Blue & Gold

You're absolutely right. On another thread, Zeke Marshall's mom posted a link to some Pitt Panther fans who were upset that Zeke had verballed with Akron. I guess they were dissing us pretty bad (I didn't read posts from the link.) But I would guarantee those fans don't know what they're talking about if they're dissing on our campus. It's beautiful now! Honestly, most of the people in Summit & Stark counties don't yet know how beautiful the campus is - let alone folks from Pittsburgh. I think The Info will act as our greatest PR move in years - getting people to campus, giving them all an eyeful, and getting the community united behind the UA Zips.

They're implying that Zeke is so tall he won't be able to walk under the archways. TBS, Very Funny!

Hey, now. I wish you'd stop judging Big Guy in GA's comments. I judge your judgmentalism to be quite snooty.Just joshing you. But honestly - glad the Odd Corner's outta here!touche Blue & Gold. Seriously. After I posted that I thought "If I hadn't added the 'snooty' descriptor, I might have had the high ground, because calling someone's judgementalism 'snooty' is a value judgement in itself". LOL, you caught it.I dunno though. I guess my point is, I can't blame an established business for not wanting to move, and if it was me, I'd be trying to get as much of a bonus for my troubles as I possibly could. ....and, I can personally agree with bashing the plasma place because of the element it brings around, but I feel like the odd corner was just odd, and not really a public nuisance or anything like that.Ha! You know I'm only joking, Zen. Your comments are always great and give this board as much insight as anyone! Though I wasn't a customer of the Odd Corner, it never rubbed me the wrong way - I used to think it was funny. The plasma center, on the other hand, man, I'd take 4 Odd Corners over ONE plasma center. The sorts of people that place attracts will honestly deter students and other Akron residents from walking the streets around the new stadium. The Odd Corner's still in business, and that's fine by me. I am glad that the Odd Corner is not right outside the main entrance to the stadium though. But really, if there's anything the U could do about the plasma center, that's a bigger issue in my mind.

Hey, now. I wish you'd stop judging Big Guy in GA's comments. I judge your judgmentalism to be quite snooty.Just joshing you. But honestly - glad the Odd Corner's outta here!

That actually sounds like a fun idea! We could have some huge parties before football & basketball games! I'm not a militant fan - I've got a handful of friends who are present and former Can't State students and we always have fun at the games. It's fun talking smack, putting a little something on the game, and then still being friends afterwards. Last year I got 3 steak dinners out of the Akron-Can't b-ball games! This year? Uh, not so much.

Here's another article from today's ABJ concerning the new Akron Bio-medical/Education & Research Corridor.http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18825064.htmlP.s. Have you noticed all the news regarding UA's & downtown Akron's development as opposed to constant non-event that is Can't State?! Can't State seems to be going nowhere! The only time you hear ANYTHING out of Can't State is when they perpetually remind everyone that a few hippies were shot there about 30 years ago. PATHETIC! Here's yet another story from today's ABJ concerning the shootings @ Can't State during the 70's.http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18825164.htmlPATHETIC!!! There is virtually no positive momentum at Can't.Go Akron! Go UA! Go Zips! The future belongs to us!

Here is an article from today's ABJ concerning the brand new Ohio Brewing Co. located in the former Oneil's building.http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18825169.htmlAnd here's an article from today's ABJ concerning Brubaker's Pub reopening in the new student housing development on S. Main St.http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18825154.htmlDowntown is definitely turning into the place to be! Imagine the energy once The Info opens and once we build our new Akron Arena!

You raise an interesting point. I think the slightly smaller size of The Info as compared w/ The Rubber Bowl will enhance attendance. I'm showing my age, but I remember when Jacob's Field (Progressive Field, whatever) first opened. One of the add campaigns during the winter before the 1st year at The Jake showed a big bowl filled with ping pong balls. Then a man would pour the bowl of ping pong balls into a smaller bowl only holding about 1/2 the capacity of the first bowl. The bowl quickly filled w/ balls and then the rest of the balls went rolling all over the table. Then the man simply said something to the effect, "Better get your season tickets early!"NEO fans are fickle though. I remember going to old Municiple Stadium in Cleveland w/ my dad. There'd be maybe 3000 of us at the Indians' game. The first year at The Jake you could still walk up to the gate on gameday and get good seats. I remember my first game at The Jake during that first season - it was cold, drizzly, and the Indians lost something like 14-0 to the Texas Rangers. Then the Indians really started to win - and that's when they started selling The Jake out. So I think The Info will be extremely important for attendance sake and the advancement of the program - it'll attract the hordes of fair weather fans - but JD's still gotta win to keep butts in the seats.

Thanks for the link! And, Zeke's Mom, we welcome YOU to the Zip's family just as much as we do the Big Guy himself! The article states that Zeke made a verbal commitment a couple of weeks ago and made it known publically yesterday. Did he actually commit during the week of the King James AAU tourney?

Sweeeeeeeeeet!!!! Welcome to the family, Zeke!!! You're gonna be the big man on campus! At 7'0", I suppose that's a given. We're all looking forward to meeting you, cheering for you, supporting you no matter what, watching you continue your development, and going dancing in the NCAA!The coaches around the MAC had to change their shorts when they heard this news! They tremble at the sound of Zeke's name! And, of course, they FEAR THE ROO!

Aaaaaah! This is a LOOOOONG 3 hours!!!

Here is a story in today's ABJ (5/7/08) concerning the possible cooperation/alliance between UA, Summa, Akron General, Akron Children's Hospital and NEOUCOM.http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18717949.htmlVery promising w/ lots of upside!

