Z.I.P.

When Koby played winter ball here in 06, his mom and sister would set up their lawn chairs about six inches behind the backstop (in the dirt), blocking everyone else's view!

The schedule may be the most advantageous so far for Brookhart -- however, in the minds of most "experts", Akron will be underdogs in at least the first four games, three of which are on the road. IF, and it's a big IF, Akron can somehow manage to win 2 of those four games (@Wis, @ Cuse, BSU, @Army) then they will shoot up to having a decent shot at at least seven wins -- which is the least needed for a bowl invite (no MAC team will go bowling with six wins again, unless they stumble into a division title while losing all non-con games). Frankly, I think Syracuse and Army are better teams than most on this board admit. Zips were very fortunate to meet Army on their worst Saturday of the 07 season. So, If they are to get off to that strong start, they MUST beat Ball State (the pick of may to win the MACC) at the RB IMO, and manage to come up strong on the road one of the other two weeks. UW is a lost case, where priority one is avoiding season sending injuries.Problem with predicting this season is, I believe the MAC is more difficult than every to figure out. For example, Ohio could finish anywhere from first to last in the East and I wouldn't be terribly surprised. Same with say, NIU in the West. Its a crap shoot, which pretty much describes MAC football at this point.

7 feet is a big fish, even in a big pond Not sure if anyone's watching this thread, or discussion anymore, but I was watching ESPNU's AAU Showcase event in Orlando today, and they keep displaying their top 100 players from the class of '09. Well, voila, No Zeke Marshall. I guess I can understand that, as some sites probably haven't caught up with his recent development. However -- I went on ESPNU's website, to see just how Zeke WAS rated. Holy moley folks...the top 20 I think all get scores in the 90s. I went down as far as I could go before the site froze up, which was to #180, and the players at that spot had scores of 70 I think. Next thing I did was to search for Zeke on the site. Found him -- with a score of 40! That would probably place him outside the top 300 players in his class! This may explain why: He's listed at 6-11 and 170 pounds. I thought I heard he had passed 200 and was about 210 now?

Did you see what I saw?Sprechen der Deutsch Bubba?

Sun Belt Conf makes deal to get three bowl commitsOnly question is, will the Sun Belt have bowl eligible teams. But the same could be said about the MAC, I'm sure.

7//2/86? Hmmmm, when did the Dead break up? Was this one of their last shows? My good friend Mark Carpenter, ex-girls HS BB coach here in HI was road manager for Tom Petty for many years, likely at that time.Here's a nice story for ya: And it begins with an admission -- I knew just about nothing about the Dead, when back about 1993, 94, something like that, I was leaving a movie at Kahala Mall Theaters here, couple miles baja of Waikiki. This was close to midnight and the mall was closed and almost dark. Just before geting to the mall exit there's s stairway that leads to an upper parking lot and a fancy restaurant. As I approached the stairway, these two VERY shaggy 40-something guys (50-something?), came down and stepped in front of me. I wasn't trying to listen in, but overheard the one bearded guy say to the other, "Hey man, just wait till we get back to the hotel, I got some great Kona shit I picked up yesterday." "Man -- that should be a perfect match for the 40-year old merlot I brought", was the other guy's comeback. Talk about aging hippies! Well, w00t will be glad to know that the next day's paper had a feature on the weekend's concert by the Jerry Garcia Band. Yeah -- it was the great man himself, I ran into, with the beard. Only time I happended into him, but I've bumped into many a pint of Cherry Garcia since!

Hey, is, uh, Harvey gonna play this year?

Folks, the news about Stow resident Ben Speas, of Everest FC, Columbus Crew Academy and the U.S. 1991 age group national team is true. I'm told by another correspondent on the board that Ben was victimized by a hard two-leg tackle while performing for the Crew U-18 team in the US Development Academy semi-finals, which I believe took place two weekends ago on the East coast. Ben sustained both a fracture of his right leg, and torn ligaments and tendon damage. Surgery this week put a plate and screws in the leg, while cleaning up the knee damage. Ben will miss the upcoming senior season at CVCA. He also had a chance to be chosen for the U-17 trip to South America this fall. Our best wishes to the young phenom named the nation's #1 recruit of '09 by Top Drawer Soccer. We expect him to have a long and successful career in soccer, and we'll be behind him for as long as he wears the Blue and Gold, and beyond.

