Captain Kangaroo

It is true. They'll be available at the start of the hoops season. Also good to see Rasor frequents this site. He should forward the link to DL Morgan.

Rumor has it Jeremiah had a 21 pt 17 rebound effort in a scrimmage the other day. Although he hasn't been the most aggressive rehab patient...to say the least...it appears he will be ready to go this season. Also caught on the rebound...Bubba needs to pick up his defense if he wants to get major minutes this year. The Dials/Joyce backcourt seems to be favored at this time. DP put on some weight in the offseason. Not muscles either. Conyers has some HS transcript issues holding up his eligibility. He has yet to practice with the team.

Pneumonia Bowl 2005! Game Slogan: "If you didn't get pneumonia at the Army game, here's your second chance" Tuesday night: Showers and thundershowers in the evening, then overcast overnight with steady rain - a thundershower is possible. Low 47F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 90%. We can't catch a break with the weather this season. See you in the tailgate lot around 2:30pm. Anyone else insane enough to go?

I agree with you 50%. We aren't on Miami's radar. BG wasn't asleep. Their defense is AWFUL. How does Biggs get "lucky" and rush 38 times for 180-something yards or whatever he had? OH-VER-RAY-TED...that's BG. Omar, Schmomar. Their defense absolutely stinks. That's why Miami is going to kill them this week and put to rest all this 4-way tie malarkey.

These guys are our rivals??? Funny how they tried to make fun of our close game with Buffalo on bbs. WOW They are rivals in hoops, volleyball and track. In football they are not...it's Miami and BGSU now. We are as much Miami's rival in football as Can't is our rival in football.

Please elaborate Sorry. I don't elaborate on faculty contract issues. Maybe you can check the Beacon archives if it is that interesting to you.

Z-P: Ok, we're 4-5, but don't lump us in the "crappy" bin with K-ent! K-ent would give their left nut...probably from a black squirrel...to have the type of season the Zips are having! We're going to have 5-6 D1-A wins in a rebuilding year...Can't needs a decade to get such numbers. Akron: Mediocre Can't: Re-defines "crappy" (on an annual basis) As far as the tailgate section, my little corner of Lower Derby Downs will look sweet. I can't speak for the others. Getting to the Rubber Bowl to tailgate a 7am will certainly be rough for all involved. In general, I will say this positive thing regarding the Thanksgiving game: If the Zips one day do get to be a good overall team, they will fill the stadium for the Aug/Sept home opener every year. The trick to having good attendance for a MAC team isn't to draw well the first couple good-weather games, it is to draw well the last 2-3 games. Playing for championships will draw bodies in November. So will tradition. If this Thanksgiving game does work out, it will ensure us a 10K-20k crowd for November on a bi-annual basis. Some of you oldtimers like me know that November games in the Rubber Bowl traditionally draw in the 500-2,000 range. This is a good opportunity to see if the idea has a chance to succeed. Maybe one day we can "opening day crowd" in November. If the weather's good, there will be a solid 10k. And I will geat a beer from the notoriously cheap Z-Pouch.

Please elaborate There will be no stadium plans announced before the faculty contract issue is finalized.

This was a mark that the athletic depatment favored a couple years back, but it was shot down but those outside U of A athletics. Those same folks who love the University sunflower license plate seal? Probably. Hope to see more of it. It is cool. What will happen if the Zips face the Terps in the soccer finals? Fear the Roo vs. Fear the Turtle!! I am told the "Fear the..." campaign was initiated by Walt Disney Corp a few years back as "Fear the Mouse." Maryland adopted it with their "Fear the Turtle" campaign. They do a lot of neat things with it. It will be fun to see if U of A takes the "Fear the Roo" and accompanying logo to the next level? Click Me for Fear the Turtle Stuff if You're Interested

BG had 9K for the Akron game a couple weeks ago. It was on a Saturday. Everyone was off work. 13K for a 10am Zips' game that's: 1.) On TV 2.) Against the worst team in the nation 3.) Held in late November 4.) Held on a Holiday when many people travel is pretty damn good. Especially when the best the Zips will be at that point is 5-5. It isn't "sad" to draw such crowds on Thanksgiving morning. In fact it will be very impressive.

It wasn't the fact that he was miffed that made the quote tomatoable, it was the fact that he considers OSU his "hometown" school. Go to Youngstown and ask a local what their hometown school is...after dodging a couple bullets and being assaulted with a blunt object and then being violated while you lay unconsious I guarantee the Younsgstowner says "YSU." And trust me, there are as many OSU fans in Youngstown as there are in Akron. IMO: Getting a brand-spankin' new football stadium and fielding a winning team will create a quantum leapforward in making Akronites think "Zips" when they talk about their hometown team. Even if they are OSU fans. I hope this faculty/pay thing gets settled soon so we can start the f-ing stadium!

I find it about as interesting/compelling as the Terrell Owens saga. *yawn* They make this Oddball clown out to be some sort of Che Guevara. It is a joke. That's all I will say regarding that topic.

