72 Roo

Interesting thing is that one of the posters thought that UA played for penalties in both Cup games last year. I saw the exact opposite. I did too. At the final national championship game against Virginia i had my watch on the game. In the 22nd minute the Virginia coach stopped playing attacking soccer and had his team hunker down with only one attacker. The rst ofthe team got behind the ball, no matter how deep we penetrated. he clearly had abandoned trying to play to win, but rather he played for PK's in OT. It worked out, but i lost all respect for him and gained more for Caleb. Caleb at times defended with only three players and sent the rest up to attack and hopefully win. I respect a coach like him who told the team we will win by playing to win, not by playing only defense. You are damn right in seeing it completely opposite to the ACC snobs. Because we play the way we play our program will surpass theirs. The players love the style of ball we play and we are getting better recruits. Our attendence will surpass theirs also. The Zips are here to stay at the top.

I heard Can't had a secret strategy this year, but I never would have guessed it was the old carpet ploy. Damn, that Doug martin is brilliant. I didn't see that one coming. We got a new stadium last year and Can't gets new carpet this year. They sure know how to compete. No wonder the Captain hates 'em. But I will do all I can to keep Martin there. He's our best chance to win because ...

I also believe in undefeated football seasons in 2010 and 2011. Other beliefs I have are that BigFoot lives in Ellet, Doug Martin is a genius of a football coach and the Great Pumpkin will visit my most sincere pumpkin patch this year. You betcha!

Can we do better than fight over a small PG who has offers from the likes of Illinois State, Western Illinois, UNC-Asheville and IPFW? We aren't going anywhere with this type of talent.

If he truly goes to TE that can't be good for him or us. Seems to indicate a non-fit. I liked his height and athleticism and still feel if he can put on weight he will be the type of LB we need. Now most of our LB's are small and cannot handle blocking from FB's or O linemen. They all need to take their nastiness up a bit too.

Couch's dad used to be on the board regularly and had many interesting posts. He was a very positive guy. I hope things work out for his son. He seemed to be a good find for the Zips.

Quins... You got a good player so enjoy the recruiting victory. I just have a hard time understanding him turning down offers from Syracuse or Indiana. Both schools are on the rebound much like you said YSU is. They both play at a much higher level with greater exposure and competition. I think the need to be closer to home was stronger than anyone thought.

Guys and Gals, don't think for a minute that we don't play a part in this. Akron soccer has risen from the depths of a maligned "small" school because you and I kept supporting the growth of the program. We have had great coaches, but that's not enough. The support for Akron soccer is superior and many Big 10/11 schools drool over the backing Akron has. I can tell you OSU is one. My source is a member of the OSU athletic administration dept and the coaching staff. If we keep filling the stands we have, we will see more development. The demand you have created is not lost on TW and Dr. Porenza or the board of trustees. They know they have something that puts Akron in the elite of the country. Caleb will take this program to the perenial ranks of the top 5 in the country. Last year I sat with six people. This year I have 20 buying season tickets. That is not due to me but rather a buddy who has done a super job in calling our friends and inviting them to join us. Let's keep it going. One final note. the AK-Rowdies are super. God bless all of you. You set us apart. You are the envy of many D1 programs. Many D1 coaches know they must play us while they hate to play us because of our home atmosphere. It will only get better for us. See you in Santa Barbara for the final four! It's great to be a Zip! Coach I, give us something to believe in with the other football ... please!

Folks let's add a little perspective here. It was only this summer that a major utility came through with enough money to put up a scaled back grandstand and facilities under it. Still that wasn't enough to put up the full 3,500 seat grandstand. Additions are planned for each end of the under-construction grandstand. Originally only phase one of the stadium project was to be completed this year. That was the new undersurface, grass, irrigation, drainage, utilities and fence. We got far more than that and more is coming as the funds are pledged. So let's give some credit to the development office for getting us this far. Funds for athletic facilities are very hard to come by in this economy. Yet we are getting them. Just not as fast as you and I want. We will have a better facility when the grandstand is expanded at each end. It will be in the top 10 in the country. It is feasible to see that in the 2011 season. So keep supporting the program. Bring your friends out and make the place an absolute madhouse for our opponents to visit.

