Captain Kangaroo

I agree. Romeo owes me nothing. If he can pull it off, good for him. Yeah there's concerns that come March his body would give-out and we'd have an early exit from the MAC tourney...but we've done that for a decade and I've survived. Cole Magner...Javon Harris...it isn't too uncommon to be a dual sport player in the MAC. He's 20 years old. He's a physical freak. He did it when he was 18, so what's the big deal if he wants to do it now? I know Lebron would give his left nut to be playing football...that's why he did it through 11th grade even though he somewhat risked blowing $millions$. Ideas for the 2005 Commemorative Beer are starting to flow...

I played both hoops and football for The U of A. Turned out pretty good for me? Any input from Russell Holmes?

I think this is the first time a poster has actually "quoted" himself? Now that I have a few more minutes: A friend of mine at the University swears up and down that it will be a miracle if the 2005 Zips win more than five games. I just don't believe that...not for a second. Of the 6 games I have penciled-in as Zips' wins, Can't is the only 2005 opponent to win more than TWO games in 2004! Those games should all be "locks," even without Frye and Co. Middle Tennessee is a decent opponent, and the game is on the road. Realistically, that's a 50/50 shot. Purdue? It would be pretty insane to predict our first Big10 win since the 1800's will come this season. I do feel confident that we'll have a better showing than we did vs. Penn State last season. NIU: They are a damn good football team. It will be a tall order to beat them. But...they're at the Rubber Bowl and we're tough at home. BG?: Man, that's a tough road game. Insane to pick the Zips in that one. Miami?: If we couldn't beat them at home, with Frye, it seems pretty safe to say the oddsmakers will have us as heavy underdogs. There you have it. We should be expected to win 6. If we can payback MTSU, that's 7. But that's a beating of six pretty weak teams, and doesn't lend itself to a bowl game. Beat NIU...8 wins and we can start talking bowl possibilities. Remember however, that 10-win MAC squads have been left out in the cold bowl-wise. 8 seems to me to be the maximum possible wins in 2005, if all planets align.

After a quick glance at our 2005 opponents...6-5 is expected. 7-4 is certainly possible. Note - Schedule below isn't in chronological order Home Can't (W) @ Purdue (L) @ Middle Tennessee State (?) Home Army (W) @ BG (L) Home NIU (L) @ Ball State (W) Home OU (W) @ Miami (L) @ Buffalo (W) Home Central Michigan (W)

Dare we to dream?! LeBron played through 11th grade. I think Travis played in HS too, but I could be mistaken. Antonio Gates success probably has a lot of college 'ballers with Travis' build thinking NFL. Did I just hear Dambrot call the suicide help line?

You take it incorrectly. My point is that, even if we are a better team in 2005-6, there are others in the MAC East that are not standing still. 20 wins for a team in the MAC East in 2005-6 may be a tougher task than it was in 2004-5. I also assume our non-conference schedule won't be the Ohio State-esque Nov/Dec cake walk it was this year. I have no doubt that we will be a better team in 2005-6. Will we have a better record in 2005-6? We'll see.

Click 4 Buffalo Paper Overview Take out Marshall and add BG...looks like 20 wins next season is going to be a major accomplishment!

My dealings with the ticket office last year: CK: "I'd like to renew my football season tickets. Can I get a 2004 Media Guide too?" Ticket Person: "No problem." CK: "Are you sure? I've requested this in the past and it never shows up." Ticket Person: "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." CK (three months later, opening the ticket envelope): Gee...this evvelope feels kinda light....must be a small media guide this year? Hmmm here's the tickets, but no media guide. I'm shocked." At least they didn't charge me for it.

You posed 3 questions. I replied to each one, in detail. No "smack," no snide remarks...just my opinion on your three questions. That's how the board works.

Looks that way to me. Maybe once the dust settles and everything is brand-spanking new down there...I'll open the long awaited Captain Kangabrew's Brew Pub where The Townhouse used to be?

