72 Roo

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?

And this affect Zip athletics how? Oh yea, he's the son of Leonard Paul. Now that's a pedigree! Leonard is still one of the most exciting players I have ever seen in a Zip uniform. Sheeesh. Makes me almost want to talk about curling.

Some of the so-called information on this thread is just opinion and nothing more, especially when it is about what coaches intend to do with their career. To say Porter will use us and his players fear him is pure bulls__t. He could have gone and didn't. He and his wife want to be here. His players respect him. I know them and they defend any attack on him. Sure he'll go one day, but not until he has taken the program to be consistently at the top. KD is doing his best and has raised the level of the program. The cynicism voiced against him is pathetic in that it is so filled with speculation and forgets the facts of what he has done and committed to do. Coach Gest could be a great coach, I suppose. I wish her the best but we don't have to build her up by cutting down all other coaches. Let each stand on their record, their actions and the growth of their program. Not someone's bitter opinion.

Hey Johnny. Coming from someone obviously as wise as you I'll take any compliment I can get. Been a bad day, but being a Zip fan always makes me feel better. Looking at our soccer team makes me feel downright ecstatic! Don't you love seeing them play "dominant soccer" as Caleb has called it!Oh, BTW, Virginia, you should be ashamed to have won it the way you did.Fear the Roo!

What happened to Rachel Tecca in the Buffalo game? She has been playing out of her mind lately and then against UB only 10 or so minutes. Is she hurt? How about an update from the nation. Thanks. Those of us who live out of town appreciate the updates.I have high hopes for the ladies. It seems Jodi's program is getting traction and starting to grow nicely.

FWIW, last year every school in C-USA got a $1.4 million share in the distribution of the conference TV money. Schools that went to bowl games got even more. The MAC distributed $0. We have got to get out as soon as we can. No wonder Marshall bolted as soon as they could.The economic fact of life is the MAC will never support the athletic program we envision. It can't. Never has and never will. The conference just does not generate the dollars needed to keep us where we want to go. It's good for us now only because there is nothing better. Once we make ourselves attractive enough to other better conferences we must leave.

Well...American college soccer is very much like MAC (American) football. Often crappy, ocassionally entertaining, but allowing players who put up big numbers -- especially against lesser competition -- to sign big (by MLS standards, like Zakuani's 175k signing last year) contracts with Major League Soccer. But the majority of US fans understand the ultimate reality -- college soccer does nothing to develop players into world class footballers. Yes -- real fans could see Akron was the most skilled team, because they had the most skilled players with the most international experience, but on that weekend, defensive tactics and play trumped athleticism and skill. American soccer just doesn't develop offensive players who can easily break down defenders while moving the ball to goal. "Big" players are popular to MLS GMs and some EPL teams, where physical play is more important than athleticism or strategy. That is the reason why neither England or the US will be winning any World Cups anytime soon.Gotta Agree with you Z.I.P. Until other American coaches forsake packing it in to win a game and start daring to play attacking soccer, the game risks stagnation. Unfortunately, coaches are paid to win, not protect and grow the game. I've also come to the conclusion that many college coaches don't know how to attack in the modern sense with using all 10 field players. Our coach does and we are lucky to have him. I think we have every chance to build a dynasty here.

Liechtenstein produces the best linebackers in Europe. I sure hope we can corner the market there.

Nation, a belated Merry Christmas! I've been traveling to see family so please excuse the late greetings. We've had our problems this year, but we've also had a lot to celebrate. The bottom line is that this is still a great time to be a Zip as the best is yet to come. Thanks for making the journey fun and informative. I think one of the best parts of my day is when I learn something new about Zip sports through ZN. Happy New Year too!

Showing bias to the ACC, George Gelnovatch, the coach of Virginia, was named national soccer coach of the year by Soccer America. Virginia had three loses and three ties going into the NCAA finals. Apparently, being undefeated and untied, prior to the final four, against the hardest RPI in the country was not enough to get Caleb Porter his just recognition. During the run of all these victories Caleb's boys scored 55 goals and gave up 7. That wasn't enough. So you reward a coach, who after the first 20 minutes of the national championship, decides he can't play with the Zips and he drops 9 field players in front of his goal to stop Akron and play for a shootout. Our coach respect's the game and his players too much to sink to that level to win a championship. He playe attacking, dominant soccer.Virginia won the game and the championship. So be it. Congratulations. But don't say that was great coaching compared to what Caleb did. We've got the coach of the year! End of discussion. Bring on that new stadium and see the Zips at the top for years to come.Thanks for what you did Caleb! The best is yet to come.

I got two tickets. I won't be able to catch the semi-final game as I am flying back from meetings in California and don't get in until 11:30 Friday night. But bright and early my wife and I will hit the road Saturday morn. I hope to run into a lot of Zip faithful on Saturday night. Good luck to all. Safe travels. Let's bring it all home.Zip Wins, what's up with Joe wearing NC gear. I can't believe he has turned his back on us. Way too hard to believe.