Bottom line is we are getting what we deserve. Don't fault the beat writers for telling it like it is. We kept JD on longer than we should have and respect for the program eroded along with his lack of effective coaching. Now coach I inherits a program in transition. He has too many question marks. Vertually no area of the team is a proven commodity, even the D line. With that in mind some areas will improve, but others will disappoint. I see us going 5-7. Please prove me wrong coach I. I want you to succeed. We all do!

Folks, Get ready to party all you want, but it won't be because we win the MAC East. We have way too many unsettled issues to think we will win it. We have a coach who has never run a team, a staff that thinks they are better than they are and have yet to think as one, no winning tradition, a new O scheme, a questionable O line (don't buy the crap that they were so good last year), questionable kickers, no depth at wide out, small LB's, A QB who has never been under center now getting used to a new center, and a D backfield that needs rebuilt. C'mon let's get real. I want to win as much as anyone, but we are not prepared to do it. It's just wishful thinking with no substance behind it. I give us a shot at 6-6 at best. I hope I'm wrong.

Calm down with your misgivings because the ship of the U of A athletic dept is not off course. We are by no means perfect and will make mistakes along the way, but we are in position to better ourselves. Soccer is fantastic and the two players that left did so because they probably would not se the field. We are going to be better than last year. make no mistake we have a top five program and the best coach in the land. The onmly disappointment is that the stadium has to be built in phases. Too bad. It will be built and we will continue to kick ass draw better than ever and play for championships. I don't feel good about coach I or his staff. They seem to be in it to build their resume and have us impressed by their credentials (not). That being said I will give him two years to show me he can run a D1 program with rising aspirations. Regardless of what he does, it comes down to winning games. Win enough and this conversation is irrelevant. Let's give him the chance. Our AD is in a no win situation. He was brought in to bring change and if he does so he will get ctiticism. That change is to get us out of our comfort level and prepare us for a higher level of play and conference. He knows, we know and the board of trustees know that the MAC sucks. That being said we have to earn the right to move up. We haven't and are years away from being attractive to Confernce USA. Forget about the Big East. I think an AD position needs years to evaluate as to performance. I like what TD has done so far. I think it is the foundation for growth. I will not fault him for that. As far as basketball, KD is acting boldly and pushing himself and his program out of our non-productive comfort zone. He has embraced change and we need to support his efforts. BB will be OK. So folks, take a deep breath. It's a terrible time of year with nothing going on. We are on the verge of beginning an exciting year in Zip athletics. I understand your angst, but call me for a beer first so we can talk each other off the ledge from time to time. Keep the faith.

Cancelling the football golf outing may be no big deal to some, but to me it is another troubling issue with this staff. People within the dept of athletics have told me that this staff has major attitude issues. The summation that one staffer gave me was "they are really impressed with themselves and expect everyone else to be". Chief amongst them is Ron Powlus who still thinks he's at Notre Dame. Would Dr. Z please let him down slowly as you remind him he's at Akron. Foregoing the golf outing shows you don't understand or connect with your base of supporters. It may mean nothing, but it also may mean coach I will make a lot of mistakes before he learns to run a program. My prediction is that once he does learn to run a program, and has some success, he will bolt. I'm still not sure he wants to be a Zip as much as he wants a HC position that will move him up the ladder. We just happen to come along at the right time. This will be a long season for football, but we've got soccer and that will be better than ever. I think the women footballers will be a force to be reckoned with also. On a completely unrelated note, does anyone expect coaches Pat Bangston or Julie Jones to be fired? Neither has impressed me.

