Captain Kangaroo
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Posts posted by Captain Kangaroo
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I sent my email. You all should do the same.
Emails don't work with Pantages. He is an arrogant, ignorant a-hole. The best thing you can do is cancel your subscription.
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The Navy win was a lot of fun.
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Just wanted to wish you Zip fans good luck (but not too much luck!) in the game this Saturday. I along with other Raider fans made the trip to Akron last year and were treated to the some of the most hospitable fans in college football and I for one cannot wait to return the favor. For those making the trip, this is our declared "faith and family weekend" and you're more than welcomed to join us in our public activities that include a charity driven sorority sponsored BBQ tailgate ($7) and a post-game concert by GMA award winning christian band Building 429 (free). For more information please go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~nsfp/family.htm
Good luck, be safe driving, and I hope to see our visitng section full of navy and gold!
I will be there, smuggling a flask. Maybe I should skip the Christian concert?
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Is there anyone out there who is going to Tennessee this week and would like me to post on things to do in Nashville? I am not going to waste time doing this if nobody is interested.
I'm going, but staying in Murfreesboro. Doesn't look like anyone else is? Hopefully in a year or two the "Zips that Travel" will dramatically increase in number.
I appreciate the offer.
Let us know if you need any directions to the stadium from your hotel, and/or things to do, places to eat, etc.
I know to look for an old school bus to tailgate near, and there's allegedly a "square" area that shoud be hopping on Friday night? I stopped by your Delphi forum about a month ago and a few Blue Raiders were kind enough to help me out.
Any good microbreweries around Murfreesboro?
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Is there anyone out there who is going to Tennessee this week and would like me to post on things to do in Nashville? I am not going to waste time doing this if nobody is interested.
I'm going, but staying in Murfreesboro. Doesn't look like anyone else is? Hopefully in a year or two the "Zips that Travel" will dramatically increase in number.
I appreciate the offer.
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The Akron win was the last MAC team to beat OSU. They said it during the Texas game.
I guess it didn't matter that UA wasn't in the MAC.
I was watching a CUSA game last weekend. The network showed a list of the 6 or 7 CUSA QB's in the NFL. Included were Culpepper, Pennington and Leftwitch, who obviously never played in CUSA.
If we beat OSU in 1894, I'll take it. I'm glad they still count such an old win as one for Akron and the MAC. Lookinf forward the the next one in 2007.
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For basketball, I don't think we can possibly do better. I hope French has the job as long as he wants it.
Just another opinion - Hate seeing a good guy and announcer hung out to dry. It would be a really bad move by the UA.
I concur entirely Pouch.
I think most agree that Frenchie does a nice job. If you don't...like Pouch said...try sitting through Can't's Bill Needle for more than 5 minutes.
Frenchie does screw up names all the time. Does WNIR's health plan not pay for glasses?
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I found a picture of the Kasparek's back yard. It explains a lot...
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How about a guest "assistant" in the booth to sort of "help" Frenchie a little? What the hey.............do we have a bigger long term fan than "The Cap"? M could keep his glasses clean, spot for him, and slip him notes of listener interest.
Can I bring my flask into the booth? If so, I’m in!
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UAM...........will either you, or a designated lackie of your chosing PLEASE clean Frenchies glasses before he starts broadcasting the games!
"Nice catch by Dominic Hixson" "Wait...Joe Dunn is telling me that was Jabari Arthur."
"Great catch by Jason Montgomery." "Wait, Joe Dunn is telling me it was Johnny Long."
etc. etc. etc. It went on all day long.
I thought Stams did a nice job with the color commentary. He describes the sets and stratagies well. I saw him doing a game on ESPNU the other night. He may not be in the Zips booth for long?
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#1: Toledo – Handled WMU with ease, getting up 35-0 before calling off the dogs.
#2: NIU: Presently 0-2, but credible performances vs Michigan and Northwestern. Their RB Wolfe is f-ing tough.
#3: BG – Scoring some points, but giving them up like crazy too. 31 points to Ball State is embarrassing for a team thought to be a title contender.
#4: Central Michigan – The were step-for-step with Indiana, then beat Miami in Oxford. CMU looking good in the early going.