Incredible, incredible night! I salute everyone who showed up. I love the 4,254 who showed. With better accomodations we could have gone to 6,000! People want top see this team. They are one of the best teams ever in NCAA play. That being said, I am super impressed by Tulsa. They are worthy of the top 8. They played physical and at times cheap. That's to be expected when you are chasing the #1 team. They were winning the game for the last 20 minutes. We lost our gas and made many bad decisions. In spite of that, we won and that's all that matters.Expect an announcement soon corroborating Frenchie's tip that a new field will be built for next year complete with better lights, drainage, irrigation, etc. The year after, we build the grandstand. Earlier I didn't care about seating behind the west goal. The specs for the new stadium don't call for it, but after seeing the stands filled tonight behind that goal, and the atmosphere they helped to create, I am lobbying hard to see at least berm seating there, if not stands.Folks, tonight was a glimpse into the future. We have a good chance to win it all. We have a good chance to keep Caleb. TW can see that the vision for all Zip sports is alive now in our soccer program, i.e. playing at the highest level. Expect him to keep it growing. He's a smart man and he can see what you and I want happening here on campus. This will raise the university's profile, bring the women's program along too and challenge all the other sports to follow soccer's lead.What a time to be a Zip! Thanks Caleb and booters. After football we needed that.

If I could get Kehres out of Mount I would give a run at him. He run a program as sophisticated as any in D1. He is disciplined, demands a lot of his players and develops each to their max potential. He never gets out-coached and is close enough to commute to Akron. He has a staff of 13 of which four are paid. The rest volunteer just to be part of what he is doing. Most of his volunteer assistants come from D! programs and many have HC or pro experience. He would make more money at Akron, but he is a guy who money holds no allure. Can't made a serious run at him years ago. He was not impressed by the money. That may portend that we can't get him, but I'd still try if he says he would talk.Most people would kill TW if he made that hire. For me, I think he is just what we need, he'd stay until retiring and could take us to beyond our dreams.Nice discussion topic. Thanks for starting it.

What I have heard is very reliable ..... came from a guy in a bar who knew the third cousin of Caleb's milkman. The grandstand will seat 3,400. We have excess capacity on the east and north berms, 2-3k at least. If needed one day a section could be easily added to both ends of the grandstand. There will be no berm seating behind the west goal and plans have never called for that. I would love to see that change like others have wished. I don't think there is enough room. Expansion beyond the grandstand additions could come from permanent seating on the north side.I pray it gets built also. The men are now where we only dreamed they could be not long ago and the women are slowly building a respectable program. Chris Pfau believes we can be a top 25 program. I think he will get it done. His recruiting is getting better every year.It's a good time to be a Zip. Go Zips! Beat the fir trees!

Buckzip I like and respect your posts here, but let me challenge you and the other posters who talk about the talent we have on this team. Who exactly are you talking about? Go beyond Wagner, Lemon, Nicely and a couple other frequently-heard names. I'll tell you what I see: slow, soft, small, unathletic, unintelligent players who don't match up well with solid teams and get beat play after play.I see LaFrance signaling "field goal" when the Temple kicker puts it through the Akron uprights on a kick off from the 45 after a terrible face mask penalty by the Zips on the previous play, a Temple touchdown.I see Bowser having a blast on the sideline, as the score is sliding up into the 40s and 50s for Temple, yucking it up with other offensive players as the Info now has about 1,000 people (maybe) left in the stands. Bowser is racing around as if he has no injury, Mr. Prankster and his merry bunch (including the aforementioned LaFrance) while I'm contemplating a brown bag on my head for the next game.I see an entire secondary of tiny little players. I would guess that JD'd intention is that they are small but fast and will cover well down the field. Except that they don't! They don't chuck, they don't cover and they get killed when actual football contact occurs upon their little selves. I'm waiting for one of them to literally be "smote" on contact with larger opposing players one of these weeks, and I don't even really know what "smote" means. I see an undersized D-line (all three of them at a time!) and a well-sized but sluggish and oafish O-line. They both get beat, play after play.I will pass on even commenting on the kickers and the special teams players. I'm not a former college football player or coach, but I see what I see. I see players that don't fit. I see some players who are OK with getting demolished. I see a supposed NFL-type talent playing around with other players who are supposed to be prepping for their next possession. The whole thing has become painful. So, someone please provide specifics regarding the "talent" that is supposedly on this team. Who will magically turn into players when JD disappears?hard to really assess what a new coach will do with what is left when he shows up...we gotta hope Nicely a nd a very few others do not transfer...i think many of us have believed for several years that a different scheme on defense might help some...problem there is the players recruited were for the current system...might not translate well to a more conventional defense where you need size on the line and at least one BIG backer who can control the middle...same with safeties...the upside next year may actually be on offense...if key players stay..i still find it difficult to believe that an o-line that was good last year all of a sudden got that bad losing one senior...there was more going on with coaching decisions there...quarterback issues,running back issues,no tight end in the offense etc etc..Lee, the answer to the O-line is simple ...... they weren't that good last year. How quickly we forget. In games where we absolutely had to run i.e. Buffalo, Cinci, Temple, we couldn't because they couldn't block. So this year is a continuation of last. That is why this coaching staff has got to go. Our team is not getting better each year. All we have is excuses. No results.