Don't want to rain on the ZN baseball supporters, but if it's a question of money, here what Id do with it. First, I'd spend it first on putting up a first class soccer stadium. The men are unquestioned top 5 in the country and coach Pfau has been vocal about his goal of getting the women in the top 25. Next, I'd develop the track complex with additional seating, concessions, toilets, electronic scoreboard, and pressbox. Our men's and women's programs are good enough to draw fans and host big meets. Then I'd turn to a new tennis facility for the ladies, complete with seating, lights and the ability to announce matches. Finally, I'd redo the baseball stadium. My first move would be to move it towards Exchange street to accomodate stands, toilets, space behind the plate foul areas. Until baseball earns it, I would use my resources elsewhere.

I talked to John LaGuardia about this and he said it was all about funding. They will finish the commons but only afterthey have accrued enough money in the budget.

great topic! this is a question that i can speak to. the answer is simple....pitching pitching pitching! if you are an above average pitching prospect in the state you are either going to osu or Can't State. the other teams fight over the rest. another issue is the facilities. the bullpen is a joke and the field needs re done badly. until they find a way to bring in quality pitching and upgrade the facilities we will continue to see teams that are young and get beat up on only to mature to .500 teams that can hit a little. pains me to say that but that's where the program stands Why is the field so bad? It looks good to me, but I don't play on it or have walked it. I thought the put $100,000 in redoing the infield and leveling the outfield a few years back. Do the elevated bullpens really suck? Please bring me up to speed.

This is truly a sad day for me because I find myself actually agreeing more than disagreeing with Jake. Dom was a guy that I disagreed with strongly as he ran the university. I have a nice note From him telling me off (after I tolkd him he was blowing it with the drawing for the JAR. I think you have to separate the man from the president. The man was a good person whose company I enjoyed. The president was not up to the task and it became apparent the board of trustees had to get him out of there. While the JAR is an example of a failure of leadership and not listening to others, I'm content to remember him as a guy who tried his best. He loved Akron. I'll leave it at that.

I voted 5-7. There are too many areas of the team that need fixed. Too many intangibles that we hope go our way, but usually don't. Spring ball did nothing more than reenforce that perception. We enter this season with more hope than confidence. Come on coach I, prove you an coach and prove me wrong. I'd celebrate that!

I'm glad to see we beat out two mediocre FCS teams and one average D2 team for this young man. Coach I is offering a lot of big time players, but only getting acceptances from few that can raise the talent level. So far I'm waiting to be impressed with any aspect of his program. I hope he proves up to the job. So far all I've heard were a lot of complaints from his staff. C'Mon guys, give us something to believe in.

Maybe they should add up all of the money they left on the table last year when all of those games sold out on Tuesday because of inadequate seating. Imagine how many tickets they could have sold if they had twice as many seats. Or more. For crying out loud I've seen 19,000 fans at indoor soccer games before, some paying for SRO. Not to mention the very weak inventory of Zips wear they have for sale in their used Winnebago trailer, they park next to the portable outhouse. How much money did they leave on the table just in those games (OSU, MAC tourney, and NCAA tourney)? What a bass ackward bunch of clowns. Build a 30,000 seat football stadium for a team that has a hard time drawing 3,000, and put a national powerhouse soccer program (smack dab in the middle of a soccer hotbed) on a crap field with less seats than a local high school football program draws for JV games. End of rant. Thanks for letting me vent. What an ignorant statement Hope you feel better after that rant. I know I do when I let off steam. Unfortunately, your statement might be, how shall we say ... ill informed? For the record no division I men's soccer program breaks even, let alone turns a profit. Football on the other hand can do so and maybe will if we continue improving it with performance and a better conference. When you look at the money left on the table for soccer, it is significant , but not huge. Our best crowd was 4500 for Tulsa last year. If we averaged that with a new facility the revenue might look like this: half are students so no income; the other brings in $22,500 if all are adults, which they aren't and they pay $10; parking is $0; food is maybe $3,000; spirit wear is $1,000. That equals $26,500 times 12 regular and exhibition games = $318,000. Out of that you pay concession workers and game day officials and you can see the revenue is not huge. If your point is that we at least will better our situation, you are right and I agree whoeheartedly that we should do it. But i do want to add that the revenue a new stadium will bring does not mean a windfall. A new stadium does push us to the top five in the country and to me that brings a hell of a lot of value. One final note. We have signed a contract to play Tulsa next season at our place on national TV. It will mark the return of the Zips to night time TV. Thanks for the new lights. Now we all have to pack the stands to show the country great things are going on at Akron and to the soccer world this is the place to be. Sounds good doesn't it. Hang in there. I believe we will see football and basketball become programs we can be proud of.