Winters was good...until the game was on the line. How many games did we lose simply because we couldn't get a first down to run out the clock? Many. Punt...opponent drives down the field against our crappy defense...we lose the game. Do you really miss those 3rd-and-8 delayed draws out of the shotgun formation? People forget too soon that, while we has some great offensive players under Winters/Owens...late in the 4th quarter the offense predictably went south. Owens was fired for a reason. In general, he recruited mediocre players...recruiting well with his first 12 scholarships and failing miserably with his last 13. His player rentention the last several years was horrible. JD, in only his second season, is saddled with that legacy. Every year we should expect more from this staff. They've already made more positive strides on defense than Owens did in 9 years. I'm sure offense is next on the priority list. I'm expecting an equal improvement on offense in 2006 as we saw on defense in 2005. I'm down on the team's offensive execution this year more than I am the playcalling.

From the PD: "For someone to have all these accolades for four years, and you get passed up by the hometown college, it really doesn't make sense," Sutton said of Ohio State. "They had the opportunity for four years to try and pursue me." Here's one for you, Tyrell: That said...we need to get this damn stadium build so we can one day keep some of these "stud" Akron HS running backs (Pittman, Carter, Sutton, Wells, etc.) "home," playing for their real "hometown" school.

Click me - OU's Main Message Board

I think the Thanksgiving game is worth a shot. If it draws 10K is is a success. Any more and it is officially a "tradition." I'm guessing K-ent brings a couple thousand if the weather is ok. We're good for at least 8k. The national television is a great thing too. Recruits always want to know how often they'll be on TV. To have two ESPN games is a great selling point for the program. I know last season's Marshall game swayed a few out-of-state recruits to attend U of A. On the K-ent "rivalry": It goes both ways. We haven't been much of a hoops rival (to them) the past 8 years and they have sucked at football the past...ok, forever...but definitely the past 8 years. If Can't and Akron were ever simultaneously good in any major sport, it would be HUGE for the area. It could happen in basketball...it will never happen in football. Remember - K-ent is the school that arrests their own alumni at Homecoming tailgates for open container violations. K-ent has no interest in creating a winning football program...and if they had the interest, they have no clue how to go about doing it. Arresting alumni who actually how up to see their sorry-ass team...that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard of. The Annual Beating of Can't is a fun thing. I look forward to drubbing them again in a couple weeks. I hope one day we can get a rivalry going with another MAC school, like Toledo and Marshall had going on for a bit...but it will take the Zips competing for champiopnships before something like that could begin.

A young family...going to school for a Master's degree...and being AD of a Division 1 school is one hell of a workload. It is challenging enough having a family and being AD. I would hope the Masters Degree thing is overlooked and the work experience is valued.

I want DA ZIPMAN for AD! University of Phoenix Online has Masters Degrees for $1.98 this week, BTW.

I didn't mention anything regarding Cubs fans. I only mentioned the irony of the team's "Three More Feet" motto and the goal line situation this past Saturday. Say what you want about any other facet of the team or the season, but if BG beats Miami and we win out, those three more feet would have taken us to the MAC Championship. Ironic...prophetic...a little of both?

...should BG beat Miami, and the Zips win-out, the failed 4th quarter first-and-goal at the Ball State 1 yard line would place us exactly three feet short of making the MAC Championship game. Three more stinkin' feet.

A friend told me Mike was named interim AD. A national search has begun for a permanent replacement for Mike Thomas. That's all I know. BTW: If anyone on the committee to interview potential candidates was on the committee that recommended Dennis Helsel, I'll explode.

If I'm him I say "Damn, I got the next 45 years of my life to work...or I can postpone that for one more semester and..." a.) Play football in front of 100,000+ in Happy Valley b.) Try to give the Zips their first ever win vs. an ACC team @ NC State c.) Try to win a MAC championship in a season where we have Miami and BG at home d.) Be a college student for 4 more months...for free The kid can work the rest of his life beginning December 2006. If I'm him I say "Screw the office cubicle, I want to play football." If he chooses otherwise, I wish him well. He's a good kid.

If we win the final 2, it is a decent year. It is frustrating...many opportunities lost...but I can deal with it. If we lose at home to OU it is crippling. Season turns to crap. If we lost to Can't at home this season I'm cancelling my season tickets. There is no excuse to lose to these clowns. They're the worst team in Division 1-A and our rival. I can't see a loss to K-ent happening. They are sooooo Goddamn bad.