1.) Were the teams eligible for postseason play? Football- Yes. Basketball - Every Division 1 team is eligible for post-season play. 2.) Did less deserving teams make it to postseason play? Basketball: No (see #3) Football- Yes. Marshall. Why did Marshall make it ahead of the Zips? Because they have a history of winning. A history of championships. Because of this history, they have national recognition. This makes them appealing to bowls. They also have a good fan base as a result of consistently winning championships (not simply going above .500 a few times every decade). 3.) Why did the Zips not make it to postseason play? Football: Because they lost the Miami game. They win the Miami game, they'll the MAC East champs and they go bowling. They lost. Basketball: Because they lost the final 3 key games they played: Can't, Buffalo and WMU. Losses to Can't and Buffalo cost them the MAC regular season title, which would have given them a 20-win season and an NIT birth. The WMU tourney loss cost them the NIT berth (Zips would have gone in lieu of WMU). The Zips proved themselves to be the 6th best team in the MAC at year's end. OU sacked-up at season's end and won the tourney. Buffalo made it to the finals and won 22 games. Miami won the regular season title. WMU and Can't both swept the Zips. The Zips got what they deserved in both football and basketball. They had their fate in their own hands and lost. To be honest, they simply ran into teams that were better. That happens. They had "nice" seasons, and greater things are expected of them next year. That's all. It wasn't the fan's fault.

I'm glad I can support your statement that the local fans support for non-championship caliber teams will be luke-warm at best until championships are won. That once championships are competed for and won on a regular basis, there exists proof (in Can't) that local fans will show up. Great minds think alike, I guess?

Just because it had to be posted: If I'm Kevin, I get a Bandit tatoo on my bicep...but that's just me!

Frye sizzles at Senior Bowl By John Wallace Wednesday, February 16, 2005 5:26 PM CST Who had the best throws at Mardi Gras this year? Forget about all the colorfully clad people on parade floats tossing moon pies, candy, beads and stuffed animals into the crowds lining the streets of historic downtown Mobile. The best throws from Mardi Gras 2005 came on one day at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and they came from quarterback Charlie Frye. Akron senior quarterback Charlie Frye shined in front of family members and a sold out crowd at the 2005 Senior Bowl in Mobile in late January. Frye, who has family in Andalusia, led the North team to a 23-13 win against the South squad in the first Mardi Gras-themed Senior Bowl. Frye completed 10-of-12 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the win. The touchdown pass was a 22-yard strike to Northwestern receiver Noah Herron to seal the win. Frye crushed the South's hopes of a late comeback win with an 11-play drive that covered 50 yards for the final score. He completed 4-of-5 passes on the game-clinching drive, including a big third-and-17 conversion that resulted in the touchdown pass to Herron. After the 56th annual Senior Bowl, played in Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Frye received a great honor being named the MVP. Bill Swancutt was named the North's Defensive MVP. Kansas State running back Darren Sproles was named the North's Offensive MVP. Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell was named the South's Offensive MVP. Clemson's Leroy Hill was named the South's Defensive MVP. Frye told The Mobile Register he hopes to play in the NFL. "I'm pretty excited (about being named the game's MVP)," Frye told the Register. "I just wanted to come out and compete. I don't know if I proved anything. I'm just hoping to get the chance (to play) in the NFL." Frye joins N.C. State quarterback Phillip Rivers, Penn State running back Larry Johnson, Indiana all-purpose player Antwaan Randle El, TCU running back LaDainian and Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington as MVPs of the past six games -- all of which are currently playing in the NFL. Frye's Andalusia connection is the Frye family. His uncle Tom Frye and aunt Kathy along with cousins Joe, Ed, Mike and Laura live in Andalusia and went to Mobile for Senior Bowl weekend. Tom said the family is close usually meeting three times a year at Thanksgiving, Christmas and during the summer. Tom and Kathy have a special connection to Charlie because he was born the night before their wedding and his father was still able to be a part of the wedding ceremony. The weekend was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of the Fryes, including the Andalusia clan. "We had a blast. It was a wild weekend," Tom said The family ate at Wintzell's after the "Meet the Players" event and a slight detour caused by a Mardi Gras parade. The next day, gameday, was magical. "It was just like a fairly tale for him to have that type of success and make a few big plays and get MVP," Tom said. "It couldn't have been a better ending for him." Laura agreed and was happy for her older cousin from Ohio. "It was fun. It doesn't seem real since he's my cousin," Laura said. "But, it's really cool to see it in the newspaper. "When they announced him as MVP of the whole things, that was pretty cool," Laura said. She described her older cousin as a nice guy who has never been "fake." "Chuck's just always been there," she said. "He's pretty cool. He's never been fake. He always actually wanted to talk." Mike Frye said Charlie has always been a great older cousin. "Charlie's a really cool guy. The best I can remember, the farthest back I can remember, I was 9 or 10 and we used to throw the football around," he said. Watching the same guy throw to some of the top college wide receivers in the nation at the Senior Bowl was special. "It was great. We've flown to Ohio and drove to Orlando to see him play. But, to see one of your blood relatives be successful at that level is awesome," Mike said. Next for Frye is the NFL Combine where he will workout for NFL coaches and scouts in Indianapolis beginning Feb. 23.