This one has me worried. Jodi is a Northern Ohio girl. But the money Mack can offer at Houston, plus her knowledge of living and coaching in Texas makes her a prime candidate to head south. I see her as the leading candidate. I absolutely hate to see it, but this will always happen to us until we can raise the profile of Akron athletics nationally. I don't see that happening until we get out of the MAC and quite possibly that may not be enough with the huge changes that are looming in college athletics ala super conferences. Let me end that I hope Jodi stays and Tom can build the program.

I've heard that they got a donor to sponsor the whole thing and rumor is that it will all be done by the fall. Could be wrong, just saying what I've heard. Unfortunately you are wrong. The first phase (Lights, new field, drainage, irrigation, etc.) is going to be completed on time. Phase Two (Grandstand) is in need of money and the university is looking to cut aspects of the stadium that will make it less than adequate for the level we aspire too. It's all about money now and Caleb needs help. No major donor has stepped forward. As with most capital projects, 80-90% of the fundraising is done quietly before it ever goes public or gets to people like you and me. Those deep-pocket donors are being pursued but none have committed. This project is in danger.

Please let it be so. I'd love to see K.E.N.T. run the 3-3-5. Can't you just relish the thought?

I don't claim to know what motivates Howard. A lot of posters seem to think they know what makes him tick. I doubt it. I'll venture this much and leave it at that. He doesn't seem to have any passion to be a Zip. We appear to be one of many fall-back positions for him and that leads me to believe he will never play for the Zips. In the grand scheme of things, that may not be a bad thing. You build a program on people who buy into the vision and want to be here, not those who have to be coaxed into it.If Ianello can coach, we'll be OK. We have the talent, we just never had a coach or unified staff.

It's in the off topic section.We could always use more off-topic discussions.LMFAO! Somehow, I have managed to miss out on some REALLY meaningful discussion on this board. Just today I have come across the great debate on whether football (i.e., "soccer" as Americans call it) is a major sport. There aren't enough in this single universe to express my thoughts on that topic!And now we come to (drum roll, please!) the Great Battle Between Teabaggers and (right-wing) Libertarians. As a founding member of the Hawai'i Green Party, allow me to display my deep hope that Libertarian Anti-Life murderers, and Tea Party Anti-Choice hystericals will come to the mutual conclusion that it is the national Republican Party which seeks to coopt your wise and courageous patriotism, and immediately begin setting up your own party apparatus for the fall, and all succeding election seasons. That will ensure your crazy ideas don't become even more united to the already extreme agenda of the "mainstream" right-wing party in the USA. In any case, best of luck to you -- but I'm willing to bet your parties together won't gain half the votes earned by Ralph Nader in even 2008. Other than that, my sentiments range toward the following send off to your fortunes: Now, as my football (i.e., "soccer" to the haters) crazed friend, 72 Roo would say to my comrade from Wadsworth, of the same name GO ZIPS!BTW '72 -- let's go throw some stones and down some pints! Z.I.P. .... I think we are experiencing the meltdown of this board when the moderators let politics take over. Personally, I am supporting the beer party whose slogun is a beer at every game. Come to think of it it may be "A beer every hour". That being said my political views will stay with me, but my Zip views will be shared with anyone who will listen. I stand for a NCAA championship in soccer and a football team that our opponents not only fear but respect. My platform includes high hopes for lady Zip basketball, men's basketball, lady soccer, track, ladies tennis, softball and rifle. I claim ignorance at how the other sports will perform, but right now I don't care.So where are you buying?