Z.I.P.

That's the spirit psc2009! If we reach our goal, we can be a 6-6 team like Central Michigan, and meet a team like Western Kentucky in the Pizza Bowl. Dream big dreams!

I think AKronMaction could gain some traction. Now how did I not think of that??

Well, if there are no tickets in rainy Portland, how about the Arizona desert? There MUST be someone from this list who would travel (even a short distance) to see teams from Portland, Seattle, KC and Colorado play! All of them could well have ex-Zips players.

Cal: ESPN's Brett McMurphy is reporting that Cal will interview Can't State head coach Darrell Hazell, today. Interviewing at Berkeley, yet he's giving Purdue or Wisconsin a shot? Now I see why he's working at Can't State!

Got crushed by Middle Tennessee, but took a very good Colorado team to double overtime.

Latest tweet: My Dad and the Akron team got their rings today... Stay tuned.

Makes me want to find out when Opening Day at JeldWen Field takes place in 2013. I've spent time in PDX in March-April while at PSU, so cold and rain won't phase me. Just wonder on ticket availability. Go Timbers

Indiana...is Indiana! I hate to see them get back to a Final Four (especially at the time of our coaching transition). However, the name "Yeagley" on the roster may be what brings them back to immortality. I will be rooting for a semifinal loss, and you should too!

Thank you Go Zips for your fecetious solution! Now here's something I've picked up on from being a season ticket holder for a commuter school six thousand miles away in the middle of the Pacific: Winning DOES make all the difference. That's the reason Hawaii volleyball with four national championships outdraws basketball with few winning seasons. Hawaii started their student Manoa Maniac cheering section only a few yrs ago after they instituted a mandatory student athletic fee (administrative guilt?), and never drew more than a couple hundred students to games. This season, I noticed from game one that the numbers grew to several hundred -- nearing 1000 for Illinois. I also noticed that many of the students seemed to be wearing T shirts printed with Hawaii tennis, waterpolo, swimming and diving, etc. on them. Yes! They came up with the incredible idea of having coaches actually encourage their own student-athletes to attend the games for once. They also have instituted competitions for them, like sign contests, basket shooting contests, etc. It didn't take any great investment ($$), it only took someone in the AD actually being interested and bringing coaches together for one step to a bigger solution. Don't know how long it will last, but the arena is the loudest its ever been.

Very interesting to learn the MTSU head coach is Kermit Davis! My first experience with him was when his Idaho (or Id St.?) team defeated Akron in the 3rd place game of the tournament at Hawaii's Klum Gym in 1990. The Vandals scored a bucket with .1 to play in OT for that win. That's what you call a last (split) second shot.

Hmmmmm...Very interesting side article I found linked from this one: http://www.portlandtimbers.com/blog/post/2...ere-lot-emotion Apparently, Louisville senior outside back and former Hawaii high schooler Brock Granger is the property of the Portland Timbers Academy. I have to ask around, as he played for Honolulu SC Bulls here, and might be the first Hawaii-grown player on a mainland MLS academy team. Hmmmmmm x2. (As Brian Ching prepares to join Dynamo coaching staff or front office, we look at who might be the next Hawaiian MLS player -- Zach Scott from Maui is on Sounders side.) edit: Brock played on the Timbers PDL team this past summer. Not sure if that gets them "homegrown" status over him.

The Red Bulls on Monday pulled the trigger of their first deal of what is expected to be many this off season when they acquired defender Kosuke Kimura and a natural second round 2013 MLS SuperDraft choice from the Portland Timbers. in exchange for allocation money and the MLS Homegrown rights for defender Bryan Gallego. Kimura, who was out of contract in Major League Soccer, has signed a new deal with the Red Bulls. Terms of the deal were not disclosed Well, apparently Gavin Wilkinson or someone in Timberland thinks Gallego's rights are pretty valuable -- or the club is unwilling to spend $, as Kosuke Kimura has been a big part of defenses in Portland and especially with the Colorado Rapids for several years. Started 28 games this year for both clubs after being traded in the summer. Wonder how much "allocation money" is involved. Maybe they figured they couldn't resign Kimura, so they're spinning the wheel, hoping to get a good deal for a youngster who may or may not be available for 2013. Aside from that, I have to question how MLS can allow clubs to trade rights to homegrown players. It surely devalues the purpose of the entire program.

Only Question: Will we ever see any #AkronMACtion on the gridiron?

