Class of 82

With all due respect, I don't see how it's possible not to be cynical about the NCAA, especially when it's president pretends they are all about education and higher learning when what they are actually all about is a multi-billion-dollar industry. These sanctions are entirely about the NCAA's cosmetic image. Nothing more. Underneath that holier-than-thou facade, they are rotten money-grubbers to the core. And they have been for quite some time now. As for Penn State's endowment, it's nowhere near big enough to make even one of these victims whole, if you ask me.

I don't think anybody's feeling sorry for Penn State itself, or even its football program. I certainly am not. What bugs a lot of us, I think, is that the NCAA is pretty blatantly on a public relations blitz to maintain some aura of moral authority that they simply do not possess... all in order to protect, not change, the staus quo. The idea that what they've done to Penn State is going to re-establish some sense of proportionality to the multi-billion-dollar business that is college football is simply laughable and is an insult to any thinking person and an even greater insult to Sandusky's victims. Of course, that's just my opinion. But as Dave in Green pointed out, this is far from over. More criminal prosecutions and the lawsuits have yet to occur, and you can bet we will be learning lots of new things in the months and years ahead, with some of those things almost certain to be different from what we think we know now. One thing we do know, however, is that Penn State will have $60 million less to compensate the real victims in this tragedy.

It doesn't really work the way you describe above. Ill-prepared students have been taking remedial, pre-college coursework at UA for decades. A large portion never make it, but more than a few (especially returning adult students) go on to do very well and earn degrees. That isn't anything to be ashamed of. On the contrary, it should be a source of pride, imo. It's ne of the things that ties the university to the larger community and makes it such a valuable asset. Screw U.S. News and World Report and their bogus "rating" system. Perhaps the solution is for UA to dissociate itself from the community college and from Wayne College and let them function the way they are supposed to and at tuition levels more in line with otther community colleges around the state. UA could still maintain a close relationship with them and combine some degree programs, just as it does with Lorain CCC. Then UA could petition the Board of Regents for a redefinition of its mission. But until then, I'm just of the opinion that folks just need to get over these b.s. ratings and appreciate our university as it is. All the best, '82

The problem, as I see it, LZip is that the NCAA simply made a calculation that the wisest public-relations course for them to take was to pile on and pile on now while the story remains a hot topic and while they could strong-arm the university into accepting just about anything the NCAA believes can make the NCAA look both responsible and all-powerful. And believe me, this whole NCAA thing is all about public relations. It has zilch to do with anything that might be called justice, not to mention integrity or honesty. The point Dave was making is that a huge part of the idea of justice in this country is due process, where judgments are meted out only after full consideration of all available facts. Indeed, due process is written all over the NCAA's bylaws. Members are supposedly entitled to it... unless, we've now discovered, the NCAA decides maintaining its image is more important than the rights of member institutions. And make no mistake... as much as they tried to strongly imply that this was a "one-time" event that sets no precedent for the future, that is an outright falsehood. They just let a genie out of a bottle, and it's never going back in again.

Agreed... in spades.

Lol... you're not only insightful and thoughtful, but humble to boot! I generally agree with what you say here, but Penn State football isn't going to die simply because their future teams won't win very often. That will just be gasoline on a fire that's already fully involved the entire building. You still have objective reasons to love Akron and the Zips, whether you go to watch them lose or not. Quite a few Penn State fans and alumni are wondering if there's anything left for them to love.

I agree with that last part in particular. And I also agree that what UA has customarily charged for remedial coursework was robbery of the worst sort. However, there is no escaping the fact that Akron is, by law, an open-enrollment institution bound to admit any Ohio resident who can benefit from instruction. Furthermore, Akron's community college IS Summit County's state-supported community college, an obligation that the university has generally met in only the most marginal ways from the very beginning. Remedial education is a core mission of community colleges across this state, and it would be most unfortunate if Akron abandoned that obligation for cosmetic appeal. As for me, I've never understood why Akron can't simply embrace the positive aspects of its open-enrollment status and flip the proverbial bird to those who misguidedly use that status to demean a great institution that has so much to take pride in. No offense meant here. Just a difference of opinion. Peace. Out. '82.

