RatFink

RIFLE, contact the men's basketball office and speak to coachTerry Weigand. Ask coach to provide you with a "comp" ticket.There are usually extra "comp" tickets available for most away games. Don't try this for the Can't State game, wont be any.Good luck.

As I sat at Ford Field (both games) a thought kept reoccurring to me. The lower section of Ford Field probably seats 35,000 people really comfortably. Ford Field lower section would make an excellent stadium for the Zips. Add in the flying deck just under the stack of loges and you could expand to 45,000. Instead of the huge five tier loge section at Ford just three levels or two levels. Layout the stadium in a manner that the loge side lies along West Market Street. That allows for year round businesses to be built into the building providing rent money to the university. It would be possible to built a high rise student dorms at either end or along the north side. Unfortunately that would cut off visibility of the field house complex. Not to mention sun light. Also possible could be student dorms at the east end and several classrooms and sports medicine facilities on the west end. Ford Field does not look like much from the exterior. Inside it is a first class facility. Its a well thought out stadium done right. Several posters impressed me with their vision of the potential for the greater Akron community. I agree with them.

I see a lot of venting one's spleen on this thread. And, frankly, that is all that will happen. They, the ABJ, are not listening to you. Nor do they grasp that their posture is detrimental to the local community. When they periodically survey their readership they discover that their readers do not care about the University of Akron. Their readership cares about the Ohio State Buckeyes. To the ABJ if you are not a reader you no longer have a voice in what they print. While not buying the paper sends a vent your spleen message it also signals ABJ that your interests are not their interests. Of course, the ABJ is wrong. The ABJ interest should be the community they serve. I am not aware that the ABJ has a large reader base in Columbus. The ABJ is part of the mentality that created the attitude that prevails. It will take generations to turn the interest away from the Buckeyes and focus on the Zips. It was most pleasing to observe on the bus trip to Purdue that the organizers refused admittance on to the bus of three people sporting Buckeye gear until such gear was stowed. On the 1997 trip to Nebraska no one in charge had the kahonies to insist that six or so Husker fans remove their ugly red. Things are slowly changing. Repeatedly you have asked for more general coverage of the Zips. Repeatedly the ABJ crows that it covers the Zips on special occasions. There is the problem. You have identified it. Interest remains high in reading about the Buckeyes because the Buckeyes get a lot of coverage. Interest in the Zips remains low because the ABJ readership rarely reads about the daily activities at their own university. Continue to badger the ABJ. The light must come on eventually.

Darnell Mayberry in Wednesday's Beacon Journal reports 6' 9" Mike Bardo of Cincinnti Oak Hills has made a verbal commitment to play at Akron. Bardo chose Akron over Bowling Green, Indiana State and Wright State.

Returning from a business trip to Columbus this morning I caught the Chris Spelman Sports Talk Show on 1460 AM. Spelman interviewed JD Brookhart. The ten minute interview covered a number of topics. Chris gushed about Akron's top notch indoor facilitys calling it the best in the nation. JD acknowledged that it was "one of the best". Asking JD why would a kid choose Akron over say a Big Ten school Brookhart had a great answer. "Its a chance for a kid to play in forty-four games instead of twenty- two. It is an excellent point that kids and their parents need to consider. The pines get damned cold in November. Of course they talked about Charlie. Doesn't everyone?

UC at Berkely usually goes by its common name. The University of California, a member of the PAC-10. The real question is, can KD get Braun and company to visit Akron? If UC visits EMU a trip to Akron is logical and an effective use of time and money.

<<< Where'd you get that information? Last I heard Tennessee was in the process of being finalized. >>> NCAA Future Football Schedules A quick look at the current scheduling and you will find that Tennessee already has 12 games scheduled for 2007. Nebraska only has eleven scheduled. Besides, my source is reputable.

Latest word is that the Zips will play at Nebraska for the twelfth game in 2007 and not at Tennessee. Look for other changes, like maybe (finally) a home 'n home with Navy. Some other interesting opponent opportunities being pursued. No I-AA types on the horizon.

Huggy knows how to recruit players with testosterone. Dambrot is still looking for players with testicles.