#5: Akron – Is a 25 point loss to Purdue better than a 16-10 win over Pitt? Tough to say…OU and Akron appear pretty close at this time. I give the edge to Akron because OU can’t score an offensive touchdown.
#6: OU – Bobcats score a nice home win vs. Pitt. At year’s end, Pitt may only have beaten YSU, which will take some of the luster off this BCS beating.
#7: EMU: 31-10 over Lou. Laf. Not a bad non-conf win. They appear to be on the rise.
#8: Miami: On reputation alone. They stunk up the Horseshoe in week #1, then lost to CMU at home. One more bad week and they’re dropping to my “Bottom 3.â€
#9: Can't: MAJOR beat down at the hands of Michigan State in week 1, but beat a 1-AA team at home by 21 last week. Their #1 MAC D appears to be all hype.
#10: Western Michigan: Had a decent showing vs. Va Tech…but got their doors blown off by Toledo.
#11: Ball State: Put up 31 points on BG. Not enough to overcome that opening day massacare @ Iowa, however.
#12: Buffalo: Has yet to score a point in 8 quarters of football. That is pathetic.
#13: Temple: 65-0 beat down at the hands of Wisconsin. Hey it was only 9 points more than BG surrendered…but 6TD’s fewer than BG scored. Buffalo is salivating at the thought of playing Temple every year.
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Getsy looks like and carries himself like a player who played at a big time program.
That's impressive, considering his previous experience was either high school, or Pitt. Since Pitt lost to lowly OU...and could only muster 10 points in a game that went to overtime...I have a hard time classifying Pitt as "big time." They'd be lucky to win 6 games with a MAC schedule this year.
I'm very happy we got Getsy instead of Palko.
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Thanks ZR..........nice report.
I agree. Thanks!
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Was in Columbus for the Texas game last night but caught the Akron game on the ESPN 360 computer video. Have to say I was much impressed by the performance. Save a few personnel letdowns with penalities (at least 14 points given to Purdue) and one substitution miscue early in the game and this was a gutty performance. Getsy ain't Charlie but he gets the job done. Hixon is an animal and Gonzalez and Tate both played well defensively. Team speed is way, way up and the Zippers have a nice problem with two great runningbacks. Hard to remember a more well-rounded Akron performance, meaning defense and offense both coming to play consistently. Big 10 stripes did not help Akron much either, but what do you expect, the Big 12 refs in the Shoe did not help us either.
Akron should fare well against MTSU and should have a shot in the MAC. Neither BG or Miami seem like worldbeaters based on their MAC openers and the MU's are already one down in the loss column to CMU. Akron is on the way up and MU is on the way down. Ohio had their fun on Friday night but Pittsburgh is just plain awful. BG is the class of the east but they got pushed at Ball State. Buffalo is bad and so is Can't State, struggling against a BAD 1-AA team is not the performance I expected from the flushes but think that they could beat Miami this week at home.
5-7 wins is in reach if the penalties and now and then letdowns get corrected.
I'm cautiously optimistic now too.
Remember the game at the 'shoe in 2001? We lost 28-14. Played a whale of a game. We finished 4-7 that year.
I will be very interesting to see how the Zips fare in Murfreesboro next week. I watched MTSU lose at home to Noth Texas last night (YES Network). MTSU isn't very good.
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They obviously didn't spend even 10 minutes learning how to pronounce the Akron players names which is extremely unprofessional and lazy, IMO.
How dare you berate someone who doesn't spend 10 minutes to learn basic information regarding the Zips.
Sincerely,
David Lee Morgan
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You've got to be encouraged that we will be competitive throughout the rest of the schedule.
Northern Illinois is getting beat up pretty good by Nortwestern...Miami loses to a weak CMU team, giving up 38 pionts in the process. BG gave up 56 points to Wisconsin. Can't gave up 700 yards to Michigan State. Buffalo may not score in September. Ball State appears to be absolutely horrible. OU's offense is atrocious, and we have them at the Rubber Bowl. Army was down 30-0 to Boston College today, I believe?
If the Zips can play like they did today for the remainder of the season...man...this fall could be a lot of fun!
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And I've shared your optimism in the past (Penn State) only to be dissappointed.