I think you're spot-on, GP1. Enthusiasm for Penn State football is going to whither, and it will whither rather quickly, in my opinion. In less than a year's time, the entire foundation of what generations of fans have thought the program was all about has been obliterated. The scandal has ripped to shreds the very heart of Penn State football. It bears repeating that what fans and alumni are experiencing is in no way comparable to what Sandusky's victims endured, but I don't see how anyone couldn't feel for those folks and for the entire State College community. Very sad indeed.

Turning away ill-prepared students might improve the cosmetic reputation a little... but it won't really do anything concretely beneficial. It's a purely cosmetic change, and entirely at the expense of one of the university's core missions to serve the whole community, including those students who are (for whatever reason) under-prepared.

Wow... I had very little respect for the NCAA before this morning, but I have far less now. They roll in, grab a $60 million "penalty" and pretty much accomplish nothing. The football penalties, in my view, do little additional damage, because Penn State was already virtually certain to have trouble getting (and keeping) worthy scholarship players. They will not be a competitive program again for many years... if ever. And the idea that the NCAA is even marginally qualified to establish any sort of national center on child abuse is beyond ludicrous. It is absolutely outrageous and disgusting. Just more cash for a couple of dozen over-paid bureaucrats and the facade of an organization that "cares" about kids. If this were funny, I might call it a joke. Unfortunately, there's nothing funny about it at all.

Great article that sums up a lot of people's feelings, I'm sure. Thanks for the link, MD.

Thanks, Zipmeister. I just spit Diet Mountain Dew all over my new flat-screen and keyboard from laughing so hard.

Just a note to mom GameChanger... ... I think your son is an awesome kid, and I wish nothing whatsoever but the very best future for him. I'm confident it's going to be a bright one whatever path he finds himself walking. Best regards to you and yours, Class of 82 P.S. One of the few things I hate about summer is the long wait for college basketball. Go ZIPS!

Thanks for sharing that, kr. My brother-in-law is a Penn State grad, and he's about as sick over this whole affair as you are. The suffering of these victims dwarfs everything, of course, but I don't think it's widely appreciated how devastating this is to alumni. The whole thing is simply surreal. I understand the desire in some quarters to extract every pound of flesh possible, but I believe this is a matter for the criminal justice system and the civil courts, not for an athletic governing body. The bottom line, though, is whether Penn State football remains or goes away, it will never, ever be what it once was. Fair or not, this scandal will define Penn State football... always. In the long run, I don't see how any program could bear such a burden. And that's sad, if you ask me. Anyway, keep your chin up, dude, and give your wife a hug! All the best, Class of 82

As Akronzips71 noted, Zeke would not have to worry so much about fouling as a defensive role-player at the next level. At least some of Zeke's at-times-soft play here, perhaps even most, has been due to him trying to stay out of foul trouble in a league known for being pretty ticky-tacky... and excruciatingly inconsistent to boot. In the NBA, his primary job will be to give a starting big man some rest and eat up a few minutes without his team getting creamed in the paint. Heck, he'll be expected to foul quite a bit in the role I see him playing. And I'd bet he'd be a much more aggressive, and thereby much more effective, rebounder in such a role, too. Any scoring he could add would be a bonus, but if he could do only what I described, he could have a job in the league for quite a while. Again, think Ryan Hollins, who, imo, is nowhere near as quick or athletic as Zeke. And Hollins has already made millions in the NBA, which is kind of mind-boggling, really. It doesn't hurt that Zeke is a pretty smart young man, too. That's an X factor that shouldn't get discounted either.