Excellent source tipped me that the Zippies are headed to Louisville, KY to play the Cardinals this fall. No trip to Zippyland by said Cardinals expected.

Conyers Leaves His Mark on All-Star Game National Christian Star Ensures Win With Block, Dunk in Waning Seconds: District All-Stars 107, Suburban All-Stars 102 By Sean P. Flynn Special to The Washington Post Saturday, April 23, 2005; Page D12 After preserving the District All-Stars' lead with a big blocked shot, Jimmy Conyers decided to cap his team's victory in the final seconds of the regional game of the Capital Classic with his own exclamation point. With an unobstructed fast break after his block, the National Christian senior completed the District's 107-102 victory over the Suburban All-Stars with a dazzling double-pump reverse slam dunk that drew whoops from the crowd at Patriot Center. "The first thing is that you've got to make it, and that's one of the dunks I always make," said Conyers, who was named the District team's most valuable player. "I wanted to give the crowd something to enjoy." Conyers, who will play for Akron next year, finished with a game-best 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting and tied the game high with 10 rebounds. Conyers's dunk was the fitting finish to a fast-paced game that had eight ties and 11 lead changes and was not decided until the final minute. After trailing by eight points early in the third quarter, the District stars turned their fortunes around with defense and rebounding, and they never trailed in the fourth quarter. The District out-rebounded the Suburban team 73-55 and had 16 blocked shots. "We were down at halftime, but [Coach Butch McAdams] got us ready," Sweetney said. "He told us to play good defense, and that would get our offense going." Trailing by three with less than two minutes left, the Suburban stars had several good three-point chances to tie the game, but they missed three attempts before Wakefield's Alex Irmer (16 points, 10 rebounds) made two free throws to cut it to 103-102 with 33 seconds left. Irmer was named his team's most valuable player. The District stars immediately bounced back with a breakaway layup by Avery, and the Suburban stars moved back quickly to get a shot. But Ryan Scott's three-pointer was emphatically blocked by Conyers, who got his own rebound and moved down the floor for the dunk. @ 2005 The Washington Post Company

Once again the Zips literally died the last ten minutes of a game. This seems to occur in nearly every game. What is the problem? Nine wins into the season the kids understand about winning. Fourteen games into the season the conditioning should be excellent. Dehydration? Good possibility. Its not one or two players bonking, its the entire crew. Some one needs to keep a closer watch on player fluid intake or lack there of during games. Isn't that and assistant trainer's duty?

So, what did JD Brookhart really accomplish? Six wins, one against hated Marshall was no great feat. Lee Owens probably would have given Akron the same with the added bonus of kicking the crap out of a sorry Middle Tennessee. Thus a probable 7-4 record and a slightly better chance at a bowl bid. The out come there would have been the same. No one fore saw the strange bowl eligibility scene. Thus, no credit to Brookhart is due. What JD gave Akron was a renewed spirit. A spirit long over due. A good feeling about being a Zip whether a fan or a player. This is the real accomplishment. Forget the 6-5 record. It was nice. Lee would have given Akron at least that. But, Lee could not instill a warm feeling that the future will be better. JD's defense still sucks. It smells of Lee's defense. What improvement was there? Really? Losing to Miami 37-27 when the offense tied the score 27 all proves just how far the defense is from being able to deliver. The defense still sucks. That said, the future is the real promise that excites Zips fans. First order of business: fix the defense. Thus far the recruiting both last year and the coming year bode well for the Zips. The verbals and transfers point to having the best recruiting class in the MAC. The system is in place. The kids are learning it. They are learning to believe in themselves. The future holds a lot of promise. The administration seems to understand that winning big games puts fans in the stands. This is crucial to future success. Second order of business: build a new stadium. Its hard to imagine a 20,000 seat hole in the ground being much of an attraction. A 45,000 seat concrete structure is far more appealing. But, when you are the lame step child of a mid-major conference, you take what you can get. The one caveat is that the new stadium must have expandability built in. The hole in the ground better be able to expand to 30,000 and even 45,000. With some effort, the Zips will need it. Some one wrote about the possibility of Brookhart leaving Akron and becoming the head coach at Pitt. What I have been reading lately does not give me a good feeling about keeping JD at Akron. Walt Harris seems bound for Stanford. The Pitt job is open. A nice pay raise to JD and his staff is in order. Do it or their gone. Do the deal Charlie.

