, etc. I am guessing those reasons won't apply at the new stadium. There will be no "cheap" alternative to the designated tailgate lots. You won't be able to plop you butt anywhere you please and pop a beer like the Rubber Bowl. Worst case, the University will outlaw tailgating like YSU did, and only have a corporate "Coors Light Tailgate Area" where you need to buy tokens and stand in line for crappy, overpriced cups of beer. THAT would suck. Tailgating is a do-it-yourself event. And there's nothing better than a parking lot full of music, beer, grills and corn hole. Once the University tries to "organize" tailgating and make it "corporate" it is over. I think I would seriously think about attending Pitt games.I am VERY curious to see what transpires regarding tailgating at the new stadium. Will it be overpriced? Will it be corporate? Or will University people actually use their heads and do it right? The latter usually never happens, but I can always hope...
  8. I think someone has finally uncovered a Zips related question that I can't answer. My Ripken-esque streak goes by the wayside. Any takers on the player who administerd the beatdown? Zipboy? Does Jarvis Catron check out ZipsNation? Help us out, JC!
  9. I think you meant Brian Wood. He was definitely a D-2 player, but at the time I would have taken him over the guy ahead of him on the depth chart - the immortal Bryan Hipsher.David Wood was also a Zip. He was the kid that got beat with the chair in the locker room during the Coleman Crawford era. He got a broken arm out of the deal, if I recall correctly?
  10. I think it will hurt mid-majors. The 3-point shot is a big equalizer for teams like Akron who typically don't have the big men to compete in the paint with BCS-level schools. The NCAA just made the shot more difficult. A foot doesn't sound like much, but it is. Especially at the end of a game.
  11. Ok, stop it with the Hershel Walker re-hash. It's taken me 15 years to get over it, and you bastards have to rip open the scab. You're lucky. If I didn't have to go out and get my Jermaine Reid jersey now, I'd really let you punks have it.
  12. TESTIFY!!!! HALLELUIAH, Brother!!!!
  13. Look out for Gary Waters in the next couple years. I spoke to him at the MAC tourney for a few minutes. He said he was kicking 10 players off the CSU team ("they just weren't division 1 caliber") and starting to build "his" program. He didn't want to play the Zips next year(we just won't be at that level yet"), but was hoping to get us on the schedule in 2009. The Waters/Dambrot battles could be the long, long, long awaited sequel to the Mackey/Huggins wars of the mid-to-late 80's.
  14. Having had the opportunity to review the ticket form in detail during my 3 hours to Dallas, I have to say I was incorrect about the endzone seating being marked as general admission. Seeing the form in daylight instead of by nightlight, the endzone is definitely black rather than dark blue. The Captain is color blind at that end of the spectrum. That moves my grade from B- to B.I also noticed that the $25.00 fee applies to parking section #5. Not general admission. I can't raise the grade to B+ however, because the form is still too vague. I think a lot of people will buy the $25.00 spot thinking it is saving them money on GA parking, when in actuality it's more expensive, and not in the GA lot. Cost is still wrong. Parking map is still wrong.A "B" from CK is a pretty good grade. If some I's are dotted and T's are crossed next year, I may give my first ever "A-?"In a different topic for a different day - Why would anyone park anywhere else but GA? I've never seen a tailgate party in any of the other lots? No tailgating!? Ill get my lot 5 parking pass with my Z-Fund donation and park in GA anyhow.
  15. My point is not that $6.25 is too much for parking. My point is the $25.00 is incorrect. They held the price of last year's parking passes, but shortend the season by 20%.Beyond that - Parking on Game Day last year was $3.00. I would assume it is $3.00 again this year. Maybe it is $4.00? Hell...maybe they go to $5.00. Why is it cheaper to pay to park on Game Day than it is if you pre-pay? In every other walk of life, if you pay early, you get a better price, not a worse price.Based upon a $4.00/game parking cost, you are paying $9.00 extra for a season's parking if you pay early? Explain that to me.