I think it's a symptom of the general despair that's taken hold of the so-called Rust Belt since the late 1970s. There's a foreboding sense of pessimism (some self-hatred, even), and there just isn't the community pride that there used to be... certainly here in Akron but really across the entire region. Throw in the losing, and you have a perfect storm of apathy and disinterest. That depressingly negative background is virtually non-existent in a city like San Antonio. Thank God for Terry Bowden. If anybody can right this ship and start making headway, I believe he can.

I've long heard much the same thing Akron's law school.

Their chip-chop ham was pretty good, too. Maybe a notch below Isaly's, but still pretty yummy served hot on a toasted bun with melted Velveeta, uh, ahem... "cheese."

I don't think there's any question Zeke will get a shot to play in the NBA if he wants one, whether he's drafted or un-drafted. I'd guess, though, that somebody likely will draft him. You can't teach 7 feet tall, and being 7 feet tall still means something in the NBA... especially given the relaxation of the rules on zone defense. Will Zeke be a "good" NBA player? No I don't, honestly. But as a 7-footer with a pretty good head on his shoulders, I think he could attain to being "serviceable and useful" for any team that takes a shot with him. Serviceable and useful 7-footers, even ones barely so, can still have very lucrative and rewarding and successful NBA careers. Ryan Hollins is ample proof of that much. At any rate, I'm just looking forward to Zeke having a monster senior season and, after that, him getting his degree and becoming another proud Akron alum. The rest of it will take care of itself. And I hope that's how Zeke approaches next year as well.

3) Comfortable and effective from either side of the defense. 4) Plays to the whistle. (couple of nice chase-downs when it looked initially like he was out of the play.)

As a Cavs fan, I was certainly disappointed to see LeBron leave. (And the way he and Maverick set the thing up was a PR disaster of epic proportions.) But it didn't take me very long to move beyond that, especially since the arrival of Kyrie Irving. But I'm still a LeBron guy, and always will be. Mostly because LeBron is an Akron kid like me. I watched him play in high school. I've watched him develop into one of the greatest players in history. I like how he's added to the legacy of great Akron players like Nate Thurmond, Gus Johnson and Jerome Lane (not much of a pro, but a pretty great college player at Pitt). And for all the fame, accolades and cash thrown at him at such a young age, I like how, behind the ego, he remains generally a pretty decent guy. So, congrats to him. Just wish he would have realized how winning it all in championship-starved Cleveland would have been twice the achievement.

Duquesne? Not particularly. The A-10? Yes. Four teams in the tourney. Also, Duquesne is a very nice school, and Pittsburgh is a first-class city. Nasty in the winter, like here, but really a cool place with a high quality of life. Throw in his dad's history with the school and at least twice the cash he'll probably ever make in Akron, and it's easy to understand his temptation, if you ask me.

I "hate" the Flashers, but I'm rooting for them, just like I was rooting for the Elite 8 team in basketball. I like underdogs, and I like that a lot of NE Ohio kids are on their team. It would take a miracle for them to win it all, but it took something of a miracle... and a pretty good baseball team... just for a MAC team to get there. I get that this isn't near the stature of NCAA football or basketball, of course, but the CWS is still a pretty big deal, if you ask me. And it's getting a little bit bigger every year as more and more MLB prospects see college as an option over getting drafted or signed out of high school. I just hope Akron baseball can get to where they can compete at this level. That would be way cool.

Oops on the spelling... I shoulda known better. But I have to agree about Ray Lewis as a wrestler. Does not surprise at all that he's a two-time state champ. Shocking that he actually got beat 10 times (80-10 for his careeer) in high school. I pity the guy's he wrestled after losing a match. Dierdorf went to the old Glenwood, which is now Glen Oak.

Found an interesting article on NFL platyers who wrestled in HS... http://www.hammondwrestling.com/nflwrestlers.shtml A few of the HOF/future HOF names from the list... Ray Lewis, twice state champ in Florida Randle McDaniel Ronnie Lott Warren Sapp Bruce Smith Dan Dierdorf Larry Czonka