Ahhhhhh! That would explain why Ben was not playing for the Crew! (Don't think Mason is on the team, is he?) Must have happened in the first game over the weekend -- or maybe in practice, as I didn't see his name in any box scores. This would be his second or third broken leg in just over a year I believe. That's a real shame.I know someone on this list can give us the details. If you want, go to me outside confidentially, and I'll explain to the Zip Crew what you can tell.

If you're ready for my complaint, here it is: Why do you have to put that freakin' "www." in front to get to the site. That's a small detail that makes a difference to those who fail to include it and thus can't find the site. Aren't most websites today able to be connected with or without dub, dub, dub? And I know it is very easy for the designer to make it work either way.Peace

Looking at the Columbus Crew Academy U-18/U-17 roster -- http://web.mlsnet.com/t102/youth/academy/roster_u18/there are just four players who have a year of high school (or potentially US national residency) on the squad. And Akron has verbal commitments from striker Ben Speas and outside back Chad Barson. The other two, fullback Matthew Wiet and forward Joey Haught did not play at the Development Academy Finals at Home Depot Center. I imagine though, that they are considered potential recruits. Isn't it interesting how the university 130 mi from Columbus seems to own the local MLS youth academy. Is the Crew Akron's team?

Dear GoZips,That makes the Akron coaches more conscientious than some other college coaches I know of. I've been to universities in the off-season, and seen things like this: Coaches playing together with their own players in 'open gym' situations; Coaches sitting in the stands at open gym sessions, yelling out instructions to players -- even calling out plays to them. Of course it's easy for one school to get away with it, because there is no other D-1 school within 2000+ miles to turn them in.

Huber Heights Wayne! So he's a classmate of incoming footballer (oh, okay, soccer player) Kofie Sarkodi. Wonder if Caleb Porter was involved in the recruiting?

Columbus gets a fourth goal -- all in the final half-hour of play to win third place, 4-0 over a very good Coloorado Rush. Defender John Wargo scored the final goal for the Crew. His back-line teammate Akron verbal Chad Barson played a very steady game at the left back, as Colorado developed very little back in the 16-yard box.Crew ends up undefeated in the US Development Academy finals, with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and no losses. Fantastic start to the US Development Academy League.ESPNU gave Player of the Game to Travis Wall, who scored the first goal of the game.

#11 Thomas Schmitt, headed to THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON shows his value, by scoring the third goal of the game, and his third goal in four games in the USDA finals. The assist comes from Bonfini, and it took until Schmitt's appearance at the 65 minute mark for Columbus to start playing team soccer the way they're capable. Schmitt might be game MVP for his 25 minutes. The other star is the Columbus GK. He stopped a couple of point-blank drillers by Colorado.HEY -- is anybody else out there??? Can't wait for the U-18 finals, as Viirginia recruit Chris Agorsor, national POY will be playing for Baltimore Bays vs the home LA FC.

Columbus scores their second goal, by Bonfini, on a great diagonal cross all the way across the box from the left-hand side by Tom Schmitt. This kid, since he came in, has elelvated the Crew game. Watch out for him -- he's a big-time player! Hope Akron coaches can find him some playing time this season.

Columbus takes the 1-0 lead at about 60 minutes (no clock on the screen @ ESPNU), on a totally one-v-eleven play by Crew's Travis Wall. He went end-to-end and outran the only other Crew teammate he had with him, and overcame a Rush defender at the 16, then drilled a right-footer, I believe hard into the right side of the net.___________________________Thomas Schmitt the Zip recruit (and leading scorer for the Crew in the finals) finally makes his appearance just after the Columbus goal, and immediately takes a pass in the box, but a defender deflects it away. I wasn't aware until this broadcast, that the Developmnent Academy has a "no-return" rule on substitutions. Great rule -- does anyone think it will ever happen in NCAA futbol? I can remember that SOB Yeagley subbing 10 players at a time at Jackson Field in the 70s. Bastard!

Columbus takes the 1-0 lead at about 60 minutes (no clock on the screen @ ESPNU), on a totally one-v-eleven play by Crew's Travis Wall. He went end-to-end and outran the only other Crew teammate he had with him, and overcame a Rush defender at the 16, then drilled a right-footer, I believe hard into the right side of the net.