It's Miller time: Senior standout keys Mooney defense The four-year starter will walk on at the University of Akron next season. By BILL SULLIVAN VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF YOUNGSTOWN — When Kevin Miller graduates from Cardinal Mooney High School in the spring, don't be surprised to see prep soccer coaches throughout Ohio attending the ceremony. They're all going to be glad to see him move on. Over Miller's soccer career at Mooney, the Cardinals have racked up a 77-8-3 record. Tuesday, Miller will play in his third state tournament. When Miller was a freshman, he played every minute in Mooney's 2-1 overtime win in the state championship game that gave the Mahoning Valley its only prep soccer title. As a sophomore, Miller helped the Cardinals advance to the regional championship game. Last year Mooney lost in the state championship game, 1-0. Miller says there's no shortcut to his soccer success; a lot of preparation goes into his team. "It's hard work, really," Miller said. "And, a great coaching staff; they always have us prepared for our games. They keep us working. "Our program is excellent. We have the indoor season. The club teams in the area and in the Cleveland area keep us around competition all year around. By the time we come back to play for Mooney, we're ready to go." Defense Miller (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) plays the non-glamorous position of central defender — he doesn't score goals; his duty is to prevent the opponents from scoring. Miller takes his field commands from senior goalie Andrew Loudon (13 shutouts in 21 games) and directs the rest of the stingy defense. "I'm thinking a zero," Miller said of his pre-game state of mind. "I'm thinking there's a [opposing] forward that's worked just as hard as I have. "He's done all the laps, all the sprints that we've done. They have to play in the same conditions that I do. There's no reason that he should beat me. I should be able to shut down every forward that's worked as hard as I have." Although Mooney has won 77 games with Miller on the team, one game stands out in his mind — the 2002 state title match at Columbus Crew Stadium. "The greatest game I've ever played was the state championship game my freshman year," Miller said. "I was the youngest player on the field for both teams. "I had nine seniors [starters] to back me up. I felt like I played unbelievable for my team to win like that." He played all 100 minutes in the 2-1 double overtime battle over Columbus DeSales. The future Recently, Miller decided he's going to walk-on at the University of Akron's soccer team next fall. The Zips are ranked first in the country. There Miller will again play with Zack Hernan, a Mooney senior who is a Zip recruit. Miller will study sports medicine, which may be an ironic choice. His father, Paul — "The biggest fan I have," Miller said. "He loves me; I love my dad." — last missed one of Kevin's game five years ago when he received a triple heart bypass. But for now Miller has to concentrate on Tuesday's assignment: Kidron Central Christian. Then perhaps it's another trip to Crew Stadium Friday afternoon.

I agree. That pretty much sums up what most of us feel at this point in the season. At the beginning of the season, 6-wins seemed like a great campaign. In hindsight, we could easily be 7-2 going into this week's game. Even 8-1 is reasonable to believe, if you discount the worst 60 seconds in the 100 years of Division 1-A football @ Miami. The progress of this defense is unreal. Many of the fans posting on this board have sat in the Rubber Bowl for 15+ years. This young defensive group, with only a handful of games under their collective belt, is the best defense we've seen wearing Blue and Gold in memory. How good can they be next season? The only impact guy we lose is Rohr. Elie and White, while capable, should more than adequately be replaced by the new generation. Offensively, Zips Win hit the nail on the head. While the O-line is inexperienced and hasn't been dominating, they have given Getsy numerous opportunities to sit in the pocket and pick out his WR's. The frequency at which Luke either zings the ball over their heads or at their feet is maddening. They say Vince Carter is "Half Man Half Amazing." Getsy is "Half Average Half Horrible." He runs the gamut in every game, teasing you with a couple decent drives, only to have the accuracy of a lawn sprinkler for the next 2 quarters. We have two games remaining this season. Both are at home and both are against bad teams. Yes, compared to K-ent, OU is awesome, but in the big picture they're a bad football team. A two game win streak to finish the season would be a nice way for the seniors to go out. The staff can sell the 4-consecutive winning seasons to recruits...maybe they can even sell the "co-MAC East champs" thing if we end up in a 3-way tie? Note: If there is a 3-way tie, does the MAC office hand out co-champ rings to all the teams involved? They gave us rings a few years ago even though we lost to Miami straight up. Man, it is really tough to buy into the "wait until next year" mentality again, when you've been doing that for 21+ years. The specter of Getsy at the helm for the 2006 season makes it all the more depressing. But, it isn't fair to the staff to hold them responsible for Owens' sorry recruiting and retention. We held back a lot of quality Fr.'s this season in order to build for the future. I wonder if, in hindsight, the staff would do the same thing knowing that the MAC East was there for the taking this year? What will it take for us to take that step forward next year to believe and compete? We need leadership on offense. We need a dependable QB. Can Jabari (injury-prone?) and Long replace Hixson and Montgomery? Who replaces Biggs? Kennedy hasn't wowed me in his limited opportunities and Alex Allen has seen a snap in the backfield this year. Can we get a fullback that can clear a hole for an RB? Lots of questions on offense next season. Not too many on defense. Special teams? I think Swiger and Sullivan will be adequately replaced. BG and Miami are at home next year. I know the staff had a 4 year plan to compete for a MAC championship. Based upon the performance of the rest of the MAC teams this year, if we can muster a decent offense, there's no reason we can't accellerate the plan by one year. Beat OU. Beat Can't. Recruit like hell. Win the MAC East in 2006. It's there for the taking.