  16. That may be your best post ever.
  17. I got mine yesterday. The biggest blunder was the addition of my existing season ticket price. The price grid saved me the trouble of multiplying 2 x $75.00. I like the grid's math better because it says I owe $120.00 instead of $150.00.They need to separate parking section #3 from the General Admission section. At first glance it looks like the General Public Parking is now for the Gridiron Club and Director's Level members.The stadium map color chart shows the Rubber Bowl endzone seating as General Admission. Did they re-open it? I doubt it."Youth Ticket" is a misleading name for the kid's season ticket package. It looks like kid's tickets are $30.00 ea. They should have called it "Youth Package" like all the other "packages."I see parking for GA is $25.00. I'm assuming that will get you parking at Browns Stadium too? Otherwise, you're prepaying $25.00 for 4 games worth of parking at the Rubber Bowl, which CAN'T be correct.Is the Zippy's Kid's Club "dead?" Usually the ticket mailing mentions it. Beautiful piece of literature. I give it a B- overall. Hight grade ever. It would be nice if they let someone outside the University proof it and add comments before it went to print...but they never do.
  18. The new stadium will help attendance marginally if the team isn't any good. Right now I think we lose a few thousand in "family" attendance because no one wants to see their toddler get tetnus from rusty seat bolts or hates picking fiberglass out of their butt cheeks for a week after the game. I guarantee they'll spend a nice fall day at a first class stadium. The landscape of college football, and football at OSU has changed dramatically since 2001. I don't see OSU having a bad stretch in football for quite some time. Don't worry. People show up for a winner. Unfortunately for the past two decades, other than the 15k we brought to Detroit, you can't see direct proof in Akron. But it is proven at just about every level, in every city in every major sport.When the Browns stink, there are thousands of empty seats. When they're good, they sell out. When the Indians stink, there are thousands of empty seats. When they're good they sell out. When YSU stinks, they have thousands of empty seats. When they're back in the playoffs, the city shows up. Akron's no different.
  19. I don't believe OSU's success has anything to do with our attendance. It better not, or we should give up now and go home. OSU has over 100,000,000 reasons why there's no chance they're going to have a losing football season anytime soon. Plus when you've got that kind of budget and play a schedule filled with YSU, MAC schools, Minnesota, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue, etc. you've pretty much got 9-10 wins "locked" before the season begins. OSU is in a 2008 BCS bowl as of today.Yes, the Zips need to schedule with OSU in mind...ie. don't schedule the Akron/K.e.n.t game the same date OSU plays Michigan...at least if you want people to show up. But the Zips can carve their own 20k+ per Saturday niche if they take care of business on the field and Marketing-wise. YSU draws 20k for their 1-AA football when things are going well, regardless of OSU. It should happen in Akron too. Unless people are lazy and just want to use the OSU thing as an excuse.
  20. In general I agree with you. In Dambrot's instance however, I think the long-term contract is a good thing.With Hipsher and Owens, they were given such contracts after very mediocre seasons. It wasn't the contracts that were bad, it was just a bad move to extend them. The administration was so used to pathetic performances (see the end of the Crawford/Faust eras) that mediocrity was cause for a celebration. I like the Dambrot contract because it puts him in top 1/3 of the MAC coaches, salarywise. That's where he should be. Once he wins the MAC tourney and wins an NCAA game or two, then he should become the top paid MAC coach.Dambrot also needs to feel some "love" from the University. Mike Thomas hired him, not Rhoades. And I don't think it is any secrect that Dambrot want all that happy with the crowds this season...and that he didn't feel the University was doing all that much to "pimp" his overachieving team. This extension shows Mack appreciates what he's done and is committed to him for the long haul.It also means a lot to the players and recruits. Mike Bardo was quoted in the PD today saying how happy he was to have every expectation to play for the same coach throughout his college career. Without a contract extension after a 26-win season, I don't think players or recruits would feel too secure about their coach's status.I think this extension was a win-win-win-win. For the team, for the fans, for the University and for Dambrot.