Here's a story from today's ABJ concerning just that...http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/18717949.html

If you look toward the left hand side of the screen in camera #3 (looking north towards the fieldhouse) I believe that you can see the northern wall of the western grandstand which slopes down to the playing surface.

Hey Gamechanger! Wow! Thanks for that above link! :blink: That's one thing about KD and our coaching staff that I love and am really proud of - we, naturally, have also had recruits that haven't developed and produced like we all were hoping. But KD and the staff still love them and never say ANYTHING but positives about them and the staff always seem to go out of their way to make sure that all the players - from the starting five to the walk-ons - know that they are an important part of the team and that they are wanted just as much as anyone else. I think that is a large part of why the team chemistry at Akron is so special. You'll see a group of players walking around the mall together - and there will be 3 starters, 2 bench players and 3 walk-ons in the group, all hanging out, laughing, no egos, all best of friends. It's totally cool. You can tell they're just one big family.I didn't know that LeBron held a camp at UA. I knew about the King James AAU Classic, but LBJ also has a skills camp on campus?Go Zips! Go Zeke!

St. Pete is beautiful! I'd be all for that!

Aha! Well now we know who the player was mentioned on another thread. Thanks, because we were left hanging! Have fun in Califonia!

Hey GoZips, Are you still alive?! Come out, come out where ever you are! It's been 2 weeks now! Who is the player you saw on campus? Bro, even if you aren't entirely sure that's okay, but don't just leave us hanging after a comment like that - especially in the slow months between b-ball & football!

Here's a nice article from the Buchtelite concerning the strip of buildings fronting the canal next to the Civic Theater. http://media.www.buchtelite.com/media/stor...tmlemailedition

When KD spoke at the Canton Hall of Fame Luncheon Club he mentioned an imminent announcement concerning Zips' basketball and Nike/LeBron. At the banquet was there any talk of this at all?

I was able to make the first half of the noon game today ($10 for 1/2 of basketball! - Go Zeke! You can tell we want you, bro!) and I was pretty darned impressed! First of all, I come up his rib cage. Secondly, he really is a game-changer (just like his mother's screen name, whom, by the way, I had the pleasure of meeting - very sweet, caring, vocal, funny lady) as the opposing team really seemed to play with much more confidence when Zeke was not on the floor. Without Zeke on the P-Storm team, I'd guess the other team would have won easily. They just seemed much more athletic than the P-Storm. But with Zeke out there it really distrupted what the other team wanted to do; frustrated their big men quite a bit, and seemed to give the P-Storm players more confidence on both O and D. I did not get to meet Zeke, but I like his demeanor. You can just tell that he's a really nice "kid." And he plays with confidence. He's an awfully tough player now; in another year or two, he's going to be a monster. His mother is terrific! I can tell right now that she would become best friends with the McKnights. She's funny, vocal, encouraging and patient - just like the McKnight's parents (especially their father) if you've ever watched him cheer for his boys. It's really something special. Some parents get on their kids; some encourage their kids - Zeke's mom is an encourager.As an aside, AAU basketball is DARN good! There were a TON of excellent players there today. Good grief, I've never seen so much height walking around the Rec Center - there were 6'-7"ers all over the place! This brand of basketball (while I suppose the teams don't practice together as much as the teams do in high school) seems to be athletically FAR superior to high school ball. The Rec Center was chock-full of serious ballers today! Thanks LeBron!And to the Marshall's, I hope you guys really enjoy your weekend in Akron! Do we live in a great country, or what?! Basketball during the day; Dominoe's pizza at night; life is good!

Does anyone know whether there are any plans in the works to honor Jason Taylor in any way at, or around The Info?

You observation could not be more spot on. I had a friend who attended OSU during their freshman & sophomore years and then finished up their degree at UA. She used to laugh and call UA students "whiners" when they'd complain about parking. I guess at OSU if you get a parking space less than a 20 minute's walk from your class you generally consider yourself pretty lucky! The parking's not bad at all! Maybe it's just that the only perspective of parking and walking that many of the students have is limited to either their experiences at former high schools or the shopping malls? That kinda sounds like a smart-a$$ comment, but i'm not intending to sound that way. I really mean it - I think most of the students are just accustomed to parking 50 yards from the entrance to their high school, 30 yards from the entrance to a shopping mall or 25 feet from the entrance to Starbucks. In reality, a 10-minute's walk to class is nothing!

Oooooh! I like that!

Concerning points 2 & 5:#2 - "Eat 'em up, Eat 'em up, go Zips go" UGH!, I HATE that song! It literally embarrasses me. Whenever I bring friends to the game I always try to make smalltalk with them while the band is playing that stupid song so that my friends won't realize how painfully lame it is. Unfortunately, many of my friends are skeptical about coming to a Zips' football game in the first place. Then they hear that song and I just want to crawl under a bleacher! Unfortunately, Hang On Sloopy is terrific. We definitely need something, ANYTHING!, new.#5 - I'm with you on the whole flag girl thing. How LAME! They have no place on a university-level marching band. They're even considered to be rather LAME on the high school level - where the administration is just concerned with the respective kids' self esteem and with helping to give the kids an identity and sense of belonging by getting the kids involved in something. This isn't high school; this is grown up world now. It's just LAME. Get 'em outta here!MORE MILITARY MARCHES!!! COOL MILITARY DRUM CORPS RHYTHMS!!! Unfortunately, OSU's band also has probably the coolest drum corps rhythm I've ever heard. It probably has a name, I don't know, but they play it as they're marching in and then start off their fight song with it. I hate OSU but even I can't help but get goosebumps when I hear that!