Captain Kangaroo

Making a schedule for the 2005 season was a nightmare. Conflicts galore with just about every MAC opponent. Akron is very aware of the fact that the late-season matchup with Can't will struggle get 5-10k, while a season-opener would easily draw 25k. Having no inside information, I will offer the following conspiracy theory: The MAC office begged the Zips to schedule the flushes at season's end to make scheduling easier for other MAC schools. As compensation for the loss in attendance, they gave us the ESPN2 slot and a bit of national exposure. When you're a MAC school you sometimes gotta do stuff like this. I've been to some of the late-season Akron/Can't games. The weather can be B-R-U-T-A-L (remember Dwight Smith's finale?) with crowds in the low hundreds. We need to pray for some freakishly nice weather and hope for the best.

NFL's eye on quarterback Frye Willard grad a likely pick in first 3 rounds By Jon Spencer News Journal _____ Akron quarterback Charlie Frye, a Willard High School graduate, takes questions from the media after working out for NFL teams April 1 at the University of Akron. Frye works his way through passing drills for the NFL executives and scouts. AKRON -- April Fool's Day was no joke to quarterback Charlie Frye or his guests. At a time of the morning when many are wolfing down a Pop-Tart or McGriddle on the way to work, Frye was already huddling in a film room at the University of Akron with NFL scouts. They were quizzing the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Willard native on blitz protections. As they watched film, they drew up three protections on a blackboard, erased them and had Frye re-draw them to measure his comprehension and retention. He aced that test, which came as no surprise to former Akron quarterbacks coach Tom Stacy. "Charlie lived in our office, looking at tape all the time," said Stacy, now the offensive coordinator at Ashland University. "All the awards he got and the success he'll have in the future is deserved because he worked his tail off." Frye's reward comes Saturday, when he is expected to go in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. He has a chance to become the highest Akron player ever selected, surpassing defensive end Jason Taylor, taken in the third round and 73rd overall by Miami in 1997. One mock draft has Frye going in the first round to the Green Bay Packers, looking to groom a successor to Brett Favre. Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. thinks Frye is more likely to be taken by the Pack with one of their two second-round picks, 51st and 58th overall. The Browns are another team that has shown considerable interest. New general manager Phil Savage said he has seen Frye throw at least 20 times over his career, partly because Frye considered coming out after his junior year before he was deemed a middle-round pick. Savage was the highest-ranked executive among the 11 NFL teams that sent representatives to Frye's April 1 "Pro Day" workout at Akron. Savage and Frye spent two hours together that afternoon, having lunch and going over game tape. While national analysts see the Browns taking Utah quarterback Alex Smith with the third pick in the draft, some think Cleveland will pass on a quarterback in the first round and try to steal Frye with the second pick in the second round, 34th overall, or with another pick it might acquire in a trade for its No. 1. Savage isn't tipping his hand. Frye isn't losing sleep over where he's headed. "I know the New York Giants called (Steelers quarterback) Ben Roethlisberger the night before last year's draft and said they were going to draft him, and you know who they picked," Frye said, referring to quarterback Eli Manning. "You can't believe anything you hear. Whoever picks me is going to get a quarterback who does what the coaches ask." According to former Akron head coach and current Ashland University boss Lee Owens, an NFL team will also be getting a guy who could be the face of that franchise for years to come. "He's never going to big-time anyone," Owens said. "Dave and Sally Frye, if they're not the best parents, they're darn close to it. Charlie is special and that's because of the environment he was raised in." Owens could talk for hours about the Charlie Frye who set 54 school records and ranks No. 11 on the NCAA's career total offense list (11,478 yards). Instead, he prefers to talk about the Charlie Frye who recently popped in on Owens and Stacy at Ashland to reminisce about old times. He can also discuss the Charlie Frye who pinch-hit for Owens as speaker at the Hillsdale Middle School graduation so that Owens could attend his own daughter's graduation. "Last year was going to be my last year at Akron, no matter what happened, because it would have been my 10th year and time to try something different," said Owens, who was fired after the 2003 season, even though the Zips were 7-4 and ranked among the Division I-A leaders in offense. "I thought the coaching staff and senior class, particularly Charlie, were building toward something special, but it wasn't meant to be. "I made the best of it and Charlie did the same thing. What he accomplished last year, with a whole new offense and coaching staff, was phenomenal." Browns player personnel director Bill Rees agrees. "He did a great job, especially the second half of a season in a new offense," Rees said. "He dug his heels in and not only learned it, but mastered it." Rees witnessed an interesting end to Frye's April 1 workout. With his shirt was already drenched with sweat from 30 minutes of throwing without a break, Frye launched a half-dozen 60-yard passes from a flat-footed position in a test of pure arm strength. Again, Frye appeared to ace the exam. "I've never seen him do that in a practice, but I have seen him throw like that under duress," Stacy said, laughing. "And he put the ball right on the money." Like Owens, Stacy laments not being able to finish at Akron what started with signing Frye. "When you recruit someone like that, you'd like to see it through," Stacy said. "I'm happy it has turned out the way it has. Most important was how it affected him. "He's just a great young man, so down to earth. The thing I always liked is that he kept his mouth shut and worked his tail off. You have so many prima donna athletes these days. Any time he talked, he talked with a purpose." Frye, named MVP of the Senior Bowl, has spent the last four months preparing for Saturday. He was tutored by 24-year NFL coaching veteran Rod Dowhower in Arizona and added 10 pounds of muscle with the guidance of Warren Anderson and Tim McClellan, trainers of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. While analysts agree Smith and Aaron Rodgers of Cal will be the first quarterbacks drafted, Frye's stock has gone through the roof of Akron's new indoor facility. A few months ago, few outside Ohio had heard of him. Now some say he's a Brett Favre clone. "I've watched (Favre) play a lot," Frye said. "He seems pretty fearless. That's the same demeanor I have. He leaves it all on the field and he loves to play the game. That's the same reason I play the game. If that's what you're trying to compare, then that's accurate."

