Z.I.P.

You're right about "moving on" Cap'n. But for those interested in looking at what others have to say about the game at Aloha Stadium, you can check out that Spartantailgate.com site up in E.L., MI. There are some interesting quotes, including one from the Honolulu Advertiser's own UH FB beat writer describing just how bad was the officiating. Whoops. Missed another call. Zip in Paradise

Thank you Dave for signing up, and in. Now we can tell you from all those idiots like the Marshall ambulance chasers. How does someone with that lack of good sense get thru law school anyway? I'm sure Marshall doesn't give law degrees, what cereal box did his come in?

I can vouch for Willy (Are you the school janitor on The Simpsons?). The teams that have played in the Hawai'i and Aloha Bowls have always brought big squads -- probably close to 100 players. That's one of the things that caused the brouhaha between the UHs (Hawai'i - Houston) last year, not just so many players, but scads of spectators and hangers-on ready to make trouble. And trouble they had, of the Clemson-USC variety. And even Hawai'i, in their home bowl makes little if any $$.

For those of you looking for an edge on the last second betting line, take a gander at the National Weather Service forecast for Honolulu today, Saturday. After two weeks of Hawai'i's notorious Windward and mauka showers, steady sunshine is expected to return on Saturday. However, along with the sun comes gale-force trade winds. The Friday evening TV news predicted winds today of 20-30 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 50 mph. Now football fans should be aware that one of the teams playing tonight hopes to put the football in the air 60 or more time. The other intends to run, run, run against a defense that earlier this year ranked #117 in D 1-A in rushing defense. Michigan State may need all the help Mother Nature can hand them though, as Hawai'i is the team playing for more than pride tonight. I call it close to a tossup. Maybe MSU by 1 or 2. Is there a late-night ESPN viewing party planned anywhere? Does anyplace in Akron stay open till 3 a.m.? That's when last week's UH-NU game ended.

I'm afraid "guest" above gave a bit more info than needed to answer the Captain's question. The answer is just this: If either Tulane OR Hawai'i wins, Akron is almost certainly out of luck. The only possible exception is that Tulane cannot play in the Hawai'i Bowl, as they would be playing a fellow CUSA member in UAB (committed), but there are few other options left. But UL will beat them anyway, so it's really up to Mich St. The one thing I would say weighing in Akron's favor on Saturday night is that Hawai'i has been just as inconsistent this year as Michigan State. Their one home loss this year was to provisional Div 1-A Florida Atlantic. So it depends not only which Michigan State team shows up, but also which Hawai'i team. The local papers and radio are playing up the quote from MSU Coach Smith on MSU's website saying that he wishes he could be out recruiting now, rather than playing Hawai'i in a meaningless game. Let's hope and pray that his players are more focused on the game than the coach. I'll be in the stands with the Spartan hopeful (having traded in my tix in the home section), telling them to "just win one game for the Zippers". George Zipp I believe was the originator of that statement at Notre Dame. Go Spartans! Yikes. Zip in Paradise

Well, I am proven wrong once again. Bowling Green accepts trip to Mobile. See GMACbowl.com

I thought I'd move the Hawai'i Bowl site back up to the top. However, I DO have some news. From contacts around the MAC, I've found out the following: 1. No MAC schools will be extended or accept bowl bids until after Thursday's MAC Championship game. 2. Bowling Green apparently will NOT be going to the Silicon Valley Bowl. Rumors from BeeGee point to Vegas Bowl possibility. (wonder what it means for the SVB -- could UA be headed there?) Keep those fingers crossed. Difficult as it may be, I'll probably be pulling for MSU over my very own Warriors.

