ZippyRulz

http://www.vindy.com/content/opinion/edito...66449170555.php"The only thing that seems to endanger this highly successful medical school is regional politics. There are some political forces in Cleveland who apparently believe that anything good that happens in Northeastern Ohio must be located in Cleveland. Time for it to end It is incumbent on Gov. Ted Strickland and his chancellor of higher education, Eric Fingerhut, to squelch this Cleveland-centric nonsense. That they have allowed the movement to get this far is a more than troublesome because nonsense is the perfect word for the assault on NEOUCOM. It simply makes no sense to undercut this medical school, which was created to produce physicians who would practice family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology at a community level. And is doing just that. "

Anyone who watched the game on ESPN saw plenty of views of empty stadium. Even the center of the home side was quite empty towards the end of the game even with the Zips winning. It was nice seeing the light poles out of there and it would be nice if we just kept them out and played the rest of our home games in daylight. They did a nice little segment towards the end about the new stadium with pictures and emphasizing that it will put football back on campus which will create a new environment. They also did a little segment on the Nat'l Soap Box Derby track with video from their truck driving down the hill. They also showed the WMU runback with the French/Stams call and then showed them in their booth. They also went to St. V-M and showed Lebron's retired jersey but I was surprised they had no idea who Jerome Lane was...that was his jersey next to Lebron's, wasn't it? I thought ESPN did a good job, it's just too bad with the previous losses we wasted the opportunity for it to be a meaningful game on national TV.

15 unanswered points and counting...

Geesh...we're already linked to the USO site from http://www.uakron.edu/. I guess it's not taking us long to fall into line which surprises me a little. I thought there would be more foot-dragging than that given the CSU situation.What gripes me though is that under Administration/Capital Planning & Facilities they haven't updated the project status and photos since January. Some of us out of towners would like to be able to keep up with what's going on. Come on webmaster, this is rinky-dink.

CF would probably have needed an ideal situation to develop into a true NFL QB...good team, good coaches, a good mentor QB & more time before getting thrown in. Would he have thrived in such a situation? We'll never know, so no one can really be proven right or wrong about him. Now he has some baggage of having had to struggle with the Browns which is another obstacle to overcome. He got some practice PT last week with Seattle so he still has a chance to prove he belongs on the team going forward. It will be interesting to see what Holmgren can do with him. And he's still only a couple of injuries away from more game time. I'm not declaring his career finished yet.

Thank you.It goes beyond the AD right up to Dr. P. It is also bigger than that (the alumni and NE Ohio community), but I could write a book.When those guys from Cincinnati were here, they did nothing to retain better athletes by improving academic support. We are largely in the position we are BECAUSE of them. JD's first two recruiting classes happened under their watch and they knew we were bringing in at risk students and put nothing in place to support them. Doesn't seem very foresightful to me. It didn't happen the day they walked out the door. Their hands are not clean on this matter. Their answer was to improve academics by bringing in "better students" which resulted in the disaster that was the final three-four years of the Owens years.Cincinnati is doing well this year. Although, we could get 22 guys off this board and beat USF when they turn the ball over 7 times. We'll see if Thomas can keep it up or if he will do the smart thing and move to an even bigger school with more money. Those guys only had one really good sporting year at Akron. We'll see if that continues at Cincinnati. The trick they all seem to play is to move before they get discovered. There is a lot of smoke and mirrors in college athletics. You guys need to be much more cynical about what goes on in the offices than you all are.That's very interesting and makes sense. How do you think the other MAC schools stack up in regard to their athlete support systems? If this is the key to success it should be common knowledge around all of college FB...why haven't UA's coaches, AD's and president figured it out? Or is it just a matter of (lack of) budget?

From "Summit's Glory" by George Knepper (p.95):"As enrollment grew and the Municipal University fielded better athletic teams, students demanded a mascot, or a nickname, or both. They got the nickname, but not the mascot. Student Margaret Hamlin won a 1927 contest with her suggestion of "Zippers," a popular new brand of overshoes..."

http://universitysystem.ohio.gov/index.php

I think we're putting the cart before the horse here. We're not building a stadium for JD or because of JD. The stadium was needed / desired before JD arrived and will be here long after JD is gone. Mack reiterated on the broadcast last night that the design & engineering are on track to break ground in 2 months and have the construction done for Sep. 09. A few of the players being recruited this fall will be on the field for the opening. Most all of the players recruited next year by whomever will not. That doesn't give a new coach "a couple of seasons to right the ship before the stadium opens". IMO, nothing will be decided before we see how this recruiting class turns out now that we have a firm stadium plan with renderings to show off. If we keep JD, the program will get better because of the new facilities. If we replace JD we may get even better with a new coach but not in 1 year and therefore I don't see the athl. dept. eating his remaining contract. Unfortunately for JD, his future as a 1a HC anywhere else may be running into the ground.

I assume 1350am will be carrying Zips basketball this season(?) I further assume they will also make the broadcasts available via their internet web site(?) ZipsZone says Wednesdays game v. Ohio is at OU which I know is wrong. It also says Thursdays exhibition game with Walsh is at Walsh which I assume is also wrong...can someone confirm it's at the JAR?