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I look at the past and say that somehow we'll be ok. We won't be great, but we'll be ok. Lee Owens took over a team that had absolutely nothing but Jason Taylor and won two games. The following year, with a very unheralded recruiting class to bolster the smattering of Faust leftovers, he won 4 games. The team JD Brookhart returns in 2005 is FAR superior in talent to the 1996 LO team, and his new recruiting class is also FAR superior. Regarless of how much we "pimp" the MAC, reality is the bottom-feeder teams are very bad. OU, Buffalo, Ball State, Central Michigan, Can't...these are alll very beatable teams, even in a "down/rebuilding" year. Add MTSU and Army as non-conf opponents, and I gotta believe 5-6 wins isn't only possible...it should be expected. The QB position will be solved. Between Getsy and Arthur, one is going to emerge, and the other will put pressure on the #1 to keep the job. BTW: If Arthur gets the job, does Getsy transfer to YSU or Slippery Rock? OL is going to be rough. If the present guys can get into top shape...get strong...and run block...we can move the ball. That will eat up clock and win some games. I think we're a year away from being able to have a QB toss the ball 30+, or even 25+ times. WR's will be fine. The tapes I saw of all the new guys were great stuff. One or two of the Fr's should see a lot of PT (Cruz and Poindexter are my two favorites, with Jaqumain as a darkhorse). Kicker & Punter are solid. That is a HUGE plus for a team that's going to struggle at times to move the ball. RB is solid if the Kennedy emergence is for real. Biggs and Ringer are good MAC backs and Allen may surprise if given a chance. FB: McDaniel? Spalding? Tuzze? The Colorado transfer? The Baltimore kid? Buehler? Buehler? DL: Small, not much depth. Need some darkhorses to emerge. LB: Very young. If Rohr were to happen to get hurt, we'd be in big trouble. New guys need to catch on FAST. Is the Rice kid a player? He looked good in practices. Secondary: Our top 4 CB's could have started ahead of our #2 CB in 2003 (Jesse Smith). If the DL can get some pressure, we'll get our share of INT's in 2005. I love our corners and I'm cautiously optimistic about the safties. I wish we had some bigger hitters there. That's what I see in April. If JD is the coach we all think he is, I firmly believe 6 wins is to be expected based upon our opponents. I hope we can "steal" a win vs BG, NIU, Miami or Purdue. Of those, I NIU is our best shot. They eeked out some very narrow victories last season vs some of the MAC's worst teams, so they could be "had" at the Rubber Bowl.