I don't recall being too optimistic about beating Penn State...but then again I drank a TON of these things while I was there...so I probably was.
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U of L will face haves, have-nots
And the former are all in the Big East
The Courier-Journal
The University of Louisville released its men's basketball schedule yesterday, but it looked more like two schedules.
The non-conference portion is watered down by design, with the exception of road games against Kentucky and Miami. But the Big East portion has all the kick that coach Rick Pitino wants -- and then some.
With a young team whose starting front line all could be first-year starters early in the season and a pair of big men (Juan Palacios and Brian Johnson) coming back from injuries, Pitino said building confidence early will be a premium.
That's why the Cardinals' first six non-conference games will be against Tennessee-Martin, Prairie View A&M, Arkansas State, Richmond, Akron and Chicago State, all at home.
"The most important thing for this team, because of its lack of experience and returning minutes from last year's team, is that we get off to a good start," Pitino said in a statement released by U of L.
"We're hoping our non-conference home schedule will allow us to be competitive right away before we go into a tough stretch that includes road games at Kentucky and Miami. We'll then enter a new era of Big East basketball that will probably be the hardest conference schedule in the history of Louisville basketball."
He added jokingly, "My tenure will last probably a year or two after this, and I'll wish everyone well."
The Cards' Big East schedule is no joke. They'll open it at home against Villanova, expected to be a top-10 team and perhaps top-five. Then comes Pitino's much-anticipated return to Providence, where he coached the Friars to a Final Four in 1987.
All that's needed to gauge the difficulty of the Big East schedule is a look at the final five road games: Villanova, Cincinnati, Syracuse, West Virginia and, winding up the regular season, Connecticut. Interspersed among those will be home games against Notre Dame, South Florida, DePaul and Marquette.
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TCU went from unknown to nationally ranked after its shocking upset of Oklahoma. How amazing was it? The Horned Frogs were just 5-6 last year and ranked dead last — 119th out of 119 teams — in Division I-A in pass defense. Sports Illustrated had them rated No. 62 in the nation — surrounded by the likes of North Texas, New Mexico and Middle Tennesse — in their preseason preview.
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Once I got over being upset that the Urinal has Akron's Soccer article listed under Can't State on the website... I was pleased with two articles on the Zips today..
DL Morgan writes:
Most of the Zips' first-year players will be on the defensive side of the ball. Brookhart plans to start linebacker Kevin Grant (6-foot-2, 235 pounds), with defensive backs Brion Stokes and Brandon Anderson expected to see action off the bench.
Hey DL...Brion Stokes is an F-ing LINEBACKER! Would the OSU beat writer list AJ Hawk as a defensive back? No. If the guy was that stupid, he'd be fired.
DL: I just hope to God we're competing with Marshall for the MAC East Championship at year's end with Brion Stokes' brilliant cornerback skills leading the way.
Keep up the shoddy work, DL. Attention to detail...like who's in the conference of the team you're covering...or the position played by a team starter...that stuff is overrated...as long as you can cut-n-paste stuff from GoZips.com to supplement it.
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From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:
From his seat inside Detroit's Comerica Park this past July during the Major League Baseball All-Star game, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis bided his time by sending text messages to prospective football recruits.
Never mind that it occurred during the NCAA "quiet" period, when coaches are not allowed to talk to high school prospects unless they are on campus.
Under the definition of NCAA rules, electronically transmitted correspondences such as text messaging, e-mail, Instant Messenger and facsimiles do not constitute a telephone call and are permissible.
As a result, college football recruiting has gone high-tech. And coaches are now keeping their Blackberries and Sidekicks next to their whistles and clipboards.
"We text every single day, and it is a very, very integral part of recruiting now," Weis said, "because it counts as an electronic message rather than a phone call and I would say that we talk to several recruits every single day by text."
One of those text messages is designated for Woodland Hills senior Darrin Walls, the nation's top cornerback. Although Walls doesn't have his own cellular phone, he finds the Electronic Age of Recruiting a convenience for recruiters and recruits alike.
"My top schools - Pitt, Notre Dame, Michigan and Florida - they text message my dad and I receive them," Walls said. "And they all e-mail me little quotes, ask how things are going. If they want me to call them, they'll e-mail me.