What kind of player was Kevin in high school? A "man amongst boys" or just pretty good? I read in one on-line publication that he was one of the top 30 HS players in Virginia his senior year? We're expecting good things from him this year.

Two additional note I'll add to this topic: 1.) The Zips did exhibit a marked improvement in both hoops and football attendance. I hear hoops actually made a profit, and there were more football fans at the Rubber Bowl than I've seen in years. Yes, football gave away a lot of tickets. So what...it got people out to the Bowl. I think a lot of them will return next season, even if they have to pay a few bucks. 2.) As quite a few in the Zips Nation stated at the Gund last week: How the hell did Buffalo get such a fan following? I'd love to know, because 3 years ago they played to an empty home hoops arena...now they bring 4,000 to the Gund.

I can. I disagree. We've won NOTHING. Where are the MAC championship banners? Nowhere? Where are the Bowl trophies? Nowhere. Where are the big OOC victories in football and basketball? Nowhere. Where are the 9+ win football and 22+ win basketball seasons? Nowhere. We haven't won squat in comparison to just about anyone in the MAC since we've entered the conference. We beat Marshall during the football regular season. Six of the 12 teams Marshall played this year beat them. We beat Miami during the basketball regular season. So did woeful Marshall. Big fat hairy deal. "We went on a tear at the end of the basketball season"? confused.gif We choked-away the MAC title at season's end losing two of our last three. One of those losses was to our rival, and local hoops measuring stick, Can't (for the second time, I might add). Some "tear." rolleyes.gif Then we bowed-out in the MAC quarterfinals...woo hoo. I was in Can't 7 years ago when we beat them in hoops for the first time in 31 years (in Can't). Us Akron fans sat in the Can't student section behind a hoop. There were plenty of empty seats. That game drew about 3,000 fans. 2,000 were Akron fans...it was like a home game. It was that year that Can't began their "run", winning 20 games for the first of what's now 7 consecutive years. Now Can't gets 5,000 of their OWN fans at most home games. And they've done that for about 6 straight years. How did Can't go from 1,500 fans to 5,000 fans? It wasn't by winning a few regular season games. It was by winning 20+, by consistently winning in the MAC tourney, by winning in the NIT, then winning in the NCAA's. THAT'S what draws fans to games. That combination of a winning tradition and a fan base is what gets you an NIT bid. If you really think that fans should be flocking in to see the Zips because they are simply competitive...you're nuts. I'll be at games...the rest of the guys on this board will be at games...but you aren't going to pack the house in football or basketball until you win championships. Personally, I feel we have the coaching staffs in-place to win championships, but almost two decades of football and basketball futility...essentially a generation...cannot be overcome with 6 or 7-win football and 19-win basketball seasons.

Forgot to say "Thanks."

I disagree. We've won NOTHING. Where are the MAC championship banners? Nowhere? Where are the Bowl trophies? Nowhere. Where are the big OOC victories in football and basketball? Nowhere. Where are the 9+ win football and 22+ win basketball seasons? Nowhere. We haven't won squat in comparison to just about anyone in the MAC since we've entered the conference. We beat Marshall during the football regular season. Six of the 12 teams Marshall played this year beat them. We beat Miami during the basketball regular season. So did woeful Marshall. Big fat hairy deal. "We went on a tear at the end of the basketball season"? We choked-away the MAC title at season's end losing two of our last three. One of those losses was to our rival, and local hoops measuring stick, Can't (for the second time, I might add). Some "tear." Then we bowed-out in the MAC quarterfinals...woo hoo. I was in Can't 7 years ago when we beat them in hoops for the first time in 31 years (in Can't). Us Akron fans sat in the Can't student section behind a hoop. There were plenty of empty seats. That game drew about 3,000 fans. 2,000 were Akron fans...it was like a home game. It was that year that Can't began their "run", winning 20 games for the first of what's now 7 consecutive years. Now Can't gets 5,000 of their OWN fans at most home games. And they've done that for about 6 straight years. How did Can't go from 1,500 fans to 5,000 fans? It wasn't by winning a few regular season games. It was by winning 20+, by consistently winning in the MAC tourney, by winning in the NIT, then winning in the NCAA's. THAT'S what draws fans to games. That combination of a winning tradition and a fan base is what gets you an NIT bid. If you really think that fans should be flocking in to see the Zips because they are simply competitive...you're nuts. I'll be at games...the rest of the guys on this board will be at games...but you aren't going to pack the house in football or basketball until you win championships. Personally, I feel we have the coaching staffs in-place to win championships, but almost two decades of football and basketball futility...essentially a generation...cannot be overcome with 6 or 7-win football and 19-win basketball seasons.