Hey! Thanks for the inside info girl8! As far as the back line goes, I think if we keep Gallego, and with Souders getting a chance to show the prowess that made him a USA captain we will be fine. I wonder whether Gallego will stay at left or become the "attacking defender" right back (also, who else will start at CB?). I'm more concerned over scoring -- Brenes can probably get drafted first round after this season. I don't think Koroma can do it alone.

If you were as old as me, you would still be blaming Bob Wiley!

WOW! Shaq Stokes transferred from Hawaii after last season, and he was really well-liked by fans as well as teammates and coaches. The coaching staff cleaned house, cutting several players at the end of the season, and Shaquille announced like the day after the team banquet that he would not return. He was the only returning point guard, so they had to replace him quick. Fortunately, he has not been missed much as Hawaii looks like a better team for the substractions. That may carry over to the dorm security situation now. Aloha Shaq!

Well, the thing that concerns me most is not that we will lose very good players, that has happened every year recently. The bigger concern is that I see no newcomers coming to replace them. Do we have a single commitment for the class of 2013?

I haven't seen this mentioned elsewhere on this thread, but what seems to me the most amazing eventuality (well, San Diego St. in the Big East...? ) was announced yesterday: Grand Canyon University has been welcomed into the WAC! Not only is this the first time a university has moved directly from D-2 to Bowl Championship Subdivision (though, frankly, I don't know if they even have a football team), Grand Canyon becomes the first for-profit university to compete in major college sports. The majority of Grand Canyon's student body exists in cyberspace, and completes coursework on-line. That's amazing! CGU moves up from the Pac West Conference, which includes Hawaii Pacific, Hawaii-Hilo, Chaminade, BYU-Hawaii and even more nondescript institutions like Cal Baptist and Academy of Arts University. Maybe they'll be in the 2016 Orange Bowl.

Alright, I can vouch from personal experience that MDZip is a valuable travelling companion on road trips. I do hope that his boss didn't call to remind him of missed deadlines on this occasion. I don't suppose you managed to find any wine tasting rooms in the Caribbean -- I imagine that rum tasting could be at least as lucrative and enjoyable on such an excursion for both the entrepreneur and the connoisseur. In just slightly more serious mode, it appears that it has fallen on George and each sports program to put such trips together, as no other entity on campus (Hello -- Alumni Office??) any longer shows interest. My trip a few years ago to watch the team in Berkeley was made much more enjoyable due to the actions of the basketball office then, who were more than happy to provide me front row seats. I hope I can be there the next time the Zips are on the West Coast, or even in the middle of the Pacific. Hello, Keith? There are like six slots open for the 2013 Diamond Head Classic!

I hate to be drawn into responding to relatively irrelevent facts..but I just wanted to point out, Chaminade STILL plays in a high school gymnasium. CUH shares their campus with St Louis High School and they share all their facilities. The school is barely able to maintain an athletic program, and until an angel charity recently fell into their lap, they received the majority of their athletic budget from that basketball tournament on Maui.

When Hawaii qualified for the Sugar Bowl in 2007 (IIRC), the WAC reportedly received around $20 Mil. Of that, UH kept about 1/2, which allowed them to balance the books for a couple years. Too bad its all gone now, considering their last two FB games at Aloha Stadium drew 5-6k (Boise) and about 10-12k (UNLV).

Would Akron like a part of $28.2 Million? That's how much the MAC stands to gain, if the Golden F.lashes go to a BCS bowl! This article says it'll be the Orange Bowl, but others are saying the Sugar Bowl, possibly vs the Gators. edit: Woops, didn't see DiG already linked this.

Damn! I can't believe not one of you has mentioned the PREMIER college basketball pre-season tournament. This year's Diamond Head Classic features Arizona, San Diego State, Mississippi, Miami (FL), East Tennessee, Indiana State, San Francisco and the host Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. From my research, the only school shown for the 2013 tournament is George Mason University. (I look forward to meeting Steven Goff, who may be the top soccer blogger in the nation) This is a tournament that has gotten a better field in each year of its existence. Come on Keith. Say aloha one more time. I know you wanna wake up on Waikiki Beach.

The NE Ohio soccer community has been awarded an incredible gift these past seven years. Has it really been that long? It's not easy looking back and knowing what the future may hold, but no one can say that we're not far advanced because of where we've been placed by this leader. He has hardly left any cupboards bare. Best wishes to Jared Embick and those who stay to carry on the new tradition of a team that plays for championships, every year, every game. Two stars in '13.

Quinn made his shot in 5th rubber. Then Creighton made their kick. Bluejays win shootout 5-4, bringing to an end this season, and an incredible era in Zips soccer. Good luck coach Porter.