  21. My two cents on your post (from another 80's Zips guy) If we would have been even mildly competitive in those games, there would have been interest. The games against Auburn and Florida were played with a mish-mash of 1-AA and early 1-A players as the Zips made the transition to 1-A football. No one in their right mind should have thought we could generate interest in the Zips program by going down to SEC country and getting mauled. The Virginia Tech game is absolutely in no way shape or form a posterchild for why we shouldn't bring "name" teams to the Rubber Bowl.1.) Virginia Tech wasn't as "name" a program in 1996(?) as it is today. It was the early days of Beamer Ball, when they were just beginning to hang around the top 20. The Tech teams of the late 80's and early 90's were terrible.2.) The game was held during a hurricane (Hugo? I forget). Yes, the second half was sunny, but the first half was played in a constant downpour. People in Akron won't show up in a hurricane to see anyone.3.) The Zips were coming off a 2-9 season. It was the end of the Faust era and the very beginning of the Owens era. Community interest was at an all-time low.I don't think a game such as this, where the Zips were terrible...the opponent was marginally well known...and the weather was a legitimate hurricane...is a good example of why not to bring a "name" team to the Rubber Bowl. It is solely an example of what happens when your team is terrible. Those promotions are "nice" but if anyone was banking on them to draw 30,000 people, they're nuts. "Zipsfest" and bobbleheads is good for a couple thousand people, at best. True. But Acme had a lot of "pull" in the area 1990 and prior. It wouldn't work today. Acme is too small now-a-days to put up any reasonable money or promotions. BINGO!!!You see a lot of stuff posted here regarding "How do we get people to the football games?" "Zipsfest," bobbleheads, more local recruits, promotions...all that adds up to about 20% of what needs to be done. Playing in a clean, first class, centrally located stadium in a collegiate environment is good for about another 30%. The remaining 50% is, as you stated, winning and winning consistently. You saw it at the Motor City Bowl and MAC Championships. People want to be part of a winner. If you lose for two consecutive decades, you can hand out all the bobbleheads you want and you'll still draw flies. I, by the way, qualify as a "fly" since I have sat through some God-awful stuff over the past 20 years.To me, the winning will come. And soon. "Why?" you might ask. We sucked last year, right?Yeah, we sucked last year. But for the first time we actually have the foundation to be successful. Unlike the Faust and Owens years, we have primo facilities. We will also have a state of the art stadium in two years. Those two things will allow us to consistently draw the top coaching and student athlete talent possible. The programs (other schools) that moved from 1-AA to 1-A after the Zips all had the foundation for success planned. With Akron, Must rolled out of bed one morning and said "I want to be 1-A," with zero planning or foundation to support it. And you see what we got. I always liked the quote: "Some people look at thinks the way they are and ask 'Why?' I prefer to look at the things that aren't and ask, 'Why not?'"There are a lot of people at The University over the past couple decades why sat with their thumbs up their asses and asked "Why?". The Mike Thomas/Proenza team was the first to look at the potential of our University and athletic programs and ask "Why not?"I said it before and I'll say it again. "F the past!" Forget it. It is over, and it is irrelevant to today's programs, facilities and leadership. You can look at the history of our last twenty year only as a reference for what should NOT be done to build a fan base, alumni following and student support. If you look at it as some sort of proof that success can't be had at the turnstiles or on the field at The University of Akron...to be polite...you and I disagree.Note: Although I kinda worked off your post, this isn't any disrespect to you, Skip. I'm speaking about the public in general.
  22. Great news for the Alleman's! Congratulations!! Blocking for Reggie Bush and Deuce McCallister ain't such a bad gig.
  23. I disagree with that 100%.First of all, the local players need to want to come to U of A. And their coaches need to promote U of A as a solid option. That's not happening right now. The best local kids go elsewhere. And I don't want the local table scraps. If the best of the area don't want to play here, then we must look elsewhere.Look at Travis and Joyce - Undeniably two of the biggest "local" HS names of the past decade. They played before a 1/2 empty JAR for the better part of their careers. Why? Because they didn't win championships. When they finally won a championship (of sorts) the JAR was filled for the stretch run.To insinuate people don't follow the Zips because a percentage of kids are from western Pa is nuts. Does everyone dislike Jason Taylor because he's from Pittsburgh? No. Zips fans love the guy. Who wants David Harvey, right? He's from the hated Pittsburgh area! Ummmm...no, that's not the case. Once he puts his helmet on, he's a Zip and no one cares which piece of land he hails from. Harvey was, in fact, arguably the most popular Zips player in 2006.No one is excited to see Steve Sweich this upcoming basketball season, right? He's from the Pittsburgh area! Wrong...everyone here can't wait to see him play.Everyone loved Charlie Frye. Ask 100 Zips fans to find Willard Ohio on a blank state map and I bet 50% would miss it by 100 miles. His popularity came from being able to "ball." Not because he was perceived as local.Browns fans...typically also OSU fans...would hate Braylon Edwards even if he had 1,600 yard and 15 TDs becuase he's from Michigan, right? Come on...there'd be 10,000+ Edwards jerseys at every Browns home game and 8,000 of those would be on the backs of buckeye fans.People will follow a winner. It is as simple as that, and no different than in any other town. They'll still follow a non-winning team IF they are rebuilding from a winning season. People will not, en mass, support consistently bad or medioce teams. And they won't show up to see athletes simply because they're "local."If a local star wants to stay home, that's great. I know JD's staff had offers out to six Akron area HS Juniors as early as January 2007. If they don't want to attend U of A, there's noting we can do about it. Except recruit the best kids we can, and win games.