"I think it's better because they don't call as much. They can get in contact with me without having to talk to me on the phone. I think it's a better way to recruit."
Several WPIAL recruits experienced the difference firsthand last Thursday, when they were besieged by phone calls during the start of the NCAA "contact" period.
"I just kept getting calls and calls and calls," Walls said. "It was crazy. I would be talking to one coach and another would call. I'd tell him to call back in 10 minutes. Then another would call, and I'd tell him to call back in 15 minutes."
Franklin Regional senior Brad Phillips actually informed Northwestern's coaching staff by text message in July that he was ready to make a verbal commitment. He contacted assistant James Patton, who text messaged back a time when head coach Randy Walker would be in his office.
"It opens up the communication a lot more," Phillips said. "Calling them, you don't know if they're going to be in the office or not. And they can't call you until after Sept. 1.
"From hearing what my dad (Duane) went through when he was getting recruited in high school, it's a lot different."
Penn-Trafford's computer-savvy quarterback Tyler Huether receives e-mails on a regular basis from Akron, Louisville, North Carolina State and Toledo. Huether said he sometimes prefers the electronic communication.
"They send e-mail or text message on a cell phone," Huether said. "The messages say, 'We want to keep in touch.' Or 'keep working hard.' You get it right away and can call right back."
Kiski Area senior Mychal Skinner receives interest in a variety of ways. He keeps a Scout.com recruiting analyst updated by IMs. Skinner receives e-mails from Akron, Connecticut, Eastern Michigan and Pitt. And he also gets text messages from schools on his cell phone.
"It is an easier way, truthfully," Skinner said. "You don't have to deal with it. You just get on the e-mail. If they send you something, you just send it back."
Even the simplest forms of communication can open new doors for some prospects. Perry Traditional Academy quarterback Desmond Brentley has a cell phone and is proficient with text messaging, but he had never used e-mail before until a college recruiter mentioned it.
"I got e-mail just for that purpose," said Brentley, who receives them regularly from Buffalo and Illinois. "They sent a schedule, a few comments here and there."
Akron assistant coach Joe Moorhead, a Central Catholic graduate, appears to be one of the more aggressive recruiters when it comes to e-mail and text messages. He has contacted Brentley, Huether, Baldwin cornerback Cart Kelly and Woodland Hills receiver Wes Lyons that way.
"I like the text messaging," Brentley said. "It's easier and quicker. It's a convenient way when they can't talk to you. Mail takes a couple days. You can send a text and let them know they're thinking of you.
"They say something like, 'Think Akron.' It does work, like they're really thinking about you. If he took time out to text message me, it lets you know how they feel."
Lyons, in fact, said he received a text message from Moorhead following the top-ranked Wolverines' 48-28 victory over No. 2 Gateway last Friday night. Instead of calling back, Lyons simply text messaged the score.
Electronic contact also is used to set up phone conversations, which are permissible year-round if initiated by the prospect. Coaches can skirt the rules by sending a message for a recruit to call them at a certain time.
"It is kind of easier because you can talk any time you want," Kelly said. "There are regulations with talking on the phone. If you want to say something, you just text and it's done. It doesn't turn into a half-hour conversation."
And Weis, who is new to the college game, is among the coaches already mastering the art of keeping conversations to a minimum while keeping contact at a maximum.
"Any time you have an opportunity to let the kids know you're thinking of them when they would not think you were thinking of them," Weis said. "You either text them before a game, and then you text them after a game to follow up on what happened. I'm not doing anything that everyone else isn't doing. I just think that it's become just part of what you have to do."
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They will open it up as much as they trust Getsy to run things. If the lines play well, we are going to make it a lot closer than people think.
I remember a nondescript Zips squad with a Fr. QB in his first start vs. OSU lost 28-14. Fuller's tip to Gamble on the sure INT and Brandon Paynes muff on the 1 yard line...take away those two plays and...damn.
Anything can happen.
F Purdue
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Purdue's returning 20 starters. All 11 on defense. You have a roster full of youngsters due to Lee Owens' inept recruiting over the last two+ years of his tenure.