I see there's no link for video of tonight's game on ZipsZone but the schedule says it will be on ESPNU. Video of the Buffalo, Temple & WMU games was carried on z/z...maybe there's still a chance for the BG game(?)

It definitely sounds like a jab at UA (as in CSU will take us over and the football program is expendable) and Dr. P ("his" stadium, like no one else wants it or cares about it). Ellen A. is probably poisoned by the Cleveland politics, jealousy of UA's progress v. CSU's and resentment of LP for standing up for UA against the politicians.If they try to railroad us with this merger I think it could become a big stinkbomb for Strickland across the state, possibly even further. Other schools will see the writing on the wall that they could be the next to be told what to do for better or worse.

That's hilarious for so many reasons:1) It did sound like SF & FS. When they retire, I think we've found their replacements.2) With 2 seconds left on the clock, that play took about 3 minutes. What if they had fumbled on that last pitch? Doh !!3) How are you theoretically supposed to defend something like that? Man assignment? Zone? Prevent? Why isn't that play run regularly during a game? It would probably be worth a try on our 3rd or 4th down situations.4) I think all the refs just had to watch the ball to make sure the laterals were legal...if there was a bad block or hold it was probably missed but rest assured the losing team coaches will review the film until they find one.I just hope Trinity doesn't follow up this dramatic win with a couple of disappointing losses like another certain team I know.

Formation of Northeast Ohio Universities Cabinet [Tactical, Immediate] The Commission recommends the legislature form a Northeast Ohio Universities Cabinet, consisting of the Board Chairs of each of the institutions, the President of each of the institutions, and a Chairperson, preferably a regional leader with no formal association with any of the member institutions, appointed by the Governor. This Cabinet should: • Provide oversight of the implementation of the Commission's recommendations, providing an annual accountability report to the Governor, Legislature, and the Chancellor. • Seek additional opportunities for collaboration and consolidation, so as to increase access and excellence. • Pursue partnerships with business, education and government. • Create a structure for meetings of the Provosts, the CFO's and CIO's on a regular basis. • The Cabinet should meet at least twice a year. Once appointed, the Chair would convene the group.

CSU Pres comments: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/...&thispage=1 Study Commission minutes: http://www.neostudycommission.org/docs.htm

Read the comment from Lincoln Park Sam. What a jackass! Someone had a nice comment back to him though. It's the same dork that's been on here before with the same refrain...very threatened by LP, very much afraid of Tosu having to compete and share some of the state budget with the other state universities. He doesn't really care about what's best for Ohioans...only what's best for The Central Ohio Regional University to the detriment of all the others.

Next Stop: The University of Akron, Cleveland campus

It's good for our conference that Buffalo and Temple are doing well and raising the bar, something we are not doing. There's no point in wishing the other teams to be bad, that doesn't help our growth in the long run. We just need to do whatever it takes to get better, like build a new stadium...

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/14395284/detail.html"Greyhound buses will be housed out of here eventually, commuter rail use as well."Is Akron already planning for light rail? I hadn't heard that before. I guess 'eventually' is the key word, with gas prices continuing to rise, possible future carbon taxes, etc.

The new stadium will fix everything. Tell me how it will not improve recruiting (talent/retention/depth) and therefore the results on the field. If JD does not win in the new stadium we will get someone who will when his contract is up. If you think we are going to buy him out and begin a coaching transition just as stadium construction gets underway then maybe *you* are drinking some koolaid. Mack isn't going to have time for all that. Yes, it's taking a long time to get where we want to be but the promised land is in sight...there's no point in freaking out now.

Funds raised will strengthen faculty, provide more scholarships and other incentives for talented students, continue to improve campus facilities, build infrastructure for academic success and fuel economic growth in Northeast Ohio. http://www.uakron.edu/news/articles/uamain_1870.php

From Dr. P.'s state of the university address..."Thanks especially to our Board of Trustees, who started our campus on a journey now known as the New Landscape for Learning, we are riding a wave of progress and success that some may have thought impossible to achieve. But, together, we have achieved it. There is, today, incredible momentum for us to continue on our current course toward higher levels of excellence.To capitalize on that momentum, I am pleased to announce that we are launching today a comprehensive fund-raising campaign with $500 million goal.<snip>In fact, I am pleased to tell you that we have been in the quiet phase of this campaign and already have received more than $275 million in gifts, grants and pledges. So, as we launch its public phase today, we are more than halfway to our $500 million goal, and our endowment is among the top 100 in the U.S.! "http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/10556041.html

"Three things happened," Akron coach J.D Brookhart said. "We were up against a talented team, we were down some bodies in the secondary and we were gassed on defense. Temple exploited that." Jacquemain completed 12 of 21 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. His passing was balanced by the running of Buchtel's Bryan Williams, who carried 22 times for 114 yards, with 88 of those coming in the second half when the Zips were trying to protect the lead. "We weren't being conservative on offense," Brookhart said. "They took away the pass and we had to take what they gave us." http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindeale....xml&coll=2

http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/2700171

Things will change in 2 years when InfoCision Stadium is opened. I repeat, things will change in 2 years when InfoCision Stadium is opened. It will have magical powers with this program. There's no point in changing coaches until we see what JD does in the new stadium. At that point there will be new higher expectations and he will have to produce mightily or his contract will not be renewed. Maybe the OC is on the hot seat but that's about it.