sgm405

Ummmm nope, I won't. It was apparent to every Akron or non-partisan fan in attendance. They bumped, they slapped, they swatted, they reached and more often than not, nothing was called. I won't bring it up if it doesn't happen.Everyone in the MAC knows the refs are horrible. Heck NIU's coach got escorted off the floor by the cops today from some of the bad calls. Fact of the matter is that it isn't going to change. The MAC isn't going to fire all of their refs and bring in an entirely new group just for the tournament. Unless you've got some kind of proof that the fix was in and the refs were purposely and consciously setting the game up for Akron to lose (I don't think you do) then you just look like a whiny cry baby.Well if you want to think that that's what I am, you can. The officiating was terrible. I never said the "fix was in", they were just terrible. Period. And no, it's not going to change if I complain about it, but hey, did you miss the title of the thread? VENT...not protest, not call for anyone to get fired...VENT...they called a horrible game that came down to one possession, which leads me to get angry, thinking about what might have been. So what do I do? Vent!

Actually, it was "We Don't Thow Things"...spelled wrong...embarrassing

Ummmm nope, I won't. It was apparent to every Akron or non-partisan fan in attendance. They bumped, they slapped, they swatted, they reached and more often than not, nothing was called. I won't bring it up if it doesn't happen.

I have a lot on my mind, which I'm sure many of us do...so how bout a vent thread?My random thoughts...- Didn't like starting Goddard and Quade...in a game that seems to always come down to the last 2 or 3 possessions, you can't afford to have any with guys who don't belong out there. - Nick Dials' emotion is both good and bad...sometimes it fires up the team and others ride off of it...other times it seems to take him out of his own game.- Jim Christian absolutely, positively outcoached Keith Dambrot tonight. The Zips go to Wood, who draws a foul on Hammin, who is forced to go to the bench...and instead of taking advantage of this, out comes Wood and in comes Bardo, who is completely terrified to shoot. This, to go along with endless subs and a refusal to make adjustments until it was too late cost the Zips a lot tonight. - I won't say they cost Akron the game - Akron's shooting percentage did - but the referees were once again terrible tonight. They go from calling nothing, to calling EVERYTHING, to just making unbelievably bad calls that leave you shaking your head...MAC officials are pretty terrible overall, that's for sure. - In a matter of weeks I've gone from thinking Steve McNees is the next big thing at Akron to grimacing when he checks in. Hopefully he'll work on working with the ball under pressure before next year. - Is anyone else absolutely driven up the wall by Can't State fans' refusal to come up with something original? They go with "We are...Can't State" (stolen), "K-S-U" (generic), and "Screw the Roo" (a lame response to our original slogan)...just drives me up the wall.- Classy move by the Can't State students chanting "K-S-U" during our senior night introductions...can't these morons show a little bit of sense even once or twice? You just don't do that...- Count me in as one who thinks Can't doesn't deserve an at-large bid. Are they really better (at this point) than Akron was last year? And have they really beat that many top notch opponents? They should get consideration, but it should be NIT for them if they don't win the Tourney. - Tell me the AK-Rowdies purposely spelled "Throw" wrong, putting "Thow" instead...tell me it was an inside joke I didn't know about...please...- The guy who fires the crowd up is pretty amazing at doing that...he can really get people going...on the flip side, the "blind referee" thing is wayyyy played out...almost as bad as "You can't do that"- What Akron takes from this loss may tell how we go into the MAC Tourney...Thought Process #1 would be that they shot like crap, dealt with poor officiating, turned the ball over, got outrebounded - basically played the worst game of the year - and only lost by 3. Or Thought Process #2, two losses to Can't, going into the tournament off of an embarrassing performance, nothing seemingly going right. - Here's hoping for a big run starting Thursday...3 games left for all the marbles...let's do it this year. GO ZIPS!

I am on record as stating I hoped K.e.n.t. lost by 50. Haha yes...CK, we don't always agree but definitely do on this one!