Do you run the ball and keep the clock rolling? Yeah, that works...if you want your defense on the field all day. I can only imagine the struggle our young OL is going to have against Purdue's 11 returning starters. If run, run, run is the way we're going to spend the day... Billy Sullivan better begin looking into treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Do you go "balls to the wall" and try and win the thing? Try gimmick plays...bombs...gamble a bit on D?
Do you rotate Getsy and Ferguson a la Washington and Gromek in the Penn State game circa 1999? *shudder*
I hope we mix it up and try to win the thing. If we just try to run out the clock and keep from getting injured, it sets a bad tone. Is there any difference in losing 48-14 (ball control) or 65-14 (try to air it out a few times at the risk of stopping the clock)? No. However, the style of play we'd need to play to win the game is much more conducive to a 65-14 loss than a 48-14 loss.
If the guys are in shape, there won't be any major injury issues (*knock* on wood). We've played big games like this every year for the past decade and never been too beat up. I say "F it...try to win the thing" and see what happens.
F Purdue.
MTSU Recap
in Akron Zips Football
Posted
Here's my fast and random overview of this weekends excursion to Murfreesboro:
* Flew in at 10am Friday. Turns out we stayed at the same hotel at the team! Was pretty cool.
* Saw JD before the game and asked him for his prediction. He said "If we play like 18 year olds, we'll struggle. If we play like we did last week (Purdue) we'll be alright." Turns out he was right. The Zip freshmen played a little bit beyond their years and the Zips were "alright."
* We began tailgating at 12pm. The lot was about 1/10th full of MTSU fans. At 1pm the Hixson's drove by and we flagged them down. Turned out about 13 Hixson's made the trip! Then came the Willis's (OL), Sullivan's, Rohr's, a few random Akron ex-patriots from the Murfreesboro area and pretty soon we had a pretty nice U of A tailgate going on. All great people. It was fun. The MTSU folks were great too. Very hospitable. They seem to be in a southern, parallel universe to Akron. Their "fight" is against UT and Vanderbilt for fan support, much like we battle the machine that is OSU.
* Lots of beer in the parking lots, despite "faith and family" weekend!
* The Zips were never not in control of the game. Getsey made a couple bad decisions in the red zone that cost us, but each time the defense picked us up. When's the last time you heard that?
* The TD MTSU scored was a joke. The WR's foot was at LEAST 2 full feet out of bounds when he made his pivot. The ref dropped his hat where it happened, then, after the play went for a TD, he quickly ran over, snatched up his hat and blew the whistle to kick the extra point. If Frenchie and Joe Dunn went nuts over that call, they were 100% justified.
* I saw a Zips coach after the game and said "Nice game." He said "We should have scored 45 points." He was right. We were in MTSU's territory all game, but penalties, bad execution and a bit of questionable play-calling hurt us. To win by 10 while blowing so many scoring opportunities was really impressive and a credit to our defense. MTSU has a nice CB too....I have to give the guy some credit.
* Chevin Pace was everywhere. He had a GREAT game. Ditto Stokes.
* Jermaine Reid played well too.
* The Zips OL gave Getsy plenty of time to throw. Their run blocking began slowly, but in the second half they began to open up some nice holes.
* Hixson was spectacular. He's a lot like Matt Cherry, but with a little something "extra." Every catch he makes he's thinking "endzone." He's elusive and has great vision. For those of you that didn't make it to Purdue or MTSU, you'll be in for a treat watching him this Saturday.
* Biggs ran tough. He had no holes early on, but really began doing some damage in the 2nd half.
* Getsy is a more than adequate replacement for Frye. If he can figure out when to chuck the ball into the stands instead of forcing the play, he'll be awesome.
* A little bird told me that JD JD gave a nice post game talk to the players where he stated he didn't know how good this team was going to be at the beginning of the season. But, after 2 games he now knows they're "a pretty darn good football team." The guys on the team were pretty happy to hear that and are pretty pumped about this weeks home opener!
* MTSU isn't a bad team. To go on the road and rack up 400+ yards offensively...and shut them down defensively...was impressive to behold.
* MTSU hadn't lost back to back home games since 1980.
I hear Garrett Wolfe hurt his shoulder and left NIU's game in the 2nd quarter? Wonder how bad he's hurt? Hopefully only bad enough to miss one week?