The Beacon can't write anything on the Zips while they're in school...but man can they write epic stories once they leave: Owner gets to play again Former Stow standout brings Lightning back to his old high school By Darnell Mayberry Beacon Journal staff writer Here he is, owner of a professional basketball team. And a player, too. But he'll likely see mop-up minutes while playing for his team, the Akron Lightning, whose home opener is at 1 p.m. today at Stow High School. There are few instances when Andy Norman isn't in control. When Norman wants something, he gets it, which is why he and business partner Jason Herceg paid $45,000 to buy into the 17-team International Basketball League in its inaugural season. It's the reason he married the 5-foot-4 blonde he fell in love with after only 10 months of dating. It's why he called representatives of the IBL just two days after Herceg slammed an ad on his desk that read, ``Own your own professional team.'' And it's why he jumped into the mortgage business only five years ago and already owns a company. Norman operates another company, using as much intuition as drive. On a whim or gut feeling, he purchases houses before remodeling them and selling them for profit. Another chance to play Succumbing to someone else's orders never has been his style. That is what makes Norman's entrance into the IBL so, well, unlike Norman. When the Lightning tip off against Vancouver today, Norman will have no say in how his team is run. It will be coach Jeff Snead's show. IBL rules prevent owners from exerting authority during games. Not on their coach, players or officials. ``He has a little more say,'' Snead said of his player-boss. ``But I get on him like I get on the rest of the guys.'' Norman is one of two league owners to substitute shirt and tie for shorts and sneakers. The other, Detroit Pros owner Darryl Greene, is only expected to play in a few games. Norman, the kid-at-heart 27-year-old, is the youngest owner among counterparts that range from wealthy entrepreneurs to doctors; NBA agents to medical equipment suppliers. Norman's reasons for buying the team were simple. It offered him the chance to play one last time before a crowd. The thrill of owning a pro team was second to his desire to play. Norman can outline in detail his entire prep career. He and Herceg, who was a year ahead of Norman, refer to ``The Glory Days'' often. ``I'd give up all my businesses and all my money if I could play one more high school game at Cuyahoga Falls, or a McKinley-Stow game,'' Norman said. Norman and his Bulldog teammates received rock star treatment when they averaged 96 points and led Stow to a 23-1 record and the state's No. 1 ranking in the 1993-94 season, Norman's junior year. He averaged 20.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals as a senior. Norman went on to play at Ashland University for a year before transferring to the University of Akron, where he made the team as a walk-on. His love for basketball grew, but so did his disdain for school. Norman dropped out of Akron at the end of his senior season, just five classes short of earning a degree in physical education. He has yet to complete the courses. But that's Andy Norman. He gets want he wants and pushes aside what he doesn't. Opportunity to succeed As his final season concluded at Akron, Norman had no clue how he would make a living. He worked as a janitor at both a neighborhood bowling alley and a tanning salon. Meanwhile, he met a petite brown-eyed blonde bartender. Ten months later, the two married. Rayell Norman remembers how she was attracted to Andy's charm and kindness. She loved his outgoing personality and ability to make good conversation. They are qualities others admire, as well. ``If he's in a room, people flock to him because of his personality,'' said Nate Schindewolf, Norman's teammate and roommate throughout college and current teammate with the Lightning. ``He's a leader and people are drawn to him for that fact.'' But when Norman got married, he wasn't leading anyone. He didn't have a plan for his life. He knew he wanted more than custodial duty. After refusing to mop up vomit in the bowling alley restroom, he quit the job that paid him 70 bucks a day. He became married and jobless. Norman applied for a job as janitor at Stow High School, the same building in which he was revered just five years earlier. Eventually, Andy asked his older brother Eddie for a job at the Akron-area mortgage company where he was a manager, and Eddie came through. ``I knew that if I just got that opportunity, I had a chance to make some real money,'' Andy said. ``This was something that I knew that I could succeed at and knew that I almost had to succeed at. This was my opportunity.'' Building a career Norman made the most of it. He jumped to different mortgage companies throughout the next few years, learning from his peers. Money soon became his motivation, as sharp-dressed brokers surrounded him. He became captivated. Just when he began his ascension in the business world, Norman encountered problems, with -- of all things -- real estate. The Normans purchased a home in Rayell's name, only to learn a few months later that it had a severe leak in the basement. It would have cost $25,000 to repair the Stow home. ``I didn't do an inspection, and that's my fault,'' Andy Norman said. The Normans decided that it made more sense for Rayell to declare bankruptcy in December 2003 and allow the bank to seize the home. It didn't take long for them to recover. By 2004, Andy had gained enough business savvy to start VP Equity, a Stow mortgage company that brokers loans. The company employs 11 people and Norman said it generates a monthly net profit of roughly $25,000. From there, he began a Stow investment company called HH&N, which buys and remodels homes before reselling them. Norman has created a name for himself outside the lines of a basketball court. ``I've never been the type that didn't think I could do something,'' he said. ``I was always the type of person where I never feared anything. Never will fear anything. Ever.'' Norman's parents, Eddie and Marina, fueled his drive to succeed. He respected his parents' working-class life but wanted more. He saw how his father worked more than 30 years as a meat cutter. He didn't want to be like his mother, who put in just as many years at Roadway Express. ``If (Andy) just had one job and went to work 8 to 5 every day and came home, he would be bored,'' said Rayell, who is three-and-a-half months pregnant with the couple's first child. ``He's just always got to be involved and doing something. ``It's something inside him. That's just his personality. He gets an idea, and he goes with it.'' More `Glory Days' Norman's caring side often dominates his behavior. He could have moved the Lightning anywhere in the area but chose Stow High School for their home games to help the community. When he coached the Ravenna High varsity basketball team the past two years, he often treated his players to dinner, movies and pizza parties. School board members didn't see the team's progress off the court. They saw the team's 0-21 record and released Norman, at least temporarily ending his coaching career. Norman surrounds himself with friends and family. He's in business with several childhood and college buddies. It's why the Lightning roster is filled with local talent the community can identify and enjoy watching. It's why Herceg, who Norman has known since kindergarten, is his business partner. Why, after practice, he tells Lightning players like Jason Workman that he loves him. Why he also gave Workman, a close friend, one-third of HH&N. So, here's Andy Norman. The former janitor who is now an owner-player. The former basketball star who now lives directly across the street from Stow High School. The man who talks about ``The Glory Days'' of the past and of those yet to come.