Its too fricking bad that they can't all lose. This is nothing but a popularity contest where by mega-school fans easily out vote puny-school fans. Charlie Frye's heroics in the Marshall game were easily the best high lights of that week's football in the country. Charlie's gutsy play in the Marshall game and the Miami game prove that its not about a great player; its about mega-school name recognition. Most college football fans don't know jack shite about quality play. Nor do the so called sports writers or commentators. Peace on them all. Be wise Zips fans, don't vote. Do the deal Charlie.

Marshall pukes, suck it up. You lost. Contrary to MULLETHEAD, the best team did win Fryeday night. How so? Well, the Zips gave up 28 points which is close to their average. The <insert name here> yielded 31 points which is double their vaunted defense was giving up. The fumble into the end zone did not just happen. It was caused by a solid hit on the ball carrier. Credit good defense. <insert name here> damned sure would credit their defense if the Zips had fumbled. The real difference was in special teams play. <insert name here> has one of the worse special teams in the nation. This not the first game they choked on this year. How do you miss THREE, count them THREE chip shot field goals? That takes practice. It was a mental error, not cold hands that caused the dropped snap that set up the winning field goal. Did you recognize that the Zips special teams unit blocked well? <insert name here> never got close to blocking the kick. It was a clear shot well with in Swiggart's range. Frankly, <insert name here> is overrated. Like it or not, great teams win when the going gets tough. TWENTY-FOUR UNANSWERED POINTS were put on the board by the great team. The pretenders merely wilted under the onslaught To quote the best QB in college football, "football games are sixty minutes long". The celebration is over. Ohio will be ready for the Zips. Be prepared.

JP, cute scenario. Only, you missed one thing. Charlie will NEVER wear a Clowns uniform. The Clowns brain bust is entirely too stupid to even be aware that such a talented player exists just down the road. Smart money says Charlie will be a first round pick of the Miami Dolphins who need him desperately. Charlie can thank his vitrual twin Big Ben for a lot of openned eyes. ESPN2 delivered to the nation what Zips fans have known for four years. Charlie really is the best QB in college football.

Here's what I saw. And a lot of you ain't gonna like it. Jim Pry as Offensive Coordinator SUCKS. Straight up the gut on first down at least 80% of the time. Not even slants or counters. Straight in. What a waste of a down. Makes the Zips a two play offense. Guarantees three and outs. Way, way too predictable. Easy to defend. BTW, what ever happened to the great counters the Zips ran in the past? Owen's play book wasn't junk. Fire Jim Pry as OC as of now. The OL is terrible. Have some pride. Do a gut check. Try BLOCKING. Defense, you are allowed to tackle. Convert Jabari Arthur to WR NOW. Forget the QB position. John Fergusson needs to be the back up QB. The QB slot will fall to Luke Getsy next year. No coach in his right mind is going to sit down a game proven Big East/BCS QB for unproven "talent". Jabari is just too fine an athlete to waste. #18 ... you suck. Don't you EVER head slap an opponent after a play again. You DUMB ASS, you damn near cost the Zips a Personal Foul 15 yarder. Play with in yourself or sit. The most positive thing I saw all evening was the Zip's defense in the third quarter. That was the best quarter of Zip's defense I have seen in years. So, you followed it up with "I'm too tired" in the fourth. What a shame. MTSU's trick plays fooled the Zips nearly every time. Stupid fouls, sloppy ball handling and a few bad breaks finished the Zips. Take care of the ball, PERIOD. Okay, those of you fond of blowing sunshine up our collective asses, its your turn to vent.

I like the way MAN-O-WAR thinks. POSITIVE.

PIMPLEflushIE, you dare dispute the all knowing Finkster? Check today's GoZips.com ya little dweeb. The Zips ARE hosting an ESPN Bracket Buster game. See for yourself. Cant Read Cant Write ... oh well, have your Mommie read it to you. p.s. Your Mommie understands about the wet spots from your dreams.