Some of you guys are incredible. Most on this board despise OSU, with the reasoning that they take our recruits and overshadow us in the media...but yet it seems 75% of the board was cheering for Can't last night...?????OSU is not in our conference...they recruit and get 5 star recruits, DIFFERENT players than we go after...we play them once every few years.Can't State IS in our conference...they recruit 1-3 star players, the SAME players we go after. We play them two or three times a year. And to top it all off, they are our bitter rival....and you guys were cheering for them?

My thoughts exactly...excellent post.

MyspaceFacebookPretty cool item of interest...Domenik Hixon added the Myspace page to his top friends...good to see his Akron pride continues to be strong!

Sat, Feb 16 Bowling Green * at Bowling Green, Ohio Tue, Feb 19 Miami (Ohio) * at Oxford, Ohio Sat, Feb 23 VCU Akron, Ohio Sat, Mar 01 Buffalo * Akron, Ohio Tue, Mar 04 Ohio * at Athens, Ohio Sun, Mar 09 Can't State * Akron, Ohio Six games remaining...most likely out of the MAC East race, but still alive for a first round bye. Here's what I think:- Sit Ced...love the guy, but he's not helping the team right now. Let him rest up a bit, and maybe he'll be refreshed for the MAC Tourney.- Put a cap on Dials' minutes. He is walking wounded...they simply can't afford to lose him too. He has to play, but he shouldn't be out there the entire game either. - Play the McKnights. Chris will have to step up, whether Wood comes back or not. And Brett has a ton a raw talent...he could be a big contributor off the bench in a MAC Tourney run. - Let Roberts run the point. Ced is hurt, Dials is better at the two, and McNees can't yet handle pressure from opposing guards pressing the ball. Roberts is quick enough to penetrate, can hit an outside shot, and should be able to play some good defense. - Keep believing. Even myself, an extreme optimist, felt the season slipping away tonight. But in the MAC, it's never over. Keep pushing, keep getting the younger guys experience, get the vets rested and healthy, and try to get hot at the Q. At this point, it's our only hope of salvaging a once promising season.

Rome and Dru are gone.Cedrick Middleton is hobbling, Nick Dials is worn down, and Jeremiah Wood is out at least four weeks...maybe for the season. Road games at Miami and OU loom ahead, as well as a home matchup with Can't State. After that comes the MAC Tournament - top teams all around, single elimination. ...and I firmly believe that we'll end up the MAC Champions and finally go dancin'. I know, I know...the odds are against us. But for some reason, I see Wood and Middleton making it back, giving everything their bodies have left out on the floor. I see youngsters Darryl Roberts, Steve McNees, Mike Bardo, and Brett McKnight stepping up when the time is right. I ssee our fans stepping it up a notch to provide an even bigger 6th man...I see the team surviving three close games in the MAC Tourney, and finding a way to win each one. I still believe...because even though my brain says that we're too banged up, too young, too inexperienced...my heart says that they'll somehow find a way. I still believe that it'll happen this year, and still believe in this team...do you, Zips fans?

It's the same reason why all they do is drink in Athens...there's nothing else to do there

What game were you at?Many students were throwing things...seriously...how could you miss that???And we use bad words, just not in chants, and certainly not while an elderly woman is being treated with injuries due to a bottle thrown by a student. C-L-A-S-S-L-E-S-S

And that's the mentality...thank you for a perfect example Big Zip.Hey - I give it up to those ladies. They work their asses off and have shown great improvement over the past 2-3 seasons. Personally, I wouldn't mind watching their product. But most Americans just don't care enough about women's athletics to watch them. Look at the WNBA - if the NBA wasn't funneling money into it, it'd be dead by now.

I'm sure someone will paint me as a sexiest for saying this, but I'll be blunt:Very few people care about women's basketball. It's painted as a "fundamental team game", yet the game is slow, the play is sloppy, and the contest is absent of the elite athleticism that draws people to the men's game. We as fans are drawn to the men's game at both the collegiate and pro level because the athletes can go above and beyond and do things on a basketball court that 95% of us could only dream of doing. Although the ladies are very talented basketball players, they simply don't do this. Give me an all-star team from Akron's mens intramural league and I'll give you a win over the Zips women's team. If the students won't show up every game for a 26 win men's team that's successful year in, year out, they're certainly not going to show the women's team.