Interesting read, mentioning Rydell Brooks: Mayberry on recruiting Numbers put crunch on area Basketball players find Div. I opportunities few By Darnell Mayberry Ohio just isn't much of a basketball state. Football? Well, we all know what the Buckeye state can boast in that sport. But on the hardwood, Ohio seems to lag. Northeast Ohio is lower on the totem pole in the state than a third-stringer is on a state championship team. Particularly the Greater Akron area. Now, that's not to say there's a lack of talent around here. It just means there's a lack of major Division I college basketball talent. Can you name the last player from the area to be named to the McDonald's High School All-American Team before ``King James?'' The 18th annual Greater Akron Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game last week at Tallmadge High School is just one example of the area's talent pool. Of the 20 players invited, one has received a Division I scholarship. Since 1995, just eight players from the same all-star game has played at the highest collegiate level. That's more than 200 of the area's best players. Those numbers sound worse when you consider that former Wadsworth stars Nick Goddard is a walk-on at Akron, and Ben Falkenberg, last year's GABCA Co-MVP, has since transferred from the U.S. Naval Academy to Division III Mount Vernon Nazarene University. What gives? ``Most of these kids are like that Division III-, Division II-type player,'' said Jon Karnuth, Tallmadge coach and outgoing president of the GABCA. ``I think there's a lot of good players out there, but if you're thinking about a Division I school, you better be 6-5, 6-6, very athletic, can jump and can shoot it. There are a lot of players out there that can do that, but they're 6-foot or 6-1. I think that's the big thing.'' That reason sums up why only one current senior from the area will be playing at the highest collegiate level: Walsh Jesuit's Dwayne Jackson, the reigning player of the year. The 6-foot-3 forward will play in the American East Conference at Binghamton next fall after averaging 20.8 points, nine rebounds and four assists this season for the Warriors. A lack of height is also why sharp-shooters such as Stow's Chris Switzer, a 6-foot-1 guard, and Barberton's Kieron Smith, standing 5-10, are looking at Division II and Division III programs. It's why quick and crafty point guards such as Firestone's Mike Williams, just 5-7, and Hudson's Brian Guerin, 5-10, are left hoping. ``These guards here are 5-11,'' said Don Hershey, an assistant coach at Division III Baldwin-Wallace. ``You've got Division I kids who are 6-4, 6-5 playing the same position.'' Physically, Jackson comes the closest to the prototype size. He'll be a guard at the next level with a big enough frame to score and rebound inside. Mid-American Conference schools Buffalo and Bowling Green, and Robert Morris of the Northeast Conference were also suitors. After Jackson, there's a major drop off, as most are left with the option of local schools such as Mount Union, Baldwin-Wallace, College of Wooster and Walsh University. John Stovall is vice president of Prep Spotlight, a magazine, Web site and scouting service that serves as a source for college coaches for high school basketball talent in the Midwest. Stovall, who has evaluated talent in Ohio for eight years, estimates Akron to be in the middle of the pack in the state and near the low end nationally. Three Division I recruits from Greater Akron can be considered a ``good year.'' ``The whole state probably produces 20 to 25 Division I players every year, and that's including kids that go to Division I (junior colleges),'' Stovall said. ``If you get two out of Akron every year, that's about average.'' With area talent said to fluctuate, next year's class will be a lot more attractive. St. Vincent-St. Mary's Marcus Johnson, Buchtel's Rydell Brooks, Canton McKinley's Raymar Morgan and Ricky Jackson and North's Devron Bussey are on several coaches' radar. And few players from the area slip through the cracks, meaning if colleges aren't calling, a player most likely isn't in the upper tier. Landing a scholarship then becomes a numbers game. Stovall added that most of the state's talent lies in Cincinnati and Dayton. Seven to 10 players are recruited out of Cincinnati yearly. Three to five will be taken from Cleveland. Columbus is good for two or three each year, as well as Toledo. That leaves slim pickings from the Akron area. By contrast, Stovall compared Akron to Memphis, Tenn., another smaller market. The city of Memphis alone produces 10 to 15 Division I players each year. ``There are roughly 300 Division I colleges in the country,'' Stovall said. ``Probably 100 kind of recruit Ohio. Probably 50 actively recruit Ohio. ``If there's a player (in Greater Akron), they'll come. If not, they don't just go through Akron on a whim. They have to hear about a player.'' And there's not much to hear about with the next LeBron nowhere near Akron.