In response to Zips4Life, if that's true, then they MUST know something. My understanding is they canNOT hold more practices unless there is another game. And there are a limited number of practice sessions they are allowed to hold -- I seem to recall it is only 7 or 8, but it may be more. Mahalo for the news. Zip in Paradise

Sorry about that, I guess I'm just another liberal elitist, but I've figured out exactly how Akron can play in a bowl game in 2004. The REAL competition is just three schools: Syracuse, Southern Mississippi and Arkansas. Forget Nebraska, TCU, Iowa State or Northwestern. All of those can go bowling and still leave room for little Akron. Here are the dominoes that must, in all likelihood fall before Cardiac Charlie and the kids are allowed more life: 1. Syracuse must lose @ Boston College. 2. Southern Mississippi must lose two home games (almost positive they're both home games) vs UAB and vs Cal. 3. Arkansas must lose at home to LSU. I think Southern Miss is favored vs UAB, and LSU@Ark is a tossup. There you have it, on a stick, like Zippy @ the Bowl. Let's all cross our fingers for crying out loud.

You're darn right. I just want to be sure that this time when Akron comes to Hawai'i, that more than ONE fan arrives with the team. "Earth to Alumni Association, over"! And GoZips must bring the entire family this time.

Good job. Thanks Steve. Was that you?

Come to my place for the holidays! I am holding Mike Thomas to the promise Lee Owens made to me a year-and-a-half ago, to make up for pulling out of the Hawai'i game last year. I just hope I can scare up the 58 members of our Aloha Section Alumni Association to make it to the festivities. Captain K: You are invited to create a load of your in the Aloha Stadium parking lot. Don't you dare miss it.

Sorry Rifle, but EMU doesn't have a men's team (neither do Miami, Ball U, CMU or Toledo, which is why Kentucky plays in the MAC). The closest you might come is if coach Katie Byrne's Zip women play in Ypsilanti. You can say "Erin go bragh" to the former Irish national player. Notice the green face.

Hope you got to make the game Rifler. Ken's kids gave it their all, but it's a damn tough deal to have to go into a Big Ten school and win in the NCAA tourney. We will be the pre-season MAC favorites (though Kentucky will be tough again, and WMU and NIU strong as well) in 2005, but Lolly and Co. have some work to do in the recruiting area to make up for about half the starting roster that leaves after this year. We need some big legs up front. Is there another Kirk Harwat waiting in the wings? For those interested: Next week the UAM will be selling a MAC Champions T-shirt. Get 'em while they last.

One more thing Mike: We can here you on the internet when you're talking to the studio, so do be careful! BTW -- who is that Tallmadge nut?

:blink: Hooowweeee! This must have been one of the most exciting games played or witnessed in recent UA history. Too bad you couldn't tell that from the announcer. Is that Mr Waddell? Man, he's a cure for insomnia. Now let's get to some other criticisms (sorry Mike, but this IS constructive). The court is (last time I heard) 95 feet long. How can you take a 45 ft 3-point attempt if its not against the buzzer? Yet, more than a half dozen times he described shots of over 30 ft., and yes -- I recall a 45 ft call from Bubba. If that was the case, it must have been some record for longest bomb shots. Also, that Drake Center. His name is listed on Drake's website as "Aliou Keita". I would pronounce that Ally-o-Kata. How did we get Kata, or sometimes Kita Alou (like the Alou baseball brothers) -- and the names were reversed (last name first)? Okay that aside, what an incredibly exciting team. I would immediately run, not walk to the box office if I were in town. Coach Keith: PLEASE schedule some games out West! Like the Maui or Rainbow Invitational. This team is for real, and will open eyes THIS year, not later. Signed, Proud Classmate of KD

What link are you talking about?? There's nothing shown on this thread except gozips.com. I am now listening to the post-game there. What a game!!! If there's a no-pay way to hear games, PLEASE tell us -- but don't tell UAM.

I have to tell ya Zipboy, there is only ONE Big Kahuna on this team, and his name is JD! Now on the other hand, there may be several others with gran cojones. But I've never been in the locker room, so don't ask me. Now I just want to use this emo cause I've never seen anyone use it before, and I don't know what it means either: Go tomatoes!