At best we have mediocre talent. We also have poor coaching and a horrible defensive scheme with an average offensive plan (refer back to my comment on coaching). Our LB's are undersized and cannot plug holes or stop the run. Our DB's rarely tackle and never tackle driving the ball-carrier back. This doesn't bode well for the future. Those on this board who say all we need to do is heal up and next year will be great are either extremely optimistic, ignorant or thinking they are on the USC board.BTW, don't you think Temple is just biding its time until it can get back in the Big East? They are using the MAC to rehab and rebuild their program. I'd say they are on their way.We need Luis to make a major statement with the full backing of his office. I believe in him and feel he is capable of fixing this mess.

May all your wishes come true. How about a bit more? Send the Zips deep into the NCAA BB tourney, have the track team earn several national championships again, get the softballers kicking ass in the MAC and have the tennis team become a Midwest power. Oh, and let's not forget the rifle team. That's one top team we don't want going postal because we overlooked them.There, now I feel better.

I would be surprised if he went there. DC United offers tons of headaches, no security outside a 2-3 year contract, and personel problems he has yet to deal with (like international players older than him, making more money and difficult to coach). Caleb seems like a man dedicated to his family also. He would be far away from family, in Kalamazoo and Indiana, with a young son and no family within driving distance. The cost of living in DC would quickly eat up the money a bigger contract would bring. His wife would also have to leave her job. His best years are ahead of him at Akron, especially if the new stadium project is approved by the board.That being said I was also the guy who said Ken Lolla would not leave when the rumors flew. I hope we keep him. But we will have to live with the fact that he will always be getting good offers.

equins, I agree with Dave. Nice post Dave. But I also agree with others in that Akron should not schedule YSU except if you are willing to come to our place. I think that is consistent with where our vision of the program is. It may not be yours and, hence, we don't play. Akron should only play the old I-AA teams at home. Playing you guys in Y-Town is not part of our plan to raise the level of our play, improve our leadership, improve our conference affiliation and our improve our reputation.We may disagree, but I think Akron fans generally try to be civil. in soccer

I enjoy winning games too. Get a grip though, totally new look??? Looked like the same shot gun hand offs to me?I enjoyed the end of rounds, but other than Nicely improving, where is the new look? It ain't on D, while I did see a fewQB pressures, I saw a LOT of three man rush with a SOFT zone in the middle. Keith picked it apart, and that is what thisstupid 3-3-5 defense is supposed to be built for. Special teams, another missed FG, that ain't new, that's for sure. You mustbe talking about the high punts that get downed inside the 5....oh yeah, that is new. Let's take care of our last two home games this year and have a good off season. Then we can start discussing "new look". Gotta agree with the good doctor. I saw lots of improvement, but also some of the same poor football that makes you want to gouge your eyes out. I hate the shotgun handoff that gives the running back no momentum as he starts from a standing position. The D got some fantastic pressure and other times our three man rush was an open invitation to pick us apart. They did, just not enough to matter. Credit that to the brialliant Doug Martin for not making us pay. JD and the defensive coaches should lose their jobs based on their continued support of the 3-3-5 non-defense alone. Unfortunately, there is much more support for that decision than just defense. We have too much potential to be this bad. But good Lord, I love beating K.e.n.t. Congratulations JD on that at least.

GP1, this is the first time that I have evidence that you have lived up to your self-description as "Great". This time you earned it and I believe it.

I won't take the bait as to commenting on the future. Let's celebrate the Now. Thanks to JD for having the team prepared and the players for never quitting or ceasing to believe. This was a great win! Thanks Zip footballers. It's 11:54 pm and K.e.n.t. State .....

Let's not put this on the shoulders of 19 year old kids that are trying their best, but rather on the shoulders of 30-40-50 year old coaches who are under-performing. I love these kids and would love to see them with a real coaching staff, especially on offense.

Make room on his lawn for my wife's mini-van and my SUV if we don't win! K.e.n.t. makes me sick and it scares the hell out of me that they are probably better than us this year and better coached.Step up to the challenge J.D. It won't save your job, but it can save your pride.

Capt, couldn't agree more. There is still much more we can do to make this a position no one would want to leave w/o an unbelieveable offer. Get Caleb and his assistants a significant raise, make the stadium a reality and get us in a better conference (possibly as an affiliate) and we'll be darn tough to leave.