That would explain it. I still recall my GPA after 3 semesters in Akron's Engineering program. It was basically my high school GPA, but divided by 2. I always marvel at the collegiate athletes that juggle majors like engineering with such a demanding practice, work-out and travel schedule. I know I couldn't do it.

Jabari at QB definitely stands out the most. Last work I heard was that Luke was leading the off season workouts and stepping in nicely to Charlie's sizeable shoes. Maybe it is simply a "respect thing" and Jabari has paid his dues, so it is his job to lose? Maybe we go with two QB's this year? It is definitley something to watch this spring. I'm happy to see we have 10 OL's available to play this spring! Ferguson as the #3 QB? I thought Shoemaker had the edge? Spaulding at FB. He's a big kid who never seemed to grasp the safety position. Is he at FB because he's turely in the backfield mix? Or, is it just because we're short-handed at FB until Tuzze gets on campus? Brandon Butler #2 DL? Probably the second biggest shocker of the list. Boy are we small at DL this spring. Very inexperienced at LB. No Stephon Fuqua? Mackey up to 200 lbs? Trying Parris McNeal again in the defensive backfield? What's Chevin Pace's injury? SS and not CB? It will be interesting to watch Devanso Tate. If he's as good as advertised, our trio of CB's will be pretty tough (Corner, Henry and Tate). That's all I have. If any "insider" has some answers to the questions above, I'd love to hear them.

Mid-majors get tough lesson By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS INDIANAPOLIS — Charlie Coles thought Miami of Ohio’s resume was strong enough for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament: a 19-10 record, the Mid-American Conference regular-season title, No. 29 in the RPI and a schedule strength of 49. It didn’t impress the 10-member selection committee, and the RedHawks coach is worried about the message being sent to the MAC, which got just one team in the 65-team field despite five teams ranked in the top 55 of the RPI. ‘‘What it says is that the committee has never, ever respected our league,’’ Coles said Monday, one day after the brackets were announced. As usual, the six power conferences — Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and Southeastern — dominated the field. They accounted for 31 of the 65 teams, including 25 of 34 at-large bids. Add soon-to-be Big East members Louisville and Cincinnati, from Conference USA, and the numbers increase to 33 and 26. That left only eight spots open for teams in conferences like the MAC and Atlantic 10. Three of those were swallowed up by upset winners in the conference tournaments — something committee chairman Bob Bowlsby suggested Monday played a key part in some teams being left out. ‘‘The committee thought there were better teams, but I would also suggest that some of the upsets may have affected the MAC teams, including Miami and Buffalo,’’ Bowlsby said. But the annual debate about life in a mid-major league didn’t end with that explanation. A year ago, Saint Joseph’s earned a top seed. This year the Hawks (19-11) were doomed by a RPI of 60 and a 3-8 nonconference schedule. Wichita State (20-9), of the Missouri Valley Conference, was left out despite an RPI of 47. Three other teams were taken from the MVC — Southern Illinois, Creighton and Northern Iowa. Northeastern (24-9), of America East, didn’t even appear on the NCAA’s list of other teams considered despite an RPI of 42. Bowlsby has talked frequently for the past two years about evaluating each school’s complete resume, including conference RPI ratings. According to the NCAA’s own numbers, the MAC was the 10th strongest league this year. Conference USA, which ranked ninth, got four bids. The Mountain West and Western Athletic, which ranked 11th and 12th, each had two teams make it. ‘‘You may eliminate somebody by their nonconference schedule or their road record. Those are things that are difficult to separate,’’ Bowlsby said. ‘‘You can play yourself out of a bad seed, but you can’t play yourself into the tournament. That’s the harsh reality.’’ It’s also what Miami, Buffalo, Can't State and Akron are dealing with now. Buffalo (22-9) was No. 32 in the RPI, Can't State No. 52 and Akron No. 55. But it wasn’t just the MAC that was disappointed. ‘‘My only hope was that the A-10 has historically done well in the tournament,’’ Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli said. ‘‘I hoped it would have two representatives. When you’re on the razor, you have to give a reason to put you in and a reason to keep you out.’’ Coles, who is in his second stint as a MAC head coach, understands the predicament for schools like Miami. If you don’t win a large number of games or earn the league’s automatic bid, you must bring something else — like a potential first-round draft pick. Coles had that in Dan Majerle at Central Michigan and in Wally Szczerbiak at Miami. Szczerbiak’s last season at Miami, 1999, was also the last time the MAC had an at-large team make the NCAA field. ‘‘I think it takes a little star power, and a little location power,’’ Coles said. ‘‘People want to talk about Northern Iowa getting in, but what about the big boys? Some teams play 10 or 11 home games and go 7-9 or 8-8 in the conference. Did they overachieve? I don’t think so.’’