Akron plays for championships. The team with the MAC COY plays for championships! Mea culpa: Yes, this is the guy who said Akron better beat Buffalo or it could be 0-for 04. God, does that crow taste great! Pass the sauce. Here's to our Cardiac Kids: #5, #18 Johnny Long, #6 the King of Oakland. Career game baby! Win next week and I make my bowl reservations.

Here's some perfectly useless trivia for you Marshall Man. The Mastodons won the NCAA men's volleyball championship -- I know, I was there -- in I believe 1992 at the Neal Blaisdell Center Arena in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Their mascot is no competition for Zippy.

aka Erkle from Kozar Central. All the info I can find shows this kid as a point guard. His size is listed as anywhere from 6-2 to 6-5. He's a 5th-year senior, ranked #78 nationally among that group by one site. He scored 29 points, 6 of 7 treys, with 10 rebs 4 steals in 2004 district playoff vs then undefeated North Canton. For a complete (hopefully) list of commitments check out: hoopscooponline.com/members/recent.html

Ask Margaret Hamlin. Or else go to Gozips.com and click on "traditions" on the left margin. Have a good day.

Saw the Bulls' team play in La'ie two years ago. Had a nice talk with Coach Reggie. Good guy. I admit, I thought he was in over his head, but he's managed to find some fine players. Too bad they don't still have that EKU transfer that was on the team of 02 -- he was awesome. The big men were young and needed seasoning then. It appears they have improved since that. Good luck Bull. BTW -- try and get a decent logo on your FB helmets. That "horn" looks like either a whale or a cloud!

The team's win on Sunday at the Huskie Fever Classic is one of the biggest in recent years -- comparable to the win last year over eventual national champs Indiana at Notre Dame's tournament. Ross McKenzie scored just :15 before the end of the first OT period to end the day in winning style for coach Ken Lolla's Zips. Going into UW and beating the Huskies is an incredibly tough job to do. They lost just two at home last year -- both in PAC-10 play to UCLA and Cal. And like Akron, Washington played into the third round of the NCAA tournament before being ousted by the Billikens in St Louis. This was one of the toughest games you could ever wish to see, and I really miss not being there to see it in person. By way of comparison, this is the same tournament in which 2003 MAC Champion Kentucky played a year ago. The Wildcats were defeated by both Portland and Washington by identical 2-1 scores. Akron lost to Portland 1-0 Friday. Here's how UW Coach Dean Wurzberger described the play and outcome [from UW release]: "We were hoping to finish off the weekend, because we played pretty well Friday night [a 2-0 win vs UC-Irvine]. They (Akron) dialed up the intensity. Aggression was what they hung their hat on early and it caught us by surprise so it tested us a little bit in terms of our toughness. We gave a goal away when they were on top of the game and we leveled the score. I liked our chances in the second half, but we didn't create that many good opportunities. We've got to learn from this, that we have to be ready for an aggressive opponent." Both teams played an extremely physical game with at least 20 fouls being awarded to each team and a total of nine yellow cards issued. Although suffering defeat, Washington was named Huskie Fever Classic champion based on goal differential. All four teams earned a win in the two-day tournament, but it was the Huskies two goal victory over UC-Irvine on Friday that proved to be the tiebraker, as all other matches were decided by just one goal. *************************

I have just a couple of off-the-cusp, and possibly off-the-wall comments to make from out in the vast Pacific. How long has Can't State been wearing those horrific uniforms?? They should have a sponsorship deal with French's (the mustard, not the announcer). I watched the Miami-Houston game that started 30 minutes after the Wagon Wheel, and not ONCE did I see ESPN show the score of Akron-Can't. You would have thought there was only one game that night. I just hope what made Can't look so bad, Akron is somehow able to make happen again, cause otherwise I can't see more than three wins this year. But the building blocks are fitting into place. The biggest day of the year will be next February on national LOI day. This is our team, don't lose faith. Be patient and good things will come.