Amen, Brother

Palko had 6 Division 1 wins in 2004, as did Frye. How does that record make him such a "winner?" Pitt's schedule was pathetic...if they dropped Hawai'i over the summer, you'd swear Lee Owens had a hand in drawing it up...yet this "winner' could only muster 6 D1 wins? It took Palko until the final day of summer practice to beat out a guy that presently is struggling to beat Jabari Arthur and John Ferguson. Nuff said. Palko couldn't hold Frye's jockstrap.

The BCS "led" Pitt to a BCS game. not Tyler Palko. If you think Pitt would have received anything but an invite to the Motor City Bowl had they not received the sorry-ass Big LEast automatic BCS bid, you have at least one thing in common with Josh Cribbs (puff, puff, puff) Great win vs. Notre Dame? Wow...ND was a juggernaut last year. How 'bout Palko's riveting performance vs. Furman? UConn? Were any of his "wins" vs Rutgers or Temple? Yes, two. They also nailed mighty South Florida. That home loss to doormat Nebraska was impressive too, as was the 35-7 Fiesta Bowl beating to non-BCS Utah (quick, name another player on Utah's roster besides Alex Smith...I THOUGHT so!) Man, the Dude is a "winner." Palko couldn't hold Frye's jock strap.

A phrase I heard that rang true is: "Keep in mind, Palko couldn't hold Frye's jock strap." Yeah, he's a "Big East QB", but he would have sat behind #5 last year if he were a Zip. I guarantee Palko won't be a first day NFL pick (when his time comes). Hey, I hope Getsy shakes off the rust and wins the job this summer. I'll be the first in line for the #16 jersey. But is looks like the jury is still out.

I would say it is more like: "Before, when we had a defense that could stop someone on occassion. And, we established the run." "After, when we had an atrocious defense while also ceasing to present any semblance of a balanced offensive attack." Frye won as many games as any D1 quarterback could (@ Akron) given the offensive and defensive talent of the team and the coaching. Maybe more? If you thought you saw a conservative passing attack @ Penn State last year, wait until you see us at Purdue this season. Does a single pass go beyond 15 yards? Unlike the transition from Butchie to Frye...this one isn't going to be seamless. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems like the Sparks/Frye battle was about "Who's better?" while the "Getsy/Arthur/Fergie" battle is about "Who's more 'OK'?" Biggs left, Biggs middle, Biggs right. Probably going to see a lot of that.