Sean Ryan of the Crew takes a header in the middle of the area off a beautiful cross from the right, and puts it just off the upper right corner of the post-bar. Nicest play of the game, as Columbus is starting to take over. Nick Blevins does a lot of good things away from the ball that you don't notice, but make him a Hoosier come September._______________________________Matt Lampson, Columbus goal keeper makes two tremendous stops late in the first half, to keep thinks nil-nil. Not sure of his age -- but I think he's a D-1 prospecct from those two.Mike Green is probably the best player in this game. He's just a "good" athlete, but he knows exactly where to run on every play, and is one of the few people making things happen by himself. They need to start connecting passes to him in the second haldd if the Crew want to get off the schneid. You can see green picked up a thing or two from his years in Manchester -- England, not Ohio.

Mike Green is a creative cuss. Dark Thunder was alone on the left side of the 6-yard box, and tried to put it past the goalie wtih a heel ball. Couldn't put anything on it, and goalie took care of the ball, but very interesting, as Maxwell Smart would say.Siebert (sp.?) is the star so far for Crew offensively playing the right wing, it appears. As the announcers say, he's all over the place. Nick Blevins gets a header just knocked down by the Rush goalkeeper.Sean Ryan of the Crew takes a header in the middle of the area off a beautiful cross from the right, and puts it just off the upper right corner of the post-bar. Nicest play of the game, as Columbus is starting to take over. Nick Blevins does a lot of good things away from the ball that you don't notice, but make him a Hoosier come September.

Mike Green is a creative cuss. Dark Thunder was alone on the left side of the 6-yard box, and tried to put it past the goalie wtih a heel ball. Couldn't put anything on it, and goalie took care of the ball, but very interesting, as Maxwell Smart would say.Siebert (sp.?) is the star so far for Crew offensively playing the right wing, it appears. As the announcers say, he's all over the place. Nick Blevins gets a header just knocked down by the Rush goalkeeper.

It's football (okay - soccer if you're so inclined) time and the U-18 3rd place game in the US Development Academy leeague is live on ESPNU RIGHT NOW!Introductions: #6 Defender for Crew, future Zip Chad Barson, who's started every game this year for the US U-17 squad. Next intro "Mike --aka 'Dark Thunder', Green". Dark Thunder! We'll see if you take any lightening to New Mexico. Steve Trittschuh is head coach for Colorado Rush -- former US World Cupper. No sure who coaches the Crew U-18s, but their U-17 coach is the ex-Hermann Trophy winner Billy Thompson from UCLA. Guess who coached him at UCLA? Anyone who said Sigi Baby wins the prize. So far Rush is dominating play in the CCA end of the field. That will change I think. Just said Bob Bradley is on the sideline!

Click link to US Development Academy Finals: http://www.ussoccer.com/common/stContent.j...Week08Sked.htmlColumbus Crew Academy -- team featuring Thomas Schmitt, Chad Barson, Mike Green, and sometimes Ben Speas, wins final 2-1 over Concorde Fire of Washinton-state, and finishes third overall with two wins and a draw vs LA Football Club, but loses out for first in Pool 'B' to LA FC, as they finish +3 goals to LAFC's +9 in goal differrential.One benefit of being second: Prime time TV spot at 8:30 Friday evening on ESPNU for third place in the US Development Academy's first year. Please PASS THE WORD -- you don't get to see a preview of the future of US soccer -- or Akron soccer -- very often. This is it!

Sorry, I wish the best to JD and his team, but Akron will have to beg the boys from Madison to keep it under 50. That's how much better they are.Put this on the bulletin board, Zips! Well, maybe not.

It is a great idea, and has been floated around in the past. The problem is, Rick Chryst doesn't really do anything for the MAC. The other conference guys all feel thast way about him, and I do too. He might leave for the Notre Dame Athletic Director position soon anyways.Another problem is that the WAC might consider itself above sharing a TV network with the MAC. They pull in huge gobs of $$$ these days.Several years ago I suggested to WAC Commissioner Carl Benson, the creation of a WAC-MAC Challenge basketball tournament. The only way to describe the look on his face is with the word "aghast". Aghast, not avast, matey.Regarding the future of JD, I suspect you all ascribe far too much power to yourselves, as the Zips mainstays. I fear that no matter how low this coach and team fall, the current admin will be afraid to change anything. Wait and see.