  24. I thought the same thing.I wish him well. He seems like a good kid and a hard worker. Just a step slow on the court.If Kellog doesn't sign, I wonder if KD will give the scholarship to one of the walk on guards (Goddard would be first in line). It would be a nice reward for him sticking with the program despite his limited PT.
  25. I said it before and I'll say it again - K.e.n.t. went to the NCAA's 4 of the last 8 years. Basketball-wise, the MAC is there for the taking. Look at the Horizon League. Do you really want to schlep there just because Butler is good? Or Wisconsin-Milwaukee had a small run? Why can't the Zips be "the Butler of the MAC"? Let's drop to 1-AA football to join a schlep backetball conference? No way. CUSA - They're one Memphis away from being in the NCAA tourney play-in game.The Big East? PUH-LEEZE. We aren't a blip on the Big East radar unless it implodes and a new league forms.Drop to 1-AA in football? Why? 1-AA has 22 less scholarships than 1-A. TWENTY TWO..that's it. And an infinite lower visibility. Do you sell out D1 football for 22 scholarships? To save what? The "savings" generated by being 1-AA is a total myth. And you sacrifice a hell of a lot of exposure. Exposure that greatly benefits the University. And trust me...as a business person that travels very frequently, our Motor City Bowl appearance got me a ton of props in the nation's airports two years ago as I sported my Zips gear. It happened when we beat Marshall a few years ago too. Success on the athletic field gives those associated with the University of Akron (ie. alumni) a lot of national street cred. It enhances your degree, whether you want to admit it or not.If someone with a degree from Winthrop interviews with me tomorrow, I have an idea where the school is located and I'm definitely going to bring up their NCAA tourney win vs. Notre Dame. If someone interviews with me and has a degree from Boise State, I may never get around to discussing anything but the Oklahoma game. You get the picture.We shouldn't drop to 1-AA football because 1-AA football is a dinosaur. YSU would give their left nut to be in the MAC. They have no alternative but to be 1-AA in football, otherwise they'd be D1. Like UConn. Like Boise State. Like Troy State. Like South Florida. Like Central Florida. The list goes on... Just because former University of Akron higher-ups (Boobinski...Peggy-Gordon Idiott...Dennis Helsel et al) clowned around for the better part of two decades doesn't mean we can't be successful in D1A football and MAC basketball. It can be done with the correct leadership.What if Proenza rolled into Akron and said "Gee...this campus is as good as it can be"? You know...no one would have second guessed the guy. And he could have collected a nice pay check and played things conservatively (like Idiott). But Proenza has vision. And he has balls. And he has a plan. And he knew how to execute that plan. And because of that, the campus has never been better. The enrollment has never been better. The quality of student has never been better. And the collective athletic programs have never been better.Mike Thomas got us off the schnide athletically. I don't know if Mack can continue his work or not. But I do know that if he can't, we need to find someone else that can. F*ck the past. D1 success can happen for Akron football today. If we have the correct leadership. People at the University are SO lucky their predecessors generated so much apathy. It makes their job easier."Why isn't there anyone in the stands?" Reply "Oh, people haven't come for twenty years..it just can't happen in Akron." F that.No one remembers when Hipsher was setting the basketball program on fire only a few years ago. Not in a good way...he was burning a once proud program to the ground. Now, only a few years later, everyone want to build a new arena and build Dambrot statues. The table is set for it to happen in football too.I was in the tailgate lot last year talking to the father of one of the Zips players. He said "Why the hell is this stadium so empty? I swear I could fill this thing up!"I agree with the guy. I think I could fill it up too. That's what pisses me off so much about the existing administration. I don't believe they care about filling up the stadium. Sure, they'd love to see it full, but no one want to do the work, or implement the ideas to do it. If they did, they wouldn't jerk around the fans with all those asinine policies they initiated last year (I'll spare everyone the re-play of rants on the parking, seating, ticket errors, etc).To me, this is a watershed 6-8 months for the existing athletic administration. I know we can have a successful D1 football program. There are a lot of people who think "hey, it has never happened so it never will." Thank God Proenza, JD and Dambrot didn't buy into that crap or we'd all be doomed. It CAN happen in Akron. It SHOULD happen in Akron. But it WON'T happen in Akron if we continue to settle for less.Again I say "F*ck the past."Ouch...I tripped and fell of my soap box.
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