It seems like the two biggest local (senior) 2005-6 HS stars will be: Rydell Brooks, Buchtel (G) Marcus Johnson, St. Vincent-St. Mary (PF) If Dambrot could land one or both of these two guys, we would likely be on our way to the Promised Land. Are these guys going "big time," or do the Zips have a legit shot at them?

My annual golf trip to South Carolina cnflicted with the game. I tried to get UAM to move the game back a week or two, but the guy wouldn't budge! From what I saw from last weeks practice, I think you're dead-nuts on regarding Kasparek. He's really bulked up, and was one of the hardest-working guys the entire practice. That's interesting news that Kennedy is looking like a player? Early word on him was "bust?" Maybe that allows us to redshirt the kid from Ursuline, who is proported to be the #2 recruit in the most-recent class (behind Hight). Is Ferguson really pushing for playing time, or it it simply the "Ben Ruhlin Effect" revisited? (a guy that leads the team in spring game yardage, then never sees the field again) Thanks to all for your reports!

It's a shame he's forfeiting his senior year (5th). He was a good 3rd down guy. Oh well...I'm sure there's some youngsters more than happy to fill his position.

30K with grass. Approx. 25k "hard" seats.

I could give you the names of 20 people who's be happy to drop $100.00 ea. for "Name Bricks" to be placed in front of the stadium. Wonder when the fund raising will begin? Probably this fall, I guess.

Spend a day walking around Jackson Field and you pick up all sorts of stuff... As previously noted on this board, an architect has been selected to draw-up the new stadium. It is not the one that was seen in the local newcasts a few months ago. 30k total seating Grass seating in the endzone will happen The Odd Corner will likely need to find a new place to peddle it's Grateful Dead bandanas and skull bongs Expect an official announcement in the fall. The architect needs about 6 months to put everything together.

It is tough to say from only watching 80 minutes of just one practice. Most of what was done was drills on blocking sleds...stuff like that. My gut feeling: Secondary seems to have speed. That will likely be our defensive strength. Linebackers: Rohr is the best one. The others may be fast, but they are not as fundamentally sound as him. I saw quite a few of the LB drills. The young guys have decent size and speed, but that only goes so far. They will need to be in the right set at the right time, make sure tackles, "read" the offense...all that stuff only comes with experience. My guess is they'll struggle in the early half of the schedule and improve as the year goes on. It looks like Showers and Groza will struggle to break the 2-deep. DL: Still seems small to me. Although it is a longshot, there's still some hope that Hight could make grades and be eligible in the fall. Tim Wilkes made a couple nice plays, pushing bigger OL's around. OL: Really depleted. Spaulding (222 lb) was playing a bit of OL just to fill the slot. A couple of the true Fr.'s are going to see heavy PT this season. That will be a position to watch in the summer. Right now, you have to wonder where Biggs' holes are going to come from? Even with 4 senior OL's last year, the "better" teams contained Biggs pretty well. He got the bulk of his yardage vs. the bottom feeders. RB: Ringer looked ok...made a couple nice moves here and there. Kennedy...McDaniel...couldn't get a read on either. Rumor has it the kid from Youngstown could be the steal of the 2005 class. Swiger was booming 47 yarders pretty consistently. I don't see the Wisconsin transfer supplanting him.

Took in the Aeros/Mets game today, and stopped to watch the Zips practice on Jackson Field afterwards. What I could see: The Getsy/Arthur battle is for real. Both looked "ok," neither one looked stellar. The word on Getsy is he's having a tough time shaking off the rust from his transfer year...and beyond that he only played a handful of snaps at Pitt. Jabari has worked pretty hard in the offseason too, so the "battle" may rage into the summer. My edge would go to Jabari because I've seen him run...and with our OL, the QB is going to need to be pretty elusive. Our CB's look pretty good. We're pretty undersized at LB. Rohr seems to have taken a vocal role in getting the youger LB's to step it up. If they F'd up a drill, he let them know it...especially if it meant everyone had to run the drill again. Kasparek looks good. A lot bigger than before. He worked hard the entire practice. A #44 was in the backfield (FB)? John Martin? He's a transfer...from Colorado as far as I can tell. Our WR's are all small. Not that that's horrible...I like Hixson and Montgomery...but they're small. Ditto our DL's. In general, were a pretty small team. Biggs looks fine. You hear a lot about searching for leaders on this team...especially on offense. I have to believe that's a priority coming out of the spring, and maybe a reason JD might name a #1 QB after the spring game. Leadership typically comes from the QB position on offense, and it is tough to "lead" when you might be #2 on the depth chart. Hey, it was a beautiful day...the guys were all working hard...and we're still undefeated in 2005. Life's good. Go Zips!