OK Mike Thomas...let's call the UALR AD and GET IT ON! UALR snubbed by NIT despite better RPI than most DAVID HAMMER Associated Press Writer LITTLE ROCK — In one of the most glaring snubs of Selection Sunday, Arkansas-Little Rock was not invited to the National Invitation Tournament, despite having a higher RPI than 32 of the 40 teams that received bids. "We were told all week that we were in pretty good shape," UALR athletic director Chris Peterson told The Associated Press on Sunday. "You felt with the RPI like we had and having won the division, we'd get in. I just feel bad for our kids and out coaches who put so much into the past year and don't have a chance to continue the season." The Trojans (18-10), who won the Sun Belt Conference's Eastern Division and enjoyed a Rating Percentage Index of 61, held a practice Sunday afternoon while the NCAA Tournament selections were being announced, fully expecting a call from the NIT Selection Committee in New York later in the evening. An NIT bid looked almost certain when there were only nine teams with better RPI that weren't selected for the NCAAs. The RPI considers win-loss record, strength-of-schedule and performance against top opponents to rank the Division I college teams. But Western Kentucky, with an RPI of 63, was chosen instead from the Sun Belt Eastern Division, even though UALR beat the Hilltoppers twice this year. "Western's a great program with great tradition and we wish them luck," Peterson said. "But it's just a little frustrating." NIT executive director Jack Powers did not immediately return calls seeking comment Sunday. UALR sports information director Kevin Tankersley sensed some anxiety right after the NCAA selections. "There were some kinks thrown into the deal when Maryland, Indiana and Notre Dame didn't make the NCAAs, so the NIT (selection committee) is working on that," he said while the Trojans practiced. There are 65 teams that make the NCAAs, but because of automatic bids for conference champions, some higher-ranked schools are relegated to the NIT. That was even more unpredictable Sunday when the NCAA denied bids to Maryland (RPI 65), Indiana (83), and Notre Dame (93), all big-conference teams that the NIT covets for their draw at the gate. But even small-conference schools that were ranked behind UALR were invited to the NIT. Davidson (62); Virginia Commonwealth (66); Drexel (71); Oral Roberts (79); W. Michigan (81); another Sun Belt school, Denver (87); and Cal State Fullerton (107) all received bids. Of the 10 non-NCAA Tournament teams with the best RPI, only UALR and Akron didn't make the NIT. Akron had an RPI of 55 Sunday. The Arkansas Razorbacks (18-12, RPI 112) had an outside shot an NIT berth, but coach Stan Heath made it clear earlier in the week that his tired team would decline an invitation. That squashed any hopes of a showdown between a satellite school, the higher-ranked UALR, and the team from the University of Arkansas' main campus. Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles' longstanding policy has been to not play other Arkansas schools, but had said he wouldn't try to stop the NIT from scheduling the in-state matchup.

I disagree, we would be in the NIT right now had we beat WMU. We would have a better record than them, but they beat us in the regular season, we're in the same conf., so there's no real difference between the two squads except for the tourney game. We win, we go to the NIT, thats my take. In that scenario WMU would only have 18 wins, and the Zips have the "magic" 20 wins. Zips would have gone to the NIT. Woulda coulda shoulda...

Good questions. Pretty much every Zips fan is wondering the same thing...how is the rebounding issue going to be solved in 2005-6? I would love to hear Dambrot's thoughts on this topic on Thursday's Zips Live. Help a brutha' out, Tommy G?