ZFF, carpet, er, rug munching always gives me a sore throat. Harrrumph, hack, hack, darn, got it again.

I managed to peruse the new athletic facilities this afternoon. First the new outdoor practice field is nearly complete. It has four tall light standards with what appears to be decent illumination potential. Haven't seen it lit up so I'm not sure. The new turf is slightly different from the AstroPlay of the Rubber Bowl and fieldhouse. The new turf is called Pro Grass. Other than not having a deep under base it is pretty much the same as the others. The whole field simply slopes 1 and 1/2 degrees for drainage. The field includes permanent yellow lines for soccer. The sod/grass portion was still just dirt. But, was being actively being groomed today. Next, I wormed my way inside the new student/athlete complex. First, its HUGE. Note, I said HUGE not just big. Everything about it is HUGE. The basketball courts look several times more impressive than the pictures on the web. Each court has its own scoreboard. Some offices in the complex are already occupied. The pool area looks ready for use and includes a glass wall through which you can see into Ocasek. Lots and lots of carpet. Lots of machines still to be set up. The climbing wall is just completed today. A worker from the firm doing the interior work told me that this whole complex is almost as nice as the one that Louisiana State is considering building. The crew is based in Baton Rogue. The football practice field is mind boggling. Talk about HUGE. The diffuse ceiling lighting made the field a bit erie with the cloud cover and no interior lights on. I quickly retreated having encountered a couple of UA police in the building. The complex will do the Zips proud.

Treat 2004-05 as a rebuilding year. Do not expect much abouve a .500 season. Coaching staff hard at work going after much higher talent level than past recruiting. Expect good signings. 2005-06 schedule expected to be much more difficult. 2005-06 schedule probably includes a trip to the San Juan Shoot out with a rematch with DAYTON in the opening round. Drew Schfino was far too great a risk to invest two years worth of scholarships in a kid that aside from being a player is not a good citizen with good work ethics. Thus, they passed. The retooling is aimed at the future with high expectations AND far tougher OOC scheduling than seen in the past. Zips will scrimmage CANICIUS as part of preperation in lieu of a second exhibition game. One exhibition game will be against a decent ASHLAND team coached by excellent coach Roger Lyons.

The Zips have a tenative and as of yet unreleased schedule completed for 2004-05. The season opens at DRAKE for payback of last year's "bracket buster". Home games include Mount Union (can't believe this), HAMPTON, CLEVELAND STATE, and OAKLAND. Road games also include DAYTON, DUQUESNE, and WRIGHT STATE. Cross division games include at NORTHERN ILLINOIS, at TOLEDO, at WESTERN MICHIGAN, at BOWLING GREEN, and home to EASTERN MICHIGAN, CENTRAL MICHIGAN, BALL STATE, and TOLEDO. Since the Zips face TOLEDO both home and away is that an indication of division realignment? Saved the best news for last. The Zips are HOME for the ESPN "bracket buster" game. Tenatively set for Saturday, February 19.

YSU in '05? Possible. Both UCF and the Cheaters are gone from the conference. Getting a I-A home date this late is nearly impossible. Really BAD news would be the elevation of YSU to Div I-A and invited into the MAC. Anyone who has visions of Akron-Can't-YSU triad being able to effectively compete for high school talent has not figured it out. Yes, there is talent out there. But, certainly not enough for any of that triad to ever compete effectively against the more spread out rest of the MAC. Admiting YSU into the MAC is tanamont to a disaster. Mike Thomas, get the Zips the hell out of MAC.

Well, well, old "dumb ass" Finkster did a little research. Guess what? You air heads are still smoking rope. True the Bigten.org site shows a composite schedule of all Big Ten teams (I printed it). And, true it shows that the PSU/Akron game is on ESPN. Butt, butt, butt, the OFFICIAL PSU athletics web site refutes that claim. PSU is showing two nationally televised games (Purdue and Wisconsin) and one regional game on ESPN+ against UCF. No mention any where of the PSU/Akron game being "nationally" televised. Seems like a lot of wishful thinking. The only web site that really matters is ESPN's. Thus far it does not list the PSU/Akron game. Be patient. Good things come to those who wait. Do the deal, Charley.