Coincidentally, I spoke to someone from the University today regarding the Zips 2005 schedule. That person mentioned Middle Tenessee as an opponent, so I would assume there's still a good chance the game is still "on." However, the Zips schedule has not been finalized, so you never know.

Marcus Crenshaw and Demetrius “Mechie” Johnson have quit Can't State’s men’s basketball team. According to team sources, Crenshaw never bought into the program’s structured philosophy and demanded to be given free reign offensively to stay in Can't. The same sources said Crenshaw decided to give up his spot on the roster at the end of the season believinghe would find an offer to transfer to the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin. That opportunity has since disappeared. Crenshaw averaged 4.7 points per game while shooting just 36.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from the foul line in his freshman year. The 5-foot-9 Detroit native also turned the ball over 40 times and totaled just 36 assists while averaging more than 15 minutes per game as the Golden flushes’ backup point guard. He started five of the 33 games he played. Johnson is a bigger loss. He averaged justtwo points in less than 10 minutes per game as a sophomore last season, but, unlike Crenshaw,he had a team-first mentality that will be missed. Johnson’s attitude and work in practice earned him some significant minutes as a role player off the bench in the final two weeks of the season. His three blocked shots in the second half of the regular-season finale with Ohio University were the keys to a victory that clinched a first-round home game for Can't State in the Mid-American Conference tournament. Johnson was not willing to return to the flushes for another year as a role player. According to team sources, the 6-foot-4 swingman hopes to transfer to a Division I school that will allow him the chance to start. He would not have found that opportunity in Can't in 2005-06. The departures give Can't State coach Jim Christian two open scholarships. After finishing eighth in the MAC in 3-point shooting at a mediocre 35.2 percent, the flushes will most likely fill one of those open spots with a sharp-shooting wing from the junior-college ranks. The team will also add either a junior-college or true-freshman point guard in the near future

PG West: CV's 'late bloomer' no shrinking violet Friday, April 08, 2005 By Rick Shrum, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Two years ago, Mike Gielarowski was weary of baseball. So he took a mulligan. He didn't go out for the Chartiers Valley varsity, focusing instead on his other athletic specialty -- golf. "I was burned out on baseball," Gielarowski said. "I had played it for a whole year straight." At about the midpoint of the Colts' 2003 season, though, Gielarowski "realized that I missed baseball. I wanted to come back." It's been quite a comeback. Gielarowski, a right-handed pitcher, returned to the diamond last year and sparkled. He had a 4-3 record, a 1.26 ERA, and 61 strikeouts for a 7-12 team. Oh, and he also had the admiration of college recruiters, who were enamored of his junior achievements and started courting him. The Colts have shown a lot of kick this spring, with a 3-0 record through Tuesday, all outside Section 3-AAA. Their opener last Wednesday was a masterpiece by their 6-foot-2, 175-pound ace. Gielarowski (pronounced "gill-a-rowski") fired a three-hitter, striking out 11, in a 2-0 non-section victory at Upper St. Clair. Frank Brown wasn't surprised. He is the Chartiers Valley coach, the man Gielarowski approached and asked to return. The man who started working diligently with this budding prospect in the fall of 2003. The man who helped transform him from an unknown into a first-team All-Section 7-AAA performer a year ago. "I think he's a late bloomer," Brown said. "Mike has gotten a whole lot better in the past year and a half. He's developed physically and as a player." Coach and right-hander generally agree on things . . . except on style. "Mike is absolutely a power pitcher," Brown said. "I think I'm a finesse pitcher," said Gielarowski, of Scott. He certainly has a quality fastball, according to Brown. "He's in the high 80s now." That's not the extent of his repertoire, however. Gielarowski said he also has an efficient curveball and split-finger fastball. Fortitude and ingenuity also have placed him high on a hill. "He is the kind of guy who, when he gets in trouble, is at his best," Brown said. "Maybe we make an error, or he gives up a hit or two. He finds a way to get out of trouble." That was evident a week ago, when Gielarowski barely outpitched Upper St. Clair's Pat Slowey, who struck out 12 in six innings. The Panthers put two runners on with one out in the seventh, and final, inning. Gielarowski then quelled the budding rally. "He got two big outs," Brown said. That clutch pitching impressed Panthers coach Jerry Malarkey, who hadn't seen Gielarowski before. "We had a couple of situations where we had guys on base, and he knuckled down and got out of the inning," Malarkey said. "I thought he had poise, and he threw strikes. He was able to locate his fastball and curve pretty well." That poise undoubtedly was acquired from the person who has had a major influence on his life. His mother, Diane, is a single mom with four children: Mike and his three younger siblings, two boys and a girl. Apparently, and amazingly, Gielarowski is more demanding of himself than he is on opposing batters. He was perturbed that he walked three against Upper St. Clair. "Normally, I'm a good control pitcher," he said. And he disputed talk about being pressure-resistant. "I have to be tougher out there mentally." Baseball is now his priority. Gielarowski, who shoots in the high 70s to low 80s, did not play for the Chartiers Valley golf team last fall. He's a full-time pitcher, an occasional second baseman and a contact hitter. The scholastic season is in its infancy, but college baseball is a long-range probability -- perhaps at the major-college level. "He's been getting a whole lot of interest, especially lately," Brown said. Gielarowski, who has a grade point average above 3.0, favors Akron at the moment. But Duquesne, West Virginia, Marshall and Can't State are among the other programs that have inquired about him. "He's a very good kid with an excellent work ethic," Brown said. "If he gets better, I don't know if there's a ceiling for him. "Some college will be getting a gem."