Soooo when does the whole getting the community involved begin?

Akron Zips (9-2)2217 vs. Binghamton2309 vs. Temple2504 vs. Wyoming2225 vs. NC Central2259 vs. NC A&T2730 vs. YSUAverage Attendance - 2374Can't State Golden flushes (9-2)3455 vs. Hampton2046 vs. Coppin State2879 vs. Longwood3678 vs. St. Louis4378 vs. George Mason2507 vs. IPFWAverage Attendance - 3157Same record, similar strength of schedule...WE are the defending MAC East Champions, and they outdraw us by about 800 on average per game? I don't know what's worse, that, or the fact that I opened up a Beacon Journal a week or so ago to find a huge advertisement offering high school students free admission to home games. Or that on my way home yesterday, I passed a billboard (IN AKRON!) advertising the same thing to these students. Seriously, what does our marketing department do? And when they do have a semi-decent idea (Vote for Zippy, free admission) it's hidden on gozips.com so that nobody can take advantage of it. Coach Dambrot and the players deserve better than to play in front of 2300-2400 every nightIt's time for the marketing department to get going and stop letting Can't State out-advertise them in their own damn city.

The problems as I see it...1) Marketing...got to agree with CK on that one. When I have to even remind myself when games are, that's not a good thing. No creativity whatsoever. Why not do what the Cleveland Indians do, and have different themes? Or do giveaways? 2) Students aren't valued. I still say selling off the student section for the biggest non-conference games in years and years in 2006-2007 caused a lot more damage than we give credit for. Your fan base builds up, the students are excited...and you sell their seats to make a little extra money. Not exactly sending the right message...3) We've seen it before...as CK pointed out, Akron's done this before - started the regular season hot, only to get burned when it counted most. NE Ohio sports fans are afraid to latch onto teams for this exact reason. Look at the Indians - the attendance didn't climb until they had almost locked up the division. Even the Cavaliers (although they still sold out) didn't have much of a backing in NE Ohio until the Pistons series. I'm not saying I think this way...but the "they'll just blow it when it matters anyways" attitude certainly exists.

Are you sure about the membership thing still being in effect? How was it that about 1/3 of them just looked like plain old students, who sat down and simply watched the game? Or maybe they are taking kids from the upper seats and putting them down there to fill in like last year. That may be what I was seeing. Either way, $10 is ridiculously cheap for all the benefits of being a member of the organization.It is cheap, but that's not the point. If you have trouble selling the product to the people when it's free, how can you expect to sell it to them AND charge?

Well, the last time I commented on "Rowdies" stuff I created a big stir...but what the heck, I think constructive criticism can really help. Let me start by offering my two reasons why the student section has gone sour over the past year. I believe two events led to this. First of all, the beginning of last season when students without "the shirt" weren't allowed in the lower section, it didn't go over well with many students. A good portion of them had no idea about signups, and were told they couldn't sign up at the game...these were students who had sat in the lower level for years being told by other Zips fans that they couldn't sit in the seats, all because of an email they never received. Second, and more killer, the Nevada game. It was against a ranked team...the students that stayed on campus were pumped...both lower sections could've easily been filled. What did the Athletic Director do? Sell off those seats to the average fan, sending a message to the students that a few extra bucks was more important than them. Many students who had to sit in the upper level grew disgusted as they watched Akron, who fed off of the one-side of Akron fans (and could've even more with another side) lose a heartbreaker on national TV with 7-10 people filling in 50 seats on the one end. Both of these instances drove away faithful UA fans, who now choose to sit up top instead of being a part of the student section.Now, here's a few suggestions on how to fix the damages done...1) As one person pointed out, make the students feel valued. Free stuff every game. Shirts for everyone who sits (stands) down low. Coupons for free/discounted good going to those sitting in the lower seats.2) Get rid of the $10 and membership requirements. How can you try to make the group exclusive when you can't even get a full house down low? It'd be one thing if people were fighting for the seats...do a sign-up, charge the fee. But as is, they can't get people to sit there. And until it's filled up, not allowing ANY Akron student/alumnus that wants to sit down low do so is downright silly. Get the seats filled, no matter what shirt they have on, no matter if they are signed up or not, no matter what - just get the seats filled with Akron faithful. After a few years when the seats are more sought after, charge fees/do membership if you wish. 3) Back to the basics. Defense chants. Jumping and doing the "ohhhh" that RowdyZip mentioned. "Let's Go Zips"...many of the cheers don't make sense to anyone not on the floor (which is the majority of the crowd). Keep it simple and loud!