My guess is that a 30,000 seat stadium would require parking for only about 10,000 cars max, probably less. Since the stadium would be located on the campus of a university that supports about 15,000 commuter students...all of whom are gone on Saturdays (no classes)...parking wouldn't be a problem at all. I'm sure busses could be used to shuttle people to/from parking decks downtown if necessary. Also, streets immediately surrounding the stadium would be blocked off on gamedays. Man, you can almost see it now.... My biggest concern: They tear down The Sun Bar and Grille!

Franklin Regional defensive lineman commits to Pitt Subscribe By Paul Schofield TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Franklin Regional High School junior tackle John Malecki made two choices this past weekend, and the Pitt football program may be the big winner in both cases. Malecki decided to attend Pitt's select junior day over Penn State's junior day on Saturday. And then after Pitt offered him a scholarship, he accepted. He is the third player from western Pennsylvania to commit to Pitt early, after Johnstown defensive tackle Scott Corson and Gateway linebacker Dan Loheyde. "John said he always wanted to remain a Panther," Franklin Regional Panthers coach Greg Botta said. "He wanted to stick around the area and play for Pitt." Botta said he knew Malecki was someone special the first time he met him during his sophomore season. "He had a great growth spurt between his sophomore and junior seasons," Botta said. "He blossomed into a tremendous player. He runs to the football well, has great speed, excellent strength and a great work ethic in the classroom and on the field. He has a nose for the football and he dominated in the conference." He was an All-Greater Allegheny Conference first-team player on offense and defense. Malecki, 6-foot-3, 270 pounds, had 76 tackles, seven quarterback sacks and 21 tackles for losses last season. "I wanted to stay close to home," said Malecki, who was receiving interest from Penn State, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Akron, Indiana, Illinois and North Carolina.

Akron Cable Personality Arrested Wearing Foil, Jock Strap 43-Year-Old Man To Appear In Court UPDATED: 10:22 am EDT April 7, 2005 AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron cable personality and former City Council candidate was arrested Wednesday after an overnight disturbance, The Akron Beacon Journal, NewsChannel5’s partner, reported Thursday. According to police, Anthony Hudson, 43, was wearing a jock strap over his pants and was sheathed in aluminum foil -- and proclaiming himself the King of Egypt -- when arrested. Hudson, whose shows often include nudity, has acted so erratically at recent city council meetings that city officials have added tighter security at city hall, the paper reported. Hudson was charged with felonious assault against a police officer, resisting arrest and criminal damaging. Hudson was treated at Akron City Hospital and then taken to the Summit County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.