Some of you know that I have a heavy dislike for the old "You can't do that" chant that the Rowdies do at games...it's not so much that I don't like the chant, it's more that I don't like it being done every 15 seconds.With that said, I gotta give props when props are due...I bought College Basketball 2k8 for PS3 today and began with an exhibition game against Can't. A few minutes into the game, I had Ced drive to the lane and he got hacked. After the foul was called - you guessed it - the crowd chanted "You can't do that"...I was in shock lol.So either the Rowdies got the attention of 2K, the chant is used by other teams nationwide, or the programmers and our fans think the same...either way, kind of cool to see it in the game, even if it isn't my favorite chant.

While DA did throw 3 TDs, I'm not sure I would give him an above average grade for yesterdays less than stellar performance (160 yds of O & 6-of-19 passing for 43 yards in the second half.). Interesting how the defense blitzed him early and he had success, they stopped blitzing and dropped into coverage and he seemed confused.Oh well, I bet Charlie enjoyed watching the game yesterday. Go Frye tonight! So he struggled a bit against one of the better defenses in football. Peyton Manning had a horrible game...is he a bad QB?I'm sure Charlie did enjoy it, and probably has plennnnnty of time to watch the Browns...you know, with not having to be on the active roster week after week.

As I mature? Thank you for the kind words, Grandpa. Look...we'll never know what Frye would've done this year. That I'll give you. But we what do know is that Frye had a chance to be the Browns starting QB and failed. He is now a 3rd string NFL QB. Derek Anderson got the same chance and has had great success. He's a Pro Bowl candidate. That's about as cut and dry as you get.I don't care what Charlie has done or may ever do as a pro. All I know is that for four years I got to see a kid grow into a very good college quarterback - probably the best ever at Akron - while giving maximum effort on the field. He broke about 50 passing records at the University, and did with class and humility, while taking a beating from opposing defensive lineman. I'm proud that he was a Zip, and priveleged to watch him. I absolutely do not understand the mentality of those saying he isn't a "winner" or whatever. What were Akron's records when Jason Taylor was here? Was Taylor a "winner"? Why do some of you feel the need to tear Charlie down? He never did anything to harm the university in any way, and he did a great deal to progress our program to respectability in Division I. No, we're not there yet, but we're a lot closer than we were before Frye helped put Akron on the map, at least to some degree, with a win over ranked Marshall, and good offensive showings against some big-time teams. I wish him all the best in his future, and thank him for what he did while he was at Akron.ZipGrad93Hey...I agree with just about everything you just said...I really do...but the question I debated was who was the better pro QB, DA or Frye. I agree Frye helped the Zips program...I just don't understand why that makes people think he's a good pro...that's all.

As I mature? Thank you for the kind words, Grandpa. Look...we'll never know what Frye would've done this year. That I'll give you. But we what do know is that Frye had a chance to be the Browns starting QB and failed. He is now a 3rd string NFL QB. Derek Anderson got the same chance and has had great success. He's a Pro Bowl candidate. That's about as cut and dry as you get.

1) Charlie is not here anymore BECAUSE the coaching staff deemed Anderson the better QB. Why else would they trade Frye away?2) Jeff Garcia doesn't stink at all...he didn't fit with the Browns' system...he, unlike Frye, was/is a proven NFL QB before and after his Cleveland tenure. 3) Derek Anderson is a pro-bowl candidate...Charlie Frye is inactive week after week, sitting at 3rd string behind a guy who's more of a receiver than a QB. What does that say about him?P.S. It's a "moot point", not a "mute point"...unless you were saying your point had no sound...

The point isn't that..the point is that Frye has a great deal of the past blame, which Frye-supporters refuse to admit. Oh, and Anderson's 2007 